“This is a moment of national importance – it's vital for all of these thousands to self-isolate. They have to sit at home for 14 days,” said Dumpis.
There will be a surge of hundreds, or even thousands of returning travelers due to the Latvian government's decision to halt passenger transport, and some will definitely be infected. Although returning residents should even avoid contact with family members, they should also avoid seeking medical aid or testing unless they are exhibiting symptoms.
Dumpis said that Latvia is doing a good job of tracking the spread of the novel coronavirus Covid-19 in comparison to other countries. Currently Latvian epidemiologists are able to identify all of the infection cases as people returning from travel abroad or their family members.
“This moment is of absolute importance in the way in which we manage this large crowd of people,” said the infectologist.
According to SPKC Infectious Disease Risk Analysis Department Director Jurijs Perevoščikovs, there are currently 250 people who have returned from travels to Covid-19 infected countries observing self-isolation in their homes.
As previously reported, Latvia will go into an effective national lockdown on Tuesday, March 17 when it closes its international borders to all organized passenger traffic on land, sea and air, following further anti-coronavirus measures announced March 14.
While organized passenger traffic such as buses, trains and airliners will be suspended at midnight on Monday night [00:00 Tuesday morning], the flow of goods will not be restricted to ensure shops can be restocked and services can be provided.
