From 25 January onward residents will be allowed to wear only medical masks and FFP2 category respirators in public places. This means use of fabric masks will be prohibited entirely, as provided by amendments passed by the Latvian Cabinet of Ministers to the rules on epidemiological safety measures to limit the spread of Covid-19 infection.
At the same time, it is allowed for students seven to 12 years of age to not use the aforementioned face masks if they use fabric masks. Children will be allowed to continue using non-medical masks in public transports.
Amendments will also cross out the exception for 1st to 3rd graders to not wear masks at all during classes. Another exception that will be crossed out from rules is for fully vaccinated or recovered persons to not wear masks when among other vaccinated or recovered people (at work, at school, amateur performance collectives, etc.). The reason is because not wearing protective masks is no longer allowed because of the rapid spread of Omicron.
Read also: Latest Covid-19 cases in Baltics. 3 706 in Latvia, 4 559 in Lithuania, 2 303 in Estonia
During the government meeting the State Chancellery’s Director Jānis Citskovskis said poor residents will be provided with 50 masks, which is a number calculated to last two months.
The Ministry of Health explains in the annotation to amendments that research shows that the efficacy of medical masks is the highest when compared to masks made from other fabrics and reaches 90%. At the same time, masks are not sufficient protection against very small particles, viruses included. Respirators without valves not only prevent exhaled particles from being released into the air but also help protect users from inhaling particles already in the air.
The ministry urges residents to keep in mind that medical masks and respirators are standardized and their efficacy has international and very specific requirements. This means by using medical masks or respirators their efficacy is guaranteed. Non-medical face masks do not have any standards or criteria for protection. These masks can range from high quality protection to very low quality. This means use of fabric masks does not guarantee sufficient protection against Covid-19.
Use of non-medical masks us justified only in a situation of limited availability of medical masks and respirators and when it is necessary to preserve stores of medical masks for medical staff.
Only medical masks and respirators in Latvia after 25 January
