Government of Republic of Estonia : supports restriction on sale of alcohol in Tartu County

Stenbock House, 6 August 2020 - At its cabinet meeting today, the government decided to support the introduction of a restriction by the Police and Border Guard Board on the sale of alcohol in catering and entertainment establishments in Tartu County.

The government supports the introduction of a restriction on the sale of alcohol from Friday, 7 August. The restriction would suspend the retail sale of alcohol in catering and entertainment establishments in Tartu County starting at 23.00. The relevance of the restriction will be assessed after two weeks and, if not renewed, it will expire late on the evening of 31 August.

According to Prime Minister Jüri Ratas, the government has already adopted the position that in the event of new outbreaks, restrictions should be imposed in a targeted manner and as locally as possible. 'In the past week, several new outbreaks have occurred in Tartu and Tartu County, where 41 active cases of infection have been confirmed over a period of 14 days. At the same time, half of Estonia's counties show no signs of infection. Therefore, we did not consider imposing a restriction on the sale of alcohol throughout Estonia to be warranted, and we supported the introduction of a restriction only in Tartu County', he said.

At the same time, the Prime Minister emphasised that all Estonians have a role to play in restricting the wider spread of the virus. 'The coming weeks are critical when it comes to the further spreading of the virus. In particular, during the coming weeks, please avoid crowded and enclosed spaces, maintain a safe distance from other people, wash your hands, and stay home if you fall ill. Only then will we be able to take control of the situation and continue our daily lives without any new major restrictions', he said.