The government has decided that employees must pay for the required tests themselves.

The government proposes to establish in the Seimas that the employees themselves pay for the mandatory tests. Employers can decide for themselves whether to cover these costs for employees. Now, according to separate activity lists, some employees are required to periodically test every 7-10 days.

The state will only fund testing if the availability of COVID-19 vaccines is not guaranteed or if workers cannot get vaccinated due to medical contraindications.

The new law is proposed to take effect on Dec. 1, at which point workers who must check for sickness will have enough time to receive at least one dose of the vaccine and gain immunity against COVID-19, according to the document. of the government. .

“Determining that employees pay for medical check-ups would save 19 million euros of state budget funds,” the Government calculates.

The Minister of Health, Arūnas Dulkys, recalled the current situation that an emergency has been declared at the state level in the country and the Government has the right to establish procedures that define the mandatory tests for those who have not been vaccinated or COVID-19.

“The essence of the change is that from now on health examinations for a communicable disease would no longer be financed from the state budget, but I want to emphasize the employee. Well, if the employer decides, it will also be the responsibility of the employer, ”says A. Dulkys.

According to him, the tests are only a risk management tool and the most effective tool is vaccination. Seimas is requested to issue the matter urgently.

“Preventive tests, which are currently paid for with taxpayer money for people of various professions and activities, would be paid for with taxpayer money as of December 1 only if a person cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons or in a situation so unpredictable that the state cannot provide the required amount of vaccines, ”explains I. Šimonytė.

According to her, when vaccines are available to absolutely everyone and absolutely everywhere, it is difficult to explain and justify the state reimbursing these costs.

For this reason, it is proposed to establish that as of December 1, if the Seimas adopts this law, again, giving enough time to all the people who have not yet been vaccinated, the preventive tests, if they were mandatory, would be paid from the same way. as another prevention – (…) at the expense of the employee or employer, as agreed in the companies ”, explained I. Šimonytė.

At the hearing, he noted that there would still be a discussion about possible additional solutions: “What seems important to me remains the discussion about the employer’s ability to require certain employees to be vaccinated, either because of the nature of the work organization or because of the nature of the activity “.

The decision to shift the cost of testing to workers is expected to benefit society by promoting vaccination against communicable diseases, ensuring a safer work organization, and protecting those most at risk of infection. It is argued that there will be fewer disease outbreaks or outbreaks causing disruptions in the workplace.

Periodic COVID-19 testing is mandatory for the following activities and areas:

• personal health care services and activities;
• social services and activities;
• educational services and activities;
• entertainment and / or entertainment, cultural, artistic services (organization of events and services for visitors);
• activities of pharmacists;
• international freight transport activities;
• public and passenger transport activities;
• activities of public administration entities;
• professional military service;
• activities related to the management of the massive influx of foreigners, for which a state of emergency has been declared (direct contact with foreigners);
• employee activities in manufacturing companies.

The catering industry, retail trade, leisure and / or entertainment services (pool and sauna services), game room activities, dances, discos, dance halls, cinemas and movie clubs, bars, discos and other entertainment venues, casino activities, and gambling. machines, bingo halls, betting shops). Previously, the Minister of Social Security and Labor, Monika Navickienė, had already warned that the state can no longer compensate for mandatory tests for employees who have chosen not to get vaccinated. At the time, employers were considering paying for COVID-19 testing for workers.
However, the employers themselves are opposed to such an offer. Andrius Romanovskis, president of the Lithuanian Business Confederation, told BNS that he was categorically opposed to any obligation of the employer to guarantee the tests: employees must pay for them. Danas Arlauskas, director of the Lithuanian Employers’ Confederation, assured that employees must pay for the tests.