Lithuania Eases Virus Measures As Infections Slow

The Lithuanian government said Wednesday it would relax some lockdown measures to help the economy as the number of new coronavirus infections slows

Vilnius, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Apr, 2020 ) :The Lithuanian government said Wednesday it would relax some lockdown measures to help the economy as the number of new coronavirus infections slows.

The Baltic EU member has allowed retailers with a separate outdoor entrance to re-open starting Thursday, though non-food stores in shopping malls, sports clubs and restaurants remain closed for now.

Some services, including repair shops, cleaning and key making, will also resume but direct contact with the customer must not exceed 20 minutes.

Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis said the shops will have to limit the number of customers at any one time to enforce social distancing rules.

"It is a small step in removing business restrictions. We will follow the situation closely," Skvernelis told reporters.

The eurozone nation of 2.8 million people had moved quickly to enforce lockdown as it closed all shops except for pharmacies and grocery stores on March 16.

As a result the virus has largely been kept under control in Lithuania, which has reported 1,091 confirmed cases, including 29 deaths.

The number of new cases has dropped to below 50 per day over the last 10 days.

Schools and universities are not expected to fully re-open until the next academic year in September.