Nationwide lockdown as of Saturday

The Government has decided on Wednesday to introduce a three-week nationwide lockdown. Some businesses will have to halt or reduce their operations, tighter infection control measures will be enforced, and work and education will be arranged with a minimum of contacts.

From 7 November to 29 November, there will be no indoor or outdoor commercial or non-commercial cultural, entertainment or sporting events, except high-performance sporting events without spectators, funerals attended by maximum 10 persons, except family members (spouses or persons, with whom a registered partnership agreement has been concluded, children (adopted children), including minor children of the persons, of their spouses or of persons with whom a registered partnership agreement has been concluded, also parents (adoptive parents) and guardians) and persons providing funeral services.

Visits will be banned to cultural, leisure, entertainment and sports establishments, and no physical services will be provided to visitors, except libraries, high-performance athletic training,  individual (for one visitor) physical activity training sessions provided by a physical activity or sports professional, instructor or physical activity or sports professional service provider.

Catering facilities will not be allowed to serve customers on site, but they will be able to provide takeaway food. This will also apply in the case of restaurants, cafes, bars, nightclubs and other places of entertainment, also gambling houses and betting outlets.

Catering facilities providing food to the staff of enterprises, establishments or organisations working on shifts in the territories and/or premises of such enterprises, establishments or organisations will continue to operate.

Points of sale and service will not be closed but they will have to ensure 10 sq. m. market space per visitor, or one visitor served at a time. The requirement to ensure 10 sq. m. market space per visitor will also apply to the territories around the grocery stores, supermarkets, marketplaces and other public points of sale.

There will be no gatherings in public places for groups of more than five people, except for family members, observing in all cases the distance of at least two meters from other people or groups of people. Those above six years of age will have to wear tightly fitting protective equipment covering nose and mouth (face masks, respirators or other equipment) in public places.

The requirement to wear a face mask will not apply in the case of those exercising, professional athletes during training or competitions and persons with disability who cannot wear a mask due to their health condition or where it can adversely affect their health condition. A face mask may be removed at the time of the service, where it cannot be provided when a customer is wearing a mask, also when there are no people within a radius of at least 20 meters, except for family members.

Passengers on public transport will have to travel seated at least a meter apart from one another. 

State border crossing will continue restricted: entry of foreigners will be exempted only in the cases provided for in the Resolution of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania.

Lithuanian population are recommended to refrain from non-essential travel and leave the place of residence only for the purpose of work, shopping, health and other essential services.

State and municipal institutions and bodies and state and municipal enterprises will have to organise work and provide customer services onine or partly online, except where relevant functions must be performed only at a workplace. The private sector is recommended to follow suit.

Kindergartens and primary schools as well as special needs schools and special needs classes will continue as usual, while pre-secondary and secondary schools will either move a part of their classes online or switch to all-remote teaching altogether. Non-formal education for children and adults will go online or be discontinued. In some cases exceptions will apply provided the conditions are ensured as laid down by the State Commander of National Emergency Operations for the management of the flow of people, safe physical distance, and other key requirements for public health safety, hygiene, and the provision of persons with necessary personal protective equipment.

Vocational education and training (or its part), with the exception of initial vocational training combined with a social skills programme, and higher education studies (or their part) will have to be provided online.

Visits to social care homes and residential social service establishments will be banned, except when visiting residents in terminal condition or when a visit is related to the performance of duties.

Hospital visits will be banned too, except when visiting terminally ill patients, children under 14 years of age and patients in maternity wards at the permission of the manager of a hospital.

Healthcare institutions will have to manage their patient flows. A family doctor or other health care professional will have to choose the method of service provision that best suits the patient's interests - contact or remote.

Contact services:

* dental services; 

* health care services for pregnant women, mothers and newborns; 

* vaccination services for children and adults under the National Immunoprophylaxis Programme; 

* disease prevention programmes;

* preventive health screening services for individuals applying for a job in an area of activity that involves exposure to certain risk factors.