For some time, COVID-19 infection data in neighboring countries have been higher than in Latvia. Today, for example, 11 new cases of COVID-19 infection have been reported in Latvia, 44 in Lithuania and 32 in Estonia.
The Lithuanian government decided this week to raise the threshold for mandatory self-isolation from 16 to 25 infected per 100 000 inhabitants. Latvian government has denied this idea but intended to discuss other options.
However, the Prime Minister does not support such an approach: “My government will continue to listen to expert advice. We've been listening for half a year. The result is that we have the lowest incidence of COVID-19 not only in the region but also in Europe and the world. We are skeptical that it would be beneficial to raise the threshold […], because thus we would be saying that Latvia should get sicker.
It is a decision that I am not prepared for under any circumstances without other restrictive factors. I also do not believe that we, as a society, would be prepared to allow the disease to enter Latvia more freely, but to deprive ourselves of freedoms of movement and action.”
Kariņš pointed out that Latvia's health experts' strategy has been and remains to isolate arrivals from regions where the risk of infection is higher.
