Šimonytė: more people will be tested



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“This is not being discussed (introduction of mandatory vaccination and other adjustments – BNS) (…) I don’t think we are in such a situation now,” I. Šimonytė told a press conference in the government on Wednesday.

However, according to the prime minister, it is planned to test more people, for example, in public administration functions, for example, in state institutions, long-distance drivers, because a significant part of coronavirus strains “reach Lithuania through said channel. “.

According to I. Šimonytė, there will be more information on this topic next week.

“Initially, there might be a solution (increase the scope of testing: BNS). (…) The government will propose to expand the list of occupations to include mandatory periodic testing of employees. Just maintaining a high level of testing, which will require By expanding the mandatory testing categories, we will be able to catch up with those trends early enough not to turn out as it seemed last year, when the number of cases dropped dramatically and then abruptly rose. ”The prime minister spoke.

According to her, in Latvia there are more than 10 percentage points fewer people vaccinated with one or both vaccines than in Lithuania.

“That difference is quite significant, but really that number of immunizations cannot allow us to relax,” said I. Šimonytė.

Among other things, he highlighted that in countries where vaccination rates are higher than in Lithuania, such as the UK, the number of cases can spread quite quickly among unvaccinated people.

“The number of cases is not terrible, the consequences of the disease are not so much for human health, about which we do not know much, but for the health system, because no one is as angry as people with limited access to other services of health”. services. (…) It is simply necessary to give away the resources of the health system and give up the reserves for the treatment of covidium ”, emphasized the Prime Minister.

Employers in Latvia will have the right to fire employees who have not received a COVID-19 certificate before September 15 this year.

Furthermore, the Cabinet of Ministers of Latvia has decided that vaccination against COVID-19 will be mandatory for, among others, doctors, social workers and teachers. Said certificates will also be required for public servants who render services in state or municipal institutions.

I. Šimonytė says that with these measures, Latvians “in every way” seek to avoid further quarantines and a deteriorating situation.

The draft government decree stipulates that the obligation to carry out periodic tests for coronavirus would be introduced for unvaccinated and unvaccinated people against COVID-19 engaged in the international transport of goods, public and passenger transport, organizing and performing leisure and entertainment services. , that is, events.

The list would also include catering activities and employees dedicated to retail and public administration.

Currently, the obligation to periodically conduct tests is established for employees of personal health care, nursing and care institutions, educational service providers, including summer camps for children.

In Lithuania, the indicator of new cases in 14 days is 100 thousand. The population has recently declined to 16 cases, but epidemiologists in Europe and around the world fear a possible fourth wave of the spread of a more contagious and dangerous strain of the delta coronavirus.



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