We will not be able to return to usual life for at least six months - Pavluts

RIGA - We will not be able to return to usual life for at least six months as a radical drop in Covid-19 incidence has to be achieved," said Health Minister Daniels Pavluts (For Development) in a press conference.

He said that if reduction of Covid-19 incidence is as fast as in the previous two weeks, then in about a month incidence of 200 cases per 100,000 residents will be achieved as a goal set by epidemiologists. Epidemiologists said earlier that at this level it would be possible to start easing some of the restrictions.

"Still, we will not be able to return to usual life for at least six months," the minister said.

The minister also reminded about the situation in other European countries, where a new Covid-19 wave has started along the new strain. "In Latvia, incidence is dropping, but hospitals are still overloaded. Our duty is to prevent this third wave," the politician said.

As reported, in the past 24 hours Latvia confirmed 693 new Covid-19 cases and 12 people died of the coronavirus disease, according to the data released by the Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC).

Latvia's total Covid-19 caseload thus reached 61,924, while death toll grew to 1,126 people, or 1.81 percent of all the confirmed cases.