Stenbock House, 12 August 2021 – The Government approved an order permitting the Police and Border Guard Board (PBGB) to assist the Health Board in a health emergency, from 16 August. The basis for this is the health emergency declared yesterday by the Health Board in Estonia in connection with the rapid spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus.
Involvement grants the Police and Border Guard Board additional competences and authority to control, for example, compliance with the obligation to quarantine or self-isolate, as well as other restrictions imposed by the government. In essence, the previous practice – where the Police and Border Guard Board is assisting the Health Board in performing tasks related to state supervision – will be continued.
The end date for involvement is currently set for the end of the financial year, i.e. 31 December 2021, and the involvement of the PBGB will also end when the emergency is over.
At its morning session, the Government approved an EUR 1,69 million allocation to the Ministry of the Interior in order to cover, among other things, the costs incurred by the Police and Border Guard Board in preventing the spread of COVID-19.
The Government Communication Unit will publish the order and its explanatory memorandum on the kriis.ee website.