Home | News | COVID-19 VACCINATED ONLY FOR PARLY OPENING

COVID-19 VACCINATED ONLY FOR PARLY OPENING

17/02/2023 07:45:00 Sabelo Majola

Font size:

MBABANE – Parliamentarians, Cabinet ministers, invited guests and everybody attending the opening of the fifth session of the 11th Parliament are expected to have COVID-19 vaccine certificates.

If one does not have the certificate, they are expected to conduct a COVID-19 test upon arrival at Parliament today and furnish the results at the gate to gain entry. If the results are positive, that person will be excused from attending the event as revealed by Clerk to Parliament Benedict Xaba. He said officials from the Ministry of Health would be deployed to conduct the tests for those who would not have the COVID-19 certificates, which are proof that one took the COVID-19 vaccine.

He encouraged that those who would conduct the tests should arrive at least by 6am today. Xaba said those who had the certificates on their phones should feel free to show same, but those opting to print them and come with a copy are also allowed to do so.

Positive

Xaba said everyone found to be positive, whether a politician, an invited guest or anyone, would not be allowed entry to the event. “We also encourage people to bring their masks so that in case they need them, they will put them on. It will not be compulsory to wear one but if a person is not feeling well and sees the need to put it on, they should not hesitate to do so,” he said. Xaba also mentioned that all was set for the event this morning and as much as they would have loved to have everybody come and witness the event, they believed that every group would be well represented as they did well in striking the balance in as far as representation was concerned.

The King is expected to address the nation and give a highlight on the direction the country is taking going forward.
As previously mentioned by the Speaker in the House of Assembly, Petros Mavimbela, this year’s speech from the throne would be significant in that it did not only mark the resumption of Parliament business and policy direction, but also the final speech for the 11th Parliament from 2018 to 2023.