The Latvian parliament today approved a proposal to ban MEPs who refuse to be vaccinated against Covid-19, to take part in votes in the legislative work and in debates.
Latvia, which has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the European Union, was the first in the bloc to impose new measures this fall, as rising Covid-19 infections threaten to invade its health system.
The restrictions on MPs who reject vaccination, which include, among other things, the reduction of their salary, were voted in favor by 62 of the 100 MPs in the House and will take effect from next Monday until mid-2022.
The state television network broadcast that nine deputies have rejected the possibility of being vaccinated.
The ban on unvaccinated lawmakers in parliament was deemed necessary to boost public confidence in the government’s policies to control the Covid-19 infection wave, the bill’s rapporteur, Janis Rankans, was quoted as saying by the parliament’s press office.
Latvia, with a population of 1.9 million, has recorded 236,765 cases and 3,646 coronavirus-related deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
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