"I am grateful to the Church for what it has done so far to contribute to the prevention of the spread of the virus. I do hope safety requirements will be followed. (…) So, now, we should all try and make sure our decisions (to ease the lockdown – BNS) and those of the Church do not worsen the situation more," Simonyte told journalists during her visit to Svencionys on Friday.
Earlier in the day, the Lithuanian Bishops' Conference announced that churches in Lithuania would resume services with people in attendance as of the upcoming Sunday.
It said the decision was made "taking into account a growing number of people with immunity and vaccinated people, as well as the recent decisions to allow various establishments to resume operation".
Due to growing 14-day rates of coronavirus cases in some municipalities, churches have held services without worshipers' physical attendance.
Churches will still be required to ensure a space of at least 15 square meters for one person, the LBC said.
"Worshipers must still wear face masks, disinfect hands and keep a safe distance. Additional requirements might be introduced in individual dioceses," the statement reads.
Church services with people in attendance were suspended on December 16 and the majority of municipalities started resuming them in the middle of February.