Stocks of medical protective equipment in Latvia are sufficient / Day

This issue was discussed at the meeting of the Crisis Management Council yesterday and it was concluded that the stocks of medical protective equipment in the country are sufficient, there are functioning algorithms as they are distributed, and there is no indication that something is missing.

Asked about the concern expressed by rural family doctors that the state will no longer supply them with free masks, which they have distributed to their clients, Kariņš admitted that this aspect was not discussed at the council meeting, but it should not be that the state is unable to supply medical masks. they have quite large reserves for the state.

Asked to assess whether it is possible that the state will impose new restrictions on the fight against Covid-19 earlier than November 6, if the situation of the spread of the disease worsens, Kariņš emphasized that Latvia has relatively recently introduced the latest security measures.

The politician noted that the indicators of recent days in Latvia are promising, namely, the speed of Covid-19 spread has slowed down, but it is not yet possible to draw far-reaching conclusions.

According to Kariņš, the government’s plan is now simple – to stop the current wave of Covid-19 with public participation by doing three simple things – keeping a distance, washing hands and using face masks in public places.

Kariņš called on those who deny the masks to listen to the epidemiologist Yuri Perevoshchikov, who informed the government about several studies that confirm the usefulness of face masks in combating the spread of the disease. The Prime Minister also called for consideration of why doctors all over the world have been using face masks for years, and whether people really feel that doctors do not understand anything about the need to use them.

Kariņš admitted that incitement not to use face masks is already beginning to border on the issue of national security, however, the government has not decided whether and how exactly to respond to it.

Speaking about the National Association’s intention to hold a large torchlight procession on November 18, Kariņš said that he had not discussed this issue with his partners, however, he would warmly recommend considering whether a virtual alternative to the event could be found. We can show our patriotism in different ways, and patriotism does not just mean the ability to bring together a large number of people, the politician said.

Kariņš said that several meetings with coalition partners are planned this week, when the Prime Minister also plans to touch on this issue.

–