Cabinet at its meeting on the 14th April 2021, mandated that all persons seeking to renew their Work Permit, applying for Permanent Resident Certificate and Government Employees seeking a Government Stamp must show proof of vaccination for the COVID-19 Virus. In line with this mandate, the Customer Service and Employment Services Department have been working in collaboration with the Ministry of Health to fulfill this policy initiative that became effective on 1st May 2021.
Similar to many countries in the region and across the globe, the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands has implemented several policy initiatives as a response to the global pandemic.
Immunization is the most successful and cost-effective intervention – The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that immunization is a core health service that should be prioritized for the prevention of communicable diseases and safeguarded for continuity during the COVID-19 pandemic, where feasible.
There is Global Strategy to achieve herd immunity – Herd immunity is reached when enough people in a community are vaccinated to prevent the virus from spreading and impacting the unvaccinated. Once a critical threshold of vaccinated people occurs, that makes new community outbreaks less likely. Those that are immunized effectively form a protective shield around those that are not, which stops the virus from spreading. That threshold is generally achievable only with high vaccination rates, and many scientists estimate placing the threshold at 60–80% of the population gaining immunity. The Turks and Caicos Islands Government seeking to achieve this target of 70% vaccination is consistent with global targets and most scientific findings.
In order to achieve herd immunity in the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Government has decided to implement the mandatory vaccination of all work permit holders, Government Stamp Holders and persons applying for PRC commencing immediately. These requirements are also applicable to the dependents of all the above-mentioned groups. The implementation strategies will be as follows:
1) Turks and Caicos Islands Government will not renew work permits when they expire unless persons are vaccinated by the stipulated deadline of 31st August 2021.
It is the policy position of the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands that:
a) All Work Permits for persons who have not been vaccinated by 31st August 2021 will not be renewed.
If someone’s Work Permit is scheduled to expire on 31st December 2021, that individual must be vaccinated by the stipulated deadline of 31st August 2021 for this individual to be considered for a future renewal of their work permit / Stamp.
b) If such a person fails to be vaccinated by the stipulated deadline, when it is time for his work permit to be renewed, it would automatically be denied.
c) Once the deadline has passed, ALL PERSONS who are not vaccinated within the stipulated period, their work permits would therefore automatically be flagged for non-renewal.
2) Proof of Vaccination required to collect processed permits or receive Government Stamps.
a) All persons collecting their Work Permit Card or seeking a Government Stamp must present a copy of their COVID-19 Electronic Certificate. If collection is being made on behalf of the applicant, proof of vaccination of the applicant is required.
b) All persons applying for Permanent Resident Certificate must show proof of vaccination as well as their dependents.
The Policy also speaks to the responsibility of the Employer:
The onus is on each employer to notify Employment Services Department and provide evidence of vaccinated staff.
Employers should notify their work permit holder / Government Stamp holder staff of the vaccination requirement for employment as defined by this policy.
All new applications for a work permit (including those categories suspended and subject to the Minister granting a waiver to apply for labour clearance) are encouraged to be vaccinated before arrival, if the place of origin is a country where the vaccine is readily available.
It must be known that the Government remains concerned about the potential for forgery. As such, particularly for persons coming from countries in which access to the vaccine is limited, the Government would:
Permit such individuals to enter the country with a copy of the receipt showing that the work permit was approved and paid.
Immigration Department would be provided with a list of such approved work permits and requested to approve leave to enter the country.
In respect to countries for which their citizen requires a visa to enter, once Immigration grant the approval, the Immigration Department working in collaboration with the airline, can facilitate the entry of the first-time work permit holder.
Once on the island, they are mandated to be vaccinated within three (3) days of their arrival or the work permit will be automatically rescinded.
Employers are to provide employment services with a copy of the electronic certificates of fully vaccinated persons within 30 days of the fist dose, noting that failure to comply would result in the revocation of the work permit
The Ministry of Education, Labour, Employment and Customer Services is encouraging all residents of the Turks and Caicos Islands who are eligible to receive this vaccine, to take the opportunity to get vaccinated so that we can safeguard the health of all residing in the Turks and Caicos Islands and work towards the full reopening of the country. Here in the Turks and Caicos Islands, we are fortunate to have the COVID-19 vaccine so easily accessible.
