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Czechs give extra holiday to vaccinated civil servants

AFP WORLD
Published July 30,2021
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The Czech government on Friday approved a proposal to give civil servants who get Covid-19 vaccines an extra two days of holiday.

"I have not found other ways of motivating people to get vaccinated. Some people might criticise this as being unfair but I think it's fair," said Prime Minister Andrej Babis.

The billionaire politician, whose Agrofert food, chemicals and media holding employs thousands of people, also called on private businesses to follow the government's example.

"Every good employer and business owner knows they have to protect their employees, otherwise sick employees end up in quarantine and this will have a negative effect on the company," he said.

Some 4.7 million Czechs have been fully vaccinated -- out of a total population of 10.6 million people.

The Czech Republic has a strong movement against vaccines and other anti-Covid measures, which includes former president Vaclav Klaus in its ranks.