Countries with spreading coronavirus mutations remain on the updated list of affected countries, Iceland is removed
As a result of mutations in coronavirus (COVID-19) and the threat of their outbreak in the European Union (EU), Lithuania has tightened requirements for travellers from affected countries.
The list of affected countries includes countries with spreading coronavirus mutations also the EU countries marked in red in the maps published by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Iceland, Guadeloupe, Réunion and Martinique have been removed from the list of affected countries. In the case of Norway, only Oslo is considered to be an affected region.
New coronavirus mutations have already been reported in many EU and world countries, but 7 countries have been raising a particular concern due to the fast-spreading new coronavirus mutations: Ireland, Denmark, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Netherlands, Brazil, Israel and South Africa.
All the travellers from the affected countries will be required to evidence the test taken within 48 hours before the entry or take a test in Lithuania. 14-day self-isolation will also be mandatory, with a possibility of shortening the isolation time by taking a test at their own expense on the 10th day of the isolation.
EXEMPTIONS. There are exemptions when the requirement for testing and / or self-isolation are not applicable. It is important that the exemption can only be applied in the cases provided for and where the purpose of travelling is related to the performance of work functions provided for in the exemptions or to the ensuring of essential needs. Persons subject to the self-isolation exemptions will be required to have documentation evidencing the exemption, which they will have to show at a request of the specialists or officers of the National Public Health Centre (NPHC), who check compliance with isolation requirements.
Even those who are subject to testing and self-isolation exemptions will have to restrict the number of their contacts for 14 days from the date of arrival in the Republic of Lithuania. It is recommended that working people only commute between work and home if there is no possibility to work remotely. When contacting others, wearing protective equipment covering the nose and mouth: face masks, respirators or other means remains mandatory, also the observance of other general instructions for the prevention of COVID-19 (coronavirus infection).
Please note that those transiting through the Republic of Lithuania, crew members, who are employed in companies engaged in international commercial transportation, or who carry out international commercial transportation by all the means of transport will not be required to self-isolate or take a test..
Those that who already had the virus or have been vaccinated following the full vaccination schedule will not be required to test or self-isolate provided they have a medical certificate or vaccination certificate (with translation into Lithuanian, English or Russian) confirming that they had the virus within 90 days prior to the entry as confirmed through PCR test, or their vaccination.
The exempted occupation groups, individuals crossing the border daily for work, school or studies, for important medical reasons or for important family matters (funerals or visiting terminal patients) will be only required testing for coronavirus. The list of exemptions is much shorter for those travelling from third countries.
DIFFERENT SELF-ISOLATION REQUIREMENTS Please note that those arriving from countries with fast-spreading virus mutations will be subject to different isolation requirements compared to arrivals from other affected countries.
Those arriving from countries with fast-spreading virus mutations will be subject to more stringent isolation requirements: they will not be allowed to leave the place of isolation unless they need urgent medical assistance and have to go to a medical facility, or they have to go to a mobile testing point. Those in isolation may go to a funeral, visit terminally ill patients, change the place of isolation, or go to a medical facility for other health care services with the permission of the National Public Health Centre (NPHC). Arrivals from the countries with fast-spreading virus mutations will have to self-isolate in a separate apartment or a house, or on another well-isolated floor of a private house or apartment or in a separate isolated room with a separate bathroom. Self-isolation will be possible in the same premises only with those that travelled together, except children, who will be allowed to stay with other family members that have not travelled together, who will be subject to the same period of self-isolation.
Travellers from other affected countries may take a walk within the radius of 1 km and leave the place of self-isolation without the notification of the NPHC or without its permission according to the list of exemptions. They can also self-isolate in the same apartment family members that have not travelled together, only in another room, while reducing movement around the home and limiting sharing of the common space.
WHY ARE ARRIVAL REQUIREMENTS MORE STRINGENT Tighter requirements for travellers have been taken in the light of the latest risk assessment published by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. (ECDC). According to the ECDC, viruses are constantly changing due to ongoing mutations. Some of them do not play a major role in spreading of the virus, but some can cause the virus to spread faster or cause a more severe form of the disease. Several mutations in the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 are currently being observed around the world for their faster-spreading and a consequently adversely affecting the epidemiological situation.
According to the latest available information, the likelihood of such coronavirus mutations entering and spreading in the EU is assessed as high or very high. And given the faster rate of spread of the mutated coronavirus caused infection, a significant impact of the spread of new mutations on hospitalisation rates and deaths is likely, particularly among at-risk individuals, the elderly and people with chronic diseases.
In order to slow down the risk of new coronavirus mutations entering and spreading, the ECDC recommends, along with non-medical coronavirus prevention measures, to refrain from non-essential travelling and strengthen the requirements for travellers, including testing and self-isolation, particularly for travellers from the territories with fast-spreading new coronavirus mutations.
Maps outlining the status of the common criteria for EU countries and regions published by the ECDC are available here.
The list of affected countries is published every Friday to take effect on Monday for the duration of that week.
List of countries affected by COVID-19 disease (coronavirus infection)
No. | Country (territory) |
1. | EU and EEA countries (as per country/region data published by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control) |
1.1. | Republic of Austria |
1.2. | Kingdom of Belgium |
1.3. | Republic of Bulgaria |
1.4. | Czech Republic |
1.5. | Republic of Estonia |
1.6 | Kingdom of Spain |
1.7. | Italian Republic |
1.8. | Republic of Cyprus |
1.9. | Republic of Croatia |
1.10. | Republic of Latvia |
1.11. | Republic of Poland |
1.12. | Principality of Liechtenstein |
1.13. | Grand Duchy of Luxembourg |
1.14. | Republic of Malta |
1.15. | Kingdom of Norway (only Oslo) |
1.16. | Portuguese Republic |
1.17. | French Republic |
1.18. | Romania |
1.19. | Slovak Republic |
1.20. | Republic of Slovenia |
1.21. | Kingdom of Sweden |
1.22. | Swiss Confederation |
1.23. | Hungary |
1.24. | Federal Republic of Germany |
2. | Countries where the spread of new SARS-CoV-2 virus mutations has been found |
2.1. | Ireland |
2.2. | Federative Republic of Brazil |
2.3. | Kingdom of Denmark |
2.4. | State of Israel |
2.5. | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
2.6. | Kingdom of the Netherlands |
2.7. | Republic of South Africa |
3. | Other countries |
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan | |
Republic of Albania | |
People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria | |
American Samoa* | |
Principality of Andorra | |
Angola | |
Antigua and Barbuda | |
Argentine Republic | |
Republic of Armenia | |
Aruba* | |
Australia | |
Republic of Azerbaijan | |
Commonwealth of the Bahamas | |
Kingdom of Bahrain | |
Republic of Belarus | |
People’s Republic of Bangladesh | |
Barbados | |
Belize | |
Republic of Benin | |
Bermuda* | |
Republic of Guinea-Bissau | |
Plurinational State of Bolivia | |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
Republic of Botswana | |
Brunei Darussalam | |
Burkina Faso | |
Republic of Burundi | |
Kingdom of Bhutan | |
Central African Republic | |
Republic of Chad | |
Republic of Chile | |
Commonwealth of Dominica | |
Dominican Republic | |
Republic of Côte d 'Ivoire | |
Republic of Djibouti | |
Egypt Arab Republic | |
Republic of Ecuador | |
State of Eritrea | |
Kingdom of Eswatini | |
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia | |
Republic of the Fiji Islands | |
Republic of the Philippines | |
Gabonese Republic | |
Republic of Guyana | |
Republic of the Gambia | |
Republic of Ghana | |
Gibraltar* | |
Grenada | |
Guam* | |
Republic of Guatemala | |
Republic of Guinea | |
Republic of Haiti | |
Republic of Honduras | |
Republic of India | |
Republic of Indonesia | |
Republic of Iraq | |
Islamic Republic of Iran | |
Jamaica | |
Japan | |
Republic of Yemen | |
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan | |
United States of America | |
United Arab Emirates | |
Montenegro | |
Cayman Islands | |
Christmas Island | |
Kingdom of Cambodia | |
Republic of Cameroon | |
Canada | |
State of Qatar | |
Republic of Kazakhstan | |
Republic of Kenya | |
People’s Republic of China | |
Kyrgyzstan | |
Curaçao* | |
Republic of Colombia | |
Union of the Comoros | |
Democratic Republic of Congo | |
Republic of the Congo | |
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea | |
Republic of Korea | |
Republic of Costa Rica | |
Republic of Cuba | |
Coco islands* | |
The State of Kuwait | |
Lao People’s Democratic Republic | |
Kingdom of Lesotho | |
Republic of Lebanon | |
Republic of Liberia | |
State of Libya | |
Democratic Republic of Madagascar | |
Malaysia | |
Republic of Malawi | |
Republic of Maldives | |
Republic of Mali | |
Kingdom of Morocco | |
Republic of the Marshall Islands | |
Republic of Mauritius | |
Islamic Republic of Mauritania | |
United Mexican States | |
Republic of the Union of Myanmar | |
Federated States of Micronesia | |
Republic of Moldova | |
Principality of Monaco | |
Mongolia | |
Montserrat* | |
Republic of Mozambique | |
Republic of Namibia | |
New Zealand | |
Republic of Nauru | |
Federal Republic of Nepal | |
Federal Republic of Nigeria | |
Republic of Niger | |
Republic of Nicaragua | |
Sultanate of Oman | |
Islamic Republic of Pakistan | |
Palestine* | |
Republic of Panama | |
Independent State of Papua New Guinea | |
Republic of Paraguay | |
Republic of Peru | |
Republic of South Sudan | |
French Polynesia* | |
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico* | |
Republic of Equatorial Guinea | |
Republic of Rwanda | |
Russian Federation | |
Sakartvelo | |
Solomon Islands | |
Republic of El Salvador | |
Independent State of Samoa | |
Republic of San Marino | |
Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe | |
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia | |
Republic of Seychelles | |
Republic of Senegal | |
St Kitts and Nevis | |
Saint Lucia | |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | |
Republic of Serbia | |
Republic of Sierra Leone | |
Republic of Singapore | |
Syrian Arab Republic | |
Federative Republic of Somali | |
Republic of Sudan | |
Republic of Suriname | |
Republic of North Macedonia | |
Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka | |
The Holy See (Vatican City State) | |
Republic of Tajikistan | |
Kingdom of the Thailand | |
United Republic of Tanzania | |
Turks & Caicos Islands* | |
Republic of Togo | |
Kingdom of Tonga | |
Republic of Trinidad and Tobago | |
Republic of Tunisia | |
Republic of Turkey | |
Turkmenistan | |
Tuvalu | |
Republic of Uganda | |
Ukraine | |
Oriental Republic of Uruguay | |
Republic of Uzbekistan | |
Republic of Vanuatu | |
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela | |
Socialist Republic of Vietnam | |
Republic of Zambia | |
Republic of Zimbabwe | |
Republic of Cabo Verde |
* Territories without the status of a state
Last updated: 25-02-2021
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