We are now about to enter pandemic year number three, and every time we think we are turning a corner, a new stumbling block occurs.

Most of us thought a vaccine would be the solution and were not accounting for the high number of hesitant people worldwide, given that all around the world, vaccination is a customary practice.

We toyed with and debated what would happen in the real instance of unequal access to vaccines for poorer countries for a prolonged period and the grave disadvantages and severe risks of more virus variants spreading worldwide.

What instead happened and seemed to play a more detrimental role in our “corner-turning” was the matter of trust in leaders, which only intensified existing societal divisions.

Each country is now dealing with its unique circumstances of cultural and political scenarios, reflected by its recorded number of deaths, periods of lockdowns, and the rate of virus spread due to hesitant, disbelieving citizens who still do not trust the politicians and scientists. They clearly seem to believe the wild conspiracy theories as opposed to scientific facts.

Here at home, we believe that a billboard or advertisement with a “trusted voice” will change the minds of the hesitant, after they have done their online “research,” and listened to the radio/TV hosts who might have known a friend who knows Nicki Minaj’s cousin’s friend. Yes, the same one who brought us international spotlight and global attention.

Our workplace and workflow will continue to be disrupted every time quarantine orders are mandated, and so too will our economic recovery. So I for one have been and will continue to support workplace and mass vaccination policies, safe zones, etc.

I believe that we have come to the point where we need to enforce mandatory vaccination for those without plausible exemptions. Too many "RIPs" are showing up on my timeline, and harrowing stories from the recovered. Not to mention the unimaginable strain on our frontline workers and facilities.

In this regard, I applaud the summary opinion of Sir Dennis Byron and Prof Rosemarie Antoine, which was reported recently in the Express.

[caption id="attachment_933153" align="alignnone" width="839"] In this December 2021 file photo, Port of Spain General Hospital doctor Ariel Janelle Mendez shows her vaccination card after receiving her covid19 booster shot at the Paddock, Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain. - FILE PHOTO/SUREASH CHOLAI[/caption]

The report states, “In their brief to OECS leaders, Byron and Antoine stated that a mandatory covid19 vaccine law is likely to be constitutional if governments were to utilise this route in getting their populations vaccinated.”

Their opinion is based on government’s legal rights as a public health imperative.

This is the only light I see, but it needs to be handled and instituted with caution.

We ought not to forget that all children entering primary schools are required to be vaccinated; this is a mandatory part of that public health imperative. Hence it is expected that wor