Some prosecutors do not wish to get vaccinated, but Stukans hopes ''they will come to their senses''

RIGA - Some prosecutors in the Prosecutor's Office do not want to be vaccinated against Covid-19, but Prosecutor General Juris Stukans hopes to "come to their senses" by mid-November.

About 80 percent of workers in the Prosecutor's Office have been vaccinated against Covid-19 so far. After the government introduced a mandatory vaccination requirement for all public sector employees and introduced a condition that only those who have been vaccinated or had recovered from Covid-19 could perform their duties from November 15, several more employees of the Prosecutor's Office got vaccinated. The Prosecutor's Office employs a total of 450 prosecutors and approximately 300 employees, the Prosecutor General acknowledged to the Saeima's Defense, Internal Affairs and Corruption Prevention Committee today.

Currently, mostly the cleaning staff have not been vaccinated against Covid-19, but there are also some prosecutors that have not gotten vaccinated.

"The cleaner is not a problem, because, for example, I have not even seen her clean the office, because she works outside office time and does not endanger others. Well, along with some cleaners there are some prosecutors who do not want to be vaccinated. This is up to them, we cannot force the, so we will wait for November 15. I believe that they will eventually come to their senses and realize that they are state officials," Stukans emphasized.

The Prosecutor General stated that he did not see any possibility that a prosecutor who has not been vaccinated could actually meet accused persons, witnesses, victims, as he or she would be a possible source of infection. Stukans also emphasized that a prosecutor is a state official whose salary is paid from the taxes of victims or witnesses in a criminal case.

Although, unfortunately, some prosecutors do not want to be vaccinated, this does not in any way jeopardize the functions of the Prosecutor's Office. If, however, prosecutors have to be suspended and "they have to sit without a salary for a period of time, then that is their decision," Stukans said.