Official: restrictions on movement between municipalities remain until January 31

The same exceptions apply

A document presented to the government by the Ministry of Health (SAM) proposes to extend the restriction on the movement of people between municipalities until 2021. January 31, since the current restriction expires in 2021. January 3, 24:00.

The same exceptions remain.

It will be possible to enter the municipality of your residence; to a municipality other than that of your place of residence due to the death of close relatives; work (for commercial purposes) when the workplace is in another municipality; to or from international passenger routes to or from airports, seaports, bus stations; about health services; for other objectively justified reasons of urgency, when travel to a municipality other than the one in which you reside is unavoidable. This restriction does not apply to people who are members of the same family or household, who move to a municipality other than their municipality of residence, where they own real estate owned by one of the members of the family or household.

“Withdrawal would be a crime”

Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė stated that movement restrictions should be extended.

“The provisions related to the control of the transfer from one municipality to another expire this Sunday. We were able to evaluate the mobility data, the work of the police, we saw a lot of overturned cars, strange excuses, ”said Prime Minister I. Šimonytė.

“So far we cannot say anything about the situation. The health system seems to have weathered the holidays,” said the prime minister.

“We have the people who complied with those restrictions to thank,” he said.

The Minister of Health Arūnas Dulkys, who presented this proposal to the Cabinet of Ministers, said that in the last days of last year new records of diseases and high deaths were registered, for which he proposes to extend the movement of people until January 31 .

He stressed that the ministry was receiving good signals about the arrival of vaccines in Lithuania.

“There are two important points: the government is making great efforts, we are seeing what we can do to achieve antigen tests as soon as possible. That other message that is very important is positive knowledge about the subsequent process of the vaccine. (…) An additional shipment of vaccines awaits us next week and testing continues. During January, we have the opportunity to strengthen enough front-line physicians, “said Minister A. Dulkys.

He said January should be a month of “good news” about the vaccine both for Lithuania and for all of Europe.

The Interior Minister, Agnė Bilotaitė, recalled that in 2 weeks it will be possible to rethink which way to go.

“The current figures show that the withdrawal would be criminal, the numbers are growing, the situation is not improving,” said the minister.

The police department and its social partners are prepared for further restrictions. Information on the work of the checkpoints will be provided in the near future.

The situation in the municipalities is very different

As the document says, in 2021. The 14-day incidence of coronavirus infection on January 2 was 1,286.9 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

The situation in the municipalities is very different: the 14-day morbidity rates range from 2,040 cases in 100,000 municipalities in the city of Alytus (city of Panevėžys – 2014, district of Pakruojis – 1843) to 481 in the municipality of Neringa.

The growth rate of morbidity has decreased, but in 2020. December 29 the highest number of cases was recorded during the entire period of the pandemic: 3,920, and the number of positive cases has also increased relative to the number of all exams performed (reached 24% during Christmas week).

The last 2020 The number of deaths from COVID-19 (coronavirus infection) continued to increase by about 15 percent.

Positive changes are not enough

National Defense Minister Arvydas Anušauskas wrote on Facebook on Sunday that the restriction of movement between municipalities will be extended.

“We are meeting at the State Commission for Emergency Situations; unfortunately, there is still not enough positive progress in the situation of the pandemic in Lithuania, although its acceleration has slowed down a bit. Since the virus spreads mainly through critical points , an extension of the movement restriction between municipalities is being considered. Will the movement restriction that ends today be extended? Unfortunately, it will be extended, reassessing its impact and the trends of the pandemic situation in two weeks “, wrote A. Anušauskas in your Facebook account.

The control is carried out from the third weekend.

To control the spread of the coronavirus, the movement of people between municipalities is restricted without just cause in mid-December, it is valid until Sunday 9:00 p.m.

During the weekend before Christmas, as well as during the Christmas and New Year periods, several tens of thousands of cars have already been delivered.

The Government Emergency Commission can recommend decisions to the Government on handling a pandemic. The Commission is made up of all the ministers, as well as the heads of some of the institutions.