Peru: Congress bans lawmakers who have not been fully vaccinated against coronavirus

The Peruvian Congress announced Monday that only its members and officials who have received at least two doses of COVID-19 vaccine will now have access to its facilities to reduce cases of the new coronavirus, following the recent confirmation of first cases of the highly contagious Omicron variant in the Andean country.

“Only those who have received at least two doses of vaccine against COVID-19 will be allowed to enter Congress premises (…),” the institution said via Twitter.

The measure adopted is in line with a government regulation that entered into force on 15 December and prohibits those who have not been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 from entering public buildings.

Of Peru’s 130 members of parliament, 16 have not been vaccinated, according to the press, while only 13 have received a booster dose, although the government on Monday reduced the waiting period for the third dose from five to three months, outraged by of the arrival of Omicron, whose cases have now reached 12.

The congressional hearing about that were exactly where the left-wing MP Sigrid Bashan came from. She announced it on Saturday, after a week of meetings in Congress, where the use of a mask is mandatory.

The Peruvian Congress has clarified that those members who do not comply with the new measure will work remotely.

In Peru, 74% of the population of 33 million people have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, but the appearance of the Omicron variant is alarming.

Authorities in the Latin American country have banned family reunions and celebrations ahead of the end of the year as they work to speed up the immunization campaign.

In Peru, the new coronavirus pandemic mortality rate is the highest in the world: 6,122 deaths per million population, according to the French Agency, which uses official government announcements.

SOURCE: AMPE