The medical health emergency that the St. Vincent (SVG) government declared as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 is no longer in effect.
On Monday, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves addressed the issue during a press conference.
President of the Public Service Union, Elroy Boucher, said last month at a press conference that the government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines still had not declared the COVID-19 state of emergency over.
“It’s not in effect. It’s not in effect,” the prime minister emphasised.
Gonsalves stated that somebody said to him that 1 or 2 people on a sporadic basis, or some senior official somewhere, will say to somebody they have to bring proof of vaccination or a COVID vaccine card.
“I ask the cabinet secretary, who is the head of the public service. I ask, “Is this happening?” She said, No, not in any general way. But she understands, too, that there might be an odd person who may ask. I don’t know who gave that person that odd person the authority. I don’t know where they get that authority from.”
Gonsalves said he has advised the cabinet secretary to write departments indicating the country has long passed that stage.
“I advise her to write to everybody—heads of departments, permanent secretaries, and the like—to tell them that that is not required because we’ve gone past that long time,” Gonsalves said.
