Until January 17, restrictions will not change: they promise new tactics and surprises on the roads

The Interior Minister, Agnė Bilotatė, explained on the Delfi Day program why it was decided to extend the restrictions. The minister assures that so far the situation in the country is still really very complicated.

“First of all, we have to start from the fact that this decision was made on the basis of arguments from scientists and experts. It is argued that the issue of mobility, its reduction, has a clear and tangible impact on the number of diseases and deaths, and this was the main reason why the restrictions were extended.It must also be said that the situation in Lithuania so far is such that the figures do not show that the situation is improving.

Second, we see that the restrictions that have been introduced so far have really produced tangible benefits, as the Police Department data has reduced mobility by roughly 80%. This is a really good result, but we still need time to see the benefits clearer, so it was decided at the Government meeting that we would meet and hear the latest data again on the 17th and then decide whether to extend the quarantine restrictions. to them. requirements ”, says the minister.

Different restrictions for cities

It was also mentioned on Monday that different municipalities can make different decisions depending on the situation.

“I would like to thank the municipalities for their involvement in the entire process and their active collaboration with the Police Department, which was very clear during the New Year celebrations. We really learned the lessons that were in the first phase, we saw that perhaps some solutions should be considered that would not apply to all cities, individual municipalities, depending on the situation.

Those decisions will be made by the Police Department, as they are responsible for certain tactics. A plan is currently being drawn up where there will be stationary positions, on what days, what measures will be applied in the municipalities.

This plan will be presented to the Ministry of the Interior in the near future, and when we have it we will present it to the public, but we will certainly take the statistics into account, because, for example, some problems are relevant for the coast and others for other municipalities. In accordance with this, we will make it easier for everyone during this difficult period, ”says the Minister.

When asked on the show if Vilnius may receive additional restrictions, A. Bilotaitė assured that a specific situation will be taken into account.

“We analyze the situation, the challenges and the problems that arise and based on that we will make decisions that in this difficult moment, which is extraordinary, I understand the people who are challenged by these limitations, but we have to understand that we are in the middle of way. We still need a little patience to achieve the result, so we will take into account the details, the challenges, but, as you know, it is not possible to put together every situation, but both the police and the Interior Ministry are in good faith, We do not want to burden anyone, but we also understand that this mobility and its reduction is really an important factor in controlling the number of diseases ”, says the Minister.

It was also mentioned during the conference that it will be possible to take surprises on the roads. When asked if so many people really want to violate the requirements, A. Bilotaitė assured that many people were trying to go to another municipality.

“Looking at the situation, we see that a large number of people are complying, but we see a significant number since December 16 that about 44 thousand cars were denied, that is, about one hundred thousand people were denied. Second, what we noticed was that at a time when there were no stationary poles, that movement had almost doubled at the time, but when people found out that stationary poles were applied, it fell.

It is seen that people are trying to use and enter one municipality or another, so in light of this the decision has been made that it may not be necessary to announce when and specifically what will happen. We will try to make sure that the control is carried out ”, says the minister.