Just over three weeks from now the ‘No Jab, No Job’ deadline will expire and public servants that have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 will be stood down on half-pay.
Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare extended the deadline from the initial 31st August 2021 to 31st October 2021. He says that those who fail to comply this time around will be dealt with.
He says that the measure will apply to any employee of the national or provincial governments as well as state owned enterprises.
Mr Sogavare said if by 1 January 2022 they still have not taken up the vaccine their employment will be terminated.
The Prime Minister is said to be frustrated that less than 7% of the eligible population have been fully vaccinated, and just over 16% have received their first dose.
He says that out of the target population of 417,327 the country still needs 375,595 people to come forward and get their jabs.
Prime Minister Sogavare says that the target benchmark is 80% of the eligible population fully vaccinated before the country can open up.
"We are not even close, not even at 10 percent fully vaccinated population. So, 300,000 plus [people need to be vaccinated] yet to get that benchmark of 80 percent," Pauline McNeil said.
McNeil said vaccine roll outs are now underway in all 10 provinces in the country.
"We are literally begging for you to come forward, those of you who have yet to decide. So come forward please," she said.
The country is currently Covid free but it has previously recorded 20 cases of Covid-19 in management isolation and quarantine.
Most of those infected were repatriated citizens and returning residents. So far there have been no active cases of Covid-19 in the community.
In recent months several crew members aboard foreign cargo vessels have tested positive while in Solomon Islands waters but they have not been allowed to disembark.
With RNZ