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The Riigikogu s social affairs committee has approved a bill which would amend existing legislation in order to grant the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) more scope in ensuring compliance with coronavirus restrictions. The bill had been the focus of protests in Tallinn, culminating in the detention of several people the Sunday before last.
Amendments which have been made to the bill largely concern the size of potential fines to coronavirus regulations violators – these have been cut substantially.
Committee chair Siret Kotka (Center) proposed the bill, which will amend the Communicable Diseases Prevention and Control Act, commonly known by its Estonian acronym NETS, be approved at a second reading, on May 4.
Mari-Liis Jakobson compares recent protests with past examples in Vikerraadio s daily comment. While Estonians have traditionally been slow to protest, some parallels can be drawn, she finds.
Things are happening again. The air is thick with tension and social media full of emotionally riled up men and women some of whom have spent a week protesting. Just as various social debates have done in the past, coronavirus restrictions and planned amendments to the Communicable Diseases Prevention and Control Act (NETS) have split people.
One side finds that while Covid restrictions are burdensome, they are justified, as are amendments necessary for more successful monitoring and control of the pandemic. The other feels measures are insufferable and unjustified and distrust in public authority is mounting with every new step.
People need to be free to protest, while current rules must be complied with, hosts of the Raadio 2 Olukorrast riigis talk show Indrek Lepik and Hindrek Riikoja found on Sunday.
Riikoja said that protests that have been taking place on Toompea Hill and in Freedom Square only have a provisional link to planned amendments to the Communicable Diseases Prevention and Control Act (NETS). Most of these protesters have never read the bill. Rather, these protests are born out of frustration of one group of people – which is understandable – and the desire of another group to destabilize the situation, sow panic and reap political profit in some cases. It has been clearly shown how people with obvious ties to Russia have participated very actively in these protests.
Party ratings: Protests likely behind EKRE record support levels news.err.ee - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from news.err.ee Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.