More of the country’s police officers have been coming forward to get vaccinated ahead of tough new measures affecting the force and other public sector workers.
The mandatory vaccination policy which prevents unvaccinated workers from entering their workplace will kick in on Friday.
Police spokesman, Inspector Frankie Thomas told Observer that a number of officers were getting jabbed ahead of the government’s deadline.
While Thomas could not give statistics he said some of these officers utilised the vaccination site at the American University of Antigua (AUA).
From October -1st, salaries will be withheld from employees who remain unvaccinated without an authorized exemption.
Last week sources said the absence of almost 25 percent of the police force – apparently afflicted with Covid-19 – in a neighboring country had seen a spike in criminal activity.
Meanwhile, UPP leader Harold Lovell has hit out at the government’s Covid-19 mandate – claiming it’s taking bread from the mouths of an already struggling population.
“It’s overkill and it’s not justifiable in my view,” he said.
He instead suggested that owners of private businesses could have made it mandatory that only vaccinated patrons enter their establishments since people would be able to “survive without going into a gym or going into a bar”.