President Cyril Ramaphosa Forms a Task Team for Mandatory Vaccinations, South Africans Have Opposing Views

• South African citizens may soon be required to get vaccinated for them to participate in specific activities, says President Cyril Ramaphosa
• Ramaphosa has tasked different stakeholders with finding the best approach to implementing mandatory vaccination
• The South African Medical Research Council says people should be required to present vaccine passports before entering restaurants

JOHANNESBURG - The South African government is seriously considering making Covid19 vaccinations compulsory for citizens to gain access to specific activities and locations.

The announcement was made by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday night, 28 November during his address of the nation.

Implementing mandatory vaccinations comes after the emergence of a new Covid19 variant, Omicron, which is said to have more than 30 mutations, according to SABCNews.

Ramaphosa says making vaccines compulsory is a sure way of ensuring that people are less vulnerable to new variants of the coronavirus. He added that different stakeholders have been approached and they will discuss how to go about implementing mandatory vaccines.

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SAMRC welcomes mandatory vaccinations

The President's announcement has been welcomed by the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC).

Professor Glenda Gray of the SAMRC says mandatory vaccination is critical because not enough people have been vaccinated in South Africa. Gray adds that South Africa cannot manage the coronavirus pandemic with such low vaccination numbers, according to a report by eNCA.

She further says vaccine certificates should be a requirement to enter public and private spaces.

"We should also insist that when we go to restaurants and when we go to other places, or when people come to our houses that they are able to produce their vaccine passports. So that we know that we are mixing with people that will protect us," says Gray.

South Africans have opposing views about compulsory vaccinations

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Heading online, South Africans have shared their thoughts about the South African government's plan to introduce mandatory vaccines.

There is seemingly a group of South Africans who are for mandatory vaccinations while there are others who are against it completely and have threatened to protest.

Here are some of their comments:

@maxwell_mncwabe:

"They should roll up their sleeves and vaccinate and leave ours alone, they trust and believe in it so they must help themselves and indulge in it multiple times if they want to, be safe forever and leave us alone please, nobody forced them to take it so shall it be for us too."

@Mphephu_Troy said:

"Good. All those with medical aids will be forced to vaccinate."

@JimmyGweba said:

"I think the SA govt should go ahead and make #COVID19 mandatory for the people to challenge this in a court of law, and to finally put COVID, lockdowns & bans for the unvaccinated on trial. Otherwise, it's just more scares tactics to push people to get vaccinated."

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@54Battalion said:

"I don't think people don't want to vaccinate, I think they just don't trust this government and I don't expect everyone to understand. #MandatoryVaccination"

Family meeting: Ramaphosa says SA will remain on Alert Level 1

Briefly News previously reported that following days of suspense and build-up, President Cyril Ramaphosa finally made his address to the nation on Sunday evening.

His speech follows a private meeting held on Saturday evening by the Coronavirus Command Council.

While growing concerns both at home and abroad about the newly detected Omicron variant have caused some uncertainty, Ramaphosa says SA is to remain on Alert Level 1.

Source: Briefly News