COVID-19 Update
On December 7, Lithuania’s acting government decided to extend the nationwide quarantine until December 31 and tighten some restrictions. The measures include recommendations to avoid leaving home and limits on contacts between more than two households. Contacts between more than two households are prohibited, unless to provide emergency service and care. Family events of more than 10 people from more than two households are banned. Accommodation providers are barred from renting their premises for events. Government and municipal institutions must service customers and work remotely whenever possible. Retailers must limit customer flow to one person per 15 square metres or one person per 30 square metres in shopping malls.
Parking lots outside shopping centres must not be filled beyond 20 percent, excluding parking spaces for employees and people with disabilities. Retailers are recommended to avoid announcing sales that would attract many people at once. Schools must switch to remote teaching, except in primary classes. Pre-school education is recommended only for children whose parents cannot work from home. Museums and galleries will not be allowed to reopen.
The new measures come into effect on December 9.
Vaccine Timelines
Lithuania’s European Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius announced that the first coronavirus vaccines could be delivered to member states in three to four weeks. He told BNS that over the course of three to four weeks, the European Medicines Agency should approve the vaccine and logistics are such that all member states should to get it at the same time. Sinkevičius discussed these issues with Lithuania’s appointed Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė in Vilnius on December 7. He noted that the first groups to be vaccinated would include Lithuanian medical staff medics, people in care homes and in in risk groups.
Poland Added to Restricted List
People coming to Lithuania from Poland have to self-quarantine or present a negative coronavirus test as of December 7, after the country was labeled grey in the EU’s traffic light system. Four countries – Slovakia, Slovenia, Malta, and Scotland – have been removed from the list, according to Lithuania’s Ministry of Health.
Lithuania has been labeled red in the European Union’s traffic light system that categorises countries according to the risk of coronavirus infection. Therefore, only arrivals from or via countries in the grey area are subject to travel restrictions. Besides Poland, the list also includes Northern Ireland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, as well as all non-EU/EEA countries and territories. Travellers from these countries must self-isolate for 10 days in Lithuania or present a negative coronavirus test taken within 48 hours of the arrival. Travellers can take the test in Lithuania, too, but must remain in self-quarantine until the result is in. However, even if the result is negative, travellers are advised to avoid social contacts for 10 days. According to the Health Ministry, the testing and self-isolation requirements do not apply if the traveller only stayed in an airport transit area in the affected country.
Countries in Europe are marked as green, yellow and red based on their infection rates and other indicators. The grey group includes countries that have not provided the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control with data or those with 7-day testing rates lower than 300 per 100,000 people. Foreign nationals and residents from countries outside of the European Union and the European Economic Area are banned from coming to Lithuania, with individual exceptions set by the government. Latvia announced on December 4 that it was stopping passenger transport to and from Lithuania.
Cabinet Approved
President Gitanas Nausėda has signed a decree approving the future cabinet proposed by Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė. The 14-member cabinet consists of nine ministers delegated by the conservative Homeland Union (TS-LKD), three by the liberal Freedom Party and two by the Liberal Movement.
PM Ingrida Šimonytė’s cabinet consists of Finance Mister Gintarė Skaistė, Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas, Interior Minister Agnė Bilotaitė, Health Minister Arūnas Dulkys, Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, Social Security and Labour Minister Monika Navickienė, Education, Science and Sport Minister Jurgita Šiugždinienė, Energy Minister Dainius Kreivys, Agriculture Minister Kęstutis Navickas, Economy and Innovation Minister Aušrinė Armonaitė, Justice Minister Evelina Dobrovolska, Transport Minister Marius Skuodis, Environment Minister Simonas Gentvilas, Culture Minister Simonas Kairys.
Nausėda described the new government’s programme as “ambitious”, and that all ministries will be important, but his focus will be on education, culture, economic well-being and social justice. The new government will take office after the parliament endorses its programme and the ministers are sworn in.
Decision on Human Rights
On December 7 in Brussels, Belgium, the Foreign Affairs Council adopted a regulation establishing a global human rights sanctions regime, which is informally known as the “European Magnitsky Act”. Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevičius voiced Lithuania’s strong support for the adoption of a global human rights sanctions regime. Lithuania is among the most active EU member states that have consistently supported the 2018 proposal by the Netherlands to establish a new EU sanctions regime that would target individuals accused of human rights abuses worldwide.
The framework for targeted restrictive measures applies to acts such as genocide, crimes against humanity and other serious human rights abuses. Other human rights violations can also fall under the scope of the sanctions regime where those violations or abuses are widespread, systematic or are otherwise of serious concern as regards the objectives of the common foreign and security policy set out in the Treaty. According to the Acting Foreign Minister, the EU restrictive measures could also be introduced for a criminal act of corruption in the future. The European Magnitsky Act is named after the Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky who died of mistreatment in a Moscow prison in 2009.
With information from LRT.lt, URM.lt
