Covid-19: Seven Caribbean countries consider amending constitutions to mandate vaccination

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The leaders of the seven countries that are part of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) are considering amending their respective constitutions to promote laws requiring their own citizens to be vaccinated against Covid-19.

The countries are Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Montserrat.

The position of these seven nations is detailed in a confidential 16-page report entitled “The Legal Dimensions of the Mandatory Requirements for covid-19 Vaccination by August 2021,” prepared by two Caribbean legal scholars.

The report, delivered to OECS member countries and a copy of which was obtained by EFE, warns that the countries will be on legal grounds in their pursuit of laws supporting mandatory vaccination, despite arguments against it.

The issue of compulsory vaccination has arisen in these seven OECS countries and the Caribbean Community (Caricom) territories, where governments have urged their inhabitants to be vaccinated as part of efforts to stop Covid-19 cases.

Likewise, mandatory vaccination has been proposed to protect health professionals, among other workers who interact with the public, such as restaurant and retail employees.

The two Caribbean lawyers who prepared the report stated that their document provides legal support to the OECS and its political leadership.