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Mandatory vaccine cards delayed by ‘issues’ 

15 Dec 2021

 
  • Matter under review with Health Ministry Legal Division et al.
  • GoSL to make final call; DGHS to be implementing authority  
  BY Buddhika Samaraweera  The Health Ministry has stated that it is still reviewing the possibility of making it mandatory for the people to have Covid-19 vaccination cards on their person when entering public places and that it will therefore not be possible to implement the said decision in the near future.  During a meeting of the Covid-19 Prevention Committee on 10 December, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had stated that the possession of the Covid-19 vaccination card would be made mandatory. However, when queried whether there is a specific timeframe for its implementation, Health Ministry Communications Director, Public Health Services Deputy Director General, and Disaster Preparedness and Response Division Head Dr. Hemantha Herath said that there are a number of issues with making the vaccination card mandatory. Therefore, he said that the Ministry’s Legal Division and other relevant agencies are currently studying these issues and possible remedies.  “This is still under consideration as there are so many issues that need to be addressed before implementing it. Therefore, the Ministry’s Legal Division and other stakeholders are currently in the process of reviewing it and finding remedies for the issues that may arise. However, at this moment, there is no planned date on which this will be implemented,” he explained. When questioned who will make the final decision in this regard, Dr. Herath said: “It will be the Government of Sri Lanka that will make the final decision in this regard. Thereafter, the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) will oversee the implementation.”  Meanwhile, Dr. Herath had, on an earlier occasion, said that if it is to be made mandatory for the people to bring a vaccination card to confirm that they have received both the doses of Covid-19 vaccines when visiting public places, those who are unable to obtain the Covid-19 vaccines due to health reasons should also be given a card stating such.  Furthermore, speaking in the Parliament recently, Parliamentarian Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera stated that it should not be made mandatory for the people to obtain the Covid-19 vaccines but that those who had not been vaccinated should instead be allowed to act in accordance with the health guidelines.


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