St. Kitts and Nevis in Uproar over Forced Vaccination Policy
Frustrations are high in St. Kitts and Nevis as its citizens have taken to the street to demonstrate their stance on the injustices being meted out by the government and the private sector regarding their forced COVID-19 vaccination policy.
Protesters took to the streets on Friday 20th August with placards in a peaceful protest to speak out against the violation of their rights and were met with brutal force. Police showed up at the scene with guns to intimidate the protesters and arrested 3 individuals. Popular media podcaster and former police officer, Benjamin “Modelcop Shaq” Bassue, was arrested while reporting on the protest. A video was taken of him being escorted to the police station by a crowd of officers.
Although the 4-hour long protest remained peaceful the police threw tear gas at the crowd injuring four (4) young ladies. Another young lady was brutally assaulted by the police with reports of the young lady being kicked by a female officer.
Persons have lost their jobs from the start of the pandemic and have been unable to gain employment since. Some resorted to street vending to make ends meet, but the government put a stop to that over the past two months and forced all vendors off the streets.
Over 50 persons from a major private company, TDC Group of Companies, were terminated during the course of this month because of their decision not to take the COVID-19 vaccine. These employees have been reporting to work in compliance with the non-pharmaceutical COVID-19 measures set by the government and its COVID-19 Taskforce but were fired because they chose not to be vaccinated whether for medical or personal reasons.
One employee had been with the company for over 20 years and was given only $2000 compensation. The others were terminated without any additional funds. The positions were not made redundant which would have allowed for these employees to gain some form of income until they are able to seek employment elsewhere.
Another major company RAMS Trading Limited along with several other companies affiliated with the tourism industry terminated several employees for the same reason.
In addition to these terminations, the Federation’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce released a press release informing the public of a meeting with Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Timothy Harris, Minister of Tourism Hon. Lindsay Grant, Minister of Trade and Commerce et al. Hon. Wendy Phipps, Minister of Health et al. Hon. Akilah Byron-Nisbett, other Government Officials, The Attorney General Hon. Vincent Byron, and CMO Dr. Hazel Laws, regarding the future of the cruise industry.
The Chamber of Industry and Commerce offered several suggestions to the Government, urging them to consider these steps to address the cruise industry dilemma the country is facing. One of the recommendations given was that the government take “a stronger stance on vaccination requirements within the public sector to achieve herd immunity and protect our country.”
This forced vaccination stance has created a tense environment within the federation.
The Federation recently received 11,700 Pfizer vaccines, donated by the Biden Administration through discussions with Hon. Keith Rowley, Chairman of CARICOM. The Pfizer vaccine can be administered to children 12 years and older and there have been discussions by the government mandating that all students attending government schools take this vaccine. This stance by the government has created an uproar amongst the public and in addition to the employment frustrations, the public decided to take matters into their own hands and hit the streets in protest.
Liz Myke
Reporter
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