On Thursday, 24 March, the Saeima supported in the second and final reading the urgent Draft Law that replaces the Law on Temporary Additional Requirements for the Work of Members of the Saeima and Councillors of Local Government Councils on 1 April.

The Law on Temporary Additional Requirements for the Work of Members of the Saeima and Councillors of Local Government Councils stipulates that only MPs that present an interoperable COVID-19 certificate, which certifies the fact of vaccination or recovery, are entitled to participate in the work of the Saeima. The work can also be continued by MPs who have received the assessment of a specialist or a council of the clinical university hospital on the necessity to postpone vaccination for a definite period of time and have presented an interoperable certificate of a negative test result. The requirement to present a COVID-19 vaccination or recovery certificate also applies to local government councillors.

When this Law was adopted, it was envisaged to be in effect until 1 July 2022. However, since its entry into force there has been a significant change in the circumstances that formed the basis of adopting the Law, highlighted Juris Rancāns, Chair of the Defence, Internal Affairs and Corruption Prevention Committee, which is responsible for advancing the Draft Law in the Saeima.

As noted in the summary of the Draft Law, the provisions contained in the Law are no longer necessary for the purpose of the Law due to the significant improvement in the epidemiological situation in Latvia, as well as the changes in the employment regulations that reduced the categories of people who require a vaccination or recovery certificate to carry out work duties.

Saeima Press Service