Russian MPs who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19 will be forced to work from home and will not be allowed to participate in person to debate within the parliament’s chamber, the speaker of the house ruled on Thursday.
According to Vyacheslav Volodin, the Commission on Rules and Maintenance of Activity of the State Duma had been instructed to figure out a way to allow MPs to participate in parliamentary activity remotely. Unvaccinated assistants and civil servants will also be forced to work from home, Volodin explained.
“If the work of the parliament just stops, imagine what consequences the country may face,” the speaker said.
Also on rt.com Make Covid-19 jabs compulsory, Russian bosses demand, as business fears big losses from new ‘non-working days’ after record deaths“It won't work any other way. They made a commitment. This is a service. They have a special pension, they have healthcare in a special hospital,” he continued. “Without vaccination, without antibodies, they cannot effectively perform their duties.”
Volodin’s proposal was also backed by a number of prominent MPs, including the leader of the far-right LDPR party Vladimir Zhirinovsky.
“We have 37 MPs who both didn't get sick and didn't get vaccinated,” he explained. “I suggest working remotely and sitting at home. Over the Internet, they may well be able to keep track of what's going on in the room. Every day, one of the deputies gets sick.”
The veteran MP also suggested reducing time in the main hall of the parliament, suggesting it would be safer to use it just for voting, and have discussions and debates in committees instead.
Andrey Makarov, a long-serving MP from the ruling United Russia party, also spoke up in agreement, demanding that all elected representatives be inoculated. Makarov currently heads the parliamentary commission on the budget.
“Half of this hall will want to come personally to defend their amendments at the budget committee,” he noted. “You can sue me, but I'm not going to let a single person come to defend their amendments if they haven’t been vaccinated or haven’t been sick... I'm not willing to compromise with the members of the budget committee who are sitting in a small room.”
The strong stance came on the same day as Russia’s authorities revealed that the country had broken its record for the most Covid-19 cases and deaths since the start of the pandemic. Thursday also saw some parts of Russia impose serious restrictions on commerce, such as the closure of hospitality and retail.
Earlier this month, Volodin said that 92% of the deputies have either been vaccinated or have antibodies from catching the coronavirus.
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