Public sector workers who choose to not take a COVID-19 vaccine and are required to test regularly to prove their status will now have to pay for the test.
“You have to pay for it because what happens is this, some employers — and they must speak the truth about it — … are saying you either get vaccinated or come with a COVID test every Monday morning,” Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said on NBC Radio on Wednesday.
“Well, why should the state — you don’t want to take the vaccine — why should we pay for your test every Monday morning? Why don’t you just take the vaccine?” Gonsalves said.
The government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines has said that unvaccinated public sector workers who have not been vaccinated must take a COVID-19 test up to once every two weeks.
The first test is provided free of cost, and after this, the workers must stand the cost of the test, about EC$26.
“You get the first one free. I think they even give you the second one free. But you decide you are not taking the vaccine, for whatever reason and I take the vaccine, I’m a taxpayer; I have to pay for it (your test). It cost nearly US$10 to do the antigen test, for each one.”
The prime minister said that he knows of a hotel construction site with 170 employees that closed for a week after two workers tested positive for COVID-19.
“… and they didn’t know whether there was going to be an outbreak and they said, ‘Listen, you come vaccinated, you don’t have to go and do the test. But if you decide not to take the vaccine, you have to do the test.’ And the employers said you have to do the test at your expense.”
The prime minister said that 20% of the people in the country have taken the vaccine.
“They are taxpayers. Why they must pay every single week for your test when you choose not to take the vaccine? I raise the question of fairness in that regard.”
He said that there are about 50,000 workers in the country.
Gonsalves said that presuming that 10,000 of them have been vaccinated, the other 40,000 will have to be tested regularly.
“So every Monday morning, we have to pay for 40,000 or close to that; that’s US$400,000 every Monday morning. That is a million [Eastern Caribbean] dollars…
“Now, that can’t be fair. And people want money so that they can keep body and soul together. You can have your choice not to take the vaccine but if the employer says you have to take the vaccine or you have to take the test otherwise you can’t work at my place because I have an obligation as an employer for a safe and healthy work environment. That’s under the law. And we are currently dealing with the procedures and so forth for certain categories of state employees, both in the government service and also in statutory bodies.”
He said that for example, people who work on the cruise ship pier, airport employees, medical personnel, and Customs workers should be vaccinated.
“So if you don’t want to take the vaccine but you are going to take the test, you can’t ask the employer to give you a test every Monday morning or every two weeks to pay approximately US$10 for each of these antigen tests.
“They cost money. We don’t get them for nothing. Remember I tried to talk the home truths to the population and some people are not listening. I’m begging you please, take the vaccine.”
Well if you stop forcing people to take the vaccine and had lock down the country early in the game, we won’t have this conflict of interest tactics point.
Bun ah Dictator!
What nonsense Mr.PM. So unvaccinated not tax payers? What nonsense Mr. Dictator!
Hahahaha. I begging you please take the vaccine. I begging you now please own the jobs and now own the vaccine Hahaha. Bun ah Dictator. how many people get sick and how many died after vaccine? tell us.
Ralph, you are the one talking about the test. Can you and the employers gave the workers some guarantee that if the vaccine has a negative effect on their health, your government and the employers will pay the cost of the people’s health expenses?
I believe you should ask workers to use the mask in door and while commuting on public transportation. That’s simpler and most people would follow that request, but to bully people into take the vaccine with no guarantee is absurd.
Very funny! The PM says those in government service that do not get vaccinated have to constantly get tested, then he says they have to pay for the test. Somehow this does not seem right. Is this how it is done in what we call a democracy? In two countries that are known as AUTHORITARIAN DICTATORSHIPS: Belarus and Nicaragua, NO ONE IS FORCED TO EVEN WEAR MASKS! You also have a choice to get vaccinated in those countries and most all other countries I know of, at least for now, it is the same.
HOW CAN WE CALL THESE OTHER COUNTRIES AUTHORITARIAN DICTATORSHIPS WHEN THEY NOW ALLOW MORE FREEDOM THAN WHAT WE CALL DEMOCRACIES?
Does our PM not realize that he is indicating how he feels about LIBERTY?
People may believe that he is of a mentality to use coercive means to force the people into doing his bidding against their will instead of allowing them their PERSONAL GOD-GIVEN LIBERTY.
In much of the world today, SINCE THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE “GREAT RESET” other countries are going in the same direction as SVG (coercing the taking away of your liberty, mainly by using fear). it is just that our PM is trying to put it into FAST FORWARD. the “Global Establishment” seems to care NOTHING about your Health, LIBERTY or Wellbeing, instead finding coercive means to force vaccination is the goal…I wonder why?
No longer are we guided by facts, evidence and science instead we are guided by power, propaganda, money, greed and MANUFACTURED FEAR!
The leaders of Belarus and Tanzania were told by powerful financial institutions that they will lock thier countries down or suffer the consequences. Since that time the leader of Tanzania has died under mysterious consequences, Belarus was beset by mass protests and an assassination attempt. All travel, (to include by train) to that country has been blocked unless first going to Istanbul or Moscow. It is more interesting what you do not hear in the news than what you do hear. Democracy today is: You WILL do as we tell you!” Soon “You will own nothing and be happy”.
Orlando Alexander: How well have those lock downs worked for the UK? How well have No lockdowns worked for Florida, Belarus, Nicaragua?
How many people do you know in SVG that have gotten Covid-19? How many do you know that have died “from” it? The Health Department says no one has died from the vaccines. How many have died by coincidence soon after getting vaccinated? What was the age and health status of those that have died from Covid-19 in SVG?
I hope Kenton posts this comment…please!
That statement is facts,,I thought I was the only one see that,,in the beginning the pm act careless even during his campaigns,,now he’s putting pressure on his supporters to be vaccinated when the problem starts from him!,, theses vaccines are still trial runs,,people who been vaccinated still catching the virus,,that’s facts ,, Barbados next door have a high rate of vaccinated people,,what happen?? They now on lock down because the virus still spread,,,are the vaccines false hope???
So are we not all taxpayers? Why differentiate? I can think of a 100 other instances that this same solidarity occurs. Would it be fair for North Leeward people claim unfairness when they fuel surcharge while two hydro plants are in that constituency considering the relatively low population? THINK!
Why all this bullying?
There is so very much UNFAIR about how our PM taxes the people, maybe we should start a discussion about that!
So many of us hope that one day he will look at what he is doing before he criticises others, but that will never happen. He ignores all the unfairness he is responsible for and instead looks for things, often based on his poor policies, to blame others.
We can start, maybe with his UNFAIR interference in the Justice System and a particular court case that is in the system right now!
So, are you suggesting that only those who are vaccinated are taxpayers? Aren’t those who choose not to be vaccinated are taxpayers too? The point is this; don’t make it sound as if only the vaccinated workers are taxpayers. The workers in this context who choose not to be vaccinated are also taxpayer, too. et my drift?
Probably if people were better educated about the vaccines, instead of the funny tactics being used by government to forced people to take them, then the take up rate might have been better!
So,,wait a minute!,,,,now the PM telling we the people who don’t trust the vaccines don’t pay tax???is the PM loosing his mind?? lately he’s been make some bold and nonsensical statements.i think he should stop talking and let the health professionals do their jobs and try to convince and educate the people with facts about the vaccines.