Call for teachers to be pushed up vaccination priority list

Wednesday 06 January 2021

There are calls for teachers to be moved up the vaccination priority list to keep them safe while avoiding the "chaos" of staff shortages and class closures that schools experienced last term.

Teaching unions want to see their profession vaccinated as early as possible - something that has so far been resisted by the Government.

Tim Balston, secretary of the Jersey branch of the National Education Union said: “We are lobbying for teachers to be vaccinated as early as possible after the vulnerable and health workers. 

“If this were to happen, then schools would be more likely to run efficiently and continue with quality face-to-face learning and avoid the chaos of children being sent home due to staff shortages that afflicted the schools last year.”

An e-petition calling calls for teachers to be “included in the first wave of the covid-19 vaccine programme" has also been launched. Created yesterday by Mary Ellen Horton, it had attracted nearly 200 signatures in its first day.

New petition: teachers to be included in the first wave of the Covid-19 Vaccine Programme. See: https://t.co/riJWwAE68F pic.twitter.com/hO2hTKcRh3

— States Assembly (@StatesAssembly) January 5, 2021

But the Government is not veering from its priority list, which - after care home residents and health workers - is now mainly based on age, with the oldest getting the vaccine first. However, there is a ‘high-risk’ category, who will get the vaccine between those aged over 70 and over 65. 

Education Minister Senator Tracey Vallois said: “The order of the vaccination programme has not been changed and the strategy remains the same, which is to vaccinate the most vulnerable and those who are most at risk of catching and/or dying from covid.

"Ministers are keeping the vaccination plan under regular review."