Representative of the Municipality of Vilnius: It is very good that MAMA happened to Lithuania

According to Karolis Žukauskas, advisor to the mayor of the capital Remigijus Šimašius, although the MAMA organizers did badly because the events are still banned, and it was not just about filming on television without spectators, the precedent is very good: it encourages decision how we will live and what we will do next.

Named three points

K. Žukauskas, commenting on the situation on the social network Facebook, mentioned three essential points.

“one. It’s very good that MAMA happened to Lithuania
2. It is bad that the organizers of this event have made law.
3. Mood: these events and happenings will repeat themselves. It is time to decide and choose: we will do it legally, with the possibility of safe controls and help the closed sectors to recover, or we will continue to officially keep everything closed until the end of the pandemic, but from time to time we will see illegal cases and discuss each one in public, “he said.

K. Žukauskas admitted that some epidemiological indicators actually predict the third wave of the virus. However, according to him, the question arises as to when Lithuania will recognize the new reality.

“Yes, the MAMA organizers did bad things, the events are still banned, which was not just television filming without spectators (because some guests have nothing to do with music). Their responsibilities will have to be decided by the relevant authorities, and I hope that they will. This is where the whole question can end.

Another interesting question is how soon we as a state will recognize the new reality and trust it.

Yes, the third wave of the virus is threatened, new strains threaten in great numbers, and the number of free COVID beds in hospitals is declining again. In other words, the situation is deteriorating again, as if stricter measures are necessary, “he wrote.

Other circumstances

According to the advisor to R. Šimašius, when assessing the current situation, it is necessary to assess the current circumstances, which are different from last spring and autumn. These circumstances are of concern to residents who already have immunity as a result of vaccination or a relapse. As noted by K. Žukauskas, currently 0.5 million. Lithuanians or even more already have immunity.

Another important factor is the quarantine that has lasted half a year and has exhausted society, and emotional health has deteriorated significantly. According to the representative of the capital city, the situation improves with vaccination, which protects the most vulnerable groups in society, as well as rapid tests, which allow massive tests.

“The weather is heating up, people will be outside; whether we forbid it or not, we will not avoid it. It’s funny when others are outraged that there are so many people in Vilnius, and what do you want to ban even fresh air after a long winter? And that’s not bad: it’s better to have a full outdoor sports field than small indoor clubs – whether we take advantage of the hot air and the open field, or ignore them, it’s our choice. <..>

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Many companies or even individual sectors are on the verge of bankruptcy. Keeping them closed will cost the state an enormous amount of money now and later, in the fight against the sad consequences (unemployment benefits, non-payment of taxes to the state, etc.) ”, said K. Žukauskas to the changed factors.

These changes and other circumstances, he said, mean that the quarantine no longer works as it did at the beginning and as the Government or all those who abide by the quarantine rules would like.

“Now we have all its worst aspects: people’s freedoms are restricted, businesses, culture, events are closed, we will have to pay huge compensation to everyone, unemployment and other bad consequences will increase, but the virus continues to spread ( without quarantine, it would quickly break down our hospitals, but quarantine no longer helps achieve the desired goal – it’s also obvious.)

There is a great sense of social injustice in society: swimming in the Indian Ocean is possible, looking at the Baltic Sea is not. It is not possible to go to my hometown with my mother, but on TV you can watch an event with MAMA guests pretending to have a regular TV show. Some follow the rules and continue to wear masks in an orderly manner while around people, others put photos of private parties in instastories where there are no masks or distances.

On the other hand, check Booking or accommodation on Airbnb for Easter weekend in Palanga, you will realize that the police are only slowing the flow, but those who want to ban continue to avoid. And in fact, I don’t know if it’s really worse for a family to go to the sea for a weekend getaway where restaurants don’t work either, it’s possible to join unless in open spaces than to stay in your own city possibly meet other families in closed spaces, and therefore they will risk much more, ”he said on Facebook.

Encourage the search for alternatives

K. Žukauskas urged to consider whether, as we continue to suppress the economy, we will wait for the day until the number of viruses approaches zero, or after assessing the circumstances, we will begin to think about how to slowly emerge from the pandemic safely. . a year or two.

According to him, at this moment we must think and choose solutions that involve a certain risk.

“We can choose:
After a long pandemic, fight massive depression or allow people to seek emotional inspiration in nature and by the sea?

To instruct him to continue watching television at home to meet his cultural needs, or to slowly and safely open cultural institutions for those who are immune to the test?

Angry about every semi-legal, semi-illegal event like MAMA yesterday and guess if really all the participants had tests, or if they organize such events so that we are all calm, that all participants are evaluated and safe, and that no one felt the injustice social possible for others, right?

To pretend that the virus does not exist at closed-door parties, which we do not see, is it better to take them to outdoor cafes for a limited time, where each passerby will be that observer, since the agreed rules are followed?

Will we ask people to get tested, even if we don’t have the motivation to do so, or will we give them reasons why the desire to get tested will increase significantly, so that we will notice new cases of the virus sooner?

Will we pay millions for businesses that have already closed, and millions more after bankruptcy, for unemployment benefits, or will we begin to consider allowing them to earn a living on their own? Because there are many people who want to pay for those who need money while crying, ”wrote K. Žukauskas.

The mayor’s advisor stressed that there are and will not be maximum security solutions, but we must start thinking about how we can reap the benefits of the vaccine and heat the air with healthy risks to combat the consequences of a prolonged pandemic.