Shortly after the announcement of the emergency state in Lithuania, on 14th March, the Minister of the Interior, Rita Tamašunienė, introduced temporary border control. Therefore, checks on people arriving in Lithuania were introduced at the Klaipėda State Seaport and at airport border crossings.
People most often asked about controls at the border with Poland and Latvia. To control the effects of the spread of the coronavirus, border crossings were restricted in the country, which was unusual, as free travel to neighbouring Schengen countries was suspended.
Inhabitants, who used to go to work in Latvia or Poland without any control were stopped by State Border Guard officers and could not cross the border. There were, however, some exceptions regarding border crossing.
‚During the quarantine, the movement of goods across the state border was not restricted. The main task was to care for the safety of people, ‘ said Rita Tamašunienė.
Legal regulations were adopted and their enforcement was ensured. The State Border Guard Service was engaged to help.
Changes in borders crossing - a process requiring patience
After the introduction of temporary border control in Lithuania, the greatest forces were concentrated on the borders with Latvia and Poland. Border guards and specialists of the National Public Health Center were employed to check arriving persons: they not only checked passports, but also measured the temperature and asked about travel destinations.
As there is almost 600 kilometres border between Lithuania and Latvia, it is possible to enter the country by different roads. Therefore, crossing the border with a neighbouring country was one of the areas where State Border Guard officers had to mobilize not only large forces, but also reorganize the border control infrastructure.
‚People could move freely and didn't even feel the border between Lithuania and Latvia at all, but suddenly one day everyone had to be stopped and checked. To do this, mobile offices equipped with means of communication were built, signs and barriers were placed nearby. Temporary infrastructure had to be set up very quickly. Some roads in Latvia were simply physically blocked, ‘ said Giedrius Mišutis, the Head of the Prevention Unit of the State Border Guard Service.
Mišutis mentioned, that such changes were very unusual for all the inhabitants, many people were really dissatisfied. ‚There were many situations when State Border Guard officers had to perform their duties and let the discontent of others pass through them. It happened many times that a person had planned a trip, but then the new order already entered into force and as a result it was not possible to go. ‘
To ensure control, work was carried out both during the day and at night, so other institutions, e.g. the Lithuanian Police, soldiers, also rushed to help the State Border Guard officers. According to Mišutis, there were several cases of detention when residents did not comply with the requirements, but the situation was controlled, and the work of the State Border Guard Service proceeded smoothly.
Lessons learned and experience of working with neighbours
Despite the fact that the border crossing was quite successfully controlled, Mišutis also mentioned some challenges like the situation on the border with Poland, when a few days after the decision on border control was taken, queues of trucks started to form.
‚There is no infrastructure, queues need to be regulated, the road is too narrow, overtaking is not possible. While the State Border Guard officers were checking the documents, Poland, meanwhile, allowed several lanes of trucks to pass. As a result, throughput was disrupted and queues began to form. Such situations result in gaining experience in cooperation with other countries. The political level of cooperation with Poland has emerged in a completely new situation and with different requirements, ‘ noticed Mišutis.
Despite the fact that internal border controls are currently suspended, the Minister of the Interior stated that efforts are still being made to inform people who come from coronavirus-affected countries about self-isolation, as it is compulsory in some cases.
Currently, people arriving from Poland and Estonia have to self-isolate too, but there are some exceptions. For example, if Polish or Estonian citizens or people legally residing there come to Lithuania for professional, study, agricultural or health care purposes, they do not have to self-isolate.
Meanwhile, Latvia is closely monitoring the indicators in Lithuania and Estonia. However, according to Tamašunienė, all the Baltic states have adopted the same position so far and agree that border crossing should not be complicated. Citizens should not have any difficulties, especially since many Lithuanians and Latvians work in the border areas of Lithuania and Latvia, and if they had to isolate themselves, they would not be able to work, and companies would suffer losses as well.
The State Border Guard Service also received confirmation from its Latvian colleagues that Lithuania remains on the list of countries not affected by the coronavirus.
‚We will closely monitor the situation in Lithuania - if our incidence rates do not improve, we will again discuss the exceptions for people going to Latvia for work, business and study purposes, ‘ said Tamašunienė.
Both the Ministry of the Interior and the State Border Guard Service urge residents to check the latest information regarding the list of countries affected by the coronavirus before travelling. ‚Even today, when almost all procedures are clear, there are still people who do not know what to do, but we are ready to advise on what requirements apply to a particular trip, ‘ stated Mišutis.
Information of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania
