Latvian authorities have declared a state of emergency for three months due to the resurgence of record-breaking new coronavirus infections, while COVID-19 vaccination rates remain among the lowest in the European Union.
The number of confirmed cases on a daily basis is now well over a thousand in the Baltic country of 1.9 million people; the rate of spread of the virus is higher than at any other time this year.
The new rules stipulate that the mask will become mandatory in all areas that welcome the public. All public sector employees are required to have been vaccinated by November 15th.
The unvaccinated will not be able to buy food and other necessities except from the shops that will be indicated to them, while only commercial businesses that are deemed absolutely necessary to operate will be allowed to open on weekends.
Authorities have urged citizens to telework, if possible.
“I urge you not to concentrate, not to visit and to reduce your contacts,” Prime Minister Christian Karins said via Twitter.
Latvian hospitals have overflowed with COVID-19 patients.
“We are obliged to refuse (admission for treatment) to other patients whose lives are not in danger. “Emergency medical teams may not even be able to answer all the calls,” Carlisle Rasenis, head of the Young Doctors Association, told a news conference earlier.
Only 48% of Latvians have been fully vaccinated. This is one of the lowest rates in the EU; only Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia are below Latvia.
The death toll from a new Baltic coronavirus pandemic in the Baltic state has so far risen to more than 3,300 due to COVID-19 out of a total of 220,000 or more SARS-CoV-2 infections, according to data compiled by the US Johns Hopkins University.
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