By NEIL HARTNELL
Tribune Business Editor
nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
A Bahamian attorney yesterday urged the government to reform health and safety at work laws to allow employers to mandate that staff get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Carey Leonard, the former Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) in-house counsel, told Tribune Business that increased vaccination rates were the only way “to get a grip” on resurgent pandemic case numbers that pose a particular threat to The Bahamas because of its service-based economy.
While arguing against the government extending its Emergency Powers Orders beyond the current August 13 expiry in a bid to get a handle on soaring COVID infections, he added that vaccination-related court rulings in the US had established a precedent where the public interest in having all persons inoculated outweighed individual freedoms and choice.
While The Bahamas is not bound to follow US law, and has a completely different legal system, Mr Leonard argued that the government should seek to change the Health and Safety at Work Act to give employers the ability to mandate that staff become vaccinated against COVID-19.
Such suggestions will likely provoke a sharp push back from trade unions and workers, as well as other attorneys, but he explained: “I think we’ve had enough of these emergency orders, but there may be some laws they need to amend to provide for certain things.
“They may need to amend the law as it relates to Health and Safety at Work to give businesses the right to insist on vaccinations of their staff.... I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility to say for the safety and interest of the general public, in this particular instance it outweighs the individual’s rights.
“If we don’t get a grip on this we’re going to be in trouble. If you look at the UK numbers, they’re skyrocketing again but they don’t have 1,000 people dying every day; they don’t even have 100 per day. They say the majority of people in hospitals and dying are all the non-vaccinated,” Mr Leonard continued.
“I think perhaps we need to change the laws so that we get everything under control... We have very serious issues that we need to get under control, and the evidence is becoming clearer and clearer as most people in hospital are the non-vaccinated.”
Mr Leonard argued that concerns being spread over COVID-19 vaccines are “not as drastic as people are making them out to be, and added: “I think they’ve blowing it out of all proportion.” He added that similar fears were raised decades ago over smallpox and polio vaccinations, yet pointed out that parents would not let their children go to school without these. Smallpox vaccination certificates were also at one time required for travel.
“For health and safety legislation and things like that, I don’t see why we cannot amend the law,” he reiterated. “We’re in service-oriented industries in this economy, so we need to get it under control. It’s a matter of emergency; get it under control. I hope they don’t extend the emergency orders as I don’t think it will be necessary, but I think legislation is necessary.” Some 75 new COVID cases were recorded on Monday.
With the Prime Minister due to address the nation tonight on the Government’s latest COVID response strategy, Ben Albury, Bahamas Bus and Truck’s general manager, last night told Tribune Business that any further extension of the Emergency Orders would be “dire” for the country and its economy.
“I don’t even want to consider that this would be happening at this point,” he said of the prospects for an extension. “They’ve done their best, had these orders for quite a while and now it’s time to bring this to an end.... Government cannot continue to protect us from ourselves forever.
“People are going hungry, the economy is rebounding, tourism is rebounding. I don’t see this [COVID] going anywhere for the foreseeable future. It’s something we’re going to have to co-exist with to a degree. We’ve adapted to other sicknesses, flus. We have to follow the guidelines, and if we get sick there will be consequences, but the Government cannot protect us from ourselves forever.”
Turning to the Prime Minister’s address, Mr Albury voiced optimism that “there will be some balance between public safety and the financial health of the country” in whatever strategy is adopted to contain COVID-19 infections and bring them down.
“Hopefully he will strike some balance between where we are from a health and financial perspective,” he reiterated. “I’m sure the Government needs money. Everybody needs to try and keep this positive we have with the economy going, but we have to look at the health.
“People are getting sick, and the system is getting overwhelmed, so we have to look at it responsibly. We cannot continue to open and shut, open and shut. We need some consistency on the way forward other than restrictions.”
Comments
WETHEPEOPLE 2 years, 9 months ago
Mandatory these nuts!
carltonr61 2 years, 9 months ago
Polio vaccine inoculation was tested first then after testing one shot in your life. This Covid vaccine being punched into people by polititiins authorization only and has no passed the health and safety testing for ten years for side effects. It has not been gotten approval for nationwide use. At first they said it was only meant for the vulnerable and old aged in emergency use case as those over 70 years old were among 90%of deaths. Now they are giving it to five year olds for testing. Even JAnd J baby powder was thought safe for decades until they were forced to pay billions back for causing millions of cancer deaths and family destruction. The Nuremberg Convention prohibits humans being used for live expwriamtation before the proper animal testest is done. Anthrax may have been tested on British subjects in San Salvador before. Hitler did live human tests. Syphilis was tested on black Americans and some of it got into the Bahamas during the seventies to now. These some heartless dudes to test Covid vaccines on humans.
TalRussell 2 years, 9 months ago
No need for the eagerness of Queen's Counsel Michael QC of the Grand Lucayan Resort's special purpose vehicle (SPV) be spending, even more, the PopoulacesPurse's high interest borrowed monies to fix damages caused to its waters purification system, whilst at the same time as there islittle spending occurring on securing and mobilization vaccines jabbing.
How the Commonwealth of 1200 Out Islands, Caya, inlets, and Rocks can work again is 99,88 percent dependent upon a minimum of 70 percent jabbing is performed in the arms majority PopoulacesOdinaries 488,888, and the minorities 2888 Special Purpose Class SPC, yes?
carltonr61 2 years, 9 months ago
So far human experiment vaccines for Covid show that after six months they don't work which disqualifies them as a vaccine. Sputnik V vaccine however holds off all strains of Covid but WHO would not approve its use in NATO, Western or EU/UK oriented worldphere. Why spend money on a six month vaccine for the whole world when one doze of Sputnik V truly cures you. Just bring us the Sputnik if you love life, country and ecomoy.
proudloudandfnm 2 years, 9 months ago
Nonsense...
C2B 2 years, 9 months ago
Go get your head checked.
carltonr61 2 years, 9 months ago
Minnis dem and their estate better have some good international lawyers. Because this thing is coming down upon world leaders like Hitler who do test runs of chemicals to see who would and would not become injured.
John 2 years, 9 months ago
The man of perdition must first be revealed before the coming of Christ. And this devil is a liar. The father of them.
John 2 years, 9 months ago
Anyone studying the data knows that this entire Covid pandemic is being manipulated and the vaccines are part of the scam. This idiot is asking the government to approve a vaccine that hasn’t yet been approved for human consumption. It’s effective seems to wear off in a matter of months and the safety of re-vaccinations and the side effects are not known. What is known is more vaccinated people are becoming ill and more unvaccinated persons are getting infected from vaccinated people. Simply because educated idiots seek to bow down to vaccines as their lord and savior rather than using the vaccines as another weapon to combat the virus. And now to say make vaccines mandatory… you ainn serious. Go investigate Dr Fauci and make him stand accountable.
ohdrap4 2 years, 9 months ago
Well this man will not be re-elected.
As it is, and against the law, employers are making people pay for covid testing.
baclarke 2 years, 9 months ago
"he added that vaccination-related court rulings in the US had established a precedent where the public interest in having all persons inoculated outweighed individual freedoms and choice."
I completely disagree with mandatory vaccinations. The only way this consideration would even make sense is if it was actually proven to prevent the spread of covid, which it has already been proven that the vaccines do NOT prevent the spread of covid. So the US court rulings are stupid and this guys comments make zero sense. Then he mentions hospitalizations like everyone else.... well geee, if you are so concerned about people being hospitalized for health reasons, make all unhealthy food and tobacco illegal and force persons to exercise.... Maybe this is in our "public interest" also?
tribanon 2 years, 9 months ago
Carey Leonard is obviously completely ignorant of the latest science that has proven vaccinated persons are just as likely as unvaccinated persons to be carriers and super spreaders of the Wuhan virus and its variants, and that the vaccines only provide the vaccinated with limited protection for about 8 months or so at most because their waning efficacy.
Hence all of the talk by Pfizer and others about the likely need for never ending periodic booster jabs for those who decide to join the new Vaccine Dependent Global Society by accepting the very real unknown long-term health risks associated with these warp speed developed experimental mRNA vaccines.
Meanwhile there is a growing body of evidence that persons who have acquired naturally immunity to the Wuhan virus and its variants persons may have the strongest and most enduring protection going forward.
We really need to start tuning out the less knowledgeable quacks like Carey Leonard who apparently doesn't appreciate that strapping persons down so that they can be forceably jabbed against their free will with whatever 'medical substance' evil state actors in collusion with big pharma may want to put in their bodies is nothing short of outright lunacy.
If you're over age 65 and have one or more serious pre-existing conditions, then you should talk to your own physician about the risks involved for you in getting vaccinated or not getting vaccinated. Last I heard Carey Leonard is a lawyer and not a medical doctor.
tribanon 2 years, 9 months ago
P.S.: Above all else, the decision to get vaccinated is rightfully a personal choice based on (1) your existing health, (2) confidential medical advice you receive from your own qualified physician, and (3) how comfortable you feel about all of the risks involved for you and your family.
proudloudandfnm 2 years, 9 months ago
Vaccines protect from hospitalizations and death. No threat of hospitalizations and death mean no pandemic. Mean back to normal life.
Of course make the vaccine mandatory.
Who cares what these facebook warriors think? Just make it mandatory already....
tribanon 2 years, 9 months ago
Many of us who regularly post comments to this website have been tuning you out for quite sometime now. lol
proudloudandfnm 2 years, 9 months ago
Nah. Many of you are just dumb asd trumpies..
tribanon 2 years, 9 months ago
ZZZZZZzzzzzzz......
baclarke 2 years, 9 months ago
Let me help you out, right from Merriam-Webster dictionary:
Definition of pandemic (Entry 2 of 2) 1: an outbreak of a disease that occurs over a wide geographic area (such as multiple countries or continents) and typically affects a significant proportion of the population : a pandemic outbreak of a disease a global pandemic Influenza pandemics seem to strike every few decades and to kill by the million—at least 1m in 1968; perhaps 100m in the "Spanish" flu of 1918-19. — The Economist 2: an outbreak or product of sudden rapid spread, growth, or development : EPIDEMIC entry 2 sense 2 We have been talking about the pandemic of racism for centuries. — Roger Griffith Nobel-prize winning economist Robert Shiller warns a pandemic of fear could tip the economy into an undeserved depression. — Stephanie Landsman
John 2 years, 9 months ago
Go have a drink in a crowded club dude.
whogothere 2 years, 9 months ago
Whats Facebook?
Vaccines protect from hospitalisations and death (for maybe 3-6 months)
You forgot the last bit.. ;)
No pandemic? - nah you got to tell your peeps in power - they're only look at cases...they do have a plan for that though - if you're vaccinated they're not going to test you ;) so you can still die it just won't be called covid..
it's a good plan..
baclarke 2 years, 9 months ago
"No threat of hospitalizations and death mean no pandemic." FALSE. No matter how many times you say this, it doesn't make it true, I encourage you to look up the definition of pandemic. Pandemic is in reference to the SPREAD of an infectious disease, and the vaccines do NOT prevent the spread of COVID - FACT.
proudloudandfnm 2 years, 9 months ago
Pandemic is about spread huh?
So every year there's a cold and flu pandemic?
Idiot.
If 97 to 99% percent of people are mildly infected and not needing to be hospitalized there would be no pandemic. It'd just be another yearly flu or cold like thing.
Duh...
baclarke 2 years, 9 months ago
Again, you are the idiot. If there was a new strain of influenza that spread worldwide, then yes it would be a pandemic.
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/resource-cent...">https://www.cdc.gov/flu/resource-cent...
proudloudandfnm 2 years, 9 months ago
Only if it were to cause mass hospitalizations and deaths. BTW there is a new flu strain just about every year. That is why flu shots are mostly ineffective. It mutates.
tribanon 2 years, 9 months ago
"If 97 to 99% percent of people are mildly infected and not needing to be hospitalized there would be no pandemic. It'd just be another yearly flu or cold like thing."
Bingo! That's precisely what many reputable scientists are now saying. They believe the falling number of deaths around the world is a good indicator that the Wuhan virus and its variants will indeed gradually become 'watered-down' to the point where they will eventually have no more lethality than the many other corona viruses that have been circulating among mankind for centuries. Remember, viruses are programmed to become as widespread as possible and they don't achieve that by killing off their hosts.
So hold on to your rare and inadvertent flash of genius. There's hope for you yet. lol
proudloudandfnm 2 years, 9 months ago
Hospitals are full, they have a refrigerated container holding bodies. They have suspended elective surgeries. They are having a difficult time treating non covid cases due to being overwhelmed.
At some point you anti vaxxers need to just shut the f-ck up and let the scientists decide the best defense. Sitting on your couch reading faceboom posts is not research...
You get sick and need to go to the hospital and you'll find out just how urgent this is....
whogothere 2 years, 9 months ago
Hospitals were full before Covid..surgurgies were cancelled before the pandemic... www.tribune242.com/news/2020/jan/22/b...
Morgues were full before people were dying of covid. www.tribune242.com/news/2018/apr/20/1...
At some point you got to take your head out of your ass and take the S**t out your brains and realise the country's the health system was crumbling before COVID and will continue to crumble after...with or without the vaccine. It is chronic. The reality is 70% of Bahamians (according to your dutiful Dr Minnis) have chronic disease. The burden of death from poor health decisions regarding diet and exercise (600+ annually) has and continues to be more than the disease of COVID-19 (200+ annually) and in fact exacerbate the damage the disease inflicts on our country.
http://caribbean-webcrat.blogspot.com...">http://caribbean-webcrat.blogspot.com...
https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n623">https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n623
TalRussell 2 years, 9 months ago
The much anticipated COVID-19 honorarium in the cheques issued No Bid contract recipients can always take advantage of the due payment on or before cheques scheduled for the issue, date. All would require is to make that one telephone call to your cell phone's directory of Red politically connected, yes?
John 2 years, 9 months ago
The Number of new cases in the US is now nearly that of INDIA and the numbers in Brazil and even RUSSIA! Why? Simply misuse of vaccines and a mad, almost psychopathic push to get persons to vaccinate. The vaccinated took off their masks (( just like in the Trump era). They dined inside (like in the times of Trump), they attended large, crowded events ( super spreaders like Trump rallies). And now the vaccines seem to be loosing their efficacy. And now it’s back to when Biden first took office: Wear your masks, social distance, sanitize, wash hands, avoid large gatherings as much as possible and, likewise stay home. At least whilst they try figure out these vaccines. Simply remedies sometimes always work better. And vaccines wortk with common sense.
proudloudandfnm 2 years, 9 months ago
99% of all hospitalizations and deaths related to covid are still unvaccinated. So much for your efficacy stat...
whogothere 2 years, 9 months ago
Again not in England or Israel or countries that actually report on this....USA doesn't test new vaccinated entrants into hospital unless you have symptoms. So you go into hospital and die of a stroke if your vaccinated you died of stroke (though you may have had covid) - there is a much tighter screening process for unvaxxed...you go to hospital to get an elective surgery if you're vaxxed you don't get tested if you unvaxxed you do. And if you test positive you're hospitalised for covid... It's almost like they want the narrative to be that more unvaxxed are ending up in hospital..hmmm
carltonr61 2 years, 9 months ago
https://southfront.org/forced-vaccina...">https://southfront.org/forced-vaccina...
carltonr61 2 years, 9 months ago
https://southfront.org/planet-lockdow...">https://southfront.org/planet-lockdow...
carltonr61 2 years, 9 months ago
POTUS is hog tied now to big pharma power. They must have presented him with business dealings involving next of kin. Every time son hits news he caves in.
carltonr61 2 years, 9 months ago
Proud is probably a Police. I came across many provocators while blogging NYT International for the past 20 years and Washington Post. Just don't step out of line. But provoke academically. In politics never expose your family they become fair in the game.
TalRussell 2 years, 9 months ago
During this day's 5:00 pm hour, the Commonwealth's Prime Minister has scheduled live to air broadcasting time to address general election's mostests urgently pressing matters, yes?
TalRussell 2 years, 9 months ago
During this evening's 8:00 pm hour,
proudloudandfnm 2 years, 9 months ago
Tribune. Time for you guys to start blocking these anti vax morons...
Enough is enough...
whogothere 2 years, 9 months ago
Funny - the side that tries to censor free speech generally isn't generally the side that you want making your decisions for you...glad the FNM haven't taken that stance yet and applaud the Tribune for continuing to be a platform that encourages expression, discussion and exchange of ideas.
C2B 2 years, 9 months ago
What's to worry about? It's not like we have obese people with diabetes, cardiovascular problems, high blood pressure, heart disease, or hypertension. LOL Just close the Hospital, let the virus cull the herd, and be done with it. 10000 dead Bahamians and we are finished with the virus and the idiots. You are free to die.
JokeyJack 2 years, 9 months ago
Thank you. Yes, many of us would rather die than live in the sick world you are creating. You cannot take over the world, you can only occupy it, for under your occupation and control it is no longer a world.
GodSpeed 2 years, 9 months ago
Get a load of this guy. Who does he think he is? Slavery is over Carey Leonard, you don't own us.
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