The COVID-19 in Estonia: Governance of the Health Care System, spread of the disease, regulations and impact on economy
Authored by Alari Purju
The report examines principles of governance of the Estonian Health Care System and its adjustment to the COVID-19 treatment. The changes introduced in governance and their effectiveness in limiting spread of coronavirus are analyzed. The Government of Republic of Estonia introduced the emergency situation and reorganized the governance of the Health Care System, especially activities and role of the Health Board. During the first wave of the COVID-19, the amendments were introduced into several legal acts, which enable crisis management without introducing an emergency system, which brought about a very direct and visible limitation of people’s freedom. The spread of virus and reaction of governance system during the first and second wave are compared. The article ends with estimates of economic impact on economy and concludes that during 2020, the economic impact in general was modest and only some services were heavily impaired. Financial support and public borrowing postponed negative effects of the crisis. The future economic impact of COVID-19 depends on longevity spread of the virus and capacity of the Health Care System to get it under control.
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