Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves has insisted that his administration acted within the ambits of the law/constitution and in the interest of protecting the health of all Vincentians with respect to the deadly Covid-19 virus.
In an exclusive interview with the Agency for Public Information on March 20, Dr. Gonsalves said the Covid-19 vaccination drive was imperative in the face of a public health emergency and the Government “did what was reasonably required in the interest of public health.”
“You do it in a balanced way, the judge tells no you weren’t balance, you were disproportionate, what do I do then as a government? I let the pandemic rip and kill as many people possible, destroy livelihoods more than some livelihoods were destroyed, that’s what I must do? Absolutely not! So, my conscience is clear,” the Prime Minister said.
Approximately 137 of the over 2 thousand teachers are unvaccinated and, or lost their case on religious or medical grounds for vaccine exemption.
The Government has repeatedly called on unvaccinated teachers to re-apply for their positions within the system, with benefits intact.
Dr. Gonsalves stressed that “the real heroes are those who took the vaccine and went to work for the good of the community, they took a personal responsibility and they did so … in collective solidarity.”
The Prime Minister again urged teachers to reapply to enter the service noting that unvaccinated teachers can now return “simply because the threat has receded.”