Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš has proposed making Covid-19 vaccination compulsory for residents aged 50 years and older.
The PM said at a meeting of the government that in four weeks’ time, while the country is under tight epidemiological restrictions or lockdown, vaccination will not be promotes particularly hard. Latvian residents will have to stay home, whereas the rest of Europe will be able to develop.
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Minister of Health Daniels Pavļuts explained at the meeting that to raise coverage of vaccination efforts it is recommended making vaccination compulsory for residents aged 50 years or older. The minister said he approves of this initiative, adding that «we have all kinds of restrictions at our disposal to promote vaccination among seniors».
At the same time, however, he believes there are certain legal challenges ahead, because compulsory vaccination is a requirement for certain professions and it was imposed with legal justifications.
Minister of Justice Jānis Bordāns said he believes such a proposal should be considered in a comical sense, because it is far more appropriate to make vaccination compulsory for certain professions. «I don’t understand what this could mean – compulsory vaccination of seniors,» said the minister.
Minister of Welfare Gatis Eglītis said he supports the PM’s proposal.
A half of Latvia’s population is vaccinated for Covid-19, according to data from the National Health Service.
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Latvian PM proposes making Covid-19 vaccination compulsory for all residents aged 50 and older
