Health Alert – U.S. Embassy Riga, Latvia (March 29, 2020)
Location: Latvia
Event: Latvia Implements Further Restrictions to Promote Social Distancing
On March 29, 2020, the Government of Latvia announced stricter social distancing measures in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The new measures include the following:
- No more than two people are permitted to gather outside together.
- A distance of two meters between individuals must be respected both inside of buildings and outside in nature.
- Exceptions apply to members of the same family in the same household.
- Stricter penalties for violating the measures will be announced next week.
More information on the new measures can be found on website of the Cabinet of Ministers at https://www.mk.gov.lv/lv/aktualitates/tiek-ieviesti-stingraki-personu-fiziskas-distancesanas-noteikumi-covid-19-izplatisanas.
The U.S. Embassy reiterates the State Department’s Level Four Global Health Advisory, stating “U.S. citizens who live in the United States should arrange for immediate return to the United States, unless they are prepared to remain abroad for an indefinite period.
U.S. Embassy Riga has no evacuation or chartered flights scheduled at this time.
Presently, there is only one commercial scheduled flight out of Riga Airport. It will depart on March 30, 2020 to Frankfurt on Air Baltic. More information can be found on the Air Baltic Travel Updates Page.
U.S. citizens can cross the Latvian land borders with Estonia and Lithuania to fly out. In order to cross the borders, U.S. citizens must be able to prove that they have tickets to fly out of Tallinn or Vilnius airports. If you are planning on crossing either border to depart, please email us at askconsular-riga@state.gov.
U.S. citizens transiting through Frankfurt or Amsterdam will not be allowed to leave the airport while transiting. They must stay at the airport between flights.
Flight Departure information:
From Riga: The Latvian Ministry of Transportation
The Riga Airport Departures Page
The AirBaltic Travel Updates Page
From Tallinn: The Tallinn Airport Departures Page
Lufthansa – Current Flight information
From Vilnius: Vilnius Airport Departures Page
Actions to Take:
- Email us directly at askconsular-riga@state.gov if you are trying to leave Latvia.
- Visit our Embassy webpage on COVID-19 for information on conditions in Latvia.
- Consult the CDC website for the most up-to-date information.
- Visit the COVID-19 crisis page on travel.state.gov for the latest information.
- Visit the Department of Homeland Security’s website on the latest travel restrictions to the U.S.
- Follow travel.state.gov on Facebook and Twitter.
Assistance:
- U.S. Embassy Riga, Latvia
Samnera Velsa iela 1
Riga LV-1510
+371 6710 7000
+371 6710 7000 (after hours)
askconsular-riga@state.gov - After-hours emergency number for U.S. citizens is +371 2920 5708
- State Department – Consular Affairs
888-407-4747 or 202-501-4444 - Latvia Country Information
- Enroll in Safe Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security updates
- Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
