Fiji Government Announces “No Jab, No Job” Policy

In Fiji, you might not be paid to get vaccinated against Covid, but you are likely to lose your source of income if you don’t. The Fijian Government has warned all workers that they won’t be able to work if they don’t get ‘jabbed’. The Guardian has the story.

The Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama, said in a televised address on Thursday night that employers and employees in the private sector should receive at least one dose of vaccine by August 1st.
“It does not matter if you are the CEO of a company, a sole trader or a salaried employee, you must be vaccinated to continue working or else that business will risk being shut down. No jabs, no job – that is what the science tells us is safest and that is now the policy of Government and enforced through law,” he said.
Civil servants will be directed to take leave if they do not get a first jab before August 15th, and they are expected to be fully vaccinated by November 1st or face dismissal.
The ramping up of the vaccination campaign also includes spot fines ranging from $20 to $4,000 for breaching any of more than 20 offences outlined in public health regulations.
Bainimarama said: “The good news is that the coronavirus vaccines are working and we are deploying them quickly. The AstraZeneca vaccine which we are administering in Fiji does very well. It has been shown to offer 92% protection against hospitalisation from the Delta variant of Covid-19 present in the country.
“With other, potentially deadlier variants spreading around the world, including the highly contagious Lambda variant next door in Australia, we cannot afford to waste time getting vaccinated and getting back the lives and livelihoods we know and love. These simple measures slow the spread and prevent more cases of severe disease and death.” …
The Fiji Trades Union Congress previously encouraged all workers to be vaccinated but maintained that the law must protect anyone exercising their right not to get the jabs.

Worth reading in full.