The British government has expressed its desire to reconsider the compulsory vaccination for the National Health Service and other workers, and pressure is mounting to abandon the move. If the rule is introduced in April, 80,000 health workers in the UK will lose their jobs. However, the Royal College of Nursing assured that the risk of losing thousands of skilled and experienced workers due to this policy “does not make sense”.
Chief Treasury Secretary Simon Clark said the government was reviewing policy and paving the way for a slight change in the Ómicron variant. Last fall, as the delta variation spread rapidly and the number of hospital admissions increased, the government announced a plan to make vaccinations mandatory for health workers.
Under the scheme, employees must receive the first shots of the vaccine by February 3 and be vaccinated twice before the policy comes into effect on April 1. “What we do know about Omigran is that it is more contagious but less intense,” Clark said. “Any decision taken this week will reflect that reality.”
“Throughout this epidemic, we are trying to find the right balance between maximizing impact in terms of measures to support public safety in combating the virus and minimizing impact in terms of our broader freedom as a community,” he pointed out.
About 40,000 people lost their jobs when vaccinations were made mandatory for nursing home workers. Nadra Ahmed, president of the National Care Association, said the policy was “frustrating” and saddening for all those who lost their jobs unnecessarily.
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