REMINDER: Curfew back in place this weekend

Take note – story published 3 years ago

The Christmas and New Year period may be behind us, but with new Covid-19 cases still registering in the hundreds each day, the so-called "quiet period" in Latvia has been extended until January 25.

That means that on Friday-Saturday nights and Saturday-Sunday nights people will have to stay at their place of residence during the night hours from Friday to Saturday and from Saturday to Sunday. The curfew will be in force on all weekends until 25 January during the night hours from 22.00 to 05.00.

If movement is necessary during these hours, people are allowed to go to work and receive emergency services on the condition that they have filled in a self-certification form. Failure to do so, or being caught outside during curfew hours, risks a hefty fine. You can download a copy of the form in Latvian, English and Russian from the State Police website, and we also attach a copy of the English-language version to this story for your convenience. If you cannot print the form out, it is acceptable to write it out clearly in longhand.

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Until 25 January, the trade and services sector shall continue complying with the safety measures and restrictions already in place, in order to prevent people from gathering in shops and locations of the provision of services, which in turn increases the risk of being infected with Covid-19. However, the government has slightly extended the list of essential goods by including hats, scarves, gloves, snow shovels and a few other goods.

Until 25 January, in-person shopping will continue to only be allowed in grocery stores, pharmacies, fuel stations and other points of sale, which are selling essential goods. Please keep in mind that the supply of goods available in distance trade and e-commerce has not been limited, and people are actively encouraged to use these services as an alternative.

Until 25 January only the following types of points of sale will be open:

  • pharmacies (including veterinary pharmacies);
  • optical goods stores;
  • fuel stations;
  • points of sale where the following groups of goods may be sold:
    • groceries;
    • hygiene products;
    • essential household goods;
    • mobile phone prepaid cards;
    • tobacco products, herbal smoking products, electronic smoking devices and their liquids;
    • animal feed and goods;
    • press publications;
    • public transport tickets;
    • mouth and nose coverings and individual protective equipment;
    • artisanal agricultural products;
    • flowers.

A detailed list of goods allowed for sale is available here (in Latvian).

After assessing the lending of library books as having a low risk of infection with Covid-19, a decision was made to open libraries from 12 January, so that they can resume the lending of books. Library reading rooms will remain closed. With the exception of museum outdoor expositions, other cultural services and sites will only remain accessible remotely.

The restrictions also affect international passenger transport. From 15 January, passengers who intend to use international passenger transport services in order to arrive in Latvia by plane, bus or train will have to take a Covid-19 test a maximum of 72 hours before departure. The carrier's services will only be available to passengers who  have tested negative. This requirement also applies to those who intend to arrive in Latvia by private vehicles.

In addition, the result of the test will have to be indicated in the covidpass.lv questionnaire, which may be checked by the Latvian Border Guard and police representatives.

Hotline for Covid-19 related inquiries (24 hours, 7 days a week) - 8345​

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