Corporate fear drives Caribbean vaccine COVID-19 mandates

KINGSTON, Nov 22 2021 (IPS) - When face-to-face Cabinet meetings resumed in Jamaica following more than a year of virtual meetings due to COVID-19, ministers lined up to have their immunisation cards inspected.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the government “has to lead the country towards normality.”

“The way to do it is for every Jamaican to comply with the infection, prevention and control measures that have been established, which will eventually be relaxed the higher the level of vaccination,” he said after the October 12 meeting.

In the current atmosphere, outbreaks, no-movement days that shut down commerce and vaccine hesitancy, send ripples through the economy. So, while Jamaica has no national vaccine mandate, private sector companies and some government agencies are already demanding that staff vaccinate.

In addition to several vaccination drives that target employees, the Jamaica Private Sector Organisation joined the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce and the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association to put their support solidly behind a campaign for a national mandate.

The groups say that with the low vaccination rates almost two years into the pandemic, Jamaica is being left behind in achieving population immunity, putting the country’s recovery at risk. The groups contend that the social and economic impact will be devastating, and “the ripple effects will continue for years to come.” But even with growing support for a mandate, opposition leader Mark Golding opposes one. Only about 17 per cent of the Jamaican population is vaccinated.

Across the region, governments have already implemented mandates. In Guyana, nationals who want to enter any public building, including banks, restaurants, supermarkets and schools, must show proof of vaccination. In the twin-island state of Antigua-Barbuda, opposition legislators accused House Speaker Sir Gerald Watt of acting beyond his powers after he prevented them from participating in the sitting of the Senate because they did not show proof of vaccination.

With each outbreak, concern for the tourism industry that drives many regional economies grows. Many countries now have vaccination policies for incoming adult travellers. These include Anguilla, Cayman Islands, Grenada, St Barts, St Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turks and Caicos.

And even as governments ponder mandates, they are also bracing for civil unrest and legal challenges from workers. In a recent opinion, the Jamaican Bar Association said nothing was preventing the Government or employers from implementing mandates.

STABROEK BUSINESS, Friday, December 3, 2021