ECGC heading for 100 per cent vaccinations

The East Caribbean Group of Companies has announced that the company has achieved 86 per cent vaccination, which accounts for 158 of its employees. This remarkable feat has come as a result of a series of concerted initiatives carried out across the five companies which fall under the umbrella of ECGC.  

Company CEO, J Robert Cato says, that “as a company which produces and markets food and beverages, it is a priority for the company to ensure the health and safety of all its valued employees, their families and their communities. While I am satisfied with the response of our employees thus far” he said, “the aim is to make the ECGC the first company in St Vincent & the Grenadines to achieve 100 per cent vaccination among all staff.”

Commencing January of 2021, the ECGC embarked on an accelerated drive toward ensuring 100 per cent vaccinations against COVID-19.  This included:

• Informal group chats with company employees where they could air their concerns and receive information from senior officials
• Ongoing on-site company-wide testing for Covid-19  
• Continuous conversations and education drives explaining the importance of testing to the employees  
• Partnering with the Ministry of Health
• Holding five (5) vaccination days on the compound between March and August to which families and friends of employees were invited to be vaccinated
• Continued testing of employees by the company’s Health and Safety teams  

 In addition, the ECGC has provided monetary incentives for persons to become vaccinated including prize draws.

 Notwithstanding the remarkable success thus far, the CEO insists that the vaccination thrust continues. Cato said: “Now that we have achieved 86 per cent of teams vaccinated, we can feel, that we are at a much safer place.  However, there is still more work ahead.” He said, “The presence of unvaccinated persons within teams puts the businesses at severe risk.  An outbreak can mean hospitalizations, closed plants, the loss of customers with resulting loss of sales and ultimately, difficult decisions that we may have to make.” 

 As of August 11, the company expects all employees to be vaccinated, since the intention is to run a fully vaccinated business. Employees who are not vaccinated will be expected to show proof of a negative COVID 19 test every 72 hours in order to return to work.

The CEO is optimistic that the employees would continue in their quest for all round excellence and cooperate toward the goal of making the ECGC the first fully vaccinated company in SVG.

[UPDATE: The story was updated at 5:31pm on Wednesday, August 4 to correct the number of vaccinated employees downward from 166 to 158]