Prime Minister Andrew Holness has backed a recent statement by Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton that the Government plans to allow people vaccinated against COVID-19 to attend some upcoming public events.

Dr Tufton has been taking flak for the revelation he made at the official handing over of a field hospital at Savanna-la-Mar Hospital in Westmoreland, with some people accusing him and the Government of encouraging discrimination.

“Over the next week or so, the Government, that is, and Cabinet, has decided… to announce a series of events, an events calendar if you will, over the next four months, that will now allow more persons to congregate around certain events within a controlled setting. The single most significant criteria of that is that you must be vaccinated,” Tufton had said.

“I’ve been saying the time has come for us to distinguish, differentiate and some may even use the term, not a great term, discriminate in favour of those who are vaccinated,” he argued, stating that the controversial position is endorsed by the Government.

Responding to questions raised by Opposition Leader Mark Golding about the comments in the House of Representatives on Thursday, Holness reiterated that the Government has not moved to any form of mandatory vaccination but, at the same time, it must protect public health.

“The Government has been unfairly cast in many ways that we are promoting a compulsory vaccination policy… I recall when the question was first raised, and we were quite clear that there would be no mandatory, compulsory vaccination. We do, however, have to take certain public health precautions. One of them is to promote the alternative of testing to vaccines and the second is to ensure that where there are any forms of mass gatherings being permitted that the persons who are gathering, especially under the auspices of the Government, are vaccinated,” Holness stated.

He pointed out that Government has already been using vaccination status to guide its gatherings and functions, including Cabinet meetings.

“Our policy on vaccination has been very much in keeping with a liberal perspective, in allowing people to make their choices. However, as ministers we have a duty to advocate public health measures and the science is clear, from the perspective of the MOH (Ministry of Health) and the Government, that increasing the level of vaccination improves public health and it gives the Government greater latitude to relax measures,” he outlined.

— Alphea Sumner