A Lithuanian student who arrived from Denmark has been diagnosed with the coronavirus, the mayor of Klaipėda has said on Saturday morning. A second case was later confirmed in Vilnius, bringing the country's total to eight.
“It's a young student who flew from Denmark to Lithuania on March 10 and took a bus from Vilnius [to Klaipėda], so there are a lot of risk factors in terms of human contacts,” Mayor Vytautas Grubliauskas shared on Facebook.
Read more: Coronavirus measures in Lithuania: what you need to know
He said the man was hospitalised in Klaipėda University Hospital.
Health Minister Aurelijus Veryga later specified that the man landed in Kaunas Airport from where he took a bus to Vilnius to meet his girlfriend. While in Vilnius, the couple went out and therefore may have exposed more people to the virus.
“The National Public Health Centre is tracing the contacts, as much as it is possible. But it is effectively impossible to find them all. So let's not kid ourselves, there are many people like that in Lithuania [who have been in contact with the coronavirus patient],” the minister said.
From Vilnius, the pair took a bus to Kretinga, a town near Klaipėda where they live, on March 11, the minister said.
The man's parents have been advised to self-isolate. His girlfriend lives with a grandmother, the two have also isolated themselves at home, the minister said.
Another coronavirus case has been confirmed in Vilnius on Saturday afternoon. A man was diagnosed with Covid-19 after returning from Italy, the country's Health Ministry said.
“Today, on March 14, another coronavirus case has been confirmed in Lithuania,” the statement said.
The man returned from Italy and is now being treated in isolation at Santara Clinics in Vilnius.
In all, eight Covid-19 cases have been reported in Lithuania. Three people were diagnosed with the virus on Friday: a Spanish woman in Vilnius, a woman in Klaipėda and a man in Kaunas. All of them are thought to have contracted the disease outside of Lithuania.
Previously, a woman was diagnosed with the disease in Šiauliai and a couple in Kaunas.
Read more: Lithuania confirms 3 new coronavirus cases
Lithuanian airports to check all arriving passengers
All passengers arriving through Lithuania's three international airports will have their temperature measured and will have to fill out questionnaires.
“From March 14, all incoming passengers without exception will be checked at Lithuanian airports by the National Public Health Centre, assisted by the military,” the company that runs the airports of Vilnius, Kaunas and Palanga announced on Saturday.
The Lithuanian government has advised the country's citizens to cancel or postpone all foreign trips. Eighteen countries have been categorised as high-risk due to coronavirus outbreaks.
Lithuania's interior minister has announced that Lithuania is reintroducing border controls on Saturday and will not allow foreigners who do not have work permits in Lithuania to enter the country.
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