Several commercial banks in the Dominican Republic alerted their customers that as of Monday, 18 October 2021 they would be requesting people show a vaccination card with two doses to enter a bank. Likewise, government offices, gyms, universities, stores and many other businesses are now requesting the card. The decision comes after the Ministry of Public Health, under Public Health Law 42-01, ordered that vaccination cards or a recent PCR or antigen test be presented to enter enclosed spaces. The banks will also be allowing entry to those that have been vaccinated in October and are still pending the second dose.
The banks say that they will be accepting a digital or physical copy.
Meanwhile, those that oppose making Covid-19 vaccines obligatory to enter public spaces have presented the case to the Superior Administrative Court (TSA) and the Civil and Commercial Court of First Instance of the National District. The courts should hear the claim this week. The opponents to the new health measures say that until the TSA hears the case, Resolution #048-21 that makes vaccines or presenting a PCR test mandatory are suspended. Yet, lawyers say that the Public Health Law enables the government to rule in favor of collective health.
One of the most serious obstacles to the country reaching the 70% full vaccination goal is that many Roman Catholic Church high level priests and evangelical pastors have spoken out against the Covid-19 vaccines among their followers. On Sunday, Monsignor Freddy Antonio de Jesús Martínez Bretón, archbishop of Santiago, highlighted that the national anthem ends with the stressing of “freedom, freedom, freedom.” The archbishop understands people should have the right to choose between getting vaccinated or not.
Another obstacle is the cultural bias of the hundreds of thousands of Haitians living in the Dominican Republic against the vaccine. Vaccines are available in the Dominican Republic to all who can present some form of proof of residence. Haiti reports one of the lowest rates of spread of the disease in the Americas and one of the lowest vaccination rates.
The government says that the presentation of a vaccine card is not necessary to enter churches, hospitals or hotels. The Ministry of Public Health says that 1,200 inspectors will check that the measures are met and will report back to the Ministry on the violations.
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El Caribe
DR1 News
DR1 News
18 October 2021