Health Minister pleads with educators to take the jab

HEALTH MINISTER DR. FRANK ANTHONY TUESDAY URGED THOUSANDS
OF GUYANESE TEACHERS TO TAKE THE COVID JAB in a bid to help protect
themselves, families and students from contracting the deadly virus.
Minister Anthony said getting inoculated en masse is critical for Guyana to achieve herd
immunity and return to pre-pandemic normalcy.

“Covid has been a big disrupter for all of us. and it’s not only in health, but it is also in
education as you can see, and we know how that has affected our children,” Anthony
explained while distributing ‘Because We Care’ cash grant at the Bel Air Primary School in
the capital.
‘Because We Care’ is a government multibillion dollar scheme which initially targeted
172,000 students enrolled in public sector schools. In the programme, the ruling Peoples
Progressive Party (PPP) administration has set aside some G$3.2B (approx.US$16M) for the
national scheme gifting each student across the country $15,000 plus $4,000 in cash as
School Uniform and Supplies Grant.
Since its recent launch, the government has mulled casting its net wider to capture students
attending private institutions to benefit from the financial initiative.
“We have been going from school to school distributing these grants, so that it can assist the
parents in getting the necessary things for their children who are in school,” minister Anthony
told parents who turned up to collect the cash.
Vaccine hesitancy has been a huge obstacle in the health ministry’s plans to beat the virus
which has killed 4.3 million worldwide and 461 in Guyana. Consequently, the Irfaan Ali
administration has gazetted tougher measures, making taking the jab compulsory for public
sector workers or for members of the public to be able to enter government buildings.
Citizens have opposed the measure, arguing that it violates their human rights, and the
Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), the largest workers representative has condemned the
administration’s controversial decision.

“This arbitrary approach is an encroachment on Citizens’ rights of choice and is viewed by
the Union as an abuse of power. The GPSU maintains that should the protocols stated
hereunder be promoted they would contribute significantly to reduction of the rate of
infections and harnessing the spread of the covid -19 virus,” the GPSU said in a press
statement.
It said, “The Ministers of Labour and Health are on record as saying that adult vaccination is
not mandatory. The actions now taken by the Government of Guyana is a direct
contradiction of the statements made by these two gentlemen. Also, important to note is an
article dated 11 th  March 2021 entitled ‘Outdated public health legislation to ‘recover’ amid
pandemic’ the Minister of Legal Affairs, (Anil Nandlall) was quoted as saying, “Guyana’s
Public Health infrastructure is radically different from what it was in 1934, and the Covid -19
pandemic has shown graphically how outdated and almost dysfunctional the law is. Yet, the
Government is using this outdated and dysfunctional law to craft and enforce the COVID –
19 Emergency measures.”
The government gave the gazetted order teeth when this week it began denying unvaccinated
state employees entry to their worksite. Dozens of healthcare workers at the Linden Hospital
Complex (LHC) have been locked out for the last two days until they can show proof of
inoculation against the aggressive, contagious and deadly virus.
The Housing Ministry this week too, began enforcing the measure, the Human Resource
Officer told staff in a series of Memos.

Health minister Anthony reminded educators how critical their role is to the nation building
and as such they must lead by example and get inoculated.

“We don’t want any teacher to get Covid. We don’t want you to be infected; we don’t want
you to go in any hospital,” he reiterated.
“We don’t want you to die from Covid. And, the only way we can prevent that is to make
sure that you take that vaccine that is available to you,” minister Anthony pleaded.
“You are among the most educated in our society. You read a lot; we depend on you to
educate the next generation and we also want you to be safe,” he reasoned.