Explainer: SA Employers Allowed to Make Covid 19 Vaccinations Mandatory for Staff

• New Covid-19 laws for employers have been released and shared with employers who will oversee the vaccination process in their workplaces
• According to the rules for employers, they now get to decide whether or not vaccines will be mandatory for their in-office staff. There are however a number of things to consider
• Some of the guidelines include that employers must take into consideration their employees' bodily integrity as well as their religious beliefs

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The information around whether employers were allowed to force their staff members to take Covid-19 vaccinations has been quite foggy - and now there is finally some clarity around the situation, thanks to new laws set out by the Department of Employment and Labour.

Yes, employers can make vaccines mandatory

A new rule around Covid-19 vaccinations says that employers are in fact allowed to introduce work policies that require their staff members to take the jab. Of course, many things need to be taken into account before they go ahead with implementing the policy.

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Employee rights

While employers have been given the go-ahead to actively help curb the spread of the virus that has wreaked havoc on everything normal, there are a number of things they have to take into consideration, namely;

1. Their employees' Constitutional rights of bodily integrity.
2. Their employees' religious beliefs

Other things employers must consider

According to BusinessInsider, employers must also consider:

1. Alternative arrangements for employees who refuse to be vaccinated
2. How they will educate employees about the benefits of taking the vaccine
3. Making necessary arrangements on days when vaccines will be administered (transport to vaccine clinics etc)
4. Allowing employees to consult with their trade unions before agreeing to take the vaccine

Other safety measures companies must take

While many companies have transitioned from office settings to work from home and virtual connections, many are looking forward to returning to normal. BusinessTech reports that employers have been tasked with the following:

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1. Making sure office spaces are regularly cleaned
2. Employees get screened daily
3. Staff members get rotated
4. Everyone gets provided with personal protective equipment

Other Covid-19 news

Briefly News also reported that Covid-19 infections have been reported by 13 246 more people in South Africa. This is the greatest number of daily cases and positivity rate since January 2021, according to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD).

There have been another 136 deaths confirmed, increasing the total number of fatalities to 58 223. According to the NICD, 60 995 tests were performed in the last 24 hours.

"Let's remain vigilant in following presentation measures as diligent as possible to help stop the spread," the NICD said according to a report by eNCA.

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Source: Briefly News