News

14 March 2020 Vilnius In pursuance with Article21(3)(1) of the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on the Prevention and Control of Communicable Diseases in Humans, Article 21 (2)(1) of the Law on Civil Protection, having regard to the adverse epidemic situation of COVID-19 (coronavirus infection) and the proposal by the Minister for Health, also to the recommendation by the Emergency Commission of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania of 14 March 2020, the Government of the Republic of Lithuania has resolved:

1. To declare the tertiary (absolute preparedness) level of preparedness of the civil protection system.

2. To declare quarantine on the entire territory of the Republic of Lithuania.

3. To endorse the quarantine regime as detailed below:

3.1. Regarding cross-border and domestic movements:

3.1.1. To prevent the entry of foreigners into the Republic of Lithuania, except for the crew members, who are employed in Lithuanian companies engaged in international commercial transportation, or who carry out international commercial transportation by all the means of transport, also persons entitled to reside in the Republic of Lithuania, persons enjoying immunities and privileges under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961) and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (1963) and persons serving in NATO and NATO military units and the personnel serving them and their family members, as well as the exceptions referred to in paragraph 3.1.3 of this Resolution, and foreigners who, in exceptional cases, will be allowed entry to the Republic of Lithuania on the basis of an individual permission by a minister holding the jurisdiction in the respective realm, and whose entry has been approved by the Government.

3.1.2. State border crossing shall be carried out at the following international border crossing points:

3.1.2.1. by road: Kalvarija - Budzisko, Saločiai - Grenstale, Butingė - Rucava, Smėlynė - Medume, Medininkai - Kamenyi Log, Raigardas - Privalka, Kybartai - Chernyshevskoye, Panemunė - Sovetsk, Šalčininkai - Benjekoni, Lazdijai – Ogrodniki. The entry of persons and/or their private passenger cars into the territory of the Republic of Lithuania is allowed only at the following international state border crossing points: Kalvarija - Budzisko and Saločiai - Grenstale. The entry of diplomatic transport will be allowed at all the road state border crossing points;

3.1.2.2. by railway: Vilnius railway station, Stasylos - Benjekoni, Kena- Gudagai, Šeštokai – Trakiszki. Border crossing for commercial and/or international freight transportation shall be additionally carried out at the following international state border railway crossing points: Stasylos – Benjekoni, Pagėgiai - Sovetsk, Joniškis - Meitene, Turmantas – Kurcums and Kybartai - Nesterov;

3.1.2.3. airports: Vilnius, Kaunas, Palanga and Šiauliai international airports’ border checkpoints;

3.1.2.4. sea ports: Pilies, Malkų įlankos, Būtingė oil terminal and Molo border crossing points.

3.1.3. A transit of persons returning to their country of residence will be allowed through the territory of the Republic of Lithuania without a necessary stop, in formed groups of persons or vehicles with ensured compulsory escort (convoy) of these groups from the entry into the Republic of Lithuania to the international border crossing points. The facilitated transit of persons through the Republic of Lithuania from the territory of the Russian Federation to Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation and backwards will be carried out only at Kena railway border checkpoint and Kybartai railway border checkpoint under the conditions laid down by the Minister for Foreign affairs of the Republic of Lithuania.

3.1.4. The citizens of the Republic of Lithuania shall not be allowed to leave the Republic of Lithuania, except the cases where they return to their permanent place of residence, go to their place of employment, are crew members, who are employed in Lithuanian companies engaged in international commercial transportation, or who carry out international commercial transportation of all kinds of goods by all the means of transport, also where there is a permission by the Head of the State Border Guard Service under the Ministry of the Interior or his authorised person.

3.1.5. Persons who have returned or arrived from foreign countries shall fall subject to 14 days’ isolation, except for the crew members, who are employed in Lithuanian companies engaged in international commercial transportation, or who carry out international commercial transportation by all the means of transport, and members of official delegations, diplomats and special courriers working on transit trains, referred to in paragraph 3.1.3 of this Resolution and citizens of foreign countries transiting through the Republic of Lithuania with compulsory escort (convoy) to the country of their residence, who have no COVID-19 (coronavirus infection) symptoms. The crew members, who are employed in Lithuanian companies engaged in international commercial transportation, or who carry out international commercial transportation by all the means of transport, shall fall subject to isolation from the day of arrival in the Republic of Lithuania until the day of departure from its territory, but no longer than 14 days. The National Public Health Centre under the Ministry of Health shall organise screening of all persons who have returned or arrived from abroad for symptoms of COVID-19 (coronavirus infection) at the international border crossing points referred to in paragraph 3.1.2 of this Resolution.

3.1.6. Restrictions shall be imposed on the flows of passengers using long-distance and suburban regular passenger transport services: they shall be required to travel seated maintaining the distance of at least one meter from each other. Special safety precautions shall be taken by disinfecting the vehicles at the beginning and end of the trip for each route. This provision is recommended for urban passenger transport too.

3.1.7. Entry of cruise ships into Klaipėda State Seaport shall be prohibited.

3.1.8. Exports to third countries of personal protective equipment (protective spectacles and visors, face shields, mouth-nose-protection equipment, protective garments and gloves) listed in Annex I to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/402 making the exportation of certain products subject to the production of an export authorisation, shall be allowed only at the decision of the State Commander of National Emergency Operations. The movement of other goods shall not be restricted.

3.1.9. To recommend that people wear face shields or respirators or other nose and mouth protection in public areas.

3.1.10. To require that people:

3.1.10.1. go to or stay in parks and other open public places in groups of no more than two, except for close relatives, adoptive parents, adoptive children, guardians and carers, while keeping at a safe distance (more than 2 meters and less than 15 minutes contact), avoiding direct physical contact and observing personal hygiene requirements;

3.1.10.2. go to points of sale and service, which have not been closed under the provisions of paragraph 3.2.7 of this Resolution, one family member at a time.

3.1.11. As of 4 April 2020 April, 00:00, transportation of passengers and/or their private passenger cars to the Republic of Lithuania by passenger ships/ferries shall be prohibited, except for the ferry running on the route Kiel - Klaipėda - Kiel, or where there is a permission by the Minister of the Interior or his authorised person.

3.1.12. As of 4 April 2020 April, 00:00, flights carrying passengers to and from the international airports of the Republic of Lithuania shall be performed only subject to an individual permission to operate issued by the Lithuanian Transport Safety Administration under the order of the Minister of Transport and Communications, having regard to the submission by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

3.2. Regarding the activities of public and private sectors:

3.2.1. State and municipal institutions and bodies and state and municipal enterprises shall organise their work and provide customer services remotely, except where the functions (tasks) concerned must be performed at the workplace. The performance of urgent and immediate functions (tasks) shall be ensured. The private sector is recommended to organise its work in the same manner as the public sector.

3.2.1¹. Downtime will be applied for the employees of state and municipal budget establishments, health care establishments, regardless of their subordination and legal form, only after all the possible forms and methods of work arrangement, including remote training, have been exhausted, where following the declaration of a state of emergency and quarantine by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, the employer cannot provide the employee with work agreed in the employment contract and there is no possibility to do the work under the contract remotely or the employee does not agree to do another job offered.

3.2.2. Cultural, leisure, entertainment and sports establishments shall not be visited, and no services shall be provided to visitors.

3.2.3. All indoor and outdoor events and gatherings shall be prohibited.

3.2.4. The activities of wellness and health centres, spas and recreation centres shall be prohibited, except for individual medical rehabilitation services that are related to treatment.

3.2.5. The provision of accommodation services, rent of premises and apartments and other provision thereof for short-term accommodation of natural persons may be prohibited in each municipality by a separate decision of the director of the municipal administration. Hotels and other premises shall be used for the isolation of people through an individual agreement between a municipality and an accommodation service provider or at the request of the director of a municipal administration.

3.2.6. The activities of catering facilities, restaurants, cafes, bars, nightclubs and other entertainment venues shall be prohibited, except where food can be taken away or it can be otherwise delivered to natural and legal persons in accordance with hygiene requirements.

3.2.7. The activities of stores, shopping and/or entertainment centres, except for those whose principle activity is the sale of food, veterinary, pharmacy, optical goods and ortopeadic technical devices, and the activities of the markets and other public points of sale other than food shall be prohibited. The povision of financial services at grocery stores and shopping and/or entertainment centes will not be prohibited; nor this prohibition shall apply to online sales and when goods are delivered to natural or legal persons or are collected at collection points in accordance with hygiene requirements. The points of sale and service referred to in this paragraph, whose activities have not been prohibited, shall be required to ensure, both for the staff as well as for the customers, safe sanitation and hygiene conditions and the provision of necessary means of potection, subject to the requirements laid down by the State Commander of National Emergency Operations.

3.2.8. Beauty services shall be closed.

3.2.9. Casinos and amusement arcades shall be closed.

3.2.10. Visiting sentenced and arrested persons shall be prohibited, except their meetings with lawyers.

3.2.11. Non-cash settlements are recommended.

3.2.12. Sailing on small, recreational, sports, private and conventional vessels or other floating equipment or means in groups of more than two people shall be prohibited, except for close relatives, adoptive parents, adoptive children, guardians, and carers.

3.3. Regarding the organisation of work in educational establishments.

The educational and childcare process as well as the educational activities in all educational establishments and day care centres shall be suspended, organising instead the remote educational process.

3.4. Regarding the organisation of work in health care institutions:

3.4.1. Mobilising health professionals, university and non-university students and residency students and using infrastructure, regardless of their subordination. If necessary, health professionals and staff working with them (personnel servicing the medical staff) may be temporarily transferred to another healthcare establishment or their job functions may be temporarily changed in order to ensure the proper organisation of healthcare.

3.4.2. Provision of inpatient personal health care services:

3.4.2.1. Operational re-organisation of patient flows, infrastructure and material and human resources.

3.4.2.2. Postponement of scheduled operations, except aid and health care services, where failure to provide them would result in patient’s need for medical emergency or a significant deterioration of his condition.

3.4.2.3. Postponement of scheduled hospitalisations for other diagnostic and therapeutic services.

3.4.2.4. Visiting patients shall be prohibited, except patients in terminal condition and children under 14 years of age, with the permission of the treating physician.

3.4.2.5. Restriction on the provision of medical rehabilitation services, except where failure to provide them would result in patient’s disability.

3.4.3. Provision of outpatient health care services:

3.4.3.1. Provision of remote services: prescription of medicines and medical aids, consultations, issuance and extention of electronic certificates of incapacity for work, consultations between physicians, referral for required examinations, nurse consultation.

3.4.3.2. Postponement of scheduled consultation, diagnostic, preventive and treatment services, except for aid and health services, where failure to provide them would result in patient’s need for medical emergency or a significant deterioration of his condition.

3.4.3.3. Restrictions on home care services other than outpatient nursing and palliative care services, except where failure to provide them would result in patient’s need for medical emergency or a significant deterioration of his condition.

3.4.3.4. Postponement of outpatient medical rehabilitation services.

3.4.3.5. Postponement of preventive examinations and preventive programmes.

3.4.3.6. Reorganisation of scheduled vaccinations with patient flow management.

3.4.4. Postponement of dental services other than emergency medical care.

3.4.5. Reorganisation of pharmacy activities to avoid direct human contact.

3.4.6. Public health:

3.4.6.1. Postponement of measures to strengthen public health and prevent chronic non-communicable diseases.

3.4.6.2. Postponement of public health control routine inspections.

3.4.6.3. Postponement of other non-urgent public health measures.

3.5. Regarding the organisation of work in social service establishments:

3.5.1. Attending all inpatient social service establishments, foster families, group and community homes shall be prohibited.

3.5.2. Contacting clients of other social service establishments shall be allowed only for the purpose of ensuring the delivery of the essential social services.

3.5.3. Activities in day care centres for children, persons with disabilities and the elderly shall be prohibited. Municipal administrations must ensure the care of, the arrangement of meals and distance learning for children and persons with disabilities in establishments in exceptional cases, where it is not possible at home.

4. To instruct:

4.1. The State Commander of National Emergency Operations to lay down concrete measures for the quarantine regime, following the recommendations of the responsible ministry regarding the immediate measures for the quarantine regime;

4.2. The state and municipal institutions and bodies, as well as the institutions and enterprises of the Lithuanian national health system to submit to the Ministry of Health or its authorised body, every day by 7:00, the statistics in accordance with the list of statistics approved by the decision of the State Commander of National Emergency Operations, covering the last 24 hours and recorded by 3:00.

5. To recommend all religious communities operating in Lithuania to refrain from holding religious ceremonies with a view to preventing public gatherings.

6. The quarantine regime shall be effective from 16 March 2020, 00:00, until 13 April 2020, 24:00.

Prime Minister                                                                                Saulius Skvernelis

Minister for Health                                                                         Aurelijus Veryga