NordenBladet —Today, the Government decided to extend the nationwide restriction on the night-time sale of alcohol until 26 January 2021 (incl.).
The restriction means that from 00:00 until 10:00, alcohol sales are prohibited in all locations that sell alcohol for on-site consumption, such as restaurants, bars, nightclubs.
The restriction on the sale of alcohol is not applicable aboard aircraft used for international passenger transport, in the security area of an international airport, and in a point of sale located after the check-in gates at the waiting area of an international port’s travel terminal. The restriction is also not applicable to using minibars and during breakfast for guests staying the night at accommodation establishments.
The further restrictions are necessary since the spread of the coronavirus is of an epidemic nature in Estonia, and one could get infected anywhere. According to Health Board data from 17 November, 186 people tested positive for the coronavirus over a 24 hour period, and the infection rate per 100,000 inhabitants over the past 14 days is 218. For comparison, the same indicator was 43 on 14 October, 22.8 on 12 September, and 4 on 1 August.
In establishing the national restriction on the sale of alcohol, the Government is guided by the supporting position of both the Health Board and the scientific advisory board which consults the Government.
Pursuant to the Alcohol Act, owners of mass media are required to immediately publish the content of the order. The Government Communication Unit will send an official notification concerning this.
The order will also be published in the State Gazette and on the kriis.ee website.
NordenBladet — The Riigikogu approved its agenda for this working week, which includes 13 items.
No deliberation of Bills or replies to interpellations have been scheduled for Monday’s sitting.
At Tuesday’s sitting, six Bills will be at the second reading. They are the following: the Bill on the Ratification of the Agreement on the Amendment and Termination of the Agreement between the Government of the Kingdom of Sweden and the Government of the Republic of Estonia on the Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investments (240 SE); the Bill on the Ratification of the Agreement for the Termination of Bilateral Investment Treaties between the Member States of the European Union (218 SE); the Bill on Amendments to the State Pension Insurance Act (253 SE); the Bill on Amendments to § 28 the Citizenship Act (217 SE); the Bill on Amendments to the Organic Farming Act and the Plant Propagation and Plant Variety Rights Act (260 SE); and the Bill on Amendments to the Feed Act (225 SE).
Three Bills will be at the first reading. They are the following: the Bill on Amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Other Acts (257 SE); the Bill on Amendments to the Local Government Financial Management Act (282 SE); and the Bill on Amendments to the Social Tax Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Act (244 SE).
At the sitting on Wednesday, three Bills will be at the second reading. They are the following: the State Budget for 2021 Bill (254 SE); the Bill on Amendments to the Tourism Act and the Consumer Protection Act (234 SE); and the Bill on Amendments to the Government of the Republic Act and Other Acts (merger of the Civil Aviation Administration, the Road Administration and the Maritime Administration) (236 SE).
At Thursday’s sitting, the matter of significant national importance “New generation of teachers and valuing of teacher’s profession as a mainstay of the sustainability of the state of Estonia” will be deliberated. Aadu Must, Chairman of the Cultural Affairs Committee; Madis Somelar, Chairman of the Board of the Estonian History and Civics Teachers Association, coordinator of the network of subject teachers, and teacher, class teacher and Director of Studies at Tallinn Secondary School of Science; Professor Margus Pedaste, Head of Pedagogicum at the University of Tartu; and Mailis Reps, Minister of Education and Research, will make reports.
The new Minister of the Environment Rain Epler took his oath of office before the Riigikogu.
During the open microphone, Jaak Juske,Kalle Grünthal and Peeter Ernits took the floor.
NordenBladet — In his address on the Day of Declaration of Sovereignty, President of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Henn Põlluaas underlined that the Declaration on the Sovereignty of the Estonian SSR, adopted by the Supreme Soviet of Estonia in 1988, had been an important step in the collapse of the Soviet Communist empire of evil.
“Today we are celebrating a significant day in the legislative history of Estonia and the history of Estonia after restoration of independence, the day of national importance which we today call the Day of Declaration of Sovereignty,” Põlluaas said. He recalled that the Declaration of the Supreme Soviet on the Sovereignty of the Estonian SSR, adopted in 1988, was the first legislative step towards a free and democratic Estonia after the nearly 50 years of Soviet occupation and oppression.
“It was the first legislative step of the liberation process of Estonia, which became an example to all the other nations occupied by the Soviet Union,” Põlluaas emphasised. “It was an important step in the collapse of the communist empire of evil.”
Põlluaas thanked the members of the Supreme Soviet who, regardless of the tumultuous times, had had the courage not only to think, but also to speak about the importance of national sovereignty and territorial autonomy to our people. “Those activities paved the way for the restoration of Estonia’s independence, which took place just a few years later, in 1991,” he said.
“Today, I call the people of Estonia to unite in order to make our society more democratic and more serving our national interests, so that we may keep the sovereignty we have won and ensure the everlasting survival of our small nation on our ancient homeland.”
The Day of Declaration of Sovereignty is a day of national importance. On 16 November 1988, the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic adopted the Declaration on the Sovereignty of the Estonian SSR. At the same time, an amendment to the Constitution, which asserted the supremacy of the laws of the Estonian SSR over the laws of the Soviet Union, was passed.
NordenBladet —The government imposed new restrictions on visiting shops, shopping centres, and catering and entertainment establishments, and attending public meetings and events. Catering and entertainment establishments must close their doors to customers at 12 a.m. However, buying take-away food is allowed. The new measures will enter into force on Monday, 16 November.
2 + 2 and 10 + 2 restrictions on movement
The so-called 2 + 2 rule will be re-established in shops and common areas of shopping centres, such as corridors and the atrium. Pursuant to the order, no more than two people may move together and a distance of at least two metres must be kept with others. The restriction does not apply to families moving together and in situations where this cannot be reasonably ensured. The restriction does not apply to employees or places of service, such as pharmacies, banks, beauty salons, shoemakers, etc.
The government imposed a less restrictive restriction on the freedom of movement in the sales and service halls of catering establishments and in entertainment and cultural establishments, such as theatres, cinemas, concerts, nightclubs, etc., where groups of up to 10 people are allowed and a distance of at least two metres must be kept with others (the 10 + 2 rule).
The restriction applies to places outside of seating areas. In other words, it does not apply when you are sitting in your seat in a theatre or cinema. The restriction does not apply to the local staff. There is also an exception for families, which means that people in the same family can move together regardless of the size of the family.
The service provider must ensure that customers are able to meet the requirements and that groups of people can be dispersed outside the seating area. Catering establishments offering on-site dining must ensure that customers are able to meet the requirement of keeping a distance of two metres, for example, by placing tables at a sufficient distance.
Events with fixed seats will continue to be exempt from the 50 per cent occupancy limit, but the limit of 750 participants must not be exceeded.
Restrictions on opening hours do not extend to cultural institutions
In addition, the government has decided that catering and entertainment establishments must close their doors to visitors from midnight to 6 a.m. from Monday, 16 November. Take-away food sales and purchases are allowed.
Cultural institutions with stationary seats, such as theatres, cinemas, and concert halls, may keep their doors open to customers past midnight.
The aim of the order is to prevent and stop the spread of COVID-19, while allowing people to continue with their normal lives as much as possible. Despite the restrictions, the rules still allow people to spend time together in smaller groups and companies to continue their economic activities.
The additional restrictions are necessary, as the spread of the coronavirus in Estonia has increased rapidly. According to the Health Board, as at 12 November, 374 new positive coronavirus test results were added in the past 24 hours, and the number of cases for every 100,000 people in the last fourteen days is 166. For comparison, on 14 October, the same indicator was 43, on 12 September, it was 22.8, and on 1 August, it was 4.
Both the Health Board and the Government Committee Scientific Advisory Board consider the introduced restrictions necessary.
The Government Communication Unit publishes the order and the explanatory memorandum to the order on the kriis.ee website.
NordenBladet — At today’s sitting, the Riigikogu passed four Acts and two Resolutions. The fundamentals of legislative drafting policy and criminal policy until 2030 were adopted as Resolutions.
The Act on Amendments to the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Prevention Act and Other Acts (restructuring of the Estonian Financial Intelligence Unit into a governmental authority) (259 SE), initiated by the Government, makes the necessary amendments to the legislation, so that the Financial Intelligence Unit currently operating as a structural unit of the Police and Border Guard Board will be transferred to the area of government of the Ministry of Finance as an independent governmental authority from 1 January 2021.
The amendments concern the status of the Financial Intelligence Unit as a governmental authority and in particular the availability of the information necessary to prevent money laundering and the financing of terrorism and the ensuring of legal certainty upon the distribution of information to other authorities. In addition, the Act specifies the right to sign the agreements concluded before 1 January 2021 and administrative acts.
The purpose of the Act is to ensure that the Estonian Financial Intelligence Unit as a governmental authority can exchange information and cooperate with other authorities in Estonia and abroad largely on the same bases as it has been doing until now while the Financial Intelligence Unit has been a structural unit of the Police and Border Guard Board.
83 members of the Riigikogu voted for the passing of the Act.
The Act on Amendments to the Labour Dispute Resolution Act (214 SE), initiated by the Government, amends the principles for the remuneration of lay assessors of labour dispute committees.
Under the Act, the remuneration of a lay assessor is equal to the minimum hourly wage rate, which is 3.48 euro this year. At present, the remuneration of lay assessors is calculated on the basis of the Salaries of Higher state Servants Act according to which the hourly wage is 3.07 euro. In the future, the work of lay assessors of labour dispute committees in preparation for sessions will be remunerated. At present, remuneration is paid only for the time spent on attending the sessions of a labour dispute committee.
Two lay assessors must attend a session of a labour resolution committee: a representative of employees and a representative of employers. Similarly to lay judges, the purpose of lay assessors’ attendance is to view the labour dispute matter from a human rather than juridical aspect in the resolution of a labour dispute, taking into account the particularities of the views of the employees and the employers where they are of importance in the resolution of the labour dispute matter. The bases for the calculation of the remuneration paid to lay assessors have not been changed since 2013, and, under the current procedure, the remuneration paid to lay assessors is lower than the minimum hourly wage rate. This restrains employees and employers’ willingness to contribute to the work of labour dispute committees in the resolution of labour disputes.
In addition, the Act introduces amendments aiming at specification and amendment of the current procedure in the interests of legal clarity. For example, it is specified how many people can have recourse to a labour dispute committee with a joint petition, and the additional option of conducting sessions via a video bridge is provided.
85 members of the Riigikogu voted for the passing of the Act.
The Act on Amendments to the Tax Information Exchange Act (238 SE), initiated by the Government.
In order to facilitate the overcoming of the economic difficulties accompanying the emergency situation due to the coronavirus, the European Union member states have agreed by a relevant Council directive that member states can defer the beginning of the exchange of information on cross-border arrangements by six months. In view of this, the Act makes amendments to the time limits for filing the arrangements, while no substantial amendments are made. The exchange of information concerns cross-border arrangements that enable aggressive tax-planning and the concealment of the beneficial owner of assets or complicate the exchange of bank account information. Under the current law, providers of tax advice, banks and taxpayers would have to begin to communicate the information on the arrangements to tax authorities from 31 July 2021. According to the Act, 31 January 2021 is the new deadline.
85 members of the Riigikogu voted for the passing of the Act.
The Act on Amendments to the Public Holidays and Days of National Importance Act and the Estonian Flag Act (277 SE) (consolidated Bills 131 SE, 132 SE and 172 SE) includes the Children’s Day, celebrated on 1 June, in the list of days of national importance. The Children’s Day and the Grandparents’ Day, which is already now celebrated as a day of national importance on the second Sunday of September are included in the list of flag days.
Three Bills were consolidated in the course of the proceedings: the Bill on Amendments to the Public Holidays and Days of National Importance Act (131 SE), initiated by Liina Kersna, Annely Akkermann, Andres Sutt, Mart Võrklaev, Signe Kivi, Signe Riisalo, Andrus Seeme, Toomas Kivimägi, Vilja Toomast, Jüri Jaanson, Yoko Alender and Kaja Kallas, the Bill on Amendments to the Public Holidays and Days of National Importance Act and the Estonian Flag Act (132 SE), initiated by the Social Democratic Party Faction, and the Bill on Amendments to the Public Holidays and Days of National Importance Act and the Estonian Flag Act (172 SE), initiated by the Government.
83 members of the Riigikogu voted for the passing of the Act.
The Riigikogu also passed two Resolutions
Under the Resolution of the Riigikogu “Approval of the Fundamentals of Legislative Drafting Policy until 2030” (53 OE), submitted by the Government, the long-term vision of the Estonian legislative drafting policy and the principles of good legislative drafting are agreed upon. In the future, they will serve as the basis in proceedings on Bills, the development of legal language, and the organisation of cooperation and development. The explicit formulation and enforcement of legal policy objectives is also important to stakeholders and society more broadly in order to ensure foreseeability and openness of legal policy.
During the debate, Toomas Kivimägi (Reform Party) and Paul Puustusmaa (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) took the floor.
78 members of the Riigikogu were in favour of passing the Resolution.
The Resolution of the Riigikogu “Approval of the Fundamentals of Criminal Policy until 2030” (52 OE), submitted by the Government.
The fundamentals of criminal policy have been drafted due to the need to increase security in society and to make the criminal justice system more citizen-centred. The main goal of criminal policy approved by the Riigikogu is to increase the efficiency of the criminal justice system, to prevent offences committed by young people and due to addictions and mental health disorders and to enhance the penal policy. Criminal policy includes the prevention of offences, and treating offenders so that the security of society and the rights and needs of victims would be ensured and the rehabilitation of offenders would be supported.
Kert Kingo (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) took the floor during the debate.
73 members of the Riigikogu were in favour of passing the Resolution.
Members of the press,
In view of the COVID-19 virus disease outbreak, the Chancellery of the Riigikogu is taking the necessary precautionary measures. Members of the press are asked to wear face masks and maintain social distance from interviewees where possible when visiting Toompea Castle.
NordenBladet – At today’s sitting, the Riigikogu adopted a resolution on the appointment of a member of the Public Broadcasting Council from among the members of the Riigikogu.
Under the Resolution of the Riigikogu “Appointment of a Member of the Estonian Public Broadcasting Council from among the Members of the Riigikogu” (280 OE), submitted by the Cultural Affairs Committee, Anti Poolamets, member of the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Faction, is appointed as a member of the Estonian Public Broadcasting Council in connection with the premature termination of the mandate of member of the Council Urmas Reitelmann.
The Public Broadcasting Council includes a representative from each faction of the Riigikogu until the end of the mandate of the Riigikogu, and four experts from among the acknowledged experts in the field of activity of the Public Broadcasting with a five-year mandate.
48 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of passing the Resolution, 29 voted against, and there were four abstentions.
The Riigikogu did not pass a Resolution
The Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu “Making a Proposal to the Government of the Republic to Organise the Work of the Estonian Pre-school and General Education Institutions on Uniform Bases in the COVID-19 Virus Situation” (242 OE), submitted by the Estonian Reform Party Faction, was intended to make a proposal to the Government of the Republic to prepare a plan for organising all the work of Estonian pre-school and general education institutions in the area of government of the Ministry of Education and Research on uniform bases in the COVID-19 virus situation, together with a plan for implementing the necessary changes.
The initiators found that the plan should be drafted keeping in mind the restrictions in place to prevent the spread of the virus and the restrictions must not infringe disproportionately or unnecessarily the right of nursery school and school children to high-quality education, learning social skills and hot school meals. It was also found that the changing of the organisation of studies due to the spread of the virus and the risk of infection, including the implementation of distance learning, should be on uniform bases in the whole country and unambiguously understandable to teachers, students, parents and heads of school and should be based only on objective indicators and action plans agreed on previously. Finally, it was pointed out that extensive use of distance learning should be permissible only on the basis of a recommendation of the COVID-19 Scientific Advisory Board advising the Government or another scientific grounding, and with the approval of the Health Board.
During the debate, Marko Šorin (Centre Party), Jevgeni Ossinovski (Social Democratic Party) and Heidy Purga (Reform Party) took the floor on behalf of their factions.
The proposal of the Cultural Affairs Committee as the lead committee was to hold a final vote on the draft Resolution. A majority vote of the members of the Riigikogu was needed for the draft Resolution to be passed. 38 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of passing the Resolution and 42 voted against; thus, the draft Resolution was not supported.
Estonia, as the coordinator of the Nordic-Baltic Cooperation NB8, will bring together young people from eight countries to develop green ideas as part of international cooperation. During the idea creation day ‘Empowering Youth on 21 November: Green Together’, young people from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Denmark are working together to find solutions to environmental problems.
According to the patron of the idea creation day, Prime Minister Jüri Ratas, in order to mitigate the effects of climate change it is necessary to find new solutions in many areas so as to leave behind a liveable home planet for future generations.
“Achieving climate neutrality requires effort from every country and every person. Certainly, young people should be involved in the search for solutions, seeing as they are most concerned about climate change and it is their future that will be shaped by our decisions made today.”
“I hope that several ideas that emerge from international youth cooperation can soon be used, helping us to slow down climate change. I encourage young people to actively participate.”
According to Kristi Klaas, the deputy secretary general of the Ministry of Environment, worries about the climate have brought young people to the streets, but the Ministry wishes to find ways to actively involve young people in finding solutions.
“We want young people to actually be able to do something to slow down climate change, and during the international idea creation day, we invite them to discover and propose innovative solutions of their own in cooperation with the environmental and climate experts of the Nordic and Baltic states,” said Klaas.
The international green ideas competition expects young people to have innovative solutions to reduce consumption, develop sustainable food systems and promote circular economy and sustainable mobility.
“We support green innovation, due to new ideas and solutions being needed to mitigate climate change and to adapt to its effects. The more environmentally conscious and knowledgeable about climate young people are, the more they are able to contribute to the changes needed for society,” explained Klaas.
This event is taking place for the first time under the coordination of Estonia and it will hopefully become a tradition, being organised next year by the next coordinator of NB8. Estonia has already proven itself as a very successful organizer of digital events, and this International Idea Day is also taking place virtually. Garage48 and Cleantech ForEst are involved as partners, both of whom have years of experience in organising innovative events and involving young people.
Since 1992, Nordic-Baltic Cooperation, or NB8, has brought together five Nordic countries and three Baltic countries – Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – to informally discuss relevant topics of regional and international importance. In 2000, on the initiative of the then Foreign Minister of Estonia, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, it was decided that this cooperation format would be designated with the name Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8), expressing unity of the cooperation format.
The international green ideas competition is organised from the proceeds of the auctioning of allowances for aircraft operators.
NordenBladet – Mobile operator Telia opened its 5G network on Tuesday, in a first phase covering Estonia’s three largest towns, Tallinn, Tartu and Pärnu.
Andre Visse, technology manager at Telia Estonia, said the service uses a frequency resource which had already been used in mobile communication technology.
“Although frequency bands for 5G in the 3.5 GHz band have not been distributed yet, the development of technology enables us to offer 5G also over those frequencies already in use,” Visse said.
5G will start reaching end users in stages, being also underpinned by the ever growing availability of 5G devices, including that on smartphones.
The 3.5 GHz frequency auction due at the beginning of 2021 will give the company the possibility to further extend its network and add speeds, Visse went on.
The new service covers 10 locations, six in Tallinn, two in Tartu and two in Pärnu. Telia said it plans to extend its 5G network to 20 locations by the end of this year.
The Tallinn locations are: the Solaris shopping mall area; on Betooni, in Lasnamäe; Tallinn Creative Hub (Kultuurikatel), the Linnahall and Tallink SPA area; the area around Telia’s Sõle head office; the area around Endla and in the vicinity of the Magistrali shopping mall in the Mustamäe district of Tallinn.
In Pärnu, the locations are the areas of Rüütli and Suur-Jõe streets, whereas in Tartu the service will be available on Tähe, and shortly also on Vanemuise streets.
Telia’s 5G network speeds at the moment reach up to 1 Gbps. When the 3.5 GHz and 26 GHz frequency bands are added, speeds can be increased to several Gbps.
Clients must have a device supporting 5G and a relevant mobile internet subscription with Telia to be able to use the 5G network, the company says.
Telia’s partner in bringing 5G to end customers is Swedish mobile communications provider Ericsson.
NordenBladet – The annual Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) takes place this year in exceptional conditions due to the coronavirus. Viewers will be required to wear a mask to movie screenings, but PÖFF films can also be watched at home online for the first time.
PÖFF director Tiina Lokk implored people to follow the rules put in place by the festival this year, which starts on November 13, so the festival can remain open.
This year, PÖFF has slightly fewer films than but all competition programs are still running and several Estonian films will be screened and premiered. There will also be a focus will be on German cinema.
Mikk Granström, director of the youth and children’s film festival Just Film, described how the online part of the festival will work. “You can see almost 100 movies on the Internet. The logic is that if a movie has been physically out of the cinema for some time, then you can watch that movie online for five days. That’s the simplest rule that’s there. Once a person has bought a ticket, they have 48 hours to watch the film,” he said.
Granström said the Just Film program still reflects a virus-free world: “All the films in the program, 40 films, were made before the coronavirus crisis, we can look back at a world we will never return to.”
Speaking about the impact of the coronavirus on the film industry, Tiina Lokk told ETV’s “Akutaalne kaamera”: “It’s been such a mess in the film world. It’s wreaked havoc at festivals, the schedules of premieres have been messed up, no one has benefited from it.”
The festival ends on November 29. View the full programme HERE.
Featured image: PÖFF ´s director Tiina Lokk (NordenBladet)
NordenBladet – All travelers entering Estonia must follow the quarantine guidelines from Monday, November 9. Travelers from Latvia, Lithuania and Finland have several exemptions.
Starting from November 9, the coronavirus infection rate limit concerning restrictions on the freedom of movement in Estonia is 50 per 100,000. The limit is reviewed on a weekly basis on Fridays and the new limit will take force the following Monday.
Based on the coronavirus infection rate, starting from Monday, a 10-day restriction on the freedom of movement will apply to passengers arriving in Estonia from the following European countries: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia*, Liechtenstein, Lithuania*, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Vatican and the United Kingdom.
The infection rate of the Vatican is 0 but anyone travelling to Estonia from there through Italy is subject to the 10-day restriction on the freedom of movement.
Based on Order No 282 of Government of Estonia, the restriction on the freedom of movement does not apply to asymptomatic people who have been on the territory of Lithuania, Latvia or Finland in the past 14 days and have arrived to Estonia directly from Lithuania, Latvia or Finland with the following preconditions:
Firstly, the person has taken a coronavirus test within 48 hours before their arrival in Estonia and the result is negative. When travelling to these countries from Estonia and returning to Estonia, it is possible to take the coronavirus test in Estonia, and return to normal life in case of a negative result. It is required to remain in self-isolation while waiting for the test results.
Hospitals expanding coronavirus wards
Secondly, if they arrive in Estonia for the purpose of working, studying or receiving health services or for family reasons or transit. When travelling to Estonia for the reasons listed above, it is not required to take a coronavirus test before arriving in Estonia.
On October 22, the Council of the European Union reviewed the list of third countries included in Annex 1 of its recommendation on the gradual lifting of the temporary restrictions on non-essential travel into the EU, and according to the list, it is possible to travel to Estonia from Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Uruguay. Starting from next week, only travelers arriving in Estonia from Uruguay are obligated to self-isolate for 10 days.
From September 1, people arriving in Estonia from high-risk countries can shorten the mandatory self-isolation and return to work by testing for COVID-19 at the airport and port.
Testing is free of charge for Estonian residents; foreigners can take the test at a cost of €67 and can pay on the spot by card.
Until the test results are known, a person must stay in complete self-isolation. In the case of a negative result, the person will be notified via text message, positive results will be communicated over the phone. The result will also be visible when entering the health information system with an ID card.
Health Board: Day brings 229 COVID-19 cases
In the case of a negative test result, the person must stay in limited self-isolation for the first seven days following arrival to Estonia, i.e. the person can go to work and, for example, a shop, but unnecessary contacts must be avoided. The person should also keep their distance from others while at work.
A second test must be performed no earlier than seven days after the results of the first test, and if it is also negative, a person can resume their daily life.
What does quarantine mean?
This means that within 14 calendar days of their arrival in Estonia, people must refrain from unnecessary contacts and can leave their place of residence or permanent accommodation only for seeing a doctor and shopping for food, essentials and medicines, or in emergencies.
Who is required to restrict their freedom of movement?
All symptomatic Estonian citizens and residents arriving in Estonia.
Passengers arriving from countries of the European Union, the European Economic Area and the Schengen area who began their trip from a country belonging to this region or transited a country of this region, based on the infection rate:
The mandatory self-isolation does not apply to passengers arriving in Estonia from a country with an infection rate below 25 per 100,000 inhabitants;
If the infection rate of the country is between 25 and 50, the need to self-isolate depends on whether the infection rate is below or above the rate of Estonia times 1.1;
If the infection rate is below that of Estonia, the person is not required to self-isolate;
If it is above the infection rate of Estonia, a two-week mandatory self-isolation applies.
Foreign ministry: Essential travel only
Due to the spread of the coronavirus, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises against any non-essential international travel.
In cases where travelling is essential, the Foreign Ministry advises keeping the following in mind:
Before planning your trip, please consult the Foreign Ministry website for the infection rate in your planned country of destination;
Stay up to date with possible travel restrictions in your destination – please consult the Reisi Targalt website, the ReOpen portal of the European Union, and, if necessary, contact the foreign mission of the country of destination for details;
Register your trip at the Foreign Ministry’s Reisi Targalt website to allow us to notify you of possible travel restrictions;
Follow the recommendations of the Estonian Health Board for a safe flight to protect your health and that of others – if you show symptoms, please postpone your trip and contact your GP;
Take out travel insurance and carefully read the conditions of your insurance (including for travel interruptions caused by COVID-19);
At your destination, follow the instructions of local authorities and keep up to date with possible new restrictions;
On your return, follow the rules introduced in Estonia, monitor your health, and if you suspect you have been infected with the virus, contact your GP.
