Crisis, Estonia, EU – Baltic States, Health, Medicine

"With the present order more specific measures are imposed for the protection of people's lives and health and predominant public interest, which are essential for the prevention of the virus,"  the explanatory remarks accompanying the document say. The orders entered into force upon signature. 

The prime minister in his capacity as the person in charge of the emergency situation tasked municipalities with preparing solutions as soon as possible for how to ensure care for children of preschool age when their parents must be at work, and to immediately present them to the person in charge of the emergency situation. 

The Police and Border Guard Board must conduct checks at border crossing points to find out about the countries where people entering Estonia come from and their self declared symptoms. The checks must be conducted at the external border, at the crossings of Ikla, Valga and Lilli on the Estonian-Latvian border, and at ports and airports open to international passenger traffic. 

At manned border crossing points the police will request persons entering Estonia to provide the following details: name of the person, country of origin, country of transit, country of destination, e-mail, phone number, place or residence or place of stay in Estonia. The person must be informed about the rules for the prevention of the spread of the virus valid in Estonia. 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in conjunction with the Ministry of Social Affairs must provide a daily update of high virus risk areas, passengers from where must stay in isolation for two weeks after arrival in Estonia. The list of countries will be updated by an order of the person in charge of the emergency situation. The rules of isolation will be prepared in collaboration with the Ministry of the Interior by March 16.

Ratas also informed that, based on a proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the risk estimate, the areas with a high level of spread of the virus from now on are: China, South Korea, Singapore, Iran, Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Egypt.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will in conjunction with the Government Office ensure the informing of residents of these countries. 

Furthermore, Ratas gave orders to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take the following actions in collaboration with passenger shipping companies:  

1) prepare and implement measures for containing the spread of the virus;

2) inform passengers upon the purchase of a ticket, and passengers who have purchased a ticket already, of the aforementioned requirement for isolation. 

In case of non-fulfilment of a measure of the emergency situation, administrative coercive measures set forth in section 2 or 3 of article 28 of the Law Enforcement Act will be applied. The order can be contested pursuant to regulation set forth in the Code of Administrative Court Procedure.