She said that the restrictions only work if they are actually observed, and Latvia does not differ significantly from other European countries, and there is no magic recipe for fighting coronavirus.
But the fact that the number of infections is still high “means that people do not comply with the restrictions, it's just as simple as it is”, the expert said.
In countries where numbers are reducing, “apparently people are doing something to keep the infection from spreading further”, added Ķīvīte-Urtāne.
She also pointed out that nearly all the possible restrictions in Latvia have been imposed, “there is nothing much in this arsenal of weapons left, there may be total restrictions on movement, for example, only within the limits of one municipality.
Ķīvīte-Urtāne also acknowledged that softening and lifting any restrictions poses a risk of increased infection rate. But commenting on the government's intention to soften restrictions on retail, the expert said that restrictions have been in place for long and people are tired, and this is a government compromise.
