Latvia declares three-month state of emergency to fight coronavirus

Riga.
Riga. Source: Nikolaus Bader / Pixabay

A national state of emergency will be declared for three months from Monday (October 11) in Latvia to fight coronavirus, the government decided on Friday. Additional restrictions will be introduced.

Latvia's national broadcaster LSM reported the declaration of a state of emergency allows for faster decision-making and allocation of resources.

It will be the third time the measure has been used since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

It comes as Latvia is currently experiencing its highest level of morbidity with specialist hospital beds approaching full capacity. A state of emergency in Latvia's healthcare system was announced on October 7.

A list of the country's restrictions can be viewed here.

The country has a low vaccination rate, with only 50 percent of adults being vaccinated at least once, LSM wrote earlier this week. In comparison, Estonia's is 67.5 percent and is also lower than the European average.

All three Baltic states have a high rate of coronavirus. Lithuania has the highest rate in Europe, followed by Estonia.

14-day coronavirus rate weeks 38 and 39. Source: ECDC.

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Editor: Helen Wright

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