The Baltic states in Europe are already on the verge of imposing another lockdown as the surge of new infection cases are causing pressures on health systems. Last month, Latvia became the first to impose a month-long COVID-19 lockdown to last until November 15, 2021. The announcement came after the country experienced an unexpected increase in infections, forcing government officials to reimpose restrictions to stop the virus from spreading farther.
Reports reveal that Latvia is among the many Baltic countries that have the highest rates of new coronavirus cases even after efficiently dealing with pandemic in the previous months. Alongside the lockdown, Latvian Prime Minister Krijanis Karins also ordered the temporary closing of stores, and the suspension of the scheduled sports and cultural events. Moreover, Latvians have to observe curfew hours from 8 PM to 5 AM during the lockdown period.
The Prime Minister warned the people that Latvia hospitals have become crowded while their health care resources are nearing depletion.
Rise in New Cases are Mostly among Unvaccinated Baltic Citizens
According to reports, 80% of the rise in new infection cases in Baltic countries and and about 94 percent of deaths that occurred, were among unvaccinated people. In Latvia, the number of vaccinated people is only slightly more than half of the country’s population.
Prime Minister Karins admitted that the government failed to encourage citizens to get vaccinated, and as a result, there are still too many Latvians who are not vaccinated.
Currently, it is recorded that this Baltic country has around 190,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases and almost 2,900 deaths. According to Latvia’s Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Latvia’s coronavirus cases currently stand at 864 new infections per 100,000 capita, which is deemed as one of the highest numbers on a global scale.