Add teachers, school and childcare staff to the Covid-19 vaccine priority list

Interim advice on the priority groups for a Covid-19 vaccine does not include school/childcare workers. Clearly, the groups at the top of the list (care home/health workers, older and vulnerable people) take priority, but school/childcare workers who cannot distance/use PPE should also be included.

This petition was rejected on 13th Oct 2020 for not petitioning for a specific action

The Petition Committee commented:
We understand that you want the Government to prioritise teachers, school and childcare staff for any Covid-19 vaccine, but it is not clear how you want the Government to implement this request. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has published advice on the groups that should be prioritised for vaccination, if and when a vaccine is available, but the Government has not set a policy on which groups will be prioritised for access to any vaccine. The JCVI is an independent advisory body, so we couldn't accept a petition calling for its advice to be changed. We could accept a petition calling on the Government to prioritise teachers, school and childcare staff for any Covid-19 vaccine. We have also published the following petition, which you might like to sign: Prioritise keyworkers being vaccinated against COVID-19 first for free: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/316857

Reticulating Splines

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Official Petition Site

Inclusion of school and childcare staff on the priority list would also:
* provide more protection for children and their families
* reduce the chance of settings being closed for 2 weeks and working parents having to take time off work
* ensure continuity of education for children
* allow schools to return to normality faster, having a positive impact on children’s mental health
* reduce the chance of NHS workers having to stay at home with children who are isolating due to closures