The comeback of the coronavirus is forcing Latvia to strengthen its health measures. The country declared a three-month state of health emergency on Monday, while the population’s vaccination against Covid-19 remains at a low level.
The number of daily contaminations is now well over a thousand in this Baltic country of 1.9 million inhabitants, a rate of spread of the pandemic higher than what had been seen earlier in the year. Only 48% of Latvians are fully vaccinated, which is one of the worst vaccination rates in the European Union after Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia.
Restrictions for unvaccinated
According to the new rules, the mask becomes compulsory in all buildings open to the public, and any employee in the public domain must be vaccinated by November 15. Unvaccinated people will only be allowed to purchase their food and other essentials from designated stores and only stores deemed essential will be allowed to open on weekends. All Latvians are encouraged to telecommute whenever possible.
“I ask you not to assemble, do not visit and reduce your contacts,” Prime Minister Krisjans Karins also wrote on Twitter. It must be said that Latvian hospitals are already overwhelmed by patients with Covid-19. “We are forced to refuse other patients who have life-threatening diagnoses. The medical emergency teams cannot even answer all the calls ”, had previously declared Karlis Racenis, the head of an association of young doctors.