A survey of members of the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Latvia’s largest business association, on vaccination against Covid-19 shows that most entrepreneurs currently support voluntary vaccination and have more authority to manage and organize Covid-19 in an epidemiologically safe environment. these complex vaccination issues are quite polarized similar to those in society as a whole.
In the opinion of the LCCI, vaccination is the best solution for Latvia to overcome this crisis, however, in the survey of LCCI members, the majority of entrepreneurs support that it should be a person’s voluntary choice. Wider vaccination of the population should not be achieved through mandatory measures, but through instruments that promote a favorable attitude towards vaccination.
Commenting on the results of the survey of members, LCCI President Aigars Rostovskis points out: “I am most concerned about the division of society in the fight against the spread of Covid-19 virus and its consequences. Every effort should be made to consolidate society.
When asked whether vaccination should be a completely voluntary choice and create an epidemiologically safe work and service environment that can accommodate both vaccinated and non-vaccinated individuals, a majority (61.2%) of respondents said they supported a voluntary approach.
The survey also shows that companies could be given more power to manage and organize Covid – 19 in a secure environment. When asked whether the company has already developed and implemented epidemiologically safe work environment rules, providing them to employees and service recipients, an absolute majority (70.2%) have answered in the affirmative.
On the other hand, on the question of whether to support the government’s decision that from October 1 of this year in state and local government institutions, as well as in the field of medical treatment, social care centers and education in person it will be possible to provide and receive persons with a valid certificate 19 facts of the disease, the opinion of LCCI members is strongly polarized similarly to the society as a whole, part of members (46.3%) indicated that such a government decision is to be supported, while slightly more members (50%) that it is not to be supported.
LCCI members also shared the issue of the government’s initiative that an employer (both in the public and private sectors) will have the right to dismiss an employee who cannot present a certificate attesting to vaccination or Covid-19 illness and cannot perform his direct duties without risk. the obligation of the employer to ensure an epidemiologically safe environment for the provision of work and services. 51.6% of members said they did not support such an initiative, while 46.8% said they did.
The results of the survey of LCCI members, similarly to the society as a whole, show that opinions on these complex vaccination issues are quite polarized, and in fact divide the society.
The survey was conducted on July 15 of this year, and 188 respondents, members of LCCI of all sectors and sizes, participated in it.
The Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) is a politically neutral business association, which unites micro, small, medium and large companies from all regions and economic sectors of Latvia. According to the number of members, LCCI is the largest business association, which unites close to 6,000 members (3,000 individual companies and 3,000 members from business associations). In 2020, the turnover of LCCI individual members – companies – exceeded 17.8 billion euros.
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