As of Friday, it is mandatory to wear masks in cafes, restaurants, bars, and other catering places in Lithuania.
Lithuanian Health Minister Aurelijus Veryga signed a decree on Thursday requiring customers of catering places to wear masks all the time except when eating and drinking.
“Customers ordering food at the till must keep a one-metre distance between each other. Spacing between tables must also ensure the two-meters distance between customers,” said Lina Bušinskaitė, advisor to the health minister.
Read more: Lithuania orders facemasks for all events, nightclubs to be checked
“Several other countries also apply such measures to stop the spread of coronavirus. In Lithuania, we are tightening the measures in response to an increasing number of infections,” she added.
Only people with disabilities, who cannot wear masks due to health issues, will not be asked to do so in restaurants and bars.
Until Friday, masks were not mandatory in catering establishments. Cafes and restaurants were asked to ensure a safe distance between customers, as well as to follow certain hygiene requirements.
Veryga said restaurant owners and customers did not follow these rules, so the measures had to be tightened.
In a press conference on Thursday, the health minister also mentioned that additional safety requirements could be applied soon.
“We want to prepare a whole package of requirements so that catering places could implement them all at once,” Veryga said.
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