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The Latvian Prime Minister said that Lithuanians would not be exempt and would have to comply with the mandatory two-week isolation upon arriving in Latvia.
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia agreed to the so-called “travel bubble” in May: citizens of these countries can travel freely between these countries.
Foreign Minister Edgaras Rinkevičius informed ministers that on Wednesday the incidence rate of the coronavirus in Lithuania during the last 14 days reached 16.28 cases per 100,000 cases. population and 14.72 cases in Estonia.
He addressed his colleagues from the other Baltic states, who expressed concern about the increase in COVID-19 cases in their countries, but at the same time asked if Riga would agree to temporarily exempt people arriving in Latvia from Lithuania. and Estonia from the requirement of isolation for 14 days.
E. Rinkevičius pointed out that if Latvia does not agree to take such temporary actions, the government will have to decide how to react to the situation in border areas as closely related as Valka and Valga.
Mr Karinis regretted that, despite the previous agreement, the Baltic countries applied the epidemiological safety requirements differently and that this led to higher morbidity rates in Lithuania and Estonia.
The Prime Minister, for his part, expressed his opposition to the proposal not to require the isolation of people from Lithuania.
“As Head of Government, I do not support that. How can the exemption of a country’s territory from the isolation rule be justified when it represents a threat to our health?” Asked K. Karinis.
However, the Prime Minister recognized the need to address the border situation, such as the extraordinary meeting of the Government of Latvia scheduled for this week.
Health Minister Ilze Vinkelė supported the Prime Minister’s position.
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