Estonia partially relaxes coronavirus restrictions

The Estonian government partially relaxed coronavirus restrictions on Monday, reported Xinhua, quoting local media.

From April 26, group training for up to 10 people, including an instructor, is allowed outdoors, while from May 3, children with special needs can return to school; outdoor terraces for bars and restaurants may open till 9 p.m. with up to 10 people at a table. Indoor service is still restricted.

Shops and museums can reopen with a 25 percent capacity.

Over the past 24 hours, 163 new coronavirus cases had been detected from a total of 2,013 tests taken in Estonia, a rate of 8.1 percent, the Estonian Health Board announced on Monday.

Estonia's rate of infections per 100,000 inhabitants over the past 14 days was 447.50, and 9 percent of all initial tests had turned out positive. So far, the country's confirmed cases of COVID-19 stood at 120,378 and the coronavirus had claimed 1,145 lives in Estonia, according to the latest data from the Health Board.

In total, 311,731 people had been vaccinated against COVID-19 in Estonia, with 99,849 of them having received their second dose.

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said that she could not reveal a date for relaxing the restrictions more widely. However, there was still hope that the society will be opened up more next month.

"Our wish is not to keep places closed longer than necessary," Kallas said.