On Wednesday, 2 September, the Cabinet of Ministers approved changes in the Regulation governing epidemiological safety measures for the limitation of the spread of Covid-19 and affecting the transport, education and health sectors.
The changes in the transport sector approved by the government affect international passenger transport. According to certain criteria, shipments to and from countries that have so far been included on the (red) list of high-risk countries of the disease of the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (SPKC) will be allowed, at the same time determining mandatory self-isolation of 14 days for travellers upon return.
International passenger services will not be available to those countries, where the prevalence of Covid-19 infection of the relevant country, which, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, has a 14-day cumulative morbidity per 100,000 population, will twice exceed the average indicator of the countries of the European Union, European Economic Area and the United Kingdom; such will be registered on the website of SPKC. Passenger services to these countries will not be available, starting as of the third day after the publication of the relevant list on the website of SPKC.
The decision will increase the competitiveness of the international carriers of Latvia, eliminate inequalities with neighbouring countries and ensure effective supervision and control by the responsible authorities, as so far passengers from high or medium risk countries have arrived to Latvia by transfer to other airports or by road transport, thus increasing contact with other travellers.
In turn, in the field of education, changes have been made in the Cabinet Regulation in order for, upon taking precautionary measures, top-level athletes (Latvian adult teams, Latvian Olympic teams, Latvian Paralympic teams, etc.) and sports staff serving them to be able to continue to perform their professional duties after returning from sports competition and to engage in sports training and participate in competitions, thus ensuring the continuity of sports work. Top level athletes and their service staff will only be able to stay in the place where the athlete performs the duties of an athlete or sports employee, but in other places and at other times they will have to self-isolate.
From now on, schools will be able to flexibly apply the time for the lunch break, deviating from breaks of 30 minutes determined by the regulations. Schools will be able to determine the lunch break, taking the organisation of the educational process and precautionary measures developed in each specific institution into account.
On the other hand, if due to the epidemiological situation the studies will be implemented remotely, free lunches for students of grade 1 to 4 will be provided by the municipality, in whose administrative territory the place of residence of the child has been declared.
The regulations specify the provision that allows an alien to go to his/her country of residence earlier than after 14 days, informing the State Police (in the case of self-isolation) or the Health Inspectorate (in the case of quarantine) of this. On the road, in transport and in waiting rooms, the persons, for whom self-isolation has been determined, shall mandatorily wear a mouth and nose mask or face mask, while those for whom home quarantine is determined should use a special medical face mask.
The government also decided to allow entry into Latvia, those persons from risk countries who have to continue initiated medical treatment or receive health care services that could significantly affect a person's state of health. In such case, the person will be able to disregard self-isolation while receiving the service, at the same time complying with several epidemiological safety conditions and self-isolation at the time when the service is not received. This procedure will not apply to foreigners who would like to receive services provided by medical institutions in Latvia, not being directly related to medical treatment.
Amendments to Cabinet Regulation No. 360, “Epidemiological Safety Measures for the Containment of the Spread of Covid-19 Infection”, adopted by the Government, shall come into force on 3 September 2020.
Reinis Grāvītis
Press Secretary of the Cabinet of Ministers
Telephone: +371 67082919; +371 27011868
E-mail: Reinis.Gravitis@mk.gov.lv