In Zimbabwe “no vax” means “no church”
The Southern African country has banned people who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 from attending church services
Zimbabwe’s parliament has decreed that anyone in the landlocked Southern African country who has not been vaccinated against the coronavirus will not be permitted to attend church services.
"Concerning the churches, the council of ministers has decided that only the vaccinated faithful will be able to go there," the government announced September 14.
Zimbabwe began a vaccination campaign last February, but has not yet reached the objectives set by health authorities.
This has prompted parliament to take a series of new measures to reinforce it, such as prohibiting unvaccinated people from entering certain places.
Places of worship have now been added to the list.
A few days ago, the COVID-19 vaccine was mandatory for civil servants and teachers.
"If you are employed by the government, for the protection of others and those you serve, get vaccinated," declared Minister of Justice Ziyambi Ziyambi on local radio.
And addressing those who claim that requiring people to get the jab is a rights violation, he said: "But if you want to assert your rights, you can resign."
The vaccination requirement has also been extended to people who want to sell in markets, play indoor sports, go to restaurants and take university exams.
Reaching 10 million vaccinated
Zimbabwe, with a population of more than 15 million, has received 11.8 million doses of vaccine from purchases and donations since the government's vaccine program began.
The country had previously relied on vaccines produced in China, India and Russia, but recently approved the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on an emergency basis.
According to the health ministry, as of September 13 at least 1.9 million people were fully vaccinated.
The government is aiming to get the jab in the arms of 10 million people in order to achieve herd immunity.
The authorities say they want to stimulate the country's economy, but their decision to make vaccination compulsory has upset some groups in the jobs sector.
The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, the largest workers' union, took the government and several companies to court last August for making vaccination mandatory for employees who wanted to report for work.
The union says the country's constitution does not provide for mandatory vaccination.
A neighbor of South Africa, the country on the continent that is most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Zimbabwe has recorded more than 126,300 cases of the coronavirus and at least 4,543 deaths since the pandemic began.