Obaseki Threatens Sanctions On Those Who Refuse To Take COVID-19 Vaccines

People who refuse to take the COVID-19 vaccine will face sanctions, according to Edo governor Godwin Obaseki.

During a press conference in Benin on Wednesday, Mr. Obaseki stated that his government’s decision prohibiting unvaccinated people from entering public areas remains in effect.

From the second week of September, the Edo State government wants to make it mandatory for residents to get the COVID-19 vaccine and show proof of vaccination before entering public locations.

Mr. Obaseki also threatened to impose a lockdown if citizens did not follow the command and follow COVID-19 protocols in order to stop the Delta strain of the pandemic from spreading.

“The attention of the Edo government has been drawn to an order by a High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers directing the government to maintain the status quo on the purported compulsory COVID-19 vaccination for citizens.

“To the best of our knowledge, the order is, at best, speculative and preemptive, as the scheduled date for the commencement of enforcement of the directive is the second week of September.

“We want to reiterate that our directive on vaccination stands,” Mr Obaseki said.

He urged those planning social, religious, political or business events after the second week of September to ensure that both themselves and their guests were not only vaccinated but possessed vaccination cards as proof.

“Anyone without this proof will not be granted access to crowded facilities,” he said.

The governor also said that the government was commencing intensive enforcement of use of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to curb the current spike in COVID-19 infections and deaths.

“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 governor 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,” he said.

The government’s primary focus, according to Obaseki, is the residents’ safety and health.

He indicated that the COVID-19 positive rate (CPR) was between 15 and 25%, and that deaths were being reported on a daily basis, with unvaccinated people accounting for 100% of the deaths.

According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, as of Wednesday, Edo state has 5,402 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 195 linked deaths (the second most in the country).