01-02-2021

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

Press Service, Ministry of Health