By Sue-Ann Wayow
IF there is to be another lockdown in Trinidad and Tobago, only vaccinated persons should be allowed to work at establishments.
President of the San Juan Business Association Vivek Charran told AZPNews.com that a sizeable percentage of the population was now vaccinated and should be given preference to be at workplaces.
He said, “Congregation is important for business. Without congregation, we cannot have commerce.”
Charran said there were now enough Covid-19 vaccines available in the country and those who also choose not to become vaccinated as yet was also a large percentage and they posed a greater risk to the rest of the population.
Data showed that unvaccinated persons were those taken up the bed spaces in the Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and the High Dependency Units (HDUs) and that most patients hospitalised were not fully vaccinated, he said.
“If we still have a sizeable population not vaccinated, it may be inevitable that the Government will have to order another lockdown.
“We cannot keep going on like this, locking down and re-opening. The retail sector is going to be severely affected. The restaurants, the bars, the in-house dining right now they are dependent on how many people are vaccinated. The re-opening of those sectors could never take place if the sizeable population who are unvaccinated does not shrink,” Charran said.
He added that as being done presently, once business can allow, unvaccinated employees should work from home and only those who received both shots of their Covid-19 vaccine be allowed at business establishments.
However, President of the Chaguanas Chamber of Industry and Commerce Richie Sookhai said he would prefer to use moral suasion to encourage his employees to take the vaccine.
He told AZPNews.com, “We want everybody to be vaccinated including customers. Vaccination should transcend right through. Business owners have a right to dictate how they want to run their organisation but I prefer to take a more humane approach. I do not want to strong-arm my employees to do something against their own will.”
Sookhai added that now there were two types of vaccines available to the population, there was a rush for the AstraZeneca because people did not want to take the Sinopharm vaccine for various reasons including efficacy and travel arrangements.
“Before you make vaccination mandatory, give options,” he said.
