Businesses have the right to make their own vaccine rules — Premier
Premier Andrew Fahie has weighed in on the issue of businesses that require their employees to be vaccinated or, alternatively, get tested for COVID-19 twice weekly in order to keep their jobs.
Speaking to reporters late last week, Premier Fahie said his position has always been that the government has no intention of making the vaccines mandatory and persons have a right whether they want to take the vaccine or not.
But while prefacing his comment with the warning that some persons may not like his statement, Premier Fahie said: “Businesses also have a right to determine how they want their business to function” in this regard.
“It will never be made mandatory by the government but all entities have their rights,” the Premier added.
The issue of businesses which offer their employees the option to either vaccinate, be tested for COVID-19 at their own expense, or face termination has been a sore point for months, with government officials promising to investigate.
Premier Fahie previously disclosed that the issue of businesses enforcing a vaccination policy is a heavy legal matter and said Labour Minister Vincent Wheatley was examining this in tandem with Attorney General Dawn Smith.
There has been no known public update since he made that promise more than three months ago.
“I have my own personal views – but in this position where I am in – sometimes your personal views are not mutually aligned with the legal views. And you have to be guided by the legal views when you are in these positions. So, I have to wait until that comes out before I can speak to that full topic in terms of, with full legal knowledge and backing,” Premier Fahie said a few months ago.
The Premier continues to be a strong personal advocate for vaccination and constantly encourages persons to be part of the government’s vaccination outreaches in various communities.
Just recently, the Premier said there will be another vaccination drive-thru at the festival village in Road Town where persons can receive their first or second doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
This initiative continues today (Monday) and ends on Tuesday.
Copyright 2024 BVI News, Media Expressions Limited. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.
PEOPLE GOT RIGHTS TOO
You have the right to go work for a business that don’t care you not vaccinated. Good luck in your future endeavours!
You are right.
You have the right to stay home and keep away from everyone.
You have the right to never get on a ferry or plane again.
You have the right to send someone else to do your shopping.
You do NOT have the right to endanger other people.
If the unvaccinated are endangering the vaccinated, let me remind you that the vaccinated are also carriers. Therefore, a vaccinated person can have the virus and actually pass it on to an unvaccinated person. Where is the protection there? You all need to stop the nonsense.
why your thumbs up and down buttons don’t work??
Is that on purpose?
A vaccinated person is far less likely to have the virus and thus pass it on to another person.
Not true. Antibody dependent enhancement is being seen in the vaccinated. I personally have ONLY seen cases of covid in the vaccinated.
there are more unvaccinated than vaccinated. lets see which of us wins at the polls
Lol can’t vote if you’re dead.
People have rights. The business owners have rights as to how and what they mandate for their business. ALL I CAN SAY IS IF YOU DONOT WANT TO COMPLY, THEN STAY OUT OF THEIR PLACE OF BUSINESS OR QUIT IF YOU ARE AN EMPLOYEE THAT IS NOT WILLING TO COMPLY WITH THE MANDATE. YOU ALL IS STILL NOT GETTING WHAT AFFECTS THE WORLD, AFFECTS THE BVI. WE ARE NOT LIVING IN A PROTECTIVE BUBBLE. SOME OF YOU PEOPLE IS SO DAMN SICKING AND HARD HEADED.
This dude don’t sound like he is representing us, i wonder who he is representing?
Government is perfectly happy with businesses doing their dirty work for them. The fact remains that the issue is a political one for them so they will not mandate it for fear of losing votes.
However several studies have now shown that vaccinated can spread the delta variant as much as unvaccinated. Business were issuing mandates based on the premise that the unvaccinated were super spreaders but this is no longer the case so why the persistence with mandates? Now in the case where a business is paying for an employee’s insurance and the insurance decides o raise premiums on the unvaccinated then I could understand them asking that the employees pay for that increase.
If the health and welfare of their workers are a concern then the vaccinated are capable of the same spread as the unvaccinated so why discriminate against one?
Stop spreading inaccurate information.
You are the problem!
Yes, vaccinated persons can carry virus, but for much shorter periods due to their bodies fighting virus immediately. So their ability to spread virus is much less.
That is what is scientifically proven.
Please grasp that there is a big difference.
Also, vaccinated persons will not die, that is also a huge difference.
This is not a political issue, this is a health issue.
But fools want to be heard, so are spreading misinformation.
So I guess you did not read where the CDC and WHO stated that the vaccine does not protect the spread of the Delta virus and it is as though you are not even vaccinated? That my dear is not a lie. You should read more. The Delta variant can be spread by vaccinated and not vaccinated at the same levels. Please remember there is a part of the population that CANNOT get the vaccine. If nonvaccinated needs to be tested twice a month, so should the fully vaccinated. If they are asymptomatic they are also dangerous as they may not even know they have the virus and are spreading it.
Please do not waste precious time haranguing with the foolish.
let them die out.
The World will be a better place as a result.
Non-vaccinated persons need to be tested twice a week, not twice a month….
“Yes, vaccinated persons can carry virus, but for much shorter periods due to their bodies fighting virus immediately”.
Please post where you get your info as what you are saying was just an opinion made by one of the researchers and it is not yet supported by scientific study. Note the use of the word MAY.
https://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n2074
Sarah Walker, professor of medical statistics and epidemiology at the University of Oxford and chief investigator of the survey, said, “We don’t yet know how much transmission can happen from people who get covid-19 after being vaccinated—for example, they MAY have high levels of virus for shorter periods of time.
The fact that they carry the same level of viral loads is the more important point as it only takes one sneeze or cough to pass on the infection so I hope you understand that.
You are accusing me of false information when you state this:
“Also, vaccinated persons will not die”
Really? Show me where that is the case.
Well, Well. We are in a bad state as I read these posts. The realities are vaccinated or not vaccinated there is one appointment that will come to us whether we like it or not. Death. Only one person has that key. You all better wake and realize that we are in perilous time. Get yourself ready for when he knows on your door. Heaven and Hell is real.
@Trevor. Scientifically proven? There are scientists and doctors who have been giving their findings on your ‘breakthrough’ cases and they are being discredited and shut down because this is not about curing anybody from any virus. This is about continued control. Are you fully vaccinated? No, you are not. Because you have not had your third ‘jab’. Additionally, Dr. Fauci and President Biden have concluded talks and agreed that persons will receive a jab every 5 months, since the efficacy of the EUA’s wane after 6 to 8 months. To be on the safe side, they have decided to bring the boosters up to every 5 months. There is therefore no definition for ‘fully vaccinated’.
On another note. I trust the government is prepared to deal with the increase in unemployment that this causes. And for those who will shout, “send dem down island people where they from”, many of the persons who have chosen not to be vaccinated are in fact locals. Food for thought. Don’t create another pandemic in the midst of one.
Lord, give these people wisdom. Help them to seek you and to stop looking to the almighty dollar.
@ Venom.
Well said!
I hope they ready for their booster shots. Oh they did not tell them about that did they. Speaking of misinformation.
Then now they will have more unemployed people so who will have to take care of them? Social welfare already overburdened. These Leaders we have lack vision.
Simple facts. Not opinions.
1. If VACCINATED PEOPLE get the Delta variant – even in large numbers they will not stress out the health system. If UNVACCINATED PEOPLE get the delta variant ( unless they young and healthy and NOT FAT) AND DIE…However. they will die immediately. They will stress out the health system ( and health care workers whose appeals for them to get vaccinated they refused to heed- the irony!) for days and weeks at a time before a sure death….
This will cripple the economy. AND GUESS WHAT THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE BVI…THE REST OF THE WORLD WILL NOT WORK / VACATION / INVEST OR DO BUSINESS WITH A COUNTRY THAT IS UNABLE TO DEAL WITH HEALTH EMERGENCIES!!!!!
Why are people refusing to see this !!! Stupidity is the real problem in the BVI. Vaccine hesitation is a symptom ….
2. The BVI cannot have its cake and eat it too. And if you cant understand the journals why put it up ? And ofc I am a health care worker…..that journal might as well be in French as far as some of you are concerned …Did you read and understand the methodology? The power of the study ? The statistical test utilized? Do you know what peer review means ????
Bottom line …..BVI gonna have to face the music. The private entities WILL MANDATE vaccination….If the government stops them. Guess what. They will LEAVE as many have already…and BVI will lose more jobs. If the Hotel industry can NOT mandate staff be vaccinated. TOURISTS WILL GO ELSEWHERE!!!!
And the irony is….these same people who don’t want vaccination to be mandated…WILL THEY APPROVE OF UNVACCINATED PEOPLE ( LIKE THEMSELVES) COMING HERE ON CRUISE SHIPS ????
Spare me with BS nah….
And yea read this twice if you disagree because you probably aint smart enough to understand thw salient points…
Well if vaccinated won’t die stop worrying about who is unvaccinated since you guys are exempt from death.smh
You are a complete and utter boo booooo. Vaccinated persons have Died. Let me repeat for the Judgemental holier than thou vaxxers in the back. VACCINATED PERSONS HAVE DIED. YOU FOOLS. DRINK YOUR POISON AND WAIT FOR YOUR TIME. YOU JUMP ON THE VAXX BANDWAGON AND WOULD NOT WAIT TO SEE WHATS UP. TRUSTING….. JUST LIKE THE SHEEP YOU ARE.
Please realise that one can only be classed as vaccinated after 14 days of the second shot. Therefore you must question the ‘unvaccinated’ death rates.
I don’t understand why the news media is failing to fact check and flag post such as this as misinformation.
These kind of people are doing harm to poorly informed people and risking their health’s and life. Censoring occurs on this site for minor things. At the least when people’s life is at risk, the media should do due diligence to either present the facts or correct/disallow misinformation that is being posted to their sites.
Do you all even read or follow news on tv? This is happening ALL over the world. Not just in the BVI. If those of you who are talking were living in the US you would have been in that vaccine line a long time ago! You all just need to hush. No way can a govt tell a business what it can or cant do as long as they are not breaking any laws. It’s your choice whether to have the vaccine or not. It’s the employer’s choice to protect his employees and customers!! Make your choice!
I hope they realize we have a right to go to the polls and vote them out.
All these excuses about Vax people, getting sick and carrying the virus too, all that maybe so, but been Vax will keep you alive.. And its Simple work along with your boss, your boss is nicely asking you to take the Vax…Take the Vax will not kill you, it may well safe you!.
@ Resident
Just because it is happening elsewhere does not make it right.
As long as the businesses that release unvaccinated workers publicly acknowledged that their doing so, so we unvaccinated customers can stop goin there.
We dont want to put your business place at risk, and we would be just as big a “risk: as your workers.
@ Venom.
Well said!
I hope they ready for their booster shots. Oh they did not tell them about that did they. Speaking of misinformation.
Then now they will have more unemployed people so who will have to take care of them? Social welfare already overburdened. These Leaders we have lack vision.
When pay period comes employees are looking for their pay and they dont want to hear excuses…If business is slow they still want their money and the employers have to find that money. So aint see what so wrong if the emoployers are asking the employees to consider the business, help the business and the best way to do so is to take the vaccine, if they refused, they don’t care if the business fail, you cant have employees like that. .Sad to say, but that is how I see it…
What is wrong with the BVI? Other British Overseas Territories like Gibraltar, Cayman Is, Bermuda have vaccinated a high percentage of their population from back in March 2021. They got the doses, they trusted the science and worked to get to herd immunity. They have small populations and so can get to herd immunity faster than big countries. When will the BVI emulate the other Br. Overseas Territories?
Those places are of a different mindset,intelligence and sophistication..
The VI is content to scrape from the bottom of the barrel.
and if you’d continue to pay attention to the news you’d see that these places continue to see spikes in covid infections and hospitalizations…
but telling half the story better when its the half you agree with..
What is wrong with the BVI? Bunch of momos here who will believe anything. They are not alone.
Lots of momos all over the place who are believing the same crap. Many of whom are dropping like flies everyday from covid because they did not get vaccinated.
All the talk about vaccinated persons transmitting the virus to the same degree as unvaccinated is pure crap.
The truth is only a very small percentage of vaccinated persons contract covid and are less likely to be carriers of the virus as their viral loads are significantly lower.
A closer look at those who became infected or died post vaccination has to do with the timing of their vaccination prior to full immunity and other underlying predispositions. Getting the vaccine is one thing. They body needs time to develop full immunity which can take up to 3 weeks after the last shot.
Prior to that, of course you can become infected, get sick, and possibly die.
I have found that the less educated a persons is or the less a person is capable of processing complex information makes them easy prey to those who traffic in conspiracy theories and wish to manipulate their minds.
Anyone can sell them anything. In this case, conspiracy theories’ about the covid vaccine, that has been shown to reduce illness and death. Crazy, but that is what happens when you cannot think for yourself.
Many of these people will remain at high risk of catching covid and probably dying from it. When that happens, they have no one to blame for their illness and death but themselves.
I personally am tired of hearing their excuses. It pains me to say this, but natural selection may have to take it’s course with some of these momos.
I dont wish it, but it appears to be their wish to do this the hard way. No saving them after all these months of the vaccine being available or the correct information being out there. These people will spend all day on Facebook posting crap than using the internet to educate themselves. Enough of them!
As for businesses having the right to make their own rules relative to vaccination, of course they do. They government will be beyond it’s authority to say otherwise. They can only encourage.
Some of these momos need to understand that you have a right to remain unvaccinated, yes, but no one owes you are job. You are taking your sense of entitlement too far.
They should also be paying more in health insurance premiums if they choose to remain unvaccinated, which is their right as they would say, as the risk of their becoming sick or dying from covid is higher than those who are vaccinated. Vaccinated people should hot have to foot your hospital bill when you refuse to take care of yourself.
If they survive covid, in time they will understand that being unvaccinated poses significant risk to their lives, and it will become more expensive for them to live and travel. They will figure it out if they survive. Just a matter of time. One way or the other, natural selection will have the last word.
99 % survival rate! Most were unvax. Continue to focus on the negative. Pay higher insurance premiums I don’t have an issue with but fire me from a job that is grossly unjust.
“A closer look at those who became infected or died post vaccination has to do with the timing of their vaccination prior to full immunity and other underlying predispositions. Getting the vaccine is one thing. They body needs time to develop full immunity which can take up to 3 weeks after the last shot”.
Post that study please.
Three separate Studies have shown that vaccinated carry the same viral loads as unvaccinated. I know a family one vaccinated mother the only one with symptoms:
https://news.wisc.edu/study-shows-virus-abundant-in-covid-19-cases-in-wisconsin-even-among-fully-vaccinated/
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7031e2.htm
https://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n2074
I wish you guys would start to post links of where you all are getting this information from. It sure would help.
All I know I boycotting all who choose to partake in firing their workers. No unvaccinated workers well not my unvaccinated business.
I will guess not. You are waste of time. It’s your life. Do as you wish. I could care less about the decisions you have made relative to your life choices. I am losing any sleep over it.
Everything we do in life has consequences. If you die of covid, so be it. No matter what a person post, you will always pull up something to prove your point. You are obsessed with making your point, don’t care about your own health least others. Just want to run your mouth.
You are not fooling me; rather, you are fooling yourself. I know of many people like you with your mindset who are six feet under.
I don’t buy your bs, and if you keep this up, rest assured that someday you might regret this. If some people are foolish enough to buy what you are selling then they deserve what comes their way for being led astray by people who could give a rats tail about their health. Bye.
@ Are you vaccinated
Look like I step on your corn.
At the end of the day its about choice. Let people make their choice and stop with the dam mandates!
Meanwhile…I await your closer look study.
I knew you were full of bs from the first time I saw your post. That’s why I said you are full of it and a waste of time.
As I said your choice does not bother me. It’s your life, but I cannot figure why you go to the extent to dissuade others from taking the vaccine. You are even against masks. Misery loves company, and you are exhibit A.
I see your evil intent. Keep waiting for some closer look study. You get off by arguing; I don’t. Not interested.
Find a fool in someone else. Meanwhile, covid cannot wait to get down those lungs of yours that is spewing nonsense. I luv people like you. Hope it’s not too late to wear your mask moomo. All the best.
@ are you vaccinate
Where did I say that I was against mask wearing? Now you are making stuff up. Add to that you are wishing ill- will against me is well noted. Sad.
I know the truth hurts but I am here on the side of choice. I believe everyone has a right to choose whether or not to vaccinate. I am not here to dissuade anyone but just to shed light on the misinformation.
I await your study. After all they always say follow the science.
You are implying that vaccinated are transmission vectors just like the unvaccinated. This is flat out wrong, vaccines largely STOP infection. And worse you are selectively quoting from studies in full knowledge that you are misrepresenting. e.g BMJ refers to “those INFECTED with the delta variant can carry similar virus levels as unvaccinated people”
Check out the largest authoritative study carried out weekly:
“With 2 of 2 doses of either vaccine effectiveness against infection is estimated at around 65 to 90%”
Source Public Health England COVID report week 34.
Those places are of a different mindset,intelligence and sophistication..
The VI is content to scrape from the bottom of the barrel.
An unimaginable amount of fear has been generated over a virus that has a survivability rate over 99% for all but the most aged AND infirm. Protect the vulnerable, leave everyone else alone.
These employers are asking employees to take the vaxine, some employees not in favor but thet take it just to plesse their boss and to keep their Job, Here is my problem, Employers are still laying off those same employees they ask to take the vaxine..There is a letter circulating from a Super Market of the laying off both Vaxinated and unvaxinated workers, You wonder if it really worth going against your belief and taking the vaxine just to please the Boss, or to keep your Job, becaue you are still losing it.
People must has themselves: “Cui bono?” or “Who benefits?” from the anti-vax movement? When the World’s scientists, those have advanced levels of learning, who can actually research at a scientific level (research isn’t youtubing something) all recommend taking the vaccine, why is it that some people choose to ignore their advice? Is it because the devil wishes to entice the weak to his dark side and to their deaths?
I see plenty hospitals full of people dying of Covid, but do not know of any hospital full of people dying from the vaccine.
God be with you all.
So human rights are trumped by the rights of a business. If you don’t care about defending the Constitution, just say so Andy. What an A**-Cl**n. Can I get my vote back? Oh yeah, I never voted for this guy.
To all the ignorant persons out there. There will come a time when the COVID vaccine will become mandatory to get on a plane to travel or work in the tourism industry. Let’s see what you will do then.