“The omicron strain has reached Estonia and is spreading quickly. Therefore, the government cannot permanently remove the 11 p.m. closing restriction,” said Prime Minister Kaja Kallas. “However, recognising the risks, we decided to make an exception for New Year’s Eve and the following Saturday, but only for those two evenings. The coronavirus period has been difficult for many and we understand that people want to celebrate the end of the year and the beginning of the new one. We can introduce this exception thanks to all the good people of Estonia who have acted responsibly and gotten vaccinated. The exception does not mean that the virus will not spread on those two nights. Therefore, I urge everyone who chooses to celebrate the New Year in public to act responsibly to protect themselves and everyone else. It is very important to get the booster dose as soon as possible, which, according to research, provides significantly stronger protection against the omicron strain,” she added.
An exception is made to the restriction on movement from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.
From 31 December until the morning of 2 January, the requirement to close public indoor establishments at 11 p.m. does not apply in order to allow celebrating New Year’s Eve. From the evening of 2 January, the restriction on movement in public indoor spaces between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. must be complied with again.
The exception applies in particular to cultural, entertainment, and catering establishments and other organisers of indoor public events. The COVID-19 certificate must be presented to take part in public indoor activities.
The risk level for the spread of the coronavirus in Estonia is currently moderate. At the moderate risk level, masks must be worn indoors, the social distancing requirement must be followed, and hands must be disinfected. It is strongly recommended that a rapid test be taken before meeting a person at risk. Even if mild symptoms occur, stay home and take a rapid test, consult a doctor if the test is positive, and self-isolate. The COVID-19 certificate must be presented in public spaces where it is required. More instructions for specific risk levels can be found on the website kriis.ee: https://kriis.ee/en/crisis-management-qa/crisis-management/levels-risk.
Information concerning travelling is available on the website kriis.ee
The government decided to replace the reference in orders no. 305 and no. 169 to the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with a reference to the website of COVID-19 crisis information kriis.ee. As of 20 December, in addition to general travel information, kriis.ee also provides detailed information on entering Estonia depending on the country of departure, which was previously available on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The aim of the change is to bring together all the information related to the COVID-19 crisis on one central page as conveniently as possible for the user.
The Government Communication Unit will publish the orders and the explanatory memorandums on the website kriis.ee.