Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness assures the country’s citizens that the Government in present times has no plans to make the COVID-19 vaccination mandatory.
PM Andrew Holness said that they had discussed on the matter in Cabinet, the Government has no plans about nor has inclined to mandate any vaccines. They do not believe that is something that would meet the constitutional test.
PM Said that the Government’s main objective is to make vaccines available to every citizen of the country instead of making them mandatory. The statement was given during a virtual press conference on Monday (April 9)
PM Holness said that they had ensured that whenever vaccines are available in Jamaica, the Government would try to meet the highest standards of approval, and they had not allowed in any vaccines unless they were first of all World Health Organization (WHO) approved.
PM Holness highlighted that the other countries took certain decisions, so some of them are ahead of Jamaica in vaccination. Now Government decided to wait for taking the best decision in the interest of the citizens of Jamaica.
PM Holness reported that they awaited because they understood the high level of suspicion about vaccines in their country. So when they go to the public to urge to take the vaccines. They were confident that they were giving the citizens the best vaccines that would be available.
PM Holness said that he has been giving advice to all Jamaicans to get vaccinated as he himself has received the vaccine shots. Due to this, he can stand in front of the people.
He again encouraged Jamaicans to take the vaccine once it becomes available to them, reasoning that “I can stand here with confidence, having taken the vaccine myself, to recommend it”.
The Prime Minister said the Government will now be shifting the focus of its public education campaign, to introduce an islandwide roadshow which he will be leading. It will involve him going directly into communities explaining to persons how the vaccine works and how they can access it.
“I am going to be hitting the road. I am going to go into the nooks and crannies…I will go about asking you to preserve your lives and livelihoods and to encourage you to take the vaccine,” he said.
