Get Covid-19 vaccine or resign – Zimbabwean govt tells state employers
Zimbabwe’s government has ordered state employees who are unwilling to be vaccinated to resign to reduce the risk of them spreading the virus to others.
“If you are now working for us, we are now saying get vaccinated,” Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi said in an interview Tuesday with privately owned radio station ZiFM Stereo.
“You can enjoy your rights in the streets or at your home, we are not forcing you to be vaccinated,” Ziyambi said. “But if you are a government employee, for the protection of others and the people you are serving, get vaccinated. But if you want to enjoy your rights which are in the constitution, you can resign.”
While the government is encouraging the nation’s teachers to be vaccinated, “there will come a time when we don’t want any teacher who is not vaccinated,” the minister said.
Zimbabwe has 125,671 confirmed coronavirus cases and has recorded 4,493 deaths from the disease, according to Health Ministry data.
Vaccines are now available to all adults in Zimbabwe, but supplies are scarce and clinics understaffed, especially in the capital Harare, where residents often have to queue up from early in the morning for the hope of a shot.
