Employees of the Linden Hospital Complex and members of the public in Region Ten were yesterday denied entry to the premises after they failed to produce proof of vaccination against COVID-19.
Region Ten Chairman Deron Adams confirmed the incident and said that persons stood outside the hospital all day to protest against the new requirement.
Under the updated pandemic measures implemented by the government, members of the public who wish to visit a ministry or a government agency for a service will have to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or if they are unvaccinated they will have to make an appointment.
The Ministry of Health (MoH) and the George-town Public Hospital (GPH) have since adopted this measure, requiring that all persons show proof of vaccination before they can enter the respective compounds. However, they have also made provision for unvaccinated persons with appointments once they have proof of a negative PCR test result received within 72 hours of their visit.
The Linden Hospital Complex has also adopted this measure and this saw dozens of unvaccinated employees, including nurses, being locked out of the hospital compound yesterday morning. Persons who attempted to visit the hospital for its services were also not allowed onto the compound unless they showed proof that they were vaccinated against the virus.
Regional Health Officer Gregory Harris could not be reached for a comment regarding the situation.
Commenting on the new requirement, Adams stressed that the vaccination against COVID-19 is necessary and noted that he would encourage all those eligible to get vaccinated, but added that he does not support mandatory vaccination.
“I also believe that what we are experiencing here is the failure on the part of the government to ensure that robust PR [public relations] systems are in place. He related that he was contacted by a security guard, who was seeking advice after being told that he would need to get vaccinated. However, at that time, he was already at work in another area and was unable to get the vaccine.
Adams went on to say that someone who had recently recovered from COVID-19 and wanted some assistance because she had not yet regained her sense of taste was also locked out. He said that the woman told him that due to her condition, she was advised against taking the vaccine. “So why would you lock her out?” he asked.
At the GPH, similar concerns were raised but according to the corporations’ Assistant Public Relations Officer Delice Neblett, they are abiding by the gazetted order and will continue to do so. Therefore persons will have to provide their COVID-19 vaccination card in order to access the GPH’s services.
This also applies to staff.
The implementation of the measure has been met with mixed reactions, she said, while noting that some persons are saying that they are unable to get vaccinated because they were advised against it due to health conditions.
However, she said they have noticed that persons are taking advantage of the vaccine site at the GPH so there is an increase in vaccine intake. Staff has also been getting vaccinated.
Meanwhile, in Lethem while unvaccinated staff were locked out of the hospital on Monday, this was not the case yesterday as employees were allowed onto the premises without having to show proof of a vaccine card.
According to a source, no memorandum was communicated to them regarding the new requirement.
