Unvaccinated students blocked amid Govt ban of unjabbed workers

By Staff Reporter | Nehanda Health |

Government has banned all civil servants that are not vaccinated amid reports again that students who have not taken Covid-19 vaccines are being barred from attending lectures.

Yesterday, students from the Harare Polytechnic said they were being barred from attending lectures by the principal, Tafadzwa Mudondo.

Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services minister Monica Mutsvangwa said government had barred all unvaccinated civil servants from reporting for duty.

Speaking during a post cabinet briefing, Mutsvangwa added that the government had resolved to maintain its decision not to allow unvaccinated congregants to attend church services in defiance of last week’s High Court order that mandatory vaccination infringed on citizens’ rights and freedoms.

“Pursuant to the previous announcement that all civil servants should be vaccinated, Cabinet further resolved that no unvaccinated civil servants will be allowed to come to work,” Mutsvangwa said.

Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe secretary general Raymond Majongwe said the move showed inconsistency of the government in policy making.

“This is tragic and shows a serious policy inconsistency,” Majongwe said.

“Government knows its employees and there is no reason why they can’t engage their employees… What law has been violated in this case?

“Teachers didn’t refuse to be vaccinated but failed to get the opportunity. Government has thrown the education calendar into disarray because according to our record not more than 10% of teachers were vaccinated countrywide.”

Government also relaxed Covid-19 measures and allowed all sporting activities to resume on the back of falling numbers of new infections and hospitalisation.

“While Cabinet previously allowed the resumption of low-risk sport activities, it has further resolved that all sporting activities can resume. All sporting codes have been allowed to resume, operating between 06:00hrs and 20:00hrs,” Mutsvangwa said. Nehanda Radio