RIGA, Dec 17 (LETA) - The local government of Latvia's northern border town of Valka has banned the nongovernmental group Public Guards of the Constitution from staging a picket against Covid-19 restrictions this Saturday, the regional council's spokesman Ivo Leitis informed LETA.

He said that the organization initially wanted to stage the protest at 7 Riga Street in Valka, the border center established by Latvia's Valka and Estonia's Valga, but since its construction has not been completed the local authority concluded that holding a public event at this location would not be possible. 

In their second application to the local government, the organizers had named Valka as the location for their protest in which participants from nearby regions of Latvia and Estonia would drive their automobiles to the Latvian border town to protest Covid-19 restrictions, Leitis said. 

The organizers of the event are from Riga, which is one of Latvia's main Covid-19 hotspots, Leitis said, adding that they failed to convince the Valka regional council of their ability to ensure compliance with all Covid-19 protocols during the protest. The meetings, demonstrations and picket committee of the regional council therefore decided not to authorize the rally planned by the Public Guards of the Constitution. 

The spokesman underlined the local government's duty to take care of epidemiological safety in Valka. Besides, data from the Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) shows that the cumulative 14-day number of Covid-19 cases in the Valka region has doubled over the past week to 22 cases.