A vaccine passport would show a person has been vaccinated, allowing less requirements for travel, conducting business and attending activities, and Guyana may have to consider this option. This was according to Guyana’s President, Dr Irfaan Ali today.
“To get back to normalcy, the introduction of a mass vaccination passport is being contemplated by many countries. In fact, we have already seen countries lower entry requirements for vaccinated persons. We here in Guyana will soon have to consider this option,” he told media operatives today in Georgetown.
While recognizing that vaccination is not mandatory, the President noted the importance of need of the many, outweighing the needs of the few.
“The vaccination passport is becoming an essential document to conduct business now. It lowers requirements if you’re travelling to some countries. Some countries are now even moving towards removing the mask policy if you have both vaccines. Some countries are even contemplating a two-tier system: those who are vaccinated fully and go for public services, you go through the line; those who are not vaccinated, you have to go through some testing before you get to that service…We will have to contemplate all of these options at some point, because we cannot put our collective health at risk by a few who do not understand the importance of all of us getting vaccinated to get out of this together,” he said.
President Ali said that the Covid-19 pandemic is far from an end and the several mutations of the virus are constantly challenge global response. Science has concluded that vaccination is the only way out, he said.
Guyana has confirmed over 12,000 cases since March 2020 and reported almost 300 deaths.
More than a quarter of Guyana’s adult population has already been vaccinated.
