On March 14 this year, the Cabinet of Ministers Emergency and Crisis Management Council decided on additional measures to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus. A number of measures were announced directly and indirectly affecting the daily routines of the University of Latvia (UL) staff and students.

It has been decided that the international passenger movement will be closed as of Tuesday, March 17. Those Latvian nationals who are currently abroad will be able to return. Foreigners will also be able to leave the country. The government will establish special procedures for obtaining permission for Latvian nationals and foreigners domiciled in Latvia to return to Latvia, passing through the border crossing points in the airport, ports, on motorways and rail. The UL students who are currently abroad in the framework of a student exchange programme are invited to contact the Mobility Department specialists at the University of Latvia Student Services, who will provide advice in case of questions (email: ad@lu.lv).

Likewise, Latvian diplomatic and consular representations abroad are currently banned from issuing visas for short-term or long-term entry into Latvia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be tasked with ensuring the circulation of information on the emergency measures in Latvia, as well as the evacuation of Latvian nationals.

Border control at Latvia's borders with Lithuania and Estonia will not be resumed, but the organized movement of people will be stopped. Freight will not be interrupted.

It is stipulated to suspend the on-site study process in all educational institutions and provide distance learning. All forms of on-site education outside the educational institutions, including the curriculum (training, competition and rehearsal) of all cultural and sports professional and interest education programmes, must be suspended. The University of Latvia is gradually transferring to remote studies, which will mainly be realized in the e-learning environment.

Students can obtain a more detailed information about the distance learning process by contacting their faculty office. Additional information will also be sent to the students' emails in the UL environment.

Regardless of the number of participants, all the public events, regardless of their nature – festive, commemorative, entertainment, cultural, sporting and recreational (including at nightclubs and discotheques), as well as meetings, processions and pickets (in accordance with the definitions provided within the Law on Meetings, Processions, and Pickets), as well as religious ceremonies requiring gathering of people are cancelled and prohibited.

It is stipulated to limit disorganized gatherings in cultural, entertainment, recreational, sporting and religious venues to no more than 50 people at a time. The closing time of cultural, entertainment, sports and other recreational facilities must not be later than 23:00.

Kindergartens will continue to work, but parents must once a week submit a written statement to the preschool institution that the child and family have not been abroad for the past 14 days and have not been in contact with Covid-19 patients.

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