The deadline for the first jab of the mandatory COVID-19 vaccination has lapsed. The government had stated earlier that those government workers that have not taken their first jab by the 31st of August 2021 will not be allowed into their place of work.
The government had earlier passed a cabinet directive for all government employees, both in the central and provincial governments, and all staff of state-owned enterprise (SOEs) and other government institutions and subsidiaries to complete their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccination by 31st August 2021 and their second doses by 30th November 2021.
The government says that those who choose not to take their first does of COVID-19 vaccine by 31st August 2021 will not be allowed to access their workplace from 1st September 2021 (today).
The timeline is within the recommended timeframe for the first and second jab of the COVID-19 vaccination, specifically the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The Prime Minister says liberty does not mean you have the freedom to do whatever you want wherever you want.
“It means whatever you do to please yourself must not put others in harm’s way so you must respect their liberties as well. That is our moral, ethical, spiritual, and civic responsibility,” he said.
“The government respects individuals’ rights and religious beliefs however, he said these beliefs must not jeopardize the rights of others, nor put them at risk.”
It is not yet certain how many people complied with the directive, and if they have been in fact disallowed from entering their workplace today.
The Ministry of Health and Medical Services, MHMS, has already launched the COVID-19 Vaccination program in most of the nine provinces, seeking to boost vaccination numbers.