The COVID-19 pandemic in Lithuania was a part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The virus was confirmed to have reached Lithuania in February 2020. On 18 March 2020, the first domestic case was confirmed, the first infected being an immediate family member of a known case. The first cases of community spread were found in the country on 19 March and the first related death occurred on 20 March 2020.
The Lithuanian government initially declared a quarantine from 16 March to 30 March, but it was extended several times and was set to end on 16 June. On 17 June, the quarantine was lifted.
Starting from 21 October and lasting until 4 November, the government implemented color-based zones throughout Lithuania, with green meaning fewer or light restrictions and red meaning tight and heavy restrictions. But due to the rising numbers, the government announced a national lockdown on 4 November. The lockdown was set to last until 29 November, but was later lengthened until 1 July 2021.
On 17 September, the last municipality with no coronavirus cases, Birštonas, confirmed its first case. All 60 municipalities have since recorded at least one confirmed case of infection.
The vaccination program began on 27 December 2020, as in the rest of the European Union. The first to receive the vaccine were healthcare professionals working with COVID-19 patients, followed by the elderly and other senior age groups with medical conditions.
Lithuania vaccinated one-third of its population on 22 May 2021. As of 1 July 2022, 72.59% of Lithuania's population has received at least one dose, while 69.77% have received at least two, while 34.74% of the population has received a booster dose.
As of 21 January 2023, 4,529,015 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Lithuania.
As of 23 March 2022, more than 1 million people have been infected at least once since the pandemic began.
Background On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.
The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003, but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.
Timeline
January 2020
25 January 2020: Specialists from the National Public Health Centre started consulting travellers to and from China at all three airports in Lithuania.
February 2020 26 February: Lithuania declared a state of emergency as a preventive measure against the spread of COVID-19.
28 February: Lithuania confirmed the first case of COVID-19, a 39-year-old woman who arrived to Kaunas from Verona, Italy after a business trip. She was then hospitalised in Šiauliai. The same day, the Seimas cancelled all public events on its premises until 30 April.
March 2020 10 March: Two cases of COVID-19 were confirmed positive in Kaunas. These people (a couple) were in a ski resort in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, at the end of February and first week of March.
12 March: The Government of Lithuania ordered all public indoor events of more than 100 attendees to be cancelled. On the same day, the government ordered the closure of all educational institutions including kindergartens, public schools, and universities for two weeks with a recommendation to utilise online learning. All museums, cinemas, and gyms were also closed.
13 March: Three new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed: a female Spanish citizen from Madrid was confirmed in Vilnius, a woman in Klaipėda who arrived from Tenerife, and a man in Kaunas who arrived from Northern Italy.
14 March: Two new cases were confirmed. A male student (who also worked as a barista) returned home from Denmark to Kaunas Airport on 10 March, and went by bus to Vilnius, and from there to Kretinga. Another male Lithuanian returning from Italy was tested positive in Vilnius and received treatment at Santara Clinics. Later in the day, the first recovery (39-year-old woman from Šiauliai) was reported. One more case was confirmed in Panevėžys – a 31-year-old man who arrived from the Netherlands. Border control are reintroduced, preventing foreign nationals without work permits to enter the country.
15 March: Three new cases related to abroad travel were confirmed: a 25-year-old man from Rietavas who returned from Denmark (he worked together with the student whose COVID-19 testing results were positive on 14 March), and two people, a male and young female, in Vilnius who had returned from Norway and Austria.
16 March: Two new cases were confirmed. Both patients were in Vilnius, and they had returned from Spain (Barcelona via Paris) and Germany. Later in the day, three more cases were confirmed: one person in Telšiai who returned from the Dominican Republic on 8 March, and two people in Vilnius who returned from Austria. Also on the same day, Lithuania was put under quarantine. All public indoor and outdoor gatherings were prohibited; all shops and businesses excluding grocery shops, pharmacies and veterinary pharmacies were closed; all restaurants and bars were closed, leaving the option for food take-away; borders were closed for foreigners regardless of the means of transport, excluding cargo and special transport; all international outbound passenger travel was prohibited. The quarantine was set to last until 30 March. Lithuanian Railways also halted all international rail services for the duration of the lockdown.
17 March: A man of over 60 years of age who returned to Panevėžys from South Africa (via Istanbul Airport) was tested positive. His condition was announced severe and he needed artificial ventilation, becoming the first severe case of the disease in the country. Later on, four new cases were confirmed: two cases in Klaipėda – a young male having returned from Denmark and a young female having returned from Italy; and two cases in Vilnius – two males who have returned from the Czech Republic and the Netherlands. In the evening, three more cases were confirmed in Vilnius – they had visited Belgium (Brussels), Switzerland (Geneva), France (Méribel), the United Kingdom (London) and Cuba.
18 March: Four new cases were confirmed in Vilnius: a young man who had returned from North Macedonia and the United Kingdom, two men who had returned from the United Kingdom and a man from the United Arab Emirates (via the Netherlands). Two cases were confirmed in Klaipėda District, both (a couple) returned from Austria. Yet another case was confirmed in Šiauliai (the person returned from the United Kingdom). The first case of local transmission of the virus was confirmed in Kaunas when a woman who returned from the United Kingdom infected her father.
19 March: Two new cases were confirmed in Klaipėda, the patients had returned from Norway and Spain. Later in the day, five new cases were confirmed, all hospitalised in Vilnius. Three cases are from people who returned from Turkey, the United Kingdom and northern Italy. One case is locally infected from a sick family member. One case is a doctor from Ukmergė with no recent travel history, making her a suspected case of community transmission between patient and doctor. Also on the same day, the state-wide quarantine was tightened – people are not allowed to gather in groups larger than five people in public spaces; playgrounds are only to be used by children of one family at one time; national park access was severely restricted to prevent an influx of people.
20 March: Jonava District confirmed its first case. On the same day, the first case of death from COVID-19 complications was reported in Ukmergė – an 83-year-old woman. The disease was confirmed as the cause of death after a posthumous examination. Two doctors from Ignalina District were also confirmed to have COVID-19. They had come from the Dominican Republic via the Helsinki Airport.
21 March: Raseiniai District, Palanga and Marijampolė Municipality reported their first cases.
22 March: Early in the morning, the number of confirmed cases rose above 100. Jurbarkas District, Biržai District, Švenčionys District, Radviliškis District and Vilkaviškis District reported their first cases.
23 March: Alytus and Joniškis District reported their first cases.
24 March: Šilutė District confirmed its first case. Border control was extended for 20 days to 12 April. The quarantine was tightened – everyone was advised to mask their mouth and nose (with masks or scarfs), people were only allowed to be in public spaces in groups no larger than two, family members must shop alone. Also shops were mandated to control movement of customers within the shops. Also starting from 24 March, people who would come from abroad by plane to Vilnius Airport would be quarantined in a hotel. Late in the evening, the second death from COVID-19 complications was reported. A 90-year-old woman got infected at a hospital in Ukmergė, from which she was discharged on 16 March. On 23 March, she was admitted to Santaros Klinikos with fever and fatigue. COVID-19 has been confirmed for eight soldiers in a NATO multinational battalion battle group. Five soldiers from the Royal Netherlands Army have been transported back to their home country. A 2 billion euro aid package for businesses is extended by the government of Lithuania.
25 March: Major coach companies temporarily suspended their intercity routes in Lithuania due to extremely low demand. The third death was reported in Ukmergė Hospital. The fourth death was reported in Panevėžys. The deceased person had been confirmed for COVID-19 on 17 March. In the afternoon, the nationwide quarantine was extended to 13 April. A resolution was enacted by the Government of Lithuania to create a situation handling committee, which would be headed by Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis, to help the Government control the state of emergency. Plungė District and Trakai District confirmed their first cases.
27 March: The fifth death was confirmed in Klaipėda, a 94-year-old patient with several chronic diseases. Šakiai District, Tauragė District, Prienai District and Mažeikiai District reported their first cases.
28 March: The sixth case of death, a 75-year-old patient with several chronic diseases, was confirmed in Ukmergė. The seventh case of death was confirmed in Klaipėda.
30 March: It was confirmed that 116 patients have been hospitalised for COVID-19 in Lithuania as of this day, five of which were in critical condition. New travel restrictions for citizens returning from abroad were announced – in particular, a ban on special flights starting from 3 April. Mayor of Klaipėda announced that six patients previously diagnosed with COVID-19 in the region were now clear of the condition, bringing the total number of confirmed recoveries to 7. Anykščiai District reported its first case.
31 March: Confirmed cases surpassed 500. Akmenė District and Kelmė District reported their first cases. In the afternoon, the eighth case of death was reported in Vilnius – the deceased was a 77-year-old transferred from a compromised hospital in Ukmergė on 29 March.
April 2020 1 April: The Government of Lithuania has banned export of medical equipment to countries outside of the European Union.
2 April: As of this day, 108 medics are infected with COVID-19 in Lithuania. After four confirmed cases, the Šeškinė clinic in Vilnius, a large health centre with more than 80,000 registered citizens, had closed. Later in the day, the ninth case of death was confirmed – a risk-group patient in Ukmergė.
3 April: The Military Police started aiding police and Lithuanian Riflemen's Union in patrolling streets to enforce lockdown rules.