Lithuania on Thursday announced the closure of all schools, kindergartens and universities and banned mass gatherings with more than 100 participants to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Schools will be closed from Monday and the measures will remain in place until at least March 27, according to Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis. The Baltic EU state currently has three confirmed cases of COVID-19. "Some decisions are drastic, but our main goal is to stop the spread of the virus and protect people's health and lives," Skvernelis told reporters after a government meeting. vab/amj/spm