All stores outside shopping centers may reopen as of today

  • 2021-04-07
  • LETA/TBT Staff

RIGA - All stores that are not operating in large indoor shopping centers with a floor space over 7,000 square meters, will be allowed to reopen as today, according to amendments to the Regulation on Epidemiological Safety Measures for the Containment of the Spread of Covid-19 Infection, approved by the government last week.

Outdoor trade will also be allowed to resume in-person and retail outlets in shopping centers with less than 7,000 square meters of floor space will be able to reopen as well.

In Latvia's large shopping centers with more than 7,000 square meter of floor space, only stores selling food, hygiene products and pet food, as well as opticians, pharmacies, bookstores and services providers will remain open.

The retailers will be required to provide at least 25 square meters of floor space per shopper, while services providers will have to provide at least 15 square meters of floor space per client.

The Economics Ministry has worked out a safety protocol for outdoor trade, envisaging additional requirements and obligations for retail operators, intended to offset Covid-19 risks.