Renuka Singh
Government could take a decision to make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory.
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley spoke with former United National Congress senator Dr Bhoe Tewarie during the latter's morning show today and said that if a variant of COVID-19 becomes more virulent, then Government would do what is necessary to protect the population.
"And we know through scientific information that there is a vaccine that could prevent that from happening, then the Government would have to take a decision on behalf of those persons who have the right to protect themselves from this virus," he said.
"So a decision will have to be made," Rowley said.
"If the voluntary situation gives us the results we could live with then we live with it being voluntary but some countries have already gone beyond that," he said.
Rowley said the matter went to court in France. He said that even voluntary travel could pressure people to get vaccinated.
He said vaccination is nothing new.
"This is nothing unique for the human population," he said.
He said vaccination was not an invasion of rights.
"It is to protect human life and if the decision at the level of the Government that is responsible for the wider population where the majority would like to preserve their life, where there is something available, then the Government would have to take that decision," he said.