Lithuania extends lockdown, issues Easter travel ban

Public life in Lithuania remains restricted in the fight against the Coronavirus with the government on Friday extending a lockdown and issuing a travel ban.

The lockdown, in effect since the end of 2020, was extended by another month until the end of April.

The cabinet also imposed a travel ban within the Catholic Baltic state.

Over Easter the three million Lithuanians are not allowed to travel to other cities and municipalities between March 27, and April 6, without a compelling reason.

Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte appealed to the population to spend Easter at home.

Lithuania had imposed a lockdown with exit and contact restrictions in mid-December in view of sharply rising coronavirus infection numbers.

Since mid-February, the government had been gradually easing the restrictions, but infection numbers increased again due to the more widespread British variant of the Coronavirus.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 211,000 cases have been registered and over 3,500 people have died in Lithuania.