EU – Baltic States, Health, Lithuania, Security

"We are monitoring the situation and have started applying additional measures on the Latvian border. Yesterday we paid more attention to the Lithuanian-Polish border, but today, after information emerged about a coronavirus case in Estonia, we made the decision to apply additional measures also on the border with the Republic of Latvia," Rustamas Liubajevas, commander of Lithuania's State Border Guard Service, told  on Thursday.

He underlined that border control on the Schengen Area's internal borders has not been reintroduced but border guards stop incoming cars randomly and provide information and distribute leaflets.

"We cannot apply systemic check procedures on these borders, therefore, officers, seeing car plates and evaluating the situation, stop vehicles at their own discretion and just inform people, receive information on where people come from, and if they travel from risky regions, they provide information on what those people should do and where to turn to if they feel any symptoms," the SBGS commander said.

The State Public Health Center is monitoring the situation over possible coronavirus risks on the EU's external border. Lithuanian border guards have no possibilities to assess people's health conditions on the Latvian and Polish borders.

They work on the main roads to and from those countries. According to Liubajevas, this job is being done by patrolling border guards who just focus on main roads.

Border guards say they have enough means of protection, including hand disinfectants, gloves and medical masks, but if such activity was required to continue, they would ask for respirators.

"If the situation deteriorates and protracts, we will definitely need additional means of protection. We have already inquired and there are not such means on the market now, so we plan to turn to the head of the State Emergency Situation Commission and ask for additional means of protection to be allocated from the reserve. We have respirators in mind," he said. "We should do with those protections measures for the first days."