The Zimbabwean government has announced it will not allow unvaccinated employees to work from Monday following the lapse of the compulsory Covid-19 vaccination deadline on Friday, reported Reuters.
Zimbabwe has reported 132,251 infections and 4,655 COVID-19-related deaths since March 2020. The country was one of the first on the African continent to begin vaccination against COVID-19, but, only less than 2.5 million people out of its 15 million population have been fully vaccinated so far.
The government claims it has adequate doses in store as it plans to vaccinate at least 60 percent of the country’s population by the end of the year to achieve herd immunity.
Last month, the Zimbabwean government had ordered all its employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19, giving them a month to get the vaccine doses.
“Please note that members who fail to produce the vaccination certificates shall not be allowed to report for duty, in an endeavor to implement (the) government’s thrust of minimizing the spread and effect of the novel COVID-19 pandemic,” the circular released on Thursday said.
The country’s health permanent secretary Jasper Chimedza had signed the circular, which was distributed to heads of various government departments and press reporters.
Referring to no pay and potential disciplinary action, the circular stated that those who will not attend to their daily duties due to non-compliance will be deemed to be absent from work and the government will be forced to take consequential action against them. They will also be denied their salaries and allowances.
Agnes Mahomva, the chief COVID-19 coordinator, said no unvaccinated civil servants would be allowed at work starting Monday until they get their doses. She said the move was meant to protect the public.
The government employees have described the move as unfair.
Last month, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) took the matter to the court challenging the government’s compulsory vaccination drive.
