With public transport operators now required to be vaccinated in order to ferry members of the public, some minibus operators yesterday signalled that they plan to strike to protest the new measure.
The requirement, which becomes effective from today, is among the new provisions of the updated COVID Emergency Measures.
According to the new requirement, all public transport operators are now required to be vaccinated and must have their vaccination card and an official identification document on them at all times as they shall have to produce these documents to police or any authorized person of the Ministry of Health.
At the Stabroek Market bus park yesterday, many operators said that a strike or protest action will be undertaken because those who do not desire to be vaccinated are being “forced” to take it anyway. A Route 42 bus driver told this newspaper that he has heard word of a possible strike by the Linden operators. “I don’t support vaccination, so I don’t like the idea of being pressured to take the vaccine,” the man stated.
Asked to explain, the bus driver informed that he is not vaccinated because he does not trust the vaccines that are being distributed in the country. The man explained that following his personal research online, he is of the opinion that if the vaccines are not approved by certain global health bodies, then they are not entirely safe. It must be noted that the AstraZeneca and Sinopharm vaccines, which are available in Guyana, have been approved by the World Health Organization for emergency distribution to combat the spread of the fatal disease. Guyana is also inoculating citizens with Sputnik V vaccines.
The driver added that he and his wife are currently unvaccinated but he noted that he has family who are vaccinated. He added that he is not completely against the idea of getting vaccinated but he does not have the desire to do so right now. He said in the next two years he would be more open receiving it. “So if we bus man dem stand up, we are also representing the passengers who do not agree for it,” the man further stated as he noted that commuters who cannot afford to get their own transportation are dependent on the minibuses.
Another bus driver who has hypertension and diabetes said that he is worried that the vaccine will make him ill. He said that he is not vaccinated and does not agree with the new measure. “I don’t think I will get vaccinated. If I have to stop working minibus, then I will stay at home,” the man told this newspaper. Health officials have advised that persons who have underlying health conditions, such as hypertension and diabetes, should get vaccinated since persons with these comorbidities are particularly susceptible to severe illness if infected with the virus.
Three other bus drivers contended that the government is now trying to “bully” persons into becoming COVID-19 vaccinated. They said that they are not in support of that action and that they will remain at home if the measure is enforced. The drivers reminded that if they stay home then commuters will be forced to either walk to their destinations or they will not be able to get to them, therefore it would be a disadvantage to the public. Of the trio, one of the drivers said that if persons are not vaccinated and they cannot work then they cannot provide for their family. He opined that the measure should be reconsidered and that the operators should only have to ensure passengers wear their face masks and sanitize upon entering the public transportation.
This newspaper was told that many drivers keep packs of masks and sanitizers on hand for passengers who are not considering the dangers of not using them. Additionally, a driver told this newspaper that he has had instances where he had to ask passengers to step off the bus because they refuse to wear masks.
This newspaper also spoke to a Route 42 bus driver who said that he is considering taking his first jab now that the measure is being imposed. He explained that he had thought about it before.
A taxi driver who is vaccinated said that he is in agreement that persons need to take the step to be safe. He explained that he has no concerns because he became vaccinated to protect himself and his family. Since becoming vaccinated, he said, he has also encouraged others. The man, who is currently awaiting his second dose of Sputnik V, said, “Nuff of them out hay seh them ain’t vaccinated for nothing. I don’t know what they gon do because people nah gon travel with them if you don’t.”
The taxi driver, however, also said that he is not in agreement with the government coercing persons to get vaccinated by telling them what they need to put in their bodies. “It’s a human right to decide what you should put in your body,” the man said, although he warned that “at the same time, we seeing wuh going on. All of this taking the young people too. So because you young and you bouncing you feel it can’t kill you? No! I telling them it knocking down anybody, boy. It complicating the immune system.”
Other taxi drivers who are not vaccinated said that they will continue working as normal. One of them said that if they are charged then they would strike but otherwise they have no issues and have no intentions of being vaccinated. One of the drivers said that the government is not considering the rights of persons and he added that they will protest if there is action taken to prevent drivers from making a living because they are not vaccinated.
Meanwhile, a speed boat operator told this newspaper that he received a vaccine and he was informed by other boat operators that they too have become vaccinated. He said that they are not concerned about having to provide a vaccination card to the health officials since they got their jabs.
