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The Senate's joint Law and Health Committees approved by a majority of votes the report upholding the amended legislative proposal that makes the COVID-19 digital certificate mandatory for the personnel of certain public and private entities.
According to the version proposed by the initiators, PNL and UDMR lawmakers, the draft act states that the certificate is proof of the fulfillment of one of the following requirements: the completion of a full SARS-CoV-2 vaccination scheme more than 10 days before; recovery from the disease and being between the 15th and the 180th day after the confirmation of the infection with this virus; a negative result of an RT-PCR test (taken no more than 72 hours before) or of a rapid antigen test (taken no more than 48 hours before).
According to the draft regulation, the personnel of the public and private health facilities subordinated or coordinated by the Health Ministry, of the health insurance offices, the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, the Interior Ministry's General Aviation Inspectorate, as well as of the medical analysis laboratories are required to present an EU digital COVID-19 certificate.
Through an amendment, the staff of the prophylactic and curative health care units and the individuals working as providers of medical services, medical devices and medicines were added to those required to present such a certificate at the workplace.
"The provisions (...) shall also apply to authorities, public institutions and entities of public interest, public utility and all the other public, central and local units, autonomous utilities, companies working in private office buildings with more than 50 persons at a time. In the category of public and private entities, the members of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, persons holding public office or public dignity, as well as all categories of personnel within the respective entities are required to present the EU COVID-19 digital certificate," read the amendments adopted by the two committees.
Chairperson of the Law Committee, Iulia Scantei, mentioned that the visitors of these institutions must comply with the same rules.
AUR Senator Sorin Mateescu argues that this legislative proposal restricts the right to work and wants the cost of the tests to be covered from the state budget.
In an online intervention, Chairman of the Health Committee, doctor Adrian Streinu-Cercel, expressed his dissatisfaction that the law does not also regulate people who have gone through the disease but had no symptoms.
