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Spread of the virus. Two people with coronavirus died last day: an elderly woman who was lying in the Kartena Nursing Hospital, which has become the focus of the virus, and a resident of the Joniškis district with other diseases, over 60 years old. Only four new cases of coronavirus were confirmed on Monday, with a lower daily rate only in mid-March. However, on Tuesday afternoon, information from the Kaunas Republican Hospital caused concern: here the virus was confirmed in four patients, 90 doctors and nurses were isolated.
Economic crisis. Finance Minister Vilius Šapoka announced that in April almost a third of the expected revenue had not been collected in the budget: revenue was 221 million. lower than planned. According to the minister, the Lithuanian economy is likely to shrink by more than 10% in the second quarter. V. Šapoka also stated that he was “very cautious” about President Gitan Nausėda’s initiative to temporarily reduce the personal income tax during the crisis.
State support The Seimas began to consider the government’s proposals to increase support for companies and the population. Voting on the law is scheduled for Thursday. The following drafts were presented to parliamentarians:
* pay a lump sum of 200 euros in August to pensioners and some other social groups and job seekers. The government says it will reduce poverty and boost consumption, with criticisms linking lump sums to the governors’ willingness to persuade voters before the October parliamentary elections;
* increase access to a maximum child benefit of € 100 for crisis-affected families, taking into account income for three months instead of twelve;
* increase employer subsidies: during the first two months, the state would cover the part of the employee’s salary that does not exceed the minimum wage; now it amounts to 437 euros in his hands. The subsidy would reach 50% during the next two months and 30% during the last two months.
Seimas postponed the decision on the proposal to allow tour operators to return money for failed trips for a longer period of time: 90 days. The issue was removed from the agenda without a government conclusion.
Quarantine mitigation. Health Minister Aurelijus Veryga decided that hairdressing and beauty salon workers will no longer be required to wear protective gloves and goggles – wearing masks will suffice. The government has begun deliberations to allow individual training in sports clubs and coffee shops, and to facilitate facilitation of movement between the Baltic states and Poland: these issues can be included in the agenda of the government meeting on Wednesday.
Long-term strategy. Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis announced that the government plans to approve a two-year virus management strategy on Wednesday. It promises to focus on measures to protect people at risk.
Minutes The courts will resume the oral hearing this week. Meetings will be held first in cases with a smaller number of participants. This was announced to BNS by the President of the Council of Judges Algimantas Valantinas after a conversation with President Gitanas Nausėda.
Vilnius plan. The Vilnius City Municipality has announced that it will allocate one million to help culture during the crisis. The funds will be channeled to the cultural and creative industries, partial compensation for canceled events, unique support for performing arts, tax exemptions, the inclusion of educational institutions in cultural education and the strengthening of festivals with local creators. Authorities in the capital also promise to increase orders for companies and accelerate the renovation of apartment buildings.
Defense financing. President Gitanas Nausėda assured NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that despite the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus, Lithuania will continue to allocate 2% of its defense. gross domestic product and will continue to participate in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Government officials acknowledge that defense funding could decline in absolute terms as the country’s GDP decreases.
Mission Siberia canceled. Organizers have announced that Mission Siberia will not take place this year due to the pandemic. This is the first time in 15 years that the expedition will not manage the graves in exile.
The crisis in aviation. Baltic Ground Services, the Avia Solutions Group’s groundhandling company, has announced the layoff of 37 employees. However, Marius Beliūnas, head of the air traffic control company Oro Navigacija, hopes that the worst days for aviation have already passed: in an interview with BNS, he said last week there was “little small growth” in comparison with the previous week.
Fashion quarantine. “You will not cover your creativity with a mask”: this is the motto of the Mask Fashion Week in Vilnius, during which protective masks created by designers are presented in more than twenty stalls on the streets of the capital.
BNS comment: “Incompetence, impatience and disability were the three factors that contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union. And now they are typical of Russia. Vladimir Putin should be concerned, “wrote British commentator Edward Lucas exclusively in the BNS comment.
Abroad:
* The number of victims worldwide has exceeded a quarter of a million. Russia has the highest number of new cases in Europe, where more than 10,000 cases have been confirmed for the third consecutive day. In some cases, the coronavirus-infected prime minister, Mikhail Misustin, is still being treated in hospital.
* For the first time since the start of the virus outbreak, Latvia has not detected any new cases of coronavirus per day. A total of 896 cases were confirmed in the country, 17 people died.
* Estonia has decided to open large supermarkets from May 11. Eight new cases were confirmed in the country per day, the total number increased to 1,711, and 55 people died.
* Polish voters still don’t know exactly whether the country’s presidential elections will be held on Sunday amid mounting pressure to postpone voting on the coronavirus pandemic.
* United States President Donald Trump said his worst coronavirus scenario would be 100,000 deaths, but various scientific models have shown that the United States will reach that mark as soon as this month.
* A conference call from world leaders and philanthropists raised $ 7.4 billion. Research on coronavirus vaccines and their treatment.
* Bulgaria has announced that its schools will be closed until September.
* Hungary has decided that the football season will resume behind closed doors on May 23.
Important news not related to the coronavirus: the Seimas appointed Mindaugas Macijauskas, who has been the Deputy Auditor General, as the new State Comptroller by secret ballot. His candidacy was nominated by President Gitanas Nausėda, who decided not to nominate Arūnas Dulkis for a second term.
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