With new coronavirus cases climbing fast, the new Lithuanian government led by Ingrida Šimonytė decided yesterday to tighten and extend until 31 January the national lockdown, restricting people’s movement for the first time and closing all non-essential shops. No curfew will be imposed.
Stay-at-home order
From 16 December until 3 January, no one is allowed to leave the territory of the municipality of residence unless for work, medical care, death of relatives or in the case of visiting a second home. Non-essential travel within the municipality is also prohibited. It is possible to leave your home only to go shopping, go to work, seek health care or attend a funeral.
Interactions between more than one household are forbidden, including private parties. Stressing the importance of emotional health, the Prime Minister said that members of one family or one household can go for a walk together in open spaces.
Non-essentials shops to close
Shops selling non-essential goods will have to shutter and switch to online sales. Groceries, marketplaces, pharmacies, veterinary supply stores, optics and orthopaedic stores will be able to operate. Accommodation services can only be provided for those who self-isolate.
Distance learning for all students
Students in all levels of education, including pre-school and primary school, will have to study remotely. Municipal administrations are required to provide educational facilities for children whose parents do not have the opportunity to work remotely.
“This is not a curfew, <…> it is an appeal to people’s consciousness,” the Minister of National Defense Arvydas Anušauskas said during the government meeting, quoted by LRT. Ingrida Šimonytė promised on her part that, depending on how the epidemiological situation unfolds, some restrictions can be lifted earlier.
Source: TheMayor.EU
