On Thursday, the Lithuanian parliament rejected President Gitanas Nausėda's veto of a bill requiring unvaccinated workers to pay for compulsory regular Covid-19 testing as of December.
Seventy-three MPs voted in favour of the re-adoption of the bill. Fifty-seven voted against, and four abstained. At least 71 votes were needed to override the veto.
This means that the amendments to the Law on the Prevention and Control of Communicable Diseases in Humans will take effect on December 1.
Read more: Lithuanian president vetoes bill to make unvaccinated workers pay for tests
Unvaccinated workers in some sectors, including healthcare, education, catering, and public administration, as well as military personnel, will be required to get tested for Covid-19 every seven to ten days.
Under the new legislation, workers or their employers will have to pay for their regular testing. Currently, testing costs are covered by the state.
Last week, Nausėda vetoed the bill, saying that the regulation could discourage people from getting tested.
The ruling majority said the president failed to provide any serious arguments against the amendments, adding that the government must take all measures to encourage people to get vaccinated.
Read more: Lithuanian PM lambastes president's veto, calling it ‘deliberate blocking of vaccination progress’
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
