The Mottley administration’s chief policymaker on health on Wednesday warned employers not to start depending on vaccination and testing in order for their business to stay open, as questions are raised about whether an employer can mandate jabs or tests based on a third-party request to know their employees’ status.
There is no legislation that requires an individual to get vaccinated, Minister of Health and Wellness Lt Col Jeffrey Bostic told a Barbados Employers Confederation (BEC) forum. But he stopped short of dismissing the idea of introducing it in the future.
“Immunizations have never ever been legislated or mandatory in Barbados and that is certainly not the case at this point,” said the health minister. “It does not mean that it could not happen if there is a requirement for the public good and public health, but at this time the answer is no, it is not mandatory. There are other things that we need to be able to do.”
He made it clear that in Barbados, the protocols to follow at this time were the wearing of masks, frequent washing of hands and keeping a physical distance of about six feet unless otherwise mandated.
He said: “There is no scientific evidence to suggest that mandatory vaccination or vaccine policies actually result in an increase in the number of persons taking vaccines. There is just no evidence at all to support that.
“Businesspersons, I am saying to you, do not put your eggs in the basket of vaccines alone or testing alone. What is going to save you and your business is adhering to those protocols that we have been speaking about all the time. That is the foundation. That is the bedrock.
“Testing and vaccines will provide some sort of protection, which is true. But I am saying to you that if you really adhere to the protocols you will find your businesses will be safe places for persons to work and patronize, and that has been the experience during this pandemic.”
He revealed that in January, some businesses sent their entire staff members to be tested for the virus when there was a surge in COVID-19 cases although there was no declaration of a public health directive for that to be done.
He insisted that while vaccination is “very important” in the fight against the virus, companies should not insist on workers being inoculated. The minister suggested the employers “encourage” employees to get the jab.
At the same time, Lt Bostic said he believed that “once there is fear and anxiety” people will come forward to get tested and take the vaccine.
The health minister said: “I will tell you that at the beginning of the process the uptake was not good and a little survey was carried out and the figures were not looking good for people who wanted to take the vaccine. When those vaccines arrived and after the public communications campaign, we then started to see a significant increase in the number of persons taking the vaccine. The same thing happened with testing.”
He admitted that a delay in the arrival of vaccines had affected the ramping up of an education and public communication campaign, explaining that it would not make sense to encourage people to take something that was not readily available.
“This happened to us earlier on. People got frustrated because they turned up at polyclinics and [other sites] and we just did not have the supply. So that is an issue,” he said.
Lt Col Bostic was a panellist on the BEC’s Annual General Meeting discussion on The Health and Economic Nexus in a COVID-19 Era.
At the forum, experts emphasized that the health of the nation was inextricably linked to the economy, as evident by the lockdowns caused by the health crisis and subsequent loss of employment and economic activity.
Officials also insisted that in building back, the island will need to put the eventualities of various pandemics in future policies and frameworks and build institutions in a more sustainable way.
(marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb)
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