Kiik said: "We are essentially fully aware of this concern, and it is clear the orders established during the crisis will not be valid for years, but a clearer and more predictable legal space is important as the pandemic continues."

"We have held discussions with various ministries on this issue, and also with the Chancellor of Justice's office, and consulted with the Riigikogu party groups, to look at replacing the current arrangements with a clearer legal framework for the future, which would require certain amendments to the law, government regulations and additional orders," he added.

"We have agreed that the Ministry of Social Affairs, in cooperation with other ministries, is preparing the necessary amendments to the law, including draft regulations of the government of the republic, and we hope to reach the Riigikogu with concrete proposals next year, maybe in February," Kiik, whose role falls under the social affairs ministry's orbit, went on.

Speaking at a press conference Thursday and in the context of a recent Supreme Court ruling that the current Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) vaccination program should not be halted, Supreme Court Judge Ivo Pilving said that a limit should be placed at some point on the issue of government orders, the primary means of establishing restrictions since the pandemic began in spring 2020.

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