Crisis, EU – Baltic States, Health, Lithuania, Tourism, Transport

"The decision has been made to ban flights to and from Italy as of March 16, and to allow people, Lithuanian citizens, until March 16 to return from Italy and not to limit flights from Italy to Lithuania," Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis said after a government meeting today.

Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius said the list of risky countries includes ten countries. They are China, South Korea, Singapore, Japan, Italy, Iran, France, Germany, Spain and Hong Kong.

Later in the day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a recommendation for citizens not to travel abroad and strongly recommended not to travel to the aforementioned ten countries.

Linkevicius underlined that the ministry's recommendations does not include the word "banned" as people are only recommended not to travel, and people posing threat to other people's health and failing to follow the instructions, for example, to self-isolate for two weeks, will face sanctions.

"Trips to ten countries need to be cancelled. We don’t use that word "banned" but people who will disobey will face certain sanctions as there's threat to other people's health, and they need to take that into account. The prior list included five countries, and now we have ten. We will update it, if necessary," the foreign minister told LETA/BNS.

Health minister: it will be hard to control

Meanwhile Health Minister Aurelijus Veryga says the government now recommends against leaving Lithuania at all, and stronger instructions, not recommendations, apply to the aforementioned countries.

"There's an existing recommendation not to leave Lithuania at all. It’s a recommendation. Second, those ten countries we have named, the existing instruction is not to travel. … Control is difficult but I believe people realize what we are saying. I believe airlines will also respond to that," Veryga told LETA/BNS.

In his words, instruction will soon be published to cancel trips for agencies organizing bus trips to Italy as well.

People returning from risky countries and ignoring the instruction to self-isolate might face criminal liability as well.

"If a person knew and was informed about mandatory self-isolation and knowingly ignored that and consciously infected others, they might also face criminal liability. The police might launch such investigations," the health minister said.

People returning from northern Italy on Friday will be recommended to self-isolate for tow weeks and avoid contact with others. Veryga says it will be hard to control how that's being done. Responding to criticism that returning people, without their additional control, will contribute to the spread of the virus, the minister said that other measures would be impossible.

"We can’t put a policeman close to every person. And to put all returning people in one place and lock them up. It’s also a non-realistic solution," the politician said.

Three coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Lithuania so.