No decision taken by Barbados government for mandatory COVID vaccine

The Barbados government has stated that it has not taken any decision regarding the matter to make the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory.

Barbados: The Barbados government has stated that it has not taken any decision regarding the matter to make the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory.

On Monday evening, while addressing in the first of several town hall meetings on COVID-19 vaccinations and testing protocols, Acting Attorney General – Wilfred Abrahams stated that forced vaccinations were neither plan nor policy for the Mottley administration.

Earlier, a private-sector leader warned the Barbados government that if the vaccination does not pick up significantly, the nation’s economy is at risk of suffering irreversible harm.

Additionally, Edward Clarke – the head of the Barbados Private Sector Association – BPSA has announced that “A widely unvaccinated nation is unsustainable while the leader of the Congress of Trade Unions & Staff Associations of Barbados – CTUSAB, Dennis De Peiza, outlined the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory matter as a ‘no-go’ workers’ rights issue.

The Attorney General while added that the Barbados government would
continue to respect & protect the citizen’s rights, with no compulsory policy position currently being made with respect to the COVID-19 vaccination in the country.

Following the statement, he added, “There has not been a decision, I can say now on behalf of all the ministers here, & the Acting Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw would back me up – the government does not have a policy position as it stands now in respect of mandatory vaccination of anybody.”

“That is what we are doing here via these meetings, and we want to hear from you what your suggestions are regarding the matter,” the Attorney General added.

The BPSA chairman also asserted that the urgency to welcome tourists back to Barbados is supreme for the country’s survival. This is not only for the foreign exchange to once again return to the shores in high numbers but for the thousands who have been unemployed for over a year.