Antigua and Barbuda government faces legal challenges to its vaccine mandate

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The Gaston Browne led administration in Antigua and Barbuda is under pressure from unions and public sector workers, after its vaccination mandate last week.

According to the regulation, all government employees, including teachers, must get vaccinated by October 1 or remain at home unpaid for the period in which they fail to comply.

In fact, there are hundreds of public sector workers who are currently at home since they are not vaccinated.

This is due to the fact that an unvaccinated employee who attends work would be in violation of the Public Health Act (Dangerous Infectious Disease) (Amendment) (No. 16) rules 2021, and would be subject to a $500.00 fine or imprisonment for up to one month.

Browne said he will hire other vaccinated people to replace them.

So far, three workers unions in Antigua and Barbuda have sought legal counsel in an effort to challenge the government’s vaccine mandate.

Last Friday, the Antigua and Barbuda Public Service Association (ABPSA) filed a lawsuit contesting the latest Covid-19 vaccination requirement.

That union is petitioning the court for Judicial Review of the Government’s policy and changes to the Public Health Act (Dangerous Infectious Disease) Regulations, arguing they are arbitrary, irrational, and disproportionate, among other things.

The association is also requesting that the policy be “stayed” until the case is resolved in the High Court.

The Antigua and Barbuda Trades and Labour Union (AT&LU) on the other hand said it had received legal counsel and has begun the process to challenge the Government’s Mandatory Vaccination Policy, but encouraged its unvaccinated members to stay at home until the matter was settled.

And the Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union (ABWU) stated that it will continue to study and debate the issue of forced vaccination “with our legal representatives in order to pursue any viable legal challenges.”

All this comes as the Freedom Fighters of Antigua and Barbuda is planning a major protest, challenging the latest policy.(DNO)

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35 COMMENTS

  2. Brace yourselves. The “Woke” & “Educated” conspiracy theorists are coming……with their alternative facts.
    Like how much ppl have to die from different socioeconomic backgrounds from all parts of the planet for y’all to get it?
    Like what is the end goal of the ppl touting Antivaxx rhetoric?
    It’s the same set of people who binge drink carnival time, who have unprotected sex all over the place catching STDs like they are pokemon, eat all kinda food filled with GMOs and processed food…….. yet y’all soo concerned about what being put in your bodies…ALL OF A SUDDEN.

    To take a vaccine for the protection of yourself and by extension your fellow man. Which has been trialed and approved and has minimal risk associated with it is too much? Ok if it is what is your plan B then? What pray ppl stop dying from covid complications…. It’s just going to disappear right?

    God forbid COVID doesn’t cause y’all to asphyxiate, so the next time y’all sing the First few lines of the second verse of the national anthem y’all can asphyxiate and choke on your hypocrisy claiming to love this land and your fellow man.

    A lot of y’all talking about you have done the “research” and I’m 100% sure 99.9% of y’all are not subscribed to no scientific journal, don’t read peer reviewed papers on a regular, probably can’t even write a bibliography of your own for a tertiary lvl education paper or even know how to navigate a bibliography much less. Yet y’all are sudden experts in the field of public health…. Give me a break man. If y’all ignorance didn’t lead to the creation of new variants that can compromise those wise enough to be vaccinated to protect themselves and the ones around them, I’d be quite content with natural selection taking its course. High time we needed a selective pressure to eradicate certain traits (Bad mind & Stupidity) out of modern society.

    (-_-) (-_-) (-_-)

      • 99% of ppl worldwide who have died from COVID have been unvaccinated. That is a FACT. Y’all keep pedalling fallacies about vaccinated ppl dying in mass where are the facts? Where are the statistics? Sooo all the health boards of the world (filled with countries that don’t get along) along with the WHO have agreed to conspire on hiding this information?? If not where are the droves of vaccinated ppl dying from COVID..?? What I can show you though are over a million deaths globally of unvaccinated deaths

        Y’all even sit down and think, like really think things through before you say them or take to a public forum and open y’all mouths? You know who are dying in mass and as well becoming petri dishes for the mutation and propagation of new variants that will prolong the pandemic….. THE UNVACCINATED.

        I GUESS also based on your logic you will tell people to stop using CONDOMS as well because they serve no purpose since they as well are between 95-98% at preventing the contraction of HIV…. Twist and spin it how ever you want, this logic and way of thinking is flawed.

        Vaccination isn’t a CURE it’s a line of preventative treatment, in this case to decrease the probability of COVID complications. It’s like y’all can’t get this…. Yet some y’all will run go take lifestock deworming medicine before adhering to common sense. If it’s anything this pandemic has taught me its not only that we have some gaps in our healthcare system that need to be addressed, but boyyyy ministry of education has its work cut out for it as well

      • I said the exact same thing. When interviewed, we should listen carefully. They would always say majority of the people dying are the unvaccinated. MOSTLY! They never said ALL. However, that is omitted from the minds of others. We are ALL at risk. Vaccinated may not experience the intensity of it, but they CAN transmit it but that does mean the person it transferred to will get the ease as well. Both sides have their opinion so both side should not bash the other. My issue is the method of it all. To force you to take it or loose ones job. Unethical.

    • Lmfao well a woke and educated conspiracy theories is here.😁 Same set of people binge drinking and having unprotected sex are the unvaccinated? I wonder where you get your statistics from cause I dont know how that even ties to whether someone gets vaccinated or Not. You sound just like any other brainwashed vaccinated person who can’t think for themselves and is so gullible to believe any information your government tells you just like all the other puppets in Antigua. There is ABSOLUTELY NO NEED for people to take the vaccine because it does not work. Simple. Millions of globals deaths were unvaccinated because you’re referring to when no vaccine was available and clearly you’re not updated on your facts. Vaccinated people become super spreaders and shed and mutate the virus and IT’S PROVEN that VACCINATED PEOPLE ARE 13× MOREEEEE LIKELY to CATCH COVID-19 than an UNVACCINATED INDIVIDUAL. Unvaccinated people who have been exposed to the virus have a lesser chance of getting it again because humans adapt and so therefore they build a NATURAL IMMUNITY against the virus. I wonder how long your liquid gold vaccine keeps you “immune” for….3 months? Then another dose? And then another? And more to come right? And for what? Yall still catching covid CRAZILY ANDDDDDDD SPREADING so what is the point? I dont get it😂….. if you were WISE ENOUGH to get vaccinated, then you’re protected right? Check back in when you have the virus and your body can’t fight it because you have destroyed your immune system with the vaccine and there’s no going back.. “You know who are dying in mass and as well becoming petri dishes for the mutation and propagation of new variants that will prolong the pandemic….. ?” THE VACCINATED.

      I just can’t seem to figure out what it is with you vaccinated people but you allllllllllllllllllllllllll sound the same. Brainwashed and programmed. That’s the stupidity that needs to be eradicated because it’s you who will keep Antigua infected.

      “Vaccination isn’t a CURE it’s a line of preventative treatment, in this case to decrease the probability of COVID complications.”………..You sound ridiculous. The vaccine doesn’t even have ANYTHING to do with covid. CDC, FDA and the government among with many others are hiding so much information and it shows but it seems only the “conspiracy theorists” are the ones who can see through the bullshit. Your soul now belongs to system.

      Gaps in healthcare because they won’t take something that’s fishy? Doctors and nurses every single day for the pass year plus, has seen first hand people dropping like flies therfore they should be the first to WANT to get “protected” right? Yet they refuse it because Why? They know IT MAKES NO SENSE. They know What the hidden agenda is. The more people get vaccinated the more covid cases we will get and THAT is a FACT. How about you take the time to educate yourself a bit before YOU come on here to chat complete shit. I guess ministry of education really does have work cut out for them indeed but at this point, I really don’t think there’s much hope in educating people like you who is the definition of ignorant. Why is Gibraltar 116% fully vaccinated and have the most CASES in the world? Why is Israel going on dose number 4 and cases are STILL blowing through the roof? If you’re suppose to die, you will die. The vaccine won’t change that. In fact it might kill you faster than you think. You’re dying a very slow death not to mention you nor the experts in “healthcare” or even scientists know what the long term side effects will be. You might be okay with that but many others arent. You got to make your choice and so does everyone else AND it shouldn’t be dismissed just because my choice isnt the same as your choice.

      When your side effects kick in whether it’s now, a year or 2 years from now and you’re frighten, that’s how the government will make back the money from the free vaccines he gives to the people when you gotta have multiple doctor visits and deep in medical bills due to illnesses you’ll obtain from the vaccine you know nothing about. When that time comes I hope you come out as confident as you are and speak about it. That’s why right now you guys can have your little moment to feel like you are saints and care for the wellbeing of the community when in reality you’re just selfish people who enjoys chaos and the division of the people that the government is creating. That is why it’s an honor to be a “conspiracy theorist” because boiiiii, when the tables turn, I really hope you are at peace with your choice and the consequences.

  5. Can you imagine what Gaston have come to?

    Some people refer to him as Hitler but it is clear to me that he is Moody-Stuart reincarnated.

    It was Moody-Stuart who told the workers, led by Sir V. C. Bird Snr, that he will STARVE THEM INTO SUBMISSION.

    Now this idiot (Gaston), leading the very political party that Sir V. C. Bird Snr built, is now trying to starve the workers of this country into submission (a black massa).

    I say he (Gaston) and his band of merry-men must go.

    Register to vote my people. Register to vote.

  6. This part:

    “And the Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union (ABWU) stated that it will continue to study and debate the issue of forced vaccination “with our legal representatives in order to pursue any viable legal challenges.”

    Is there a timeline or will the study go on forever? This union represents workers in the tourism industry. Its in their interest to ensure that measures are taken to stop the spread of covid. Does else means more workers on the breadline

  8. @ Stupidity Has No cure ! Please please we should stop this Vaccinated Vs Unvaccinated 💩 because not all vaccinated persons think like the real small minded ones. I’m vaccinated by my own reasoning and intellect and the fact that I have noticed based on the statistics that persons with certain underlying conditions which I have, are dying, however I certainly do not believe the rhetoric that everyone needs to be vaccinated and I certainly do not believe that if you are not you don’t have a. Right to work, go to schools gyms restaurants ..etc that is down right discrimination and the invasion of one’s privacy of medical conditions and others. You shouldn’t force me or anyone to put anything into my body that God Jehovah gave me. How can it be ok for a man/woman to have to choose whether or not his family deserve to be fed and sheltered as opposed to put a foreign substance into their bodies that they are not comfortable with. It is not warranted. Contrary to what we think covid has a 98% survival rate. You know what makes it so dangerous though? The constant publication of the cases which most are mild to asymptomatic but they don’t say this and publication of deaths . People if you overweight, have diabetes, asthmatic, hypersensitive and have other immune compromised disease I’ll advice you Fu Tek de vaccine it may help protect you however it’s your choice. We should learn to accept that persons have the right to make their own choices. The unvaccinated don’t make other persons more sick than the vaccinated because the Delta Variant is King now and it affects both just about the same but the Authorities refuse to adjust their policies accordingly and thus their efforts will fail. That’s why vaccinated whom aren’t being tested as vigorously as the unvaccinated are probably spreading the virus more. We need to open our eyes and realize that for the Government it’s just a numbers thing to show that we have allot of people vaccinated so we look good on the international tourist market so tourist can come yah. It’s not about hospitals too full or people a dead. Governments only care about economics so let us stop knocking our unvaccinated or vaccinated brothers and sisters. We are all just people trying to survive this stressful 💩.

    • I wasn’t actually saying all vaccinated are small minded i was just really and truly trying to make a point and exaggerated so don’t be offended, my apologies but I understand and agree with what you’re saying. I’m not against those who take it…You’re right we should all have a choice vaccinated or not but it’s when I see people spreading FALSE information that I have to speak on it. A lot of blame is going to the unvaccinated because many people don’t know the Facts so someone has to tell the truth and that’s simply what I’m doing. 😁💯

  9. I suggest the moderators of this site have a word count limit and make people write a letter to the editor, if they want to post these long epistles.

    • Or how about if they are too long you just don’t read it… it’s a media for people to freely express. Expression has no word limit.

  10. So let me understand, they, the vaxed, are afraid of the unvaccinated, and want them, the unvaxed, to take a vaccine that they believe soooo protects them they are afraid of the unvaccinated. Makes perfect since.

  12. Do you know who is to be blamed for the lack of trust in the system and thus a slow vaccination rate in Antigua? No one but the Government and the knighted, let me expound .
    At the start of this pandemic it was being said that officials need to gain the trust of the people by giving as much information as possible. Tell people everything, but you know what they did? They were keeping information from people for whatever reason ( eg When during a Stress Conference in 2020 they were asked ” where are the hotspots of infection in Antigua?” The answer was skirted around and never really given. And remember Antigua small so we know when they are lying. We lost trust in them because we knew they were manipulating the numbers and hiding things so that they look good for tourism. Then a man was knighted for a wonderful job done and people were like ” wait what!!!!!” And the information suppression continues so how could Antigua people trust them? They told Dr Simon to stay in his Lane when he expressed his opinion, No man talk to the public unless they consent because they are the elected members. Then our pm took a vaccine and the people didn’t know . He hid it, then it jumped out of his mouth that he took a vaccine that’s not available for the rest of us🙄. Then he failed a second shot or maybe it’s the card that’s fake because the Doctor we saw giving him the second shot is certainly not the doctor on the card that he published. So how do you then expect people to trust the information about the vaccines now and run come put it in their bodies? Now they are trying to use a big stick to beat you into submission so you could take the vaccine? Crazy just crazy.
    St. Kitts is at 75% vaccinated. Do your homework and find out why if you don’t believe me.

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