Fishing industry on board with vaccinations

THE fishing industry, which is Namibia’s third-largest economic sector, is backing government efforts to get as many people as possible vaccinated against the novel coronavirus.

The industry was hit the hardest by the virus during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, with many employees spending weeks in isolation facilities.

For the third wave, most companies have prepared themselves by starting vaccination drives to have as many of their staff members inoculated against the virus.

Although Erongo Marine Enterprises managing director Martha Uumati would like to see everyone vaccinated, she believes vaccination is a personal choice.

“At the onset of the national vaccination roll-out, we embarked on an internal information sharing campaign to afford all employees the opportunity to make an informed decision. The company also encourages those who have gone for vaccination to share their personal experiences with fellow employees,” she said last week.

She said while the company’s vessels at sea operate as isolation facilities, the captains conduct regular surveys with crew to gauge who would like to be vaccinated.

She said the greatest challenge is the dissemination of fake news and myths about the Covid-19 vaccines, circulating on social media. However, that has not stopped the company’s efforts to encourage and drive the vaccination information campaign.

For the employees who are still in doubt, Uumati says the company will continue to provide immune boosters and preventative medication as cleared by medical professionals, which it has been giving since the onset of the pandemic in last year.

Cavema Fishing board of directors chairperson Robert Shimwooshili and the company’s general manager, Sandro de Gouveia, have been the first to be vaccinated to encourage the rest of their staff to take the jab.

“We have and will continue to encourage every employee to get vaccinated. We will continue with all our health and safety precautions and measures to ensure that all our staff and others around them remain safe,” said De Gouveia.

Shimwooshili said the vaccination remains a personal choice and the company is not making it mandatory. To avoid transmission at sea, Shimwooshili said the company continued to quarantine fishing vessels’ crew before sailing.

“Our seagoing personnel are tested and quarantined first before going to sea, and those who test positive we take care of them so that they do not lose income because of Covid-19. In addition, we purchase immune boosters and related vitamins for our people who are more exposed onshore,” said Shimwooshili.

Tunacor Fisheries has started with a vaccination programme at the company’s registered onsite clinic in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Services.

Tunacor chief executive Peya Hitula said the vaccination started in May on a voluntary basis.

“We are now coordinating a second vaccination day on site in July. In the meantime, we keep encouraging our employees to take the vaccine and our clinic assists and facilitates those willing to be vaccinated to do so at the available sites,” he said.

Hitula said the company relied on the workers’ trade unions to convince their members to get vaccinated, and he is hopeful that through their awareness campaign most of the workforce will be vaccinated.

Confederation of Namibian Fishing Associations chairperson Matti Amukwa said while there is no legislation in Namibia making vaccination mandatory, companies should continue with information awareness campaigns.

“What is crucial is to educate the people about the benefit of being vaccinated and to dispel misleading information being spread on social media and other influential platforms. The industry’s main objective is to have as many employees [as possible] vaccinated in order to suppress the spread of the virus,” said Amukwa.

He urged industry players to adhere to the set Covid-19 regulations.