Retailers in regions worried about employees getting to work during lockdown - association

RIGA - Representatives of regional retailers are very concerned about the restrictions in force during lockdown, allowing only two people from different households use a passenger car, thus, getting to work in rural regions is becoming more complicated, said Latvian Association of Retailers (LTA).

During the lockdown, only members of one household or two persons from different households are allowed to be in a passenger car, with the exception of critically important services.

Even though there are practices in Latvia that work colleagues, such as workers working in construction or forestry, go to job in one car, sharing fuel expenses, State Police chief Armands Ruks called on residents to stick to the government's rules.

LTA president Henriks Danusevics said that the issue of transportation of employees to work in regions where there is no public transport available should be solved urgently in cooperation with the Health Ministry, the Economics Ministry and the Agricultural Ministry.

Also, LTA noted that, in line with the present criteria for state support, all caterers at schools are not able to apply for support as the requirement is a 20 percent turnover drop against the average turnover in July, August and September, but schools do not operate in summer, therefore the turnover cannot be compared.

As reported, strict Covid-19 lockdown rules have come into force in Latvia from October 21 until November 15.