RIGA, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Latvia on Tuesday eased a number of COVID-19 restrictions as a state of emergency that had been imposed in the Baltic country to curb the virus, expired.
The Economics Ministry informed that all indoor amusement and leisure venues, gambling halls and nightclubs are allowed to reopen but that they are required to ensure an epidemiologically safe environment and meet all safety requirements.
Certificates of vaccination or recovery from COVID-19 are no longer required to receive services that are provided in outdoor settings or visit large shopping centers, although the mask mandate still remains in place.
The vaccine certificates are still required to attend public events, cafes and restaurants and to receive in-person services where the client does not wear an FFP2 respirator.
The COVID-19 certificates remain mandatory for teachers, social and health care providers, as well as public sector employees providing in-person services.
Restrictions on retailers' working hours have been lifted but both employees and shoppers are obliged to wear medical facemasks or FFP2 respirators, and retailers are required to ensure at least 15 square meters per shopper at their stores.
Remote work, social distancing, ventilation of rooms, hand sanitation and disinfection of surfaces are still strongly recommended.
Although caterers are still required to provide their services in an epidemiologically safe environment, the number of people allowed to sit at one table is no longer limited.
The number of people allowed to gather at private indoor or outdoor events has been increased to 50, and up to 250 people can now gather for occasions like weddings, funerals or christening. The limit for organized public events is 3,000 people. ■