Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony this morning said the decision to extend COVID-19 vaccine requirements for public access to privately-owned facilities was driven by the need to ensure public safety.
“So, it is one way of ensuring that the environments in the public are much safer because if you have vaccinated people then the chances are we’ll have a much safer environment when we visit those places,” Anthony said during this morning’s COVID-19 update, over a day after the new measure was gazetted.
“And it’s not only for the people who are accessing the services, it’s also for the people who are working there. Because we have to create the safe environment if we are going to push back against the COVID-19 disease,” he added.
Under the new measure, which is being seen by some critics as a widening of an indirect vaccine mandate, members of the public who want to enter privately-owned buildings — to which the public has lawful access — now have to be vaccinated or alternatively will have to show evidence of a recent negative PCR test or make an appointment.
This requirement applies to privately-held buildings such as malls, supermarkets and schools.
The measure had previously applied only to state buildings. The new gazetted measure also says that where an employee who works in a public building is unvaccinated and wishes to enter the building that person must present a negative PCR test taken within seven days of the day.
So far, both Republic Bank and the Giftland Mall have announced that they are enforcing the measure.
During this morning’s update, Anthony noted that over the preceding 24 hours, 101 new COVID-19 cases were recorded from 1,948 tests done. He also noted that there are around 2200 active cases, including 122 persons in hospitals, and 100 at the Liliendaal Infectious Disease Hospital, where 38 persons are in intensive care.
“So, again, what this is saying to us is that we have to be more cautious. Most of the people who are in the hospital right now, almost 99% of them are unvaccinated. Most of them who are in the ICU are also unvaccinated,” he added, before issuing another appeal for persons to get vaccinated to protect themselves from severe illness and hospitalization.
Anthony also reported that to date 320,747 persons, equivalent to 62.5% of the eligible adult population, have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 168,201 of them or 32.8% have received the required two doses.
He also mentioned that under the vaccination drive to inoculate children who are 12 and over, a total of 9,998 children have been vaccinated. He added that drive has been underway in regions Two, Three, Four, Six and Nine, with the regions to be targeted this week.
