September 02, (THEWILL) – Edo State’s Governor Godwin Obaseki is at daggers drawn over the order of a High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, banning the government from plans to prevent access to public places and functions by people without certificated proof of having been inoculated with the anti-COVID-19 vaccine.
A statement he signed on Wednesday said that there would be no going back on the Governor’s resolve to implement the policy, beginning from the second week of September.
By Wednesday’s directive, the Governor has now threatened to enforce another lockdown in the state if the people remained impervious to pleas to accept vaccination.
He reiterated that 13 people had died in the state from the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus, and all of them were unvaccinated.
The government’s resolve comes on the heels of some civil society organizations filing out in public protest and, furthermore, securing a court order for Edo to stop all moves to make the taking of anti-COVID-19 vaccines compulsory because it would be violating the litigants and citizens’ Fundamental Human Rights.
Obaseki had announced on August 30 that as part of new regulations, beginning from the second week of September 2021, large gatherings as well as high traffic public and private places would only be accessible to persons flaunting proof of taking at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
However, he denied making vaccination compulsory for all 3.23 million residents.
Obaseki’s statement read: “The attention of the Edo State Government has been drawn to an order by a High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, directing the Government to maintain the status quo on the purported compulsory vaccination of its citizens with the COVID-19 vaccine.
“To the best of our knowledge, the order is at best speculative and pre-emptive as the scheduled date for the commencement of the enforcement of the directive by the state government is the second week of September, 2021.
“It must be stated that there is an obvious misconception that the directive issued by the government was to make vaccination compulsory for all citizens.
“Although the State Governor, in truth, has the power to make such an order under the Gazetted Quarantine Regulations, this directive is actually only a denial of access to public places of persons who chose not to be vaccinated.
“We believe the government’s overriding concern is the safety and health of its citizens.
“We are currently confronted with a situation wherein the Case Positivity Rate (CPR) for COVID-19 hovers between 15 and 25 percent as deaths are consistently being recorded daily from COVID-19, with unvaccinated persons accounting for 100 percent of deaths in the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the state.
“Government, therefore, finds it strange that some persons in purported pursuit of their fundamental human rights would embark on litigation tourism outside of our state, seek to become a source of public health danger and put at risk the safety and health of the larger population.
“Government owes a sacred duty to the populace to take all actions necessary to protect the health of the majority of the citizens and in this connection, an even greater quantity of vaccines is being secured for the use of the people of Edo State.
“The Edo State Government has, therefore, instructed its Lawyers to vigorously pursue and challenge all such orders in the courts from where they emanate and if necessary, at the appellate level, while affirming its position as a law-abiding government.
“It must be made clear that the Government shall continue to pursue all legal and administrative options available for the protection of the best interest of the good people of Edo State.
“We want to appreciate all leaders in various spheres within the state for their support so far for the vaccination exercise which has resulted in unprecedented uptake of the vaccines by Edo people.
“We thank the churches, mosques, hotels, banks, event centers, restaurants and bars, among others, that have volunteered their premises for use as vaccination posts.
“We want to reiterate that our directives on vaccination stands and so people who are planning social, religious, political or business events after the second week of September should ensure that both themselves and their guests are not only vaccinated but possess vaccination cards as proof of vaccination, as anyone without this proof will not be granted access to crowded facilities.
“We also want to stress that the government is commencing intensive enforcement of use of Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs) to curb the current spike in COVID-19 infections and deaths. These measures include compulsory wearing of face masks, regular washing of hands under running water and/or use of hand sanitizers, and maintenance of recommended social and physical distancing in public places, among others.
“Consequent on the rapid rise in infections and death from COVID-19, government may be forced to implement a lockdown if there is a failure to follow the directives for vaccination and compliance with the Non-Pharmaceutical Intervention (NPIs) in order to halt the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19 which is currently raging within the state.”
