Latvian government plans to lift certain Covid-19 restrictions in March

The ruling coalition in Latvia has agreed to lift certain Covid-19 restrictions from 1 March onward, as journalists were told by PM Krišjānis Kariņš after a meeting of political parties.
It is expected for the industries that have remained closed for about two years to open up again. The government may also lift restrictions on open hours of businesses, said the PM.
This week the government will develop a package of changes, which the government plans to approve on 15 February and adopt on 1 March, said the PM.
The head of the government explained it will be possible to lift certain restrictions because it is expected the wave of Omicron will have been exhausted by next month.
Kariņš stressed that for people who have received booster shots the risk of death from Covid-19 is nearly 40 times lower when compared to non-vaccinated people. This is why the politician once again stressed the importance of vaccination, booster vaccination and frequent Covid-19 testing.
When asked by journalists if the decision for closed industries could apply to all sectors, including gambling, Minister of Economy Jānis Vitenbergs said the ministry will present a proposal «to end fractured restrictions that apply to certain industries».
At the same time, however, Vitenbergs did not provide a clear answer to the question.
He said he is satisfied the coalition parties have commenced a discussion about the domestic use of Covid-19 certificates, adding that coalition partners have admitted it is necessary to review industries in which certificate use is required.
No specific agreement was reached on Monday, however.
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Minister of Justice Jānis Bordāns said the New Conservative Party has proposed its own scenario. Now the Operational Management Group and Ministry of Health have to present their plan. The New Conservative Party has similar thoughts as the Ministry of Economy when it comes to opening the economy.
The Ministry of Finance needs to provide its opinion as well, specifically for how long the state can afford to sustain some of the support mechanisms put in place during the pandemic, said Bordāns.
As previously reported, the New Conservative Party is in favour of cancelling the use of Covid-19 certificates for internal purposes at jobs and for access to supermarkets.