The rules are effective immediately and are based on epidemiological data, applying to countries where the cumulative number of Covid-19 cases is below 15 per 100,000 inhabitants through the past two weeks.
Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš told the press this means the so-called Baltic travel bubble will be extended to most of Europe. "This is very good news for our economy," he said.
The rules currently apply to Estonia and Lithuania as well as Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Italy, Denmark, Poland, Romania, France, Finland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Norway, Switzerland, Cyprus, Greece, Iceland, Slovakia, Croatia, Slovenia and Liechtenstein.
Only travelers from Sweden, the UK, Portugal, Malta, Belgium, Ireland and Spain will now have to observe a period of self-isolation.
Health Minister Ilze Viņķele said that the self-isolation rules will be brought up to date every Friday.
Meanwhile Economics Minister Jānis Vitenbergs said that the removal of self-isolation rules will be a huge relief to the Latvian tourism industry, but that the state's Investment and Development Agency of Latvia will have to work hard to attract foreign tourists to Latvia.
