Covid-19, Good for Business, Internet, Lithuania, Technology

"Lithuania and the other two Baltic countries are developing these apps. We want to have that app, too. Procurement processes will be launched," Health Minister Aurelijus Veryga told LRT Radio on Tuesday, the last day of the nationwide coronavirus lockdown in Lithuania.  

"It was developed on the platform of two large Internet teletechnology developers and allows tracing close contact," he said. 

The minister said the contact tracing app could be available from August and would be used on a voluntary basis. 

Veryga also called on people to continue wearing facemasks in stores and other crowded public places, even though this will no longer be mandatory starting Wednesday. 

Lithuania is on Wednesday lifting the nationwide quarantine put in place on March 16 in a bid to stem the spread of the coronavirus, but is extending a state of emergency declared in late February.  

The Health Ministry said on Tuesday that three new coronavirus cases had been confirmed in Lithuania over the past 24 hours, bringing the country's total count to 1,776 cases.