KINGSTON, Jamaica – Government’s plan to discriminate against unvaccinated Jamaicans may have grave consequences.

That’s the view of a number of influential Jamaicans – who say they are not anti-vaxxers – across different sectors who believe the COVID-19 vaccine mandate is counterproductive.

Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton sparked backlash with the revelation last week that Cabinet plans to bar unvaccinated Jamaicans from attending several upcoming public events.

Weighing in on the discussion in an interview with OBSERVER ONLINE on Sunday, medical practitioner and human rights advocate Dr Michael Abrahams called the policy “divisive” and suggested that it may fuel resistance rather than encourage vaccinations.

“I am for vaccination, I encourage vaccination… Like many persons in my profession, I am frustrated by the low level of vaccination we have here because I think it’s in the best interest of the society for most of us to be vaccinated, but on the other hand I think people have a right to make that decision,” Abrahams said.

“To make a sweeping statement that you are going to discriminate against (the unvaccinated) is unfortunate … very divisive… when you have that in your messaging it is going to make people even more resistant,” he said.

Furthermore, citing a study released by the Centers for Disease Control showing that unvaccinated people with a past COVID-19 infection were better protected against the delta variant than people who were only vaccinated, Abrahams suggested that the Government’s mandate “makes no sense” against the background of the widescale spread of the omicron variant.

“During this omicron surge, we got a lot of infections; the majority of Jamaicans are unvaxxed, so a lot of those people who were infected during the surge are people who are unvaxxed. So the irony is that you could have a vaccinated person now who is less protected than somebody who is unvaxxed who got COVID over the Christmas.

“It makes no sense to cast a broad net and say that you are going to discriminate against the unvaccinated because they are not a homogenous group…there are many unvaccinated people right now who are better immune protected than many vaccinated people,” he said.

Chief Executive Officer of Itel BPO, Yoni Epstein shared Abrahams’ sentiments.

“The science shows and the data shows that it doesn’t really matter which one you are now based upon the new variant,” he told OBSERVER ONLINE, adding that he believes that “no Jamaicans should be discriminated against going to an event, whether be it vaccinated or unvaccinated.”

He explained that, “People have a freedom of choice, and you know I think at this stage you know what can happen if you don’t take it (the vaccine) and if you do take it, and that is a choice that should be borne by individuals if they wish not to do so.”

Among those who have made a personal choice not to get vaccinated is reggae songstress Tanya Stephens, a vocal critic of vaccine mandates.

“I am anti-mandate because I distrust this type of vaccine, I have no intention of taking it,” she told OBSERVER ONLINE.

Stephens expressed skepticism about the efficacy of the vaccine and said, “Even if the vaccine worked, I would be against it because it’s a personal decision for me.

“There is no basis for this gigantic overreach… it’s my personal business,” said Stephens, who called on Tufton to resign over the proposed policy of discrimination against the unvaccinated.

In addition to fueling a divide in society, critics of the policy are also of the view that instituting restrictions at this juncture could spell further trouble for the already battered Jamaican economy.

“The rest of the world is starting to open up and we have to. Our economy has suffered enough, and it is going to further setback the economy, in particular, small businesses [if we continue protocols and mandates],” Epstein said.

Chairman of Mayberry Investments, Christopher Berry, has called for an ending of all COVID-19 protocols. He also referred to the coronavirus as a “scam” in a series of tweets.

Responding to whether healthy children should adhere to a mask mandate in light of the low transmissible nature of the omicron variant, Berry said: “Absolute not”.

“… and I don’t wear one anymore since I got Omicron and recovered with the help of Uncle Iva… plus I am convinced that Covid is the biggest scam in 100 years,” Berry tweeted, adding in a follow-up tweet that he was vaccinated.

“End lockdowns, abandon Covid protocols not based on science or reality,” he stated.

Social commentator Dennis Chung also called for an end to virus containment protocols.

“I don’t think that the government should be wasting anymore resources and time in trying to get people to comply. People must protect themselves now,” he stated.

Chung is anti-mandate, but he doesn’t view the controversial government policy to discriminate against unvaccinated persons as a mandate.

“I don’t agree with a vaccine mandate, but this is not a mandate… This is a way of mitigating risks,” Chung, a chartered accountant who sits on several boards, said.

“… I don’t think that the Minister [Dr Christopher Tufton] is forcing anybody to do it [get vaccinated]. They are saying that if you want to come to our event, then you get vaccinated, but you don’t have to get vaccinated,” Chung shared, adding that he doesn’t see anything wrong with that view by the government, as those measures are being taken by other businesses and they have the right to.

Still, he suggested that the government should have gone the route of vaccinated-only events when there were coronavirus concerns earlier, not now.

“Where we are now, I think the virus is endemic, and I would support that we move towards lifting restrictions, so that people basically take care of themselves and suffer the consequences themselves,” Chung asserted.