Although the number of cases has been on a downward trend in the country these figures are not yet low enough to lift restrictions on alcohol sales.

Speaking to ETV's "Aktuaalne kaamera" Vallo Koppel, head of the South Prefecture of the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board, said on Friday said: "There are still more than 30 cases per 100,000 people in Tartu County and closer to 40 per 100,000 people in Tartu itself, which means that we didn't really have an alternative to maintaining alcohol retail restrictions for at least another week."

Police are continuing to count on people's sensible and responsible behavior, and the police, together with the Health Board, will reassess the situation no later than Friday next week. 

The ban is valid from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.

The Health Board said on Friday there are four active outbreaks in Tartu County.

One is an outbreak within the family circle involving five persons who have fallen ill.

The others are centered around three bars in the city. The Vabank outbreak has so far seen 37 infected individuals; the Naiiv outbreak has 21 infected individuals; and the Shooters outbreak with twenty infected individuals.

There are currently 222 people who are under active monitoring in the southern region.  

The outbreak in Tartu started at the end of July after a person with coronavirus symptoms visited shops, the cinema and Vabank nightclub.

The chart below shows how the cases have increased in Tartu County over the last three weeks, jumping from 106 on July 27 to 186 as of August 20.

--

Download the ERR News app for Android and iOS now and never miss an update!