Daily commutes to Latvia for work, study become simpler

TALLINN – According to an amendment approved by the Estonian government last week, people can cross the Estonian-Latvian border on a daily basis for work or study with only one coronavirus test per week from Monday.

The test result must be negative or the person must be declared safe from infection, government spokespeople said. The rule applies to people who cross the Estonian-Latvian border more than twice a week. The exception was created with the aim of foremost alleviating the situation of Voru County entrepreneurs and employees.

According to the change, a person who goes to work or study in Estonia at least twice a week by crossing the state border is required to get tested for coronavirus only once within seven days. People can also work and study across the border without a test if they have recovered from COVID-19 or been vaccinated against it in the last six months.

To date, when crossing the Estonian-Latvian border, the usual regulation applied, where in order to shorten the ten-day self-isolation, the person had to test negative after crossing the border in order to be able to perform unavoidable work tasks. This regulation meant getting tested two to three times a week for people working across the Estonian-Latvian border.

Both the worker and the employer must continue to follow all COVID-19 safety rules, such as keeping a distance, wearing a mask, complying with disinfection requirements and staying at home when sick.