The Zimbabwean government recently announced that it was mandatory for all those employed by the Public Service Commission (PSC), civil servants, to be vaccinated. Prior to this vaccinations were encouraged but not mandatory. However, certain public corporations among them TelOne already had policies that more or less made it mandatory for their workers to be vaccinated. This new policy memo means that there is now a uniform mandatory vaccination policy that covers all the civil service.
Below is part of the policy document sent out to various departments of the civil service.
RE: MEASURES FOR COVID-19 CONTAINMENT WITHIN THE PUBLIC SERVICE
Reference is made to the Cabinet decision issued on Tuesday 14 September 2021 regading Measures for Covid 19 cointainment within the Public Service.
In line with said Cabinet decision, all civil servants should be vacinnatd without delay and unvacinnated members shall not be allowed to report for duty and will not be deemed to be working. All Heads of Ministries are therefore urged to make arrangements for all civil servants under their jurisdiction to be vacinnated, and to explain to any who elect not to be vacinnated that they will be deemed not to be working.
Further be advised that all other instructions in circular number 23 of 2021 will remain in force.
The PSC will continue to communicate any reviews as the situation is manged.
All Ministries are urged to cooperate as we remain alert in combating this pandemic, which would be certainly overcome through adherence to conduct and protocols prescribed by the Zimbabwe health authorities, as guided by the World Health Organization.
Ambassador J. Wutawunahse
Secretary
Public Service Comission
The text of the memo spelling out the no vaccination no work policy
It’s not clear when those who are unvaccinated will be deemed not to be working as the document does not specify an effective date for this policy. We can only assume that is either with immediate effect, the government loves laws and regulations that are enforced with little warning, or if not the policy will probably be effective soon.
While the government’s effort to get people vaccinated is to be applauded, I do have some concerns. The biggest of which remains the ease with which vaccination cards can be bought and forged. Some clinics that run out of cards are simply using bits of paper with a stamp on them. Stamps are so easy to fake and I fear that those, even civil servants, who don’t want to be vaccinated will simply buy fake certificates and get around this policy.
There is a need for COVID-19 passports that people can use to prove they have been vacinnated. Genuine certificates that are hard to forge, portable and are durable. I have a feeling these passports will be popping up in every country soon as each country seems to be working on some version or another including even our neighbouring South Africa.
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