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So far, the list of affected countries has included those countries where the COVID-19 morbidity rate has exceeded 25 cases per 100,000 in the last 14 calendar days. countries. Almost all European countries have already exceeded this limit and Lithuania itself has more than doubled.
The government approved this Wednesday a project presented by the Ministry of the Interior, one of whose main objectives is to change the principles for the preparation of the list of Affected Countries approved by the Minister of Health.
It was agreed that the state would now be included in the list of affected countries if its morbidity rate exceeded that of Lithuania by at least 10%. For example, if the indicator for Lithuania is 50, the affected countries would be those with a morbidity rate greater than 55.
“In case of an increase in morbidity in Lithuania, it is convenient to include in the list of affected countries only those countries where the risk of COVID-19 disease (coronavirus infection) is higher than in Lithuania,” explains the Interior Ministry.
Additional epidemiological criteria will be available for third countries outside the EU / EEC: test coverage rate, percentage of positive test results, availability of information, hospitalization rate.
“In the past, we have made some sense, until the number of (new cases) is so high, be careful with imported cases when possible. Now the decision is different,” Health Minister Aurelijus explained Tuesday. Veryga, at a press conference.
Where can you travel more freely?
The incidence of COVID-19 disease (coronavirus infection) in Lithuania during the last 14 calendar days, according to data from Wednesday, is 53.9 case 100 thousand. population.
The list of affected countries, already in accordance with the new criteria, will be published by the Ministry of Health. Data published daily by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control can predict which EU / EEC countries should not be included:
- Italy (48.7)
- Germany (36.3)
- Bulgaria (45.5)
- Greece (43.0)
- Norway (30.1)
- Finland (31.4)
- Estonia (51.6)
- Latvia (33.0)
- Cyprus (29.5)
- Liechtenstein (36.5)
It is important to note that some of the following countries apply restrictions to those coming from Lithuania:
Poland (62.2) and Sweden (64.9) are also close to the new red border chosen by Lithuania, so it is difficult to predict if they will be included in the list.
How much will travel more freely help?
It has been debated whether more travel opportunities should be provided since early summer, when European countries started accepting tourists again. However, the Lithuanian authorities were skeptical on this issue and only after a long delay did they raise the red morbidity threshold once.
Now, for example, tour operators are likely to be able to transport tourists to Greece, Italy. However, the summer season is coming to an end. In addition, more and more European cities are strengthening their measures against the coronavirus, so visiting them may not be as pleasant as it would have been in summer or September.
So while the government’s decision provides flexibility, it is also late from the point of view of tour operators and travelers themselves.
Tour operators, faced with an unprecedented crisis, highlight the importance of excluding regions from the list of affected countries. The winter season is approaching, so tourists could fly to the southernmost islands of Portugal, Spain, where the epidemiological situation would be good. Be successful and organize trips to ski resorts like Austria, France, Italy.
According to the Ministry of Health, it is not intended to divide the morbidity of the countries into regions, because “epidemiologists do not have reliable data to monitor long-term morbidity trends in one region or another of the country.”
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