Coronavirus: Vyras denies threatening to fire care home staff who do not get jab

Larnaca mayor Andreas Vyras on Friday denied threatening to fire municipal retirement home workers who do not get the Covid-19 vaccine, after trade union Isotita accused him of abuse of power and infringing workers’ rights.

The union said vaccination, as a medical procedure, requires the individual’s consent.

“No employer has the power to force any employee into undergoing any medical procedure, and no employee should stand for this,” Isotita said.

The mayor denied the union’s claim, challenging anyone present in the small meeting to come forward and publicly confirm it.

“Staff were urged to reconsider the matter of vaccination as they work with the elderly,” Vyras said, adding that five out of the eight employees at the municipal retirement home do not want to get vaccinated for personal reasons.

He clarified that since this concerns vulnerable groups, and since retirement homes are hotspots for transmission from staff to residents, it would be irresponsible for staff not to get vaccinated.

What he asked, the mayor said, was that they consider the responsibility they have to these people and their families.

Finally, following legal advice from the municipality’s legal counsel, the mayor specified that to protect residents, those not willing to get vaccinated must present a negative test every 72 hours.