The move comes after a cabinet meeting on Monday that backed making the holding of a vaccination or recovery certificate compulsory in a range of professions.
Ministru prezidents @krisjaniskarins uzsver, ka valdībā pieņemtais regulējums Covid-19 ierobežošanai ir skaidrs vēstījums sabiedrībai, ka ir laiks iet un vakcinēties visiem cilvēkiem, kas vēl to nav izdarījuši. ✅https://t.co/BwlRfXCs7T
— Valdības māja (@Brivibas36) September 29, 2021
"Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš emphasizes that the regulation adopted by the government to restrict Covid-19 is a clear message to the public that it is time to go and get vaccinated for all people who have not yet done so. K. Kariņš expresses his gratitude to all those who have already made their choice and have been vaccinated against Covid-19," a government release said.
The new regulations, provide for the right of employers to determine jobs that require a vaccination or Covid recovery certificate. People in such jobs who do not have a certificate face being reassigned or possibly dismissed from November 15.
Meanwhile the government's decision only to introduce new epidemiological restrictions from October 11 faced blunt criticism from epidemiologist Uģa Dumpis, one of the government's own main advisers.
"The introduction of restrictions only from October 11 means extreme overloading of the healthcare system with very serious consequences for patients and overworked medical staff. It is difficult to understand why all three Baltic states have politically chosen the same scenario when victory was so close," Dumpis wrote on Twitter.
Ierobežojumu ieviešana tikai no 11.10 nozīmē veselības aprūpes sistēmas galēju pārslodzi ar ļoti smagām sekām pacientiem un pārgurušajam medicīnas personālam. Grūti saprast, kāpēc visas trīs Baltijas valstis politiski ir izvēlējušās vienādu scenāriju, kad uzvara bija tik tuvu.
— Uga Dumpis (@udumpis) September 29, 2021
