Latvia Introduces COVID-19 Measures to Travellers From and to China
According to the Ministry of Health Communications Office, all travellers that use international flights from and to China are recommended to wear a face covering such as FFP2/N95/KN95 during the flights, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.
In addition, passengers arriving from China to EU member states, including those in transit through third countries, may be required to present a negative COVID-19 test result, which has to be in English or the language of the respective member state.
Moreover, the Ministry points out that travel requirements for people going to and coming from China may soon change, as happened last year when the authority sent a letter with information to Riga International Airport, including a recommendation to resume the requirement for people to wear face coverings at the airport and onboard aircraft.
If it is necessary, EU member states might consider the option to increase the monitoring of wastewater in international airports, especially at airports that operate flights to and from China.
Last week, the Health Ministry of Latvia held a meeting which included representatives of the Disease Prevention and Control Centre, Emergency Medical Service and public health experts, with the meeting focused on the position of EU member states on the rapid spread of COVID-19 in China.
As per Latvia’s epidemiological situation, data from the World Health Organisation (WHO) reveals that 249 positive COVID-19 cases have been recorded in the country during the past seven days. In addition, 12 deaths related to the virus were reported, taking the total number of fatalities so far to 6,177 while the total number of cases since the pandemic breakout has peaked at 974,529.
The Health Ministry continues calling on residents to get booster shots, as the interest to be vaccinated has dropped significantly, especially compared to other member states – only 4.5 per cent of residents have an updated immunity status.
On the other hand, WHO’s data shows that the total vaccine doses administered per 100 inhabitants in Latvia stands at 152.5, lower than the global average of 167.73. Additionally, there are 66.72 fully vaccinated people with the last dose of primary series per 100 inhabitants in the country while the share of people who have received a booster shot for 100 habitants stands at 28.9.
