Only ‘fully vaccinated’ persons can access public buildings from Nov. 01

The Government has extended its vaccination requirements to enter public buildings to “fully vaccinated” individuals. Persons are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the second dose of their COVID-19 jabs.

“Public building” in the order, is defined as any building to which the public has lawful access and shall include both publicly and privately owned buildings including all institutions of learning.

The vaccination policy for public buildings was introduced in September but did not require both shots for entry. The measure was met with many protest actions which led to the Ministry of Health relaxing this policy at health institutions across the country. As such, the updated order notes that “the requirements…do not apply to any person wishing to access healthcare services at any healthcare facility.”

According to the updated COVID-19 measures seeking to stem the spread of the disease, persons who are not fully vaccinated, will be required from November 01, 2021, to make appointments to visit public buildings or present a negative PCR test result taken within seven days of the appointment. The need for a negative PCR test also applies to employees of these agencies.