Covid-19 certificate requirement for education sector employees to be lifted as of July 1

RIGA - The requirement for education sector employees to have a certificate of vaccination or recovery from Covid-19 will be lifted as of July 1, the government decided Tuesday. 

The amendments approved to the government regulations on Epidemiological Safety Measures for the Containment of the Spread of COVID-19 Infection mean that employees working in the education sector will be allowed to do their job even if they do not have the Covid-19 certificate. 

The amended regulation will also allow students of comprehensive, special and vocational education institutions to work as teachers or child sitters during the summer holidays without presenting the vaccination or recovery certificate. 

Under the current regulation, the Covid-19 certificate is mandatory for all teachers and administrative staff of education institutions who come into direct contact with students. However, upon evaluating all infection risks, employers can assign tasks to unvaccinated employees that they can perform without the certificate. 

It was reported previously that over 1,000 people had signed a petition to the Education and Science Ministry against the certificate requirement. The petitioners included over 200 teachers and 40 heads of education institutions. They urged Latvia to follow the example of Lithuania and Estonia and lift the "divisive" restrictions. 

Meanwhile, the Latvian Trade Union of Education and Science Employees have called for experts' argumentation behind the Covid-19 requirements for education employees that will be effective next school year.