Three more infection cases with coronavirus Covid-19 have been found in Latvia, making the total number of infection cases six, according to the announcement from the Disease Prevention and Monitoring Centre’s (SPKC) on Twitter.

22 new laboratory tests were performed in the past two days. A total of 244 examinations of samples taken from potential Covid-19 patients have been tested. Six infection cases were confirmed, the statement mentions.

In an interview to LTV programme Rīta panorama, SPKC Infection Risk Analysis and Prevention Department director Jurijs Perevoščikovs stressed that the five latest patients are tourists from the same group. They were infected in Italy. All five infection cases are related to a resort in Cervinia, located in Italy’s north not far from the Swiss border.

All five of them arrived in Latvia on Saturday, 7 March, on board aiBaltic flight BT-630. An epidemiological investigation has commenced.

Perevoščikovs stressed that these people were infected in Italy, not on board the aircraft. He also reminds that since Sunday SPKC has been in active contact with all other passengers of this flight and warned them about the need to stay quarantined at home.

So far Covid-19 illness for all registered patients in Latvia has progressed mildly.

A total of 39 passengers, including 25 of them from Latvia, were on board airBaltic BT-630.

SPKC has contacted all passengers and flight crew. Medical personnel stress that all people on board the aforementioned flight are to stay under quarantine for two weeks.

On Monday, 2 March, the first Covid-19 infection case was found in Latvia. A woman from Riga arrived from Munich on Saturday, 29 February. Before then the woman had also visited a region in Italy affected by the virus.

Last week, the first infection case was also found in Estonia. An infected Iranian citizen had arrived in Tallinn from Turkey with a stop in Riga, from which he took a bus to Tallinn. The second infection case was confirmed on Tuesday. This time the infected person had arrived in Riga by plane from Italy’s Bergamo and then travelled to Estonia in his private car.

As of 28 February Latvia has established measures in relation to persons who return or arrive from Italy’s regions affected by the virus, as well as Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Iran and China.

Persons who have returned from aforementioned territories and who have shown symptoms within 14 days are urged to report it to 113.

An ambulance brigade will be dispatched to examine the patient and take samples. Patients will be delivered to a hospital for quarantine and observation, whereas samples will undergo laboratory tests to confirm infection.