"At today's cabinet discussion in Covid, neither the Scientific Council and the cabinet were ready to immediately lift the 11 p.m. limit, as we have not yet reached the level of burden on hospitals where we could do so," Sutt, who had decided last week to take the proposal to the cabinet, told ERR via a spokesperson.

Sutt noted he had taken on board comments with those entrepreneurs who have told him they want the curfew, which has been in place as Covid counter-measure for over three months, with only a brief respite around New Year's, lifted.

Sutt reiterated his desire to lift the curfew as soon as possible, meaning that agreement was needed within the Reform/Center coalition on what the level of hospitalizations should be before that happened.

Sutt said he would raise the matter at cabinet level again next week.

The government has already ruled that if daily admissions to hospital due to Covid have dropped below an average of 25 as of February 17, the requirement for producing Covid certification to gain admission to venues or events will be lifted, four days later.

The Covid certification requirement has been lifted in schools, starting Monday, February 14, and, it was announced Monday, for outdoor events also.

Hospitalizations due to Covid have risen from below 300 at the end of January, to above 400 as of the time of writing.

Indoor events are also still capped at no more than 1,000 participants, though this weekend's Eesti Laul competition has been granted a special exemption from this rule.

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