NO HARD FEELINGS: PM say his administration respects the right of people to protest

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The Prime Minister said his administration respects the right of people to protest.

Scores of people demonstrated outside the office of Prime Minister Gaston Browne on Monday, but the government remained resolute that it would not move away from its policy to get public servants vaccinated.

The protestors, some shouting that “Browne is a dictator!” and that the policies “were against their human rights,” urged the government to rethink the policy indicating that, effective immediately, all officers and ancillary staff are encouraged to get vaccinated or subject themselves to a COVID-19 PCR test every 14 days.

This follows the cabinet meeting last Thursday, when government said that all unvaccinated, frontline public-sector workers who refuse to pay for twice monthly COVID-19 tests would be required to stay home without pay.

The Antigua and Barbuda Trade Union Congress was schedule to meet with its affiliates, including the Antigua and Barbuda Public Service Association (ABPSA), late on Monday.

Browne said over the weekend that his administration must act in the safety of all government workers, saying also that he was prepared for the political fallout from the policy.

He added that that’s a risk he’s willing to take in the interest of the country, insisting that tough decisions must be taken to protect the health and economic well-being of all citizens.

The chief of staff in the Office of the Prime Minister, Lionel Hurst, said that at least 30,000 people have so far not taken the vaccine as the government moves to ensure herd immunity as soon as possible.

Hurt, speaking on Observer Radio yesterday, defended the policy, saying “the government of Antigua and Barbuda has invited every resident and citizen to take the vaccine and 30,000 people have remained obstinate and have not taken that vaccine, and they threaten to undermine our tourism as well as the others in Antigua and Barbuda requiring hospitalisation, and even to face death.

“As a consequence, we asked gently for them to be vaccinated. There is no harm in being vaccinated, there is no danger to them, except imagined dangers, and no injuries will result, and therefore they ought to take the vaccine.

“We are trying to get 30,000 people who have not gotten vaccinated to volunteer for the vaccination. You have got to vaccinate, otherwise you will not only force a danger to your family, but also to the tourists, those on the frontline.

“A lot of jobs depend on the folks coming to Antigua and Barbuda feeling safe and wanting to return … and therefore, we must ask all people on the frontline to get vaccinated and not to delay doing it,” he added..

Antigua and Barbuda has registered 43 deaths and 1,428 cases of the virus since March last year.

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21 COMMENTS

  1. Hes talking like this vaccine is some kinda saving grace, boss it na save nobody! it doesn’t make none y’all immune. God is our saving grace. The fact that you can still spread and catch covid but y’all want to basically force these people to get the vax is beyond me. There a so many people out there with underlying illnesses that the doctors have not picked up on have information on then run go tek vaccine and all kinda things happening. I don’t see any good in this vaccine

    • You are talking nonsense. Look at the number of cases in the UK. Then look at the number of deaths in the UK.

      They are going through a 3rd wave but hardly any one is becoming hospitalised because all the older people have been vaccinated.

  2. This is laughable, all the big fat chat you have on your show saturday talking about no permission will be given for a march you and your fake dread, flip flop pancake, minion. You now talking about your administration respects the right of people to protest. Dam liar dictator, a small crowd have you so, your political days are numbered.

    • You’re an idiot. A march is fundamentally different from a picket. Did they picket? Yes. Was a march held? No.

  3. Just like Max Hurst said live on ZDK with Sly J. Its gonna get worse people. Soon we Can’t eat unless vaccinated! Police and nurses will come to our houses and force it on us and our children. Even if we all fully vaccinated the government will find many other ways to keep the lockdown like alpha and delta variants that they claim is in Antigua. These governments taking away everyone freedom little by little. Vaccinated or not the New World Order is in effect and if we don’t do something now its gonna be too late!!

  4. I am not going to go into a government office and have someone carrying the delta variant serve me. You have the right to protest, not to put the rest of the community at risk and overload the health system. Same as you don’t have the right to drive drunk, or to enter many countries overseas unless you get shots first. These trumpers need to get in touch with reality

    • @Arnold, i hope you are not a dumb as you sound. We brought our cases down to zero by following the guidelines before. Getting vaccinated does not stop you from catching or spreading the virus. Not sure if your are aware of the new CDC findings that the transmission in vaccinated persons is more than they thought.

      How will you catch the delta virus by just going into the government office with an unvaccinated person? What is the difference of you catching it from a vaccinated or unvaccinated person? Do you plan to enter the government office without your mask and get all cozy with the persons there? How is it okay to have both vaccinated and unvaccinated guest in a hotel and our people have to serve them but it is not okay for both vaccinated and unvaccinated government workers to serve you? In a hotel we have both type of guests but why we only wanted the vaccinated to disembark from a cruise ship?

      I hope by trying to answer some of the above question might wake up your intelligence. A I hope you do not plan to travel becuase you will not know if the person sitting next to you is vaccinated.

      • @ JBF they are are as dumb as they sound.You’ve factually explained it in layman terms so even knuckle heads should get it but as usual don’t hold your breath .
        Alot of people that get vaccinated they keep repeating the talking points over and over again for these guys without thinking through exactly what they’re saying .
        Hurst said the guest coming to Àntigua want to feel safe .
        LOL I’m in NY Where the hell feel safe here we’re exploding again with cases !
        Stop the Bullshit talk !

      • well, if the only way you can argue is by personal insults, you don’t have much of an argument. My points are: the delta virus is on the island, it is many times more transmissible than the original. We are already starting to see a rise in cases again and this will continue likely. That means ANYONE who refuses a vaccine will likely get infected and once they are, because of how transmissible it is, will likely pass it on to others, who will then take it home to your families. We have already had a very young child in this island die from covid, do you really want to be responsible for that?.
        yes there are breakthrough infections, mainly due to the delta variant, but you are still many times less likely to get it if vaccinated, and then even if you do, will not get a severe case and overload our inadequate hospital system because you were so irresponsible. the answer to the hotel workers red herring is, it is not ok for both to serve me, they should all be vaccinated

  5. Y don’t they make a vaccine that stop u from catching covid then everybody would take plain and simple nobody wanna take something tht should prevent u from catching covid but u still catching it

  6. Those folks picketing were doing so within the Law.Let us see what happens on August 8,2021.When Gaston Browne as Commissioner of Police says no to the demonstration scheduled for that day.

  7. This Administration is pushing the vaccine to acquire herd immunity. They want to be the first at any cost to do so,in the OECS and CARICOM. They want to put on their bragging caps. That in your faces type of an attitude. Then ANR would have no choice but to print it in their headlines.Antigua accomplished Herd Immunity. Then we would sit around the bon-fire singing Kum Ba Yah.

  8. Why does everyone in the comments say the same thing?

    They say a little knowledge is dangerous.

    The goal is NOT to stop the spread of covid.
    The goal is to STOP PEOPLE DYING.

    People are far less likely to die if they have been hospitalised. Look at the UK covid graphs if you want to do actual research, instead of just spewing random stuff you read on facebook

  9. The data is there for all to see, if you are fully vaccinated you are unlikely to die or get sick from covid.

  10. The UK graphs show that there is a dramatic rise of COVID19 infections among vaccinated persons 17000+ per day as opposed to 15000+ for unvaccinated persons and hospitalization is also on the rise. They claim they are investigating the efficacy of the vaccine against the delta variant and so far only Pfizer is shown to have any effect. AstraZeneca has a 40 percent effectiveness. 40% is far below the threshold and is not even seriously considered in the paper because the test samples were way too small. People do what you think is right. If you choose to vax do so if not then dont but make it your personal choice

    • Hospitalization in UK is a fraction of it was before. So are deaths. Stop misrepresenting the data to suit your own narrative.

      When public health policy affects everyone, it’s not your personal choice.

      Penalising non-conformers to the policy is what needs to be done, seeing as people are too dumb to make the right decision themselves.

  11. All I can say is I hope Gaston Browne and his family all catch the Delta variant.

    • There is not a need to wish evil on anyone. For in the short and or long runs. God will take care of you.

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