We write to provide comment on the vaccination policy from the perspective of businesses. Our aim is to end the pandemic with the lowest loss of life possible and to return the economy to operations unaffected by pandemic as soon as the suppression of the pandemic makes it possible. These comments are made in recognition of the difficult choices facing the government, and are intended to put the organizational resources of private companies to work in helping the government and society to overcome this crisis.  

Our Human Resources committee discussed company vaccination policy with a legal expert. They reached the following conclusions.

1. Ensuring safety of employees. Companies may wish to enact policies that differentiate between vaccinated and non-vaccinated employees to ensure the greatest safety of all employees. Such policies could mean bringing vaccinated workers back into the office or in regular contact with customers and business partners, or protecting employees with a higher risk from COVID from non-vaccinated co-workers.

We believe that such policies are only possible if the government mandates either for 1) vaccinations for the entire population, 2) vaccinations for at-risk population, including, possibly, specific types of operations or occupations, or at minimum 3) mandatory employee reporting of vaccinations to employers and mandatory requirements for companies to protect at-risk employees by differentiating work policies.

2. Ensuring safe interaction in business dependent of social contact. We expect that customers of industries such as hotels and restaurants may demand to know whether employees have been vaccinated. We believe the ability to inform such customers that the staff has been vaccinated will not only increase public safety, but it will return these businesses, most of which have been heavily impacted by the pandemic- to profitability more quickly.

We believe such policies are only possible with a government mandate requiring either 1) vaccinations for all employees in businesses previously impacted by government closures or at minimum 2) employee disclosure of vaccination to employers in businesses previously impacted by government closure.

3. Vaccination of medical technicians. Medical device and pharmaceutical companies have a contractual obligation to have a medical technician in healthcare facilities to ensure the proper functioning of their product.

We request the government consider treating these individuals at the same priority level as health care workers in order to stem the flow of infections both in the hospital and into the wider community.

4. Vaccination of third country foreigners not enrolled in Czech health insurance system. Some companies employ third country foreigners who are not registered with Czech insurance companies. Some of these employees, and their families, are in categories of risk that are already being vaccinated, but have not been vaccinated because of their insurance status.

We ask that the government consider including these individuals in the vaccination program with the provision that they pay for their vaccine.

5. Vaccination of teachers and school administrators. We commend the policy of vaccinating teachers in order to re-open the schools with a greater level of public safety. We understand the Ministry of Education has limited access to vaccination only to those schools in the Czech Registry of Schools, and not to all schools accredited by the Ministry of Education. Since the registry addresses pedagogical matters, we do not believe it should determine the scope of a public health measures.

We recommend that the government consider applying the vaccination policy to all teachers and school administrators of schools certified for operation by the Ministry of Education.

We believe that the employers- in particular, large corporations- could make substantial contributions and would be willing to work in partnership with government to facilitate the logistics of distribution of the vaccination and to ease the existing pressure on the healthcare system. Subject to proper arrangements with the competent governmental institutions and their guidance, such participation could take various forms, including, possibly, provision of financial, human, administrative, facility and other resources.

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Find the Czech version of the letter attached below.