Latvian ministry proposes extending state of emergency by three to four weeks

Latvian Ministry of Health recommends extending the state of emergency in the country by at least three or four weeks, according to the minutes of the meeting of the Operational Management Group published on Tuesday, 28 December.
The ministry’s representatives said at the meeting that currently it is impossible to reduce epidemiological restrictions.
At the same time, the ministry also proposed establishing new security measures, such as use of medical masks of FFP2 respirators, compulsory Covid-19 testing in critical industries, switching to remote work as much as possible, expand additional testing to receive services (sports, choir and dance collectives, etc.).
The ministry will entrust preparation of aforementioned recommendations as amendments to the Regarding Declaration of the Emergency Situation and have them discussed at the next Operational Management Group’s meeting on 3 January.
The ministry will also entrust safe working environment recommendations to the group for analysis.
Entries in the minutes of the meeting also indicate that after listening to the report on the spread of Covid-19 Omicron variant in Latvia, representatives of ministries and social partners refused the idea of introducing additional safety measures.
Read also: Estonian health workers speak of next virus wave as Omicron prevails Delta
Considering the latest models and infection indexes, ministries and their respective industries are asked to continue the development of a plan for uninterrupted function of industries based on other countries’ experience.
As previously reported, because of the epidemiological situation, a state of emergency is in effect in Latvia. It and a number of epidemiological safety measures will remain in effect until 11 January 2022. No more than ten people are allowed to meet in the same room and no more than 20 people are allowed to meet outdoors. Most services in Latvia are available only in green regime. This means only residents who have a valid Covid-19 vaccination/recovery certificate have access to them.