Attorney Audrey Matura Comments on Possible Mandatory Vaccination

Audrey Matura

The most recent Cabinet briefing indicated that the Prime Minister and his cabinet ministers are exploring the possibility of imposing mandatory COVID vaccinations or to require vaccination passes for people using public spaces and business facilities.  The announcement has triggered a debate about how legal such a move would be. While News Five’s efforts to get a comment from the Human Right Commission of Belize were not successful, we did engage attorney Audrey Matura on the matter.

Audrey Matura, Attorney-at-law

“The number one argument is found in the Constitution itself. Section Three of the Constitution reads, and allow me to read this part, it says “Whereas every person in Belize is entitled to the fundamental rights and freedoms of an individual, that is to say whatever your race, your place of origin, political opinion, colour, creed or sex but subject, and I emphasize, subject to the rights and freedoms of others and for the public interest to each and all of the following, namely: the right to life, liberty security, freedom of conscience, freedom to work, all of that. They’re saying you have all these freedoms. You have it but it is subject to the freedoms and rights of other people.  The people are saying it’s a hoax, it doesn’t exist, but if we accept there’s a pandemic, then what it means is that the Government can pass legislation and say it is mandatory and this is how we do it. But that legislation has to be reasonable so, in favour of it, I know the Government can do it. The thing would be in the details of how they do it to ensure that it’s reasonable and it has to be that they do it in such a way where although we’re seeing its mandatory, you’re given options. I think they’ve done that so far in giving options. Because remember people like to say they don’t have a choice because it’s not what they want. They don’t want to pay the consequence of that choice. They want the freedom but they don’t want the responsibility; they want the benefits but they don’t want the burden. And this is where Belizeans are not used to taking responsibility for their decisions.”