On the heels of the government’s decision to suspend the recently instituted COVID-19 vaccination protocols for healthcare workers and public transport operators, Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon says more concessions are needed.
“The suspension of some measures by two weeks is insufficient and we call on the PPP to extend and expand the suspension to all measures related to vaccination and for a period of no less than one month,” Harmon said in a statement on Thursday.
Harmon took note of the announcement from the Ministry of Health regarding the suspension of the measures related to vaccination for some workers, while saying that the decision was clearly taken as a means of “temporary appeasement” in light of the strident and condign action of citizens in standing up for their constitutionally enshrined rights.
He was referring to a protest on Wednesday by Linden residents, who blocked the Mackenzie-Wismar bridge over the lockout of unvaccinated hospital workers and patients from the Linden Hospital Complex. The protest was aborted after the Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony announced that the ministry would give healthcare workers and public transport operators two weeks to become compliant with the vaccine requirements. While healthcare workers have been urged to get vaccinated against COVID-19, it is mandatory under recent COVID-19 measures for public transport operators to be vaccinated.
According to Harmon, the opposition APNU+AFC coalition saluted the brave citizens who would not allow their rights and civil liberties to be trampled upon by the PPP/C.
He said, “The temporary relaxation of the measures is a partial step towards allowing good sense and reason to prevail. It is wholly regrettable that it took citizens taking to the streets to force the regime to acknowledge their mis-step in attempting to impose unreasonable measures on the people.”
He added, “The PPP regime cannot ignore the overwhelming and understandable concerns of Guyanese who must be treated with dignity and respect at all times.”
Against the background, he said a compassionate government would have suspended all the measures related to vaccination for at least one month to allow Guyanese to continue to be vaccinated and at the same time intensify public education on the issue.
Harmon also noted that vaccination is an important step in fighting the adverse effects of COVID-19 and enabling the nation to emerge from the pandemic and he said the coalition strongly encourages Guyanese to consider taking the WHO-approved vaccines, which include AstraZeneca and Sinopharm.
