PM Holness sounds warning to unvaccinated

The Gleaner - Gareth Davis Sr.

PORT MARIA, ST MARY

Eventually, protection from COVID-19 will have to be a personal responsibility, as the Government cannot continue the containment protocols forever, Prime Minister Andrew Holness has declared.

“The Government cannot continue with these measures forever. We can’t keep locking down the country forever. We can’t keep the curfews forever. We can’t prevent people from gathering forever,” Holness told residents and health officials during a vaccination blitz in Port Maria, St Mary on Thursday.

Holness, who was on a tour of the parish to promote and sensitise residents about the importance of taking the COVID-19 vaccine, appeared to be sounding a warning to those refusing to take the vaccine and not adhering to protocols to contain the virus.

“At some point in time we have to remove the measures, and how you going to keep safe then? It becomes your personal responsibility. Your responsibility to wear your mask every day; your responsibility to sanitise; your responsibility to maintain an awareness of social distance and maintain your personal space; your responsibility to take the vaccine, because I can’t keep locking down the country to protect you all the time,” he stressed.

“At some point in time we have to transition out of this pandemic and to be able to that, we need to be at least at a level of vaccination that can protect the vulnerable. Those people who preach free choice must know that they are not free of responsibility. If yuh nuh wan teck the vaccine, a your business. I have a duty to fulfil and that is to go around to every nook and cranny and explain to the population about this vaccination.”