Lithuania Introduces Compulsory Quarantine for Arrivals From France and Malta

All persons arriving in Lithuania from France and Malta are required to undergo two-weeks of mandatory quarantine, from Monday, as both countries have been added to the “blacklist” due to a surge in the number of Coronavirus cases, Lithuania’s Ministry of Health announced.

Internationals from France are still permitted to enter Lithuania but must follow the quarantine rule. In contrast, internationals coming from Malta will be banned to enter the country, apart from some exceptions, AtoZSerwisPlus.mt reports.

At present, besides France and Malta citizens of the following countries are also prohibited from entering Lithuania, due to their Coronavirus epidemiological situation: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Romania, the Czech Republic and  Luxembourg.

Lithuania’s “blacklist” includes those countries which record 16 Coronavirus cases per population of 100,000 over the past two weeks.

“The Department of Health (SAM) recalls that this procedure applies to foreigners from European Economic Area (EEA) countries, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Northern Ireland,” the Health Ministry’s statement reads.

According to the Health Ministry, the incidence of coronavirus infection has risen from 3.7 to 5.7 per week, in Lithuania, but it is still part of the list of reliable countries.

Last month, authorities in Lithuania published a list of countries, the citizens of which are required to go through a two weeks quarantine, upon their arrival in Lithuania. The countries include Croatia, India, Andorra, Namibia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

The country also announced that from the compulsory quarantine are exempted citizens coming from Ukraine as well as citizens coming from Mauritania, the Virgin Islands and Guam.

Lithuania last month also removed five European Union countries from its list of epidemiologically “safe” countries, due to an increase in the number of Coronavirus pandemic cases.

According to Lithuania’s announcement, citizens and foreign residents of Romania, Bulgaria,  Luxembourg, Sweden and Portugal were banned from entering the territory of Lithuania.