QCOSTARICA – The Cooperativa de Productores de Leche Dos Pinos R. L., commonly known as “Dos Pinos” will require its 4,600 workers in Costa Rica to demonstrate complete vaccination against covid-19 as of January 1 as a work requirement, according to an internal message sent in recent days.
The verification will be carried out through the vaccination card, the Expediente Digital Único en Salud (EDUS) – Unique Digital Health Record System of the Caja, or a vaccination certificate issued by the Ministry of Health, informed Luis Mastroeni, spokesperson for the Cooperative.
Initially, the mandatory request for the vaccination certificate issued by the Ministry of Health and specifically using the QR code was planned. However, Mastroeni confirmed on Monday that the company will also use the alternatives.
“In recent days it was confirmed that the code could not be enforced and we set out with our advisers to understand what we should do. This week the change in the measure will be communicated,” said the spokesperson.
In any event, he added, workers who wish to show their QR as proof of vaccination, may do so voluntarily as an accepted means of confirming their vaccination schedules.
The verification would be mandatory for all forms of employment contracts, whether temporary or permanent and including the teleworking modality, the company warned “with the commitment we have to protect everyone’s health,” he said.
This measure will be applied in all the cooperative’s facilities: production plants, its network of AV agro-veterinary warehouses, ice cream parlors, and branches throughout the country. Also in its Cheese and Milk Drying Plant, in Ciudad Quesada, San Carlos de Alajuela; the milk receipt plant in Limonal de Abangares, Guanacaste, as well as its Gallito beverage, candy and chocolate factories in La Ribera de Belén, Heredia.
The complete vaccination requirement would also be requested of visitors upon entering any of the cooperative’s facilities.
“The cases of workers who do not have the complete vaccination schedule as of January 1 without a duly justified cause (medical opinion) will be analyzed on an individual basis,” adds the message.
The cooperative plans to announce this week the change regarding the use of QR after suspending the use of the code in retail establishments, which the government expected to implement on a mandatory basis from January 8.
This measure was halted on November 13 after the Administrative and Civil Finance Court decided to suspend the requirement of the QR code while it resolves a claim by the business sector, mainly the tourism and restaurant sectors, against that measure.
“Vaccination is an essential measure to combat covid-19. The Cooperative will continue to value all measures to protect people’s health and ensure our protection. The commitment of all our people is essential to ensure the health of all,” said the statement.
This Monday, Mastroeni reiterated that all measures to address the pandemic “are aligned with the provisions of the Ministry of Health and putting people’s health first.”
