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Additionally, Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė is considering that perhaps the time has come to make the decision that employers should not have to pay for COVID-19 testing of industrial workers. These tests are now reimbursed by the state. Mayors disagreed on this point: some supported the idea of paid testing, while others called for a compromise.
No mayor approves quarantine
Šiauliai Mayor Artūras Visockas expressed the view that the word “quarantine” alone has already acquired a negative connotation and in itself provokes unpleasant associations for residents.
“People are already too sensitive to quarantine, thinking that they will be locked up at home. <...> That word must be put aside and we must talk about what is really worth doing to stabilize the situation, ”said A. Visockas.
The mayor of Rietavas, Antanas Černeckis, expressed the opinion that the quarantine should be delayed, as the situation in the country may start to improve. In Rietavas, for example, the incidence is gradually decreasing. Furthermore, the quarantine “damaged people’s nerves,” the mayor said.
“It just came to our attention then. <...> On the other hand, he got used to the virus in such a way that it looks like a simple runny nose and is no longer paying attention, ”commented A. Černeckis.
Telšiai district mayor Kęstutis Gusarovas told tv3.lt that introducing quarantine would be too strict a measure in Lithuania today.
“Depending on the situation, the quarantine should be introduced, but I think that in this case certain measures would suffice: wearing masks inside or restrictions on events, etc.”, he said.
The mayor of Šilutė Vytautas Laurinaitis also doubts that the introduction of quarantine is a favorable solution. He said he does not believe the quarantine conditions will cause rapid changes in the fight against the coronavirus.
“It just came to our attention then. And the quarantine restricts freedom, business. We have tested it in January and February, but the morbidity and spread of the virus did not somehow stop quickly,” he said.
Audrius Klišonis, Mayor of Plungė District, said it was not appropriate to return to the previous strict quarantine regime, as most of the population had acquired immunity against the disease.
“The situation is completely different from what we had at the beginning of the year: more than 60 percent. People are vaccinated and have immunity. I would definitely not agree with the things that were during the previous quarantine: the closure of services and some activities. This is probably the worst, “the mayor valued the government’s proposals.
There was disagreement on paid COVID-19 studies
Both Prime Minister I. Šimonytė and Minister of Social Security and Labor Monika Navickienė mentioned that in the future the state will no longer be able to compensate employees for COVID-19 testing. Employees or employers will be deemed to have to pay for the tests, I. Šimonytė said during the government meeting on Wednesday.
The mayor of Šiauliai, A. Visockas, doubts that such a solution will bring benefits and encourage people to get vaccinated. According to him, this could unnecessarily confuse employers and employees. Employers along with employees must seek compromise, Visock said.
“This problem should be left completely alone and the employer would take care of it. <...> Sometimes you just have to talk to a person face to face and the problem is solved, ”he said.
Meanwhile, the Mayor of Plungė would fully support the Government’s idea. He believes that the fee for the test should not be high, but that a symbolic price (around € 4-5) could apply. A person who refuses a vaccine and tests for COVID-19 should take responsibility and not waste state budget funds, said the mayor of Plungė.
“It just came to our attention then. If the state gives the right and the opportunity to get vaccinated for free, I think this opportunity should also be taken advantage of,” he said.
He also added that for people who cannot get vaccinated for medical reasons, COVID-19 testing should definitely be free.
The mayor of Rietavas also welcomed the government’s proposal to tax the COVID-19 investigation on employees.
“I think this is the correct position. The Germans settle in and do not turn their heads. If you are not so civic and do not understand that without vaccinating various threats to another, then there is nothing else left. Why do others have to pay for your health? ”said A. Černeckis.
The mayor of Šilutė V. Laurinaitis also supported this opinion: “Vaccines are free. If someone doesn’t want to get vaccinated, there should always be a limit when the free trials are over. Then it’s up to the employer or employee to decide which option to choose: get vaccinated or pay for tests. Taxing COVID-19 tests is one possible option. “
However, the mayor of the Telšiai district considered that the government’s proposal regarding paid research was too severe a sanction for employees. “I would not agree, a person can suffer and lose a source of income,” Gusarov said.
It proposes that the government not increase tensions in society
The mayor of Šiauliai stressed that during the pandemic the government lost the trust of part of the population. It can be recovered not by strict decisions, but deliberate, said A. Visockas.
He added that without trust in the government, residents will not attack with strict adherence to the new quarantine rules.
“The biggest problem is not the quarantine, but rather that people do not follow the law in the way that legislators intended. This raises the problem of legal nihilism: people are getting used to not complying with the law. <...> The government must regain confidence, distraction and purposeful work not only on the issue of managing the pandemic, but also on other issues, because otherwise nothing will be handled here, “said A. Visockas to the tv3 portal. lt.
An ineffective and unjustified restriction is in place in schools, said the mayor of Šiauliai. He was skeptical that upper secondary students are required to wear masks in their lessons.
“Why does a child have to sit with a mask for 40 minutes? We know very well that if there is a sick person nearby, they can be infected in 15-20 minutes, even with both masks. <...> At school, I would definitely remove the masks from children’s faces, because they don’t make sense, “said A. Visockas.
The mayor noted that future restrictions could cause considerable confusion in society.
“You have to think, your head is for thinking. There are like-minded people in government and they probably feel the mood. It may not be worth creating even more tension than it is now, because it won’t be helpful,” he added A. Visockas.
Reminded of the tested measures: use of masks, disinfection of stairs.
Meanwhile, the mayor of Plungė asked the government to adopt individual restrictions instead of a universal quarantine. Mr Klišonis asked for the return of some of the security measures previously applied. Your eyes, masks or respirators are a necessary attribute indoors, especially in the workplace or at an event.
The mayor also emphasized the need for residents to diligently adhere to personal hygiene requirements. He also recalled another proven safety measure: stair disinfection. In his opinion, disinfection of multi-apartment stairs should be carried out again in settlements with a higher incidence.
Mr. Klišonis said that he expected the benefits of these measures and wanted to enable them: [iš juodos zonos – aut. past.] We’ll come out hard enough. “
And the mayor of Rietavas Antanas Černeckis said that he sees no reason to wear masks indoors for those who have immunity against COVID-19, if the flows are regulated.
However, when an immunized or unvaccinated person enters the swarm, the masks provide security and must be worn “willingly or unwillingly,” he said.
“There is no other way. We see what is happening, especially in Rietavas. We close the big events in Michael so that thousands of people do not get infected. <...> Even if it takes place outdoors, it is impossible to prevent sick people carrying the virus from coming to the event, ”said A. Černeckis.
Latest COVID-19 morbidity data
The portal tv3.lt recalls that on the last day 1486 new cases of COVID-19 were detected in Lithuania, 15 people died.
Thirteen of the dead were not vaccinated or were partially vaccinated.
3,512 people were vaccinated with the first dose of the vaccine. A total of 7,964 people were vaccinated per day.
The number of patients treated for COVID-19 in hospitals has exceeded a thousand and is currently 1,014. 116 patients are in resuscitation. Compared to the previous day, the number of people in hospitals has increased by two dozen.
Currently, there are 23 “black” municipalities in the country, including the big cities Vilnius and Kaunas.
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