Since the first cases of the coronavirus in Europe began to be registered, the Ministry of the Interior has organized a series of remote conferences with representatives of the country's local governments, both at the beginning of the pandemic and during it. Not only all the questions were answered during such meetings, but the attention was focused on remote organization of the work of local governments and providing help to residents.
Also statutory bodies of the Ministry of the Interior, such as Police Department, State Border Guard Service, Fire and Rescue Department etc. were involved in organizing help for residents.
Even prior to the first cases of the coronavirus in Lithuania, the focus was on providing security measures and developing a way to move some services to the virtual space.
Eve of a pandemic - the first steps to ensure public safety
‘When we saw how the situation was changing, we focused on obtaining security measures - the most important thing was to protect our officers. We already had a certain standard of what should be carried in police cars, so it was a little easier. Some things were already there, but we still had to buy e.g. disinfectants, gloves, and that was very important,’ said Ramūnas Matonis, Head of the Communication Unit of the Police Department.
According to Matonis, the Police Department was one of the first to start with procurement and purchase of security measures, so the shortage was not felt. Other services did the same to ensure the safety of their employees.
At the same time, the largest Lithuanian hospitals were not forgotten. According to Mindaugas Kanapickas, Deputy Director of the Fire and Rescue Department, the Department supported the largest hospitals in Lithuania with security measures.
‘The greatest burden fell on medics, so it was necessary to support them with respirators and other protective equipment from the state reserve. We supported these medical institutions in significant amounts. Over time, it became easier to find such equipment, and it was purchased by various institutions according to needs,’ said Kanapickas. The reserve of such protective measures, in addition to drugs and medical equipment, was replenished in March, when the government allocated 24 million euros.
After the purchase of protection measures by the statutory bodies of the Ministry of the Interior, another step followed - the reorientation of work processes. Fundamental changes involved moving some services to virtual space.
‘We all had to adapt and get used to remote work in such urgent situation; self-governments were not an exception, which is why the amendment to the act created conditions for all important decisions to be made on time,’ claimed Rita Tamašunienė, Minister of the Interior.
Reorientation of the services’ activities
Special attention was paid to doctors who had to work directly with people infected with coronavirus. However, in order to avoid as many cases as possible, the state services joined their efforts and reorganized their work.
The State Border Guard Service had to promptly change their way of working. The Interior Minister, as a chairwoman of the government's emergency committee, announced a temporary control of internal borders on 14th March. Lithuania then forbade foreigners to enter the country and it was necessary to reorganize the entire border control infrastructure, what, according to the Head of the Prevention Unit of the State Border Guard Service Giedrius Mišutis was not that easy.
‘Lithuania exercised its right to reintroduce border control for the first time during the coronavirus pandemic. Mobile checkpoints had to be fully operational; infrastructure, means of communication, etc., had to be provided, so that anyone entering from Latvia or Poland could be checked. Previously, there was no such infrastructure, so it was a completely new model of work that needed more employees too. Not only Border Guard officers were involved in the border control, but also forces from various units, even soldiers,’ mentioned Mišutis.
The Police Department also had to set its priorities differently. The officers helped doctors, State Border Guard Service, National Public Health Center and other organizations and services.
‘In fact, we helped everyone, because the Lithuanian police is one of the largest organizations. Therefore, our contribution was important enough. We noticed some changes too, i.e. fewer people were in public, fewer crimes and violations of the law were committed. But the number of domestic violence cases increased,’ noticed Matonis.
While it was not easy to find solutions in such an extraordinary situation, the abovementioned services say that a quick response to the threats posed by the pandemic has brought good results. Such experiences have taught how to deal with difficulties, so a plan is prepared in case this happens again.
Information of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania