The Passport of Opportunity will not provide the long-awaited privileges – no exceptions provided yet.

The restrictions will continue to apply to Lithuanian citizens traveling to and from other countries. Even with a passport, Lithuanian citizens will have to isolate themselves when they return from other countries. This was confirmed to the Delfi portal by Aistė Šuksta, Advisor to the Minister of Health Arūnas Dulkis for Public Relations.

A. Šuksta also ensured that if you return from abroad, if you are fully vaccinated (with two vaccines), then you do not need to be isolated, and if there is only one AstraZeneca, then you must be vaccinated.

“The Passport of Opportunity is only valid domestically. It is valid only in Lithuania and it is not valid when traveling abroad or when returning from abroad. The Passport of Opportunity does not offer any option in terms of isolation. It is about additional activities that people will be able to carry out four weeks after the first dose of the vaccine ”, explained the interviewee.

Specialists from the Public Relations Division of the Ministry of Economy and Innovation also confirmed that the Opportunity Passport will not grant any privilege to travelers to other countries.

“When traveling to other foreign countries, the COVID-19 requirements for travelers from a particular foreign country should be taken into account.

According to current requirements, people who have returned to Lithuania from foreign countries must be isolated if they have not been vaccinated. They will only be able to use the Opportunity Passport once the period of self-isolation has ended. Self-isolation does not apply to vaccinated people who have returned to Lithuania from foreign countries and are fully vaccinated, ”explained Ministry representatives.

According to them, only holders of the “green” passport of the European Union will not be able to isolate themselves. The purpose of this passport, according to representatives of the ministry, is “to facilitate and guarantee safe travel between states. The Opportunity Passport, which will enter into force in Lithuania, is intended to open activities within our country ”.

Senior European Union officials have repeatedly said that the so-called “green” passport could be approved in June, at the beginning of the summer holiday season. It is proposed to include in the certificate vaccines that are not part of the European Commission’s portfolio of vaccines, but only if the vaccines are approved in the EU.

The Passport of Opportunities will start operating in Lithuania from May 24. The government made that decision last Wednesday.

Who can use the Passport of Opportunities?

The quarantine change document registered by the Ministry of Health (SAM) establishes that the Vaccine Passport will be available for vaccinated people:

• 1 week after the second dose of Comirnaty or COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna according to the vaccination schedule;
• 4 weeks after dose of COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen;
• 4 weeks after the first dose of Vaxzevria, but not more than 12 weeks.
• after the second dose of Vaxzevria vaccine according to the vaccination schedule;

The passport of opportunity will also be available for those who:

• has developed COVID-19 disease and the diagnosis has been confirmed based on a positive SARS-CoV-2 antigen or PCR test and no more than 180 days have elapsed since the positive test result (but not before end of isolation period);
• have undergone a COVID-19 test (PCR test or SARS-CoV-2 antigen test) at least 24 hours before the time of sampling and have been negative;
• They are children under 16 years of age.

What can be done with the Opportunity Passport?

SAM indicates that the following less stringent quarantine measures are proposed for these individuals:

• allowing ten people to meet in public spaces, when in other cases this number is halved, this would also apply to private celebrations;
• people with immunity could provide contact services in state and municipal institutions;
• with the passport of opportunity, the requirement to accommodate only members of the same family in a room would no longer apply when providing accommodation services;
• It is planned to allow pleasure boat trips: they can be attended by a maximum of ten people or an unlimited number of participants who meet the criteria of the access passport;
• Caterers, restaurants, cafes, bars, gambling venues and gambling establishments could also provide services internally to passport holders. For the moment, it is proposed to limit the working day to 21 hours;
• Passport-eligible individuals would be allowed to hold events with up to 500 spectators in both indoor and outdoor venues. They will be required to occupy seats and occupy no more than 75%. from them. Currently, events are only allowed for up to 150 people, occupying no more than a third of the seats.

True, as the Minister of Economy and Innovation Aušrinė Armonaitė mentioned at the Government meeting, as the epidemiological situation improves, these changes could be further liberalized.