RIGA, July 14 (Xinhua) -- Starting Oct. 1, employees in Latvia who do not have valid certificates proving vaccination against or recovery from COVID-19 may lose their jobs, as their employers will have the right to sack them according to new regulation approved by the government on Wednesday.

The government also supported the proposal to make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for employees of healthcare and long-term social care institutions as well as education institutions.

In other sectors where work involves in-person contacts with clients or employees perform functions essential for the company's operations, employers will have the right to fire those who don't have valid certificates.

The new regulations have been drafted in order to ensure that the services provided to people in Latvia are epidemiologically safe, to protect the population from a steep upsurge in COVID-19 infections and prevent the virus from spreading in workplaces.

However, employers will not be allowed to sack unvaccinated women if they are pregnant, up to a year after childbirth or throughout the period of breastfeeding.

Representatives of Latvia's trade unions at Wednesday's government sitting voiced strong objections to the mandatory vaccination for particular professions, insisting that it should remain strictly optional.

The new rules have yet to be approved by the parliament. Enditem

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