Good afternoon everyone,
Pandemic has been a real test for all of us, and this is exactly what we focused on in our discussion with the Prime Minister today as we talked about the current success in containing the virus.
First of all, we discussed existing and planned government support to more vulnerable groups of society. Government has already created support schemes and decided on the benefits. There are some problems with delivery of these benefits in terms of reaching the target groups, but government is working really hard to eliminate all the bottlenecks and ensure the efficiency of these schemes.
We also discussed specific aspects of existing restrictions and other safety measures under debate. We talked about domestic violence and government support to its victims. This, of course, is an issue that should primarily be addressed by Ministry of Welfare, which should consider additional measures for tackling the aggravated risks of domestic violence.
We also exchanged views on government decisions adopted yesterday and agenda of tomorrow’s cabinet meeting. We both agreed that tomorrow’s cabinet meeting must give a clear signal about what people are expected to do and which restrictions must be strictly followed. There should be no room for interpretation or ambiguity.
As far as stricter restrictions are concerned, government will have to consider them tomorrow, and I believe additional restrictions are imminent if we look at the current number of new infections. We all know that the wave of the pandemic that is currently sweeping the world has not been concocted by the Latvian politicians. As a society, all of us are co-responsible for stopping the pandemic, preventing further spread between us. That is why we have these restrictions! That is the only reason why we have imposed them. To stop the COVID-19! I hope that all people who share the sense of responsibility are fully behind them. Look at the rest of Europe, which is also suffering from resurgence of the virus: consistent application of efficient restrictions can really help cut the spread of virus after some time.
I would also like to underline that European Medicines Agency will authorise the vaccines any day now, which means that all European Union member states, including Latvia, will receive them very soon. There is no doubt that next year our life will gradually return to normal. Until then, however, we need to have strict discipline, remain vigilant, strong and determined to pull through. Government is doing everything it can to achieve that.
