Liepāja medics warn: spring sun has teeth — just like the north wind

Virga Health Center nurse Sarmīte Eidinta is carefully warning residents that spring sun has little teeth. This is surprising only to those who haven't lived in Liepāja, where even in July you might need a jacket. While people in Riga are already thinking about shorts, Liepāja residents are wiser — we know that here one winter just ends and the next one already begins.

The nurse says that students rush to take off their hats and scarves, resulting in getting sick. But what about Durbe, where even in summer life is so peaceful that viruses are afraid to disturb the residents' quiet? There, most likely, cases of catching cold are as rare as traffic jams.

Particularly interesting is the recommendation to eat green onions on bread to strengthen immunity. As local pensioner Jānis says: "We in Liepāja eat green onions not only for immunity, but also because the wind blows so hard that other aromas get blown out to sea anyway." He also adds that chives on the windowsill grow better than in Riga, because here they get a real wind massage.

The nurse particularly emphasizes that viruses often travel along with students from Riga. Which is no surprise — in the capital there's so much air pollution that viruses feel right at home there. But the main advice remains unchanged: don't rush with thinner clothing. In Liepāja this isn't advice, but a law of life.