A new group of SA workers ‘will be prioritised for the vaccine’ – here’s why

With just under 300 000 people vaccinated in South Africa this year, the rollout of these COVID-busting jabs has been far from smooth. The vaccine programme returns to action on Wednesday, following a review of the Johnson & Johnson shots – and it seems a new group of workers in Mzansi will now be considered as a ‘priority’.

Tourism staff ‘to skip the queue for a vaccine next month’

It’s understood that tourism workers could be deemed as ‘essential workers’, given that the industry is one of the cornerstones of South Africa’s economy. As Tourism Update reports, the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) ‘has approved in principle’ that tourism’s frontline workers should be prioritised for vaccinations.

The logic behind this, is that tourists who have had a vaccine can start booking holidays once they know that hotel staff, tour guides, and other employees in this sector have full protection from the virus. More jabs are set to be issued from mid-May onwards.

What has influenced this proposal?

Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) CEO, Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa, is delighted with the NCCC’s proposals. The decision will be made official once Nedlac has given this idea the green light. As Tshivhengwa explains, the industry would get both a literal and figurative ‘shot in the arm’ to help re-establish a market that has been decimated by COVID.

“We are now waiting on the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) to decide on how and when this will be rolled out. As soon as we start talking about how many people are being vaccinated, and sharing that information with our source markets, we will begin rebuilding that trust in South Africa as a destination.”

“While emphasising our world-class COVID-19 health and safety protocols, we can also say that when guests who have been vaccinated arrive, they will be in contact with staff who have also had a vaccine. TBCSA’s members would come together to raise the needed funds for the sector, should this be required.”

Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa