Next pandemic moves will depend on new COVID-19 strains – Lithuanian PM

VILNIUS - The existing pandemic situation shows that restrictions can be eased but this will depend on new COVID-19 strains Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte says.

"For the time being, based on what we see now, I hope it will be possible to ease the existing restrictions and then maybe go into some sort of routine work with a contagious disease where we have it and we need to integrate it into our all other treatment processes, including vaccination, prophylaxis," she told reporters at the Seimas on Thursday.

"If the situation doesn't get worse so much from the emergence of these new strains, then we will probably be able to do that," the prime minister added.

The situation recently stopped improving in terms of coronavirus cases, but COVID-19-linked hospitalization figures are recovering: "Perhaps not as fast as we would like them to, but quite in a quite stable manner".

Health experts will discuss the current situation early next week, Simonyte said.

Earlier this week, Health Minister Arunas Dulkys said minister were considering lifting the existing COVID-19-related extreme situation declared two years ago and were also mulling lifting the compulsory requirement to wear facemasks indoors, except for medical institutions and public transport.

Currently facing the new and more infectious Omicron sub-variant BA.2, the World Health Organization, has criticized some major European countries for lifting their COVID-19 pandemic restrictions too drastically.