The question of mandatory vaccinations has been with the globe after the emergence of Covid-19 pandemic that has since been declared as such by the World Health Organisation. Following the development of vaccines to combat the pandemic, it has become apparent that while many people are receptive to the vaccines administered on them, some were and are still apprehensive to receiving them by citing various reasons why they are not comfortable with receiving the vaccines. Many human rights organisations and individuals here and elsewhere have raised concern that mandatory vaccinations will be an intrusion and a violation of peoples’ various rights as espoused in various international convenants together with our own Bill of Rights as enshrined in our Constitution. What could have led to the announcement of the new regulations or requirements should be the immediate question? The obvious answer will be to save lives. But I believe there is more to the answer than meets the answer.
Government has of late been lamenting the poor numbers of people receiving booster shots over and above having received the number of doses as determined by the manufacturers. This could be because people have various reasons for not being eager to receive booster shots. The first reason could be that people feel fairly protected from the single and double doses depending on which vaccines they have already received. Secondly, on the basis that booster shots are largely not from the initial vaccine one would have received, there appears to be some discomfort of sorts where people prefer to be boosted by a similar vaccine they would have initially vaccinated with though epidemiologists and other relevant scientists have allayed fears to that effect. Having noticed a slow process to booster shots and the likelihood that vaccines already in government possession could expire soonest, government decided to introduce ‘mandatory vaccinations’ so that principally, vaccines do not expire before they are delivered to those living within the borders of the country. The sad and costly reality is that if vaccines are not used within the life expectancy of the manufacturer, they become no longer scientifically safe to be administered on our bodies with the end result that they are destroyed. With the slow pace of people receiving vaccines, it is more than likely that huge volume of vaccines will reach their life expectancy before long. If I recall correctly, April is bandied around as the month in which most vaccines already in government possession will expire. So government finds herself between a rock and a hard place wherein ‘hidden mandatory vaccinations’ become somewhat inevitable. I should state however that government has not said the new requirements are mandatory vaccinations.
The Minister of Health and Wellness Hon Edwin Dikoloti released a press release dated 12 February 2022 titled ‘Botswana Introduces New Covis-19 Requirements At Ports Of Entry’ wherein new regulations the objective of which amongst others are to enforce stricter terms and conditions upon which individuals who may wish to enter the country must comply with. Read in totality, these regulations or requirements are in my view tantamount to mandatory vaccinations. For citizens returning from external trips, they are not only mandatory but are punitive in the sense that if such citizens are not fully vaccinated as per the definition of the directive from the Minister’s press release referred to herein, citizens face a prohibitive ‘…..fine of P 5000.00 or imprisonment not exceeding one year or both’. For citizens like me who do not have issues with receiving vaccinations, it becomes an issue for those who have reservations about receiving vaccines. I would argue the Minister should have made exceptions for those who may have genuine excuses duly validated by a competent medical officer for not receiving vaccines. I concede this category will be in the minority.
Many of us are still trying to recover from the cross hairs of Covid-19 in many respects. One of these is long Covid as referred to in medical circles. This notwithstanding, life must still go on for people to recover economically from the pandemic. As a consequence to these new requirements, it will be hard if not impossible particularly for the business people who transact their business operations from outside the country to effectively do so. People who are not fully vaccinated will not be able to travel outside the country in fear of the P 5000.00 fine or imprisonment not exceeding one year or both. For these people, they are in a situation akin to lockdown. It will be remembered these very people have been bitterly complaining about the prohibitive cost of obtaining Covid-19 tests for them to travel particularly to South Africa where they source their business goods and services. These new requirements are certainly bound to render their businesses unable to recover from the two years of inactivity.
With the tourism industry as one of the country’s revenue earner about to recover from the devastating repercussions of the pandemic, the new requirements are certainly not going to make the situation any better or better still, any easier. With most of the tourists originating from countries that have mulled over mandatory vaccinations, these tourists will certainly have to think twice whether to come to Botswana or find alternative destinations with more relaxed and therefore user friendly requirements. The latter is more likely to obtain. This will without doubt render the tourism industry far from recovering from the repercussions of the two-year inactivity due to the pandemic.
It is not in dispute that Covid-19 pandemic is still in our midst and that all humanly possible measures are put in place lest we find ourselves having taken a few steps forward and many more backwards. This will require government to find a balance between making it not hard to recover from the pandemic by instituting counter- productive measures like the new regulations which in my view, are mandatory and therefore bound to disturb the said balance. With Botswana having vaccinated those within her borders in large numbers, it should stand to reason the country is fairly protected than it was two years ago. I am not suggesting we should lower our guard. But not certainly making it hard to recover.
While the new rules are in principle meant to protect the nation, the manner in which they have been crafted and the timing thereof stands to cause more damage than good. The socio-economic circumstances of those at the tail end of the value chain are bound to be negatively impacted by the new requirements as already alluded to above. It is fair to suggest the ‘mandatory vaccinations’ are as a result of the likely event that vaccines in stock will expire before they are administered on all those it may concern and therefore the urgent need to use them before then. That said, I am personally for ‘mandatory vaccination’ primarily on the public good they stand to serve. I am prepared to be persuaded otherwise as always. Judge for Yourself!
‘No one is safe until everyone is safe’. We are not out of the woods yet. Let us continue to adhere to all Covid-19. It is our civic duty to do so.
