The government will be offered to extend the quarantine until February 28: the release scenario will be updated every two weeks

After the meeting, Interior Minister Agnė Bilotaitė announced that it would be proposed to the Government to allow the quarantine to be extended for another month.

“After hearing the information on the numbers, of course, we can say that the situation today is improving a bit, we see positive numbers. However, the acceleration of the fall itself has slowed down a bit. After considering all the arguments and figures, the decision was made to propose to the Government to extend the quarantine for another month, until February 28, “said the minister.

“We see that the curve of diseases is decreasing, which is the result of a strict quarantine, but they are not yet what we are looking for, so we propose to extend the quarantine. We hope that in the near future we will be able to offer the first releases also to companies ”, said the Minister of the Interior, President of the Government Emergency Commission A. Bilotaitė.

During the meeting, the stages of release of restrictions were presented, which are based on indicators for monitoring the epidemiological situation. The fewer cases, in terms of the number of cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 14 days, and the positive COVID-19 tests, the more favorable the situation and exemptions can be considered.

The decision was made to instruct ministries to specify and detail possible exemptions in their areas, and they will be presented to the government next week, but all exemptions must be tied to a ratio of morbidity rates and positive tests.

According to the forecasts of the Ministry of Health, the figure of 500 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants could be reached at the beginning of February, after reaching that limit one could speak of releases. According to data from Sunday, the average number of cases in the country is 527 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

“I am glad that we have managed to improve the results by concentrating. We are doing very well, but we cannot stop in the middle, to release more restrictions, we must remain united and follow the current recommendations,” said Health Minister Arūnas Dulkys.

It is tentatively anticipated that from mid-February, if there were a decrease in morbidity rates, two households could be allowed to communicate, as well as an increase in the number of scheduled inpatient services in response to the reduction of COVID- 19. Another possible launch is a return to contact or blended elementary education from the second half of February, in line with the requirements of the Government’s Emergency Operations Manual.

“We would give priority to business liberalization, and restrictions on movement between municipalities will be discussed with experts this week, we hope that decisions on this regulation will be taken in the near future,” said the Interior Minister, president of the Emergency Government Commission. A. Bilotaitė.

One of the first business exemptions being considered is allowing stores whose main activity is not the sale of groceries, but only on the condition that the store has a separate entrance from the outside. In addition, 20 m2 must be provided per visitor. tide.

Such launches could take place in the second half or late February. Among the discussions is the proposal of the Ministry of Economy and Innovation to allow the operation of centers that provide cross-country skiing services, guaranteeing safety requirements. There are six such centers in Lithuania.

Until March 1st. The recommendation would continue to be, if possible, to opt for teleworking in both the public and private sectors, with the exception of those functions that must be performed in the workplace.

According to data from the Ministry of Health, the first dose of the vaccine was 58 thousand. Lithuanian population, it is more than 2 percent. of the entire Lithuanian population, and 9,000 people were vaccinated with the second dose of the vaccine. Lithuania ranks sixth in the European Union in terms of vaccination, the country indicators are quite similar. According to the Department of Health, the highest incidence is in Ireland.

According to the Police Department, in January more than 18,000 vehicles were ordered to turn around and this month more than 5,200 protocols were violated for violations of quarantine conditions. Traffic on the country’s roads has been reduced by 72 percent.

We approach another stage

Health Minister Arūnas Dulkys stated that morbidity rates are declining, so there may soon be another quarantine scenario.

“We are already very close to the door of stage C, perhaps other stages,” said the minister.

He said the government could consider some specific quarantine relief measures next Wednesday.

“We agreed today that (the plan) we need to detail and agree on the principles. This means that this week, together with other ministries, we will detail those 4 scenarios that we can change in each of them. And we agree that we will already discuss and discuss the final option at the next WEU meeting next Monday. This means that we will approve these scenarios in the minutes of the Government meeting next Wednesday, and at the meeting specific measures can be discussed, ”said A. Dulkys.

He said the measures would be reviewed every two weeks.

When will the movement restriction be lifted?

The Interior Minister, A. Bilotaitė, stated that the restriction of circulation between municipalities would be eliminated, taking into account specific indicators.

“If the number of cases in 14 days will be less than 500 cases per 100 thousand population, and the number of positive COVID-19 tests does not exceed 10 percent, perhaps one of the suggestions is to think about a certain liberalization of the movement between municipalities.

But we are considering different options, stages. At first, we may think of releasing on simple days, leaving restrictions on weekends and holidays. There are such considerations, but it must be said that it is important to arrive at these figures, and then we will be able to talk, ”said the Interior Minister.

Police Commissioner General Renatas Požėla told a press conference that only a few dozen people went to another municipality this weekend due to social bubbles.

“We announced over the weekend that the data for the weekend did not show that hundreds and thousands had traveled from one municipality to another, they were dozens. We will see what the trend will be in the future ”, R. Požėla spoke about the indicators of social support bubbles.

Delphi recalls that the quarantine in Lithuania continues from 7 November to 16 December; strict measures have been introduced. Circulation restrictions between the country’s municipalities remain in effect until January 31.