Government 'set for U-turn' on mandatory Covid vaccines for NHS and social care workers
31.01.2022 - 09:41
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
The government is set to announce a U-turn on mandatory Covid vaccinations for NHS and social care workers, according to reports.
The requirement for health workers in England to be jabbed was set to come in from April but Sajid Javid has been facing pressure to scrap the rule amid fears it could lead to a major staffing crisis.
The Health Secretary is now set to meet ministers on the Covid-Operations Cabinet committee today (Monday) to confirm the U-turn, according to The Daily Telegraph.
READ MORE: Weekly coronavirus cases down 17 per cent as numbers continue to plummet across Greater Manchester
The newspaper reported that the government is ending the policy because Omicron is milder than previous variants.
It comes after the Department of Health and Social Care said last Monday there were no plans to change the policy following reports suggesting ministers were considering an 11th-hour delay.
However, the Health Secretary said on Tuesday that the policy is being 'kept under review'.
Mr Javid so it was 'right' to reflect on Covid-19 policies, but had added that frontline NHS staff should get a Covid-19 jab as a 'professional duty'.
He went on to say that plans for compulsory jabs were made when the Delta variant of the virus was the dominant strain in the UK, but now 'almost all' cases are the Omicron variant which is 'intrinsically less severe'.
Some Conservative MPs have welcome the reports of the U-turn.
Andrew Rosindell tweeted that Mr Javid had made 'the right decision'.
He said: “These free-thinking NHS workers’ jobs are saved and quite right too.
“Well done all those who had the courage to stand up for the values of a free society!”
Meanwhile, Mark Harper called the reported decision a 'huge win'.
“My