Latvia’s Ministry of Justice has reached out to all churches in the country to remind them of the importance of following epidemiological safety precautions, as confirmed by the ministry’s representative Evija Rimšāne.
The Ministry of Justice notes that religious organizations should cooperate with State Police and other law enforcement institutions to ensure public order and observe compliance with epidemiological requirements.
As it is known, Latvia has imposed a nation-wide lockdown. From 21 October to 15 November Latvia’s is under tight restrictions. Religious temples are permitted to open no earlier than 06:00 and are required to close doors 19:00. Additionally, there are tight epidemiological restrictions in place.
Residents are required to maintain 2m distance from other people and wear protective masks when staying at a church or other religious temple.
Churches in Latvia are required to provide visitors with no less than 15 m2 of available space and maintain the number of simultaneous visitors to 20% of capacity.
All religious organizations are urged to organize service remotely in order to reduce contacts between people.
Read also: SPKC: what to do if you’re waiting for Covid-19 test result or if tested positive
The only exception for religious temples is for 4th to 7th November, because this is when Mārtiņi is celebrated. It is an ancient tradition and an important event for believers.
On 11 October Latvia declared a state of emergency and on 21 October the government declared a four-week lockdown. During this period of time there are multiple tight epidemiological restrictions in place in the country. All stores except for the ones selling goods of first necessity will remain closed. A curfew between 20:00 and 05:00 is in place.
Churches in Latvia reminded of their duty to follow epidemiological restrictions
