Sindh to block SIM cards of people refusing COVID-19 vaccines

The Sindh government has decided to block the mobile phone SIM cards of people who refuse to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

The decision was announced by Sindh Information Minister Nasir Shah on Monday during a media briefing.

The government is trying to facilitate people in getting the vaccine and it would be unacceptable if the public still did not receive the shot, Shah added.

Sindh is working with the federal government to ensure that everyone gets inoculated. In addition to the shot, people need to follow SOPs as well so that we can eradicate the virus, Shah said.

The salaries of government employees are already linked to their vaccination. Any public worker who doesn’t get the COVID-19 shot will not receive their salary. 

The information minister said that incidents of vaccination certificate forgery had been reported, but these were few in number and were being dealt with. 

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had taken notice of fake vaccination certificates being distributed at Expo Centre in Karachi. He instructed the interior ministry and Sindh inspector-general to take strict action against them.

Anyone found to be spreading misinformation about the vaccine will be penalised, Shah warned.

Earlier, the Punjab government had also said it was considering various options to compel people to get vaccinated against coronavirus.

One of the recommendations was to block SIM cards of the people who were unwilling to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.

Talking about the Pfizer vaccine, the information minister said it was reserved for overseas students and workers. 

Lat week, however, the Pakistan government changed its guidelines for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and said it will only be used to inoculate people with weak immune systems.