GSD Says The Rights of Unvaccinated People Are “Not a Numbers Game”
The GSD has said that it is now clear that the Government are “simply playing a political numbers game” rather than considering the rights or wishes of all families or individuals. The party says the Government have apparently calculated that the issue of unvaccinated individuals visiting their family members in hospital or ERS affects a minority of individuals they are “shutting their eyes” to the problem and are “abandoning the pleas for help” by those individuals.
A statement continued: “The GSD has called for the Government to explore ways to achieve safe visiting rights. The vaccination requirement is a new one. It was not in place till a vaccination programme had been launched. By insisting on this it, in effect, creates a group of citizens that are left behind and whose rights to see their families are affected. That cannot be right as a matter of principle when the COVID situation is what it currently is. One thing is to tell unvaccinated individuals that they will need to take extra precautions because they are unvaccinated or to see family members in separate premises. But what the Government are doing is barring them completely and on an indefinite basis. This does not make sense when the risks are – so far – evidently lower than when there was no vaccination programme.
“Why else would Government be triumphantly heralding Gibraltar as a “green light” tourism destination for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals after 17 May when the UK is expected to make an announcement.”
Leader of the Opposition, Keith Azopardi said: “It stands to reason against the current COVID backdrop that ways could be found to allow families to see their loved ones. It is not right in a society where the rights of the majority have been restored to create a group of social outcasts who are prevented from seeing their loved ones. We could well understand that this would be impossible if the COVID situation was different in Gibraltar. But it is not. The truth is that residents at ERS or hospital patients are as likely to be at risk from unvaccinated members of staff entering the premises as they are with unvaccinated family members. Presumably there are unvaccinated members of the public who are also entering the hospital premises for outpatient treatment. If that is the case what is the difference? And would there not be higher methods of control of unvaccinated visitors by requiring them to take a COVID test than unvaccinated individuals entering hospital for outpatient consultations who do not receive a COVID test? As the contradictions are rife the Government should review the issue.”
