VILNIUS, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Lithuanian government decided on Wednesday to restore mandatory wearing of masks in public places as of Saturday.
According to the decision, masks will be mandatory in public transport and for indoor shopping or service providing places with the exemption of restaurants, bars, cafes, as well as sports and cultural events.
Elvinas Jankevicius, the Minister of Justice, said the decision was made due to the COVID-19 trends in Lithuania and neighboring countries.
"The situation is getting worse both in Lithuania and all over the world, the number of coronavirus cases is increasing. In order to protect the Lithuanian people from this dangerous virus and to protect our economy by sending a clear signal that businesses will not be shut down or restricted, we will ask and demand that people wear masks," Jankevicius was quoted by news website Lrt.lt.
Jankevicius is standing in for Health Minister and head of the State Emergency Operations Center Aurelijus Veryga, who is on holiday this week.
According to the Ministry of Health, Lithuania had registered 2,043 COVID-19 cases by Wednesday morning. To date, 80 people have died from the coronavirus and 1,634 have recovered. Enditem
