This week, Tuesday, 22 March, Latvia’s Cabinet of Ministers agreed on new safety measures to come in effect after 1 April. These new measures provide for lifting certain restrictions.
Certain restrictions will be lifted – maintaining a safe distance from other people, use of vaccination certificates, and protective masks – for event organisers and visitors. Organisers are still allowed to impose requirements if they want.
At the same time, the requirement to wear protective masks will remain for public transports, except for taxis and other commercial passenger carrying services performed by car, where not many people can fit in a single vehicle. The requirement to wear protective masks does not apply to international aircraft carrying operations, because each country’s airline applies their own rules.
Additionally, considering very high risks of the spread of Covid-19, use of masks is maintained for healthcare institutions and lasting care institutions, visitors and employees of these institutions.
The annotation to amendments mentions that with Covid-19 risks dropping to a low level, which may happen in May, the decision may be made to lift the requirement for wearing masks in public transport.
Additionally, the requirement to present a valid vaccination, recovery or testing certificate when travelling to Latvia from EU, Eurozone, Switzerland and Britain will be lifted from 1 April onward. This requirement will remain in place when travelling to Latvia from third countries. Latvia will follow other EU countries’ experience when it comes to travel conditions, and once a trend is observed in the EU when countries reject vaccination certificates for entrants from third countries, Latvia will employ it as well.
At the same time, after 1 April the requirement for workers of healthcare institutions and prisons to be vaccinated will remain in force. Employers will be able set this requirement in other sectors based on specific criteria.
In the education field, work in person after 1 April will require a valid Covid-19 certificate.
Protective masks and non-medical masks will not be required in education institutions. This will apply to both students and teachers.
At the same time, the decision to maintain the rights for heads of education institutions to decide on use of non-medical masks in universities and colleges in common rooms if education workers or students are confirmed to have Covid-19.
Amendments also state that students and education institution employees are not to be put under quarantine.
Routine screening is another measure that will be lifted for students and education employees.
Self-tests may be used if students or employees show symptoms of Covid-19 infection.
To participate in the education process, employees of kindergartens, elementary, primary and higher education institutions, informal education and teacher competence improvement programmes, as well as service providers that come into contact with students are required to have a valid vaccination or recovery certificate.
At the same time, it is planned that for people engaged in the education process, childcare service providers, private tutoring service providers, distance teaching programme providers, who had a valid recovery certificate when new requirements come into force, have the right to continue performing duties until 30 June even after the end of the validity term of their recovery certificate.
It is also clarified in amendments that the requirement for vaccination or recovery certificate for higher education institutions and college students, stating that students are required to have a certificate only to participate in practical portions of studies or practical portions of education in healthcare programmes if a college or higher education institution has made a justified decision regarding the need for certificates.
It is also decided to allow higher education institutions and colleges to transfer entire education programmes or modules to full or partially remote teaching only in cases when the epidemiological situation worsens in those higher education institutions or colleges.
As for education programmes for adults, it is planned that from 1 April onward education workers participating in education processes in person are required to have a valid vaccination or recovery certificate. This requirement will not apply to students or education service recipients.
At the same time, requirements that apply to service provision will also apply to education programmes for adults and other education services for adults. There is also the condition under which education service providers have the right to organise events or services in person, except for cases when it is not possible to provide services remotely and the service does not put at risk for a person’s fundamental rights or social security, or provide the services in an epidemiologically safe environment, as well as establish epidemiologically safe conditions for service providers and recipients to follow: this includes the requirement to wear a mask or maintain a distance from other people.
Certain epidemiological safety measures to remain in Latvia after 1 April
