Latvian PM rules out relaxing coronavirus restrictions

Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins on Monday ruled out any relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions as new cases continued to grow in the Baltic country for three consecutive weeks already, reported Xinhua.

The prime minister told reporters that on Tuesday his government would hear experts' information on the epidemiological situation in Latvia. Karins said that with COVID-19 incidence remaining persistently high, the situation is "unstable and dangerous" and that he therefore does not see any grounds for easing the measures and restrictions introduced with the aim to curb the virus.

Karins said that any relaxation of measures enabling people to come together, including opening outdoor cafes, would be unacceptable at this stage. "This is a situation where we cannot take further steps to ease the restrictions," he noted, adding that Latvia has to avoid the third COVID-19 wave, which would claim more victims, overwhelm the health system and damage the economy.

The Latvian Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) informed on Monday that since the beginning of April, COVID-19 incidence in the country has increased by 22 percent, with the number of hospitalizations and severe cases gradually rising as well.