Latvia tightens COVID-19 rules amid record daily cases

The Latvian government on Tuesday stepped up COVID-19 restrictions as the Baltic country confirmed a record number of new infections, reported Xinhua.

The Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) reported 3,706 new COVID-19 cases and eight COVID-19-related deaths.

To curb transmission of the more contagious Omicron variant, ministers at Tuesday's government meeting decided to make medical facemasks of the FFP2 standard mandatory in public spaces from Jan. 25.

The only exception to this rule will be for children aged 7-12 years old, who will be allowed to wear cloth face coverings.

Omicron is thought to account for around half of Latvia's new COVID-19 cases, and is expected to become the dominant variant before long.

To protect the economy and critical infrastructure, the government also decided to shorten self-isolation and quarantine periods for vaccinated employees who have been identified as contacts, or who test positive for COVID-19.

Employees working in critical sectors will be able to replace self-isolation at home with daily self-testing, provided they have no COVID-19 symptoms and use personal protective equipment.

CDC epidemiologist Jurijs Perevoscikovs said that since COVID-19 is rapidly spreading among schoolchildren and teaching staff, school administrations may decide to switch to distance learning for certain institutions.

However, distance learning will not be made obligatory for the entire education sector.