When asking ski centers to resume operations, the Speaker of the Seimas says that business expectations are understandable, but exceptions should not be made in the context of the pandemic.
"Winter is really very beautiful, but one way or another we have to return to the fact that the solidarity of the restrictions is the only way to a faster normal life. And it seems to me that the liberalization of one type of entertainment - no matter how understandable - it would still lead to a "snowball" effect sooner or later, Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen told Žinių radio.
According to her, as long as the number of infections remains high, restrictions should be followed.
"And just as sick covid adheres to solidarity, it seems to me that exceptions should be avoided. Because, as I have already mentioned, one way or another, they will still cause the outrage of other, similar entertainments or similar businesses. There is still no such optimal solution here," argued the Speaker of the Parliament.
The Ministry of Health says it is not considering the possibility of allowing ski centers to resume operations, as this would encourage gatherings and raise the risk of the spread of the coronavirus.
"Currently, there is no discussion about resuming the activities of services and ski centers. It is emphasized that the activities of ski centers should be organized activities that encourage gatherings, queues, such as buying tickets, renting equipment and the like. In addition, during sports, the spread of the virus also increases due to deeper breathing," the ministry said in a comment to BNS on Tuesday.
After the introduction of the quarantine, the activities of winter sports centers, as well as other leisure places, are prohibited.
After more snow fell, the association of ski centers of the country asked the Government on Monday for permission to resume operations. The centers undertook to limit the flow of customers and comply with extremely strict safety requirements, that is, they promised to allow skiing in small groups only to pre-registered customers, wearing masks, gloves, keeping a distance of 3-5 meters from each other and other requirements.
According to the ministry, the conditions for easing the quarantine will depend on the epidemiological situation in the country.
