While the government, municipalities, medical and other institutions were deciding on how to stop the spread of coronavirus, no less important solutions were sought for educational institutions as well. Transferring lessons to the virtual space posed many challenges, but the practice showed that remote learning is not scary at all. There are even thoughts that after the end of a coronavirus pandemic distance learning could continue in case of a need, for example during extremely cold weather, heat or influenza epidemics.

The pandemic has shattered the plans of almost all the people: border controls were restored, the number of flights was significantly reduced and the restrictions introduced in the seaport limited the possibilities of citizens to travel. When the situation improved last summer, the list of countries from which people could come to Lithuania became longer, but the number of cases has started to climb again, and therefore the possibility to travel is again unclear.

Rising numbers of coronavirus infections are worrying. People are asking questions about whether this is already the second wave of the pandemic and, if so, what to expect from it. Specialists are intensively looking for solutions on how to best control the situation and are reassured that certain lessons easing the collision with the second wave have already been learned. Meanwhile, remote working, frequent hand washing and disinfection, wearing a mask, and other practices have become commonplace and should be followed.

The coronavirus pandemic significantly affected the migration of foreigners to and from Lithuania. The closure of borders by Lithuania made it difficult for foreigners to cross them, because only Lithuanian citizens, cargo carriers, foreigners with a permanent residence permit in Lithuania, diplomats and NATO soldiers could enter the country. In response to this situation, the Migration Department transferred to the virtual space even such complicated procedures as issuing a decision on granting citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania or issuing a permit for temporary residence in Lithuania.

The pandemic, which hit Lithuania in March, not only caused a widespread threat to human health, but also changed daily lives and travel plans of many people. Travelling around the world has been halted and roads that cross the borders with neighbouring countries have been suddenly closed. And while attempts were made to return to normal life last summer, the list of affected countries continues to grow longer due to the increasing number of coronavirus cases.

The announcement of emergency situation and quarantine, the emergence of new legislation and recommendations - all these fundamentally changed the daily lives of Lithuania at the beginning of the pandemic. However, without a quick response from the government and other state and municipal officers, Lithuania would probably not have been in the top ten countries with the lowest number of detected virus cases and deaths.

After the quarantine was introduced in mid-March, there were only speculations what consequences are ahead of Lithuania due to the rapidly spreading dangerous coronavirus. Therefore, unusual decisions had to be made. The announcement of an extraordinary situation in the country by the Minister of the Interior, Rita Tamašunienė, even before the first case of the coronavirus infection emerged, allowed the services to prepare for the pandemic. And while everybody prepared for the worst scenario long before the virus appeared in Lithuania, security officials say it was not easy to change the direction of their work. Lessons have been learned and now it is clear what should be done if such situation arises again.

The pandemic changed not only the work of doctors or police officers, but also the daily lives of municipalities and public sector institutions. In order to protect each other, efforts were made to move as much work as possible to the virtual space. Still, while some residents easily adapted to the changing order, others complained about not being able to access services the usual way.

During the quarantine period in Lithuania, several rules were introduced to maintain public order. Initially, not everyone wanted to comply with them. After the quarantine ended, the ban on gathering, going out without face masks, or even going to another city gave way to easier rules, although such loosening meant that public order offices faced new challenges.

Two major Lithuanian tour operators, Tez Tour and Novaturas, are relaunching charter flights to Cyprus as of Sunday, according the Vz.lt website information.