Are we ready for compulsory vaccine passes?

Are we ready for compulsory vaccine passes?

With just nine million people fully vaccinated or about 13% of the entire population, will such a policy unfairly discriminate those who have not had a chance to take both doses or to any at all?

Based on the data and how the policy was announced all of a sudden, this vaccination proof looks like yet another government order that was simply imposed on the public without proper planning.

Health Department director-general Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai revealed last weekend that starting Oct 1, only people who have been fully vaccinated or have a negative antigen test result will be allowed to dine in at restaurants or receive services deemed high-risk for virus transmission in "dark-red" provinces, Bangkok included.

The high-risk venues include hair salons, beauty clinics and spas.

Under the regulation people who seek these services must show their vaccination certificate, or a negative Covid-19 ATK test result taken no longer than a week prior, before entering.

Those who contracted the virus in the past must show records certifying that they have recovered.

It is understood that the authorities prepared the guidelines as part of its attempt to steer people to live with Covid-19 under its "smart" control as a new normal plan.

But how "smart" is it to suddenly say that only 13% of people can enjoy certain services while the majority of more than 80% will be left out?

The vaccination proof is not entirely a surprise move. Some people may have expected this kind of policy to be put into place at some point as it appears we will have to live with the pandemic for a few years at least.

But a Covid-19 vaccine is not a paracetamol that people can just go out and buy for themselves over the counter.

The vaccine must be procured by the government. And despite what it said were its utmost efforts, the government has been able to provide the vaccines only to a fraction of the population, with future supplies not exactly secured.

With some 24 days left until Oct 1, the authorities would be lucky if they could inoculate another 10 million at the current rate of 500,000 people a day. That would bring up the number of those fully vaccinated to just over 20%.

The policy would be fairer if it were the other way around -- if the government managed to inoculate some 80% of the population before requiring the vaccination proof.

Doing so now when the government itself has apparently failed to secure enough vaccines appears like it is doubling the hardship of the public and businesses that have already suffered from its nefarious restrictions for more than a year.

This will exacerbate people's perception of the government as being out of touch with the situation and in the habit of rolling out unrealistic policies that do not appear to have been carefully thought through.

The policy will prove a major burden for the concerned businesses.

Not only will they have to comply with existing regulations such as reducing the number of seats by 50%, ensuring proper ventilation and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces regularly but their staff must be screened for Covid-19 weekly.

And the requirement for customers to show an ATK result less than seven days old. Who will foot the bill for the test kits?

Elsewhere, the rapid tests are either given away to the public free of charge or available over the counter at about 30 baht a set.

Here, however, an ATK costs about 250-300 baht and is available only at major pharmacies.

If a venue employs 10 staff, that is an added cost of 12,000 baht per month. If it has to absorb the cost of ATKs on the spot to facilitate would-be customers, how much would it add up to? How many businesses would be able to afford it?

If the cost is pushed to the customer, then eating out at a restaurant or having your hair cut would become a luxury only a few can afford.

Will such a policy be welcome? Under present circumstance, it looks like one that will be seen as discriminatory and met with resentment especially by the 80% majority with no vaccine coverage.

Will it help the businesses and revive the economy? That does not look likely either, especially when taking into account questions regarding who will monitor compliance and whether the policy will give birth to a black market for artificial ATK results and further room for corruption.

In the end, vaccine passes could end up as more proof of policy failures that further suffocate people who have been waiting for so long to exhale.

Atiya Achakulwisut

Columnist for the Bangkok Post

Atiya Achakulwisut is a columnist for the Bangkok Post.

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