Riga (AFP)
Latvia has seen 1,406 infections per 100,000 population in the past 14 days, the highest per capita rate in the world, as of October 20, according to an AFP calculation.
Its Baltic neighbors, Lithuania and Estonia, follow closely behind, with 1,221 and 1,126 cases, respectively.
"I apologize to those who have already been vaccinated, but the restrictions will apply to everyone," Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins told reporters when the new measures were approved on Monday, after a 10-hour cabinet meeting.
"There are still too many unvaccinated people who are infected with Covid and die in hospital," he added.
The lockdown is to last until November 15 and will include a curfew between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m., as well as a take-out policy at restaurants.
Most people will need to work remotely.
Schools will also switch to distance learning, with the exception of children in kindergarten and the first three years of primary school.
Hospitals in the country of 1.9 million people have stopped treating people with cancer and other illnesses, focusing only on those sick with Covid and in need of intensive care.
Earlier this month, Latvia declared a three-month state of emergency to step up the wearing of masks and vaccinations.
A few days later Latvian President Egils Levits tested positive, despite having been fully vaccinated.
Also this month, a scientific advisory group for the fight against Covid said it was stopping working with the government because its advice during the summer was ignored.
"There must be a demand from the government for academic expertise, but our current experience shows that there is no demand from the cabinet," the scientists said in a statement.
© 2021 AFP