Coronavirus vaccination is voluntary but we need leaders in voluntary activities- Speaker

HON. S. BANDA:  Thank you so much Hon. Speaker Sir, mine is a Matter of Privilege.  Hon. Speaker Sir, my Matter of Privilege comes from the ever increasing numbers of Covid cases that are being reported on daily basis.

I would want to request Hon. Speaker, also taking into cognizance what the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Hon. Mnangagwa said that we need to be vaccinated.  I am calling upon you Hon. Speaker to start at home here in Parliament by ensuring that all Members of Parliament and staff who come in through the doors of Parliament have vaccination cards to ensure that we do not transmit COVID-19 here or outside Parliament as we meet with a lot of people.  It would be prudent if we heed the President’s advice that everybody should be vaccinated.

Imagine Hon.  Speaker, a visitor coming to anyone’s house and transmitting COVID-19 whereas if they had the vaccination certificate, they would save a lot of souls.  This is my humble submission Mr. Speaker Sir.

THE HON. SPEAKER:  Thank you very much Hon. Banda.  We will make the necessary arrangements with the Ministry of Health and Child Care to ensure that those Hon. Members who have not yet been vaccinated are vaccinated.

We had encouraged Hon.  Members to be vaccinated also in their constituencies where they come from so that they provide some leadership in terms of demonstrating to the electorate the need for us all to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 pandemic.  We will put forward your request for those who have not been vaccinated, including our members of staff here in Parliament.

(v)HON. GONESE:  Point of clarification Mr. Speaker Sir with the issue that was raised by Hon. Banda.  It is just a point of clarification!

THE HON. SPEAKER:  Yes, please proceed.

(v)HON. GONESE:  Thank you very much Mr. Speaker Sir, as you may be aware I think most of the Members of Parliament have already been vaccinated but I just wanted to find out because as I understand it, the policy generally is that vaccination is voluntary.  I appreciate that we have to set the example but in light of the voluntary aspect, I do not know how it would work out for those who may not have been vaccinated but speaking for myself, I was vaccinated.

My understanding of the point raised by Hon. Banda, there would then be a requirement perhaps for Hon. Members to produce their vaccination certificates when they come to Parliament.  So I just wanted to understand how that would work out in terms of understanding whether this now becomes the requirement for one to participate or not – that is what I just wanted to find out Mr. Speaker Sir.

THE HON. SPEAKER:  Yes, the vaccination process is a voluntary exercise but we also need leaders in voluntary activities.  On the balance of probabilities, any common sense would dictate that you need to be vaccinated unless you have other means of preventing the attack by this COVID-19 – so be it, but common sense would dictate that we need to be vaccinated for the sake of our health and those who live with us.

Hon. Banda did not suggest that any Member of Parliament who has not been vaccinated therefore does not carry a vaccination certificate should not be allowed into the premises of Parliament.  I did not hear that from him.  In any case, that would not be the case at all.  Thank you.

(v)HON. GONESE:  Thank you for the clarification Mr. Speaker Sir.

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