On Thursday, 16 April, the Saeima held an extraordinary sitting and approved the decisions taken by the Cabinet of Ministers in relation to the state of emergency aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19.

The amendments to the Cabinet decree extend the state of emergency in the entire territory of Latvia until 12 May 2020.

During the state of emergency, all private events, except for outdoor funeral ceremonies, are prohibited. The amendments stipulate another exception: for baptismal ceremonies in urgent cases, provided that the distance of two meters between persons and other epidemiological safety measures are observed.

The Cabinet decree also permits nationals of the European Union, as well as persons permanently residing there, to cross the territory of the Republic of Latvia one time, in order to return to their country of residence.

As stipulated earlier, before returning to the Republic of Latvia, people must confirm in writing that upon arrival in the Republic of Latvia, they will take special precautions, including self-isolation. The confirmation statement should contain the person’s name, surname, personal identification number, contact phone number, and the address of the actual place of residence where the person can be reached. The amendments to the Cabinet decree oblige the returnees to immediately notify the State Police if the actual place of residence differs from that of self-isolation.

The amendments also exempt Latvian citizens who return to Latvia after having worked in Estonia or Lithuania from the requirement for self-isolation (home quarantine) while performing work duties, if they neither show signs of acute respiratory infection nor are recognised as contacts of coronavirus-infected individuals.

In addition, the requirement for self-isolation (home quarantine) does not apply to Lithuanian and Estonian citizens who enter Latvia to perform work duties. However, outside working hours, these people must remain in self-isolation, monitor their health (by measuring body temperature twice a day, morning and evening), and comply with other requirements applicable to those coming from abroad.

The State Police and municipal police have the right to search for and forcibly transfer to quarantine or their actual residence both people with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 and those defined by the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control as contacts of coronavirus-infected individuals.

The Cabinet decrees on the emergency situation are in effect since their adoption on 7 and 9 April, respectively.

Full text of the decision in Latvian: https://likumi.lv/ta/id/313191-par-arkartejas-situacijas-izsludinasanu

Saeima Press Service