UPE wants teachers to be prioritised as frontliners for first COVID-19 vaccine batch

The Union of Professional Educators calling on government to consider educators as frontliners and to prioritise them when distributing the first batch of the COVID-19 vaccine.

“The categories mentioned as being prioritised for this first batch of vaccines are the frontliners, our law enforcement officials and the elderly. The union urges the government to consider our educators as frontliners at this point in time, given the large number of people they are being exposed to on a daily basis, thus substantially increasing the risk of contracting and spreading the virus involuntarily,” a statement reads.

The union is arguing that educators are burdened between the numerous COVID-19 cases in schools and frequent isolation or quarantine periods. They noted a further psychological impact due to anxiety and stress given the uncertainty of the pandemic.

“Allowing our educators the possibility to receive the non-mandatory vaccination would reduce the risk of having schools understaffed, or functioning haphazardly, due to sporadic outbreaks, or individual cases, amongst educators,” they said.

“It would also guarantee peace of mind to our educators, who have been working relentlessly to ensure that the high-quality education our children deserve, is delivered despite the pandemic, and all the unexpected events that have been accompanying it since March.”