New that Kaunas hasn’t seen before: the town hall square is closed, police stations are around

Kaunas welcomes the New Year empty-handed, there are no New Year events taking place in the city due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the Town Hall Square, which has gathered crowds, is blocked by fences and police fences. There are no people in it, just private police and security guards.

Not only cars, but also pedestrians are not allowed in the square. 8 pm The stalls that began to operate in the streets leading to the Plaza del Ayuntamiento will run until 8 in the morning on the first day of 2021.

It is not planned to turn off the lighting of the main Kaunas fir decorations on New Year’s Eve, although the representatives of the city municipality reserve this possibility.

“The Kaunas City Hall Square is not that open, so naturally the traffic restrictions should be sufficient and even further extinction of the fir tree would be excessive,” said Tomas Jarusevičius, public relations adviser to the mayor of Kaunas.

He mentioned that the festive fir lights will be turned off in case the people entering the square start to gather in some way.

“We do not rule out the possibility of assigning forces to ensure order in other places popular with Kaunas residents and frequented by New Year’s Eve. Especially where the picturesque panorama of the city opens up,” said T. Jarusevičius.

The pandemic also adjusted another New Year’s tradition: festive fireworks. This time it was decided to allow them not from one place, but from 8 different positions, which are not advertised.

Representatives from the municipality hint that those places will be close to sleeping areas where a large portion of Kaunas residents live.

Police officers are also preparing for the New Year’s party. Starting at 1 pm Police stations block all roads leading to the city, exit and entry are only allowed in exceptional cases, police patrols in the city have intensified.

“Public places will be monitored through a video camera system installed in the city. If there is a higher concentration of people and gatherings, police patrols will take place there, ”said Odeta Vaitkevičienė, spokesman for the Kaunas County Police Chief Commissariat.

At the beginning of another long weekend, during which control of the movement is strengthened, the Interior Minister, Agnė Bilotaitė, mentioned that the main objective of the police is not to punish, but to explain.

“The main objective of the police is not to punish people, but to explain and achieve the objective that people comply with the restrictions in good faith,” the minister told reporters on Thursday.

According to her, this long weekend, the movement between the municipalities will be controlled by about 7.5 thousand. Officials.

General Police Commissioner Renatas Požėla mentioned that people who have decided to hold parties on private property are also expecting the inconvenience.

“Once again, we appeal to the entire population, we ask for understanding and citizenship; if you see these kinds of meetings, report them to the police. The police will close such an event,” R. Požėla said during a press conference on Thursday.

He explained that when the police arrive and an infraction is registered in a private space, protocols are drawn up not only for the landlord but for everyone involved in the party.

“And the main thing is that the police will leave only if they are convinced that the party has been interrupted,” announced R. Požėla.