Medical experts have warned members of the public and employees in the workplace that vaccination is still the best form of defence against Covid-19. File Picture: REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
Durban - Medical experts have warned members of the public and employees in the workplace that vaccination is still the best form of defence against Covid-19.
This comes after Standard Bank announced that it would be withdrawing its compulsory Covid-19 vaccination policy. Standard Bank South Africa chief executive Lungisa Fuzile said that with 95% of its employees vaccinated, the financial institution had withdrawn its Covid-19 vaccination policy with immediate effect.
“Based on the current context of the pandemic, we believe that our vaccination policy is no longer required. Consequently, it is no longer compulsory for employees to be vaccinated, or to produce a negative PCR or rapid antigen test if they are unvaccinated, in order to enter our premises,” said Fuzile.
Fuzile added that the bank took a range of factors into account, including recent regulatory developments, the state of the pandemic in South Africa, and the high vaccination rate among its employees. “Should circumstances with respect to the pandemic change, the bank may, in future, adjust and review its policy and protocols in order to maintain a safe working environment.”
Fuzile said Standard Bank continued to support and encourage vaccination.
Professor Rajen Naidoo, the head of Occupational Medicine at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, said the policy during the State of Disaster, in terms of the Department of Employment and Labour’s direction, was that all workplaces had to conduct a risk assessment, and based on this, determine the strategies to protect workers’ health.
“From the time that vaccines became available in the country, vaccination was the front-line intervention for protection. At no stage was mandatory/compulsory vaccination a legal requirement in the country.”
Naidoo said Standard Bank originally introduced its policy in keeping with the Department of Employment and Labour’s direction.
“Since the relaxation of the State of Disaster, the department’s direction has given way to two documents – the revised Hazardous Biological Agents Regulations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, and the Code of Practice Managing Exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in the Workplace.
“The Code of Practice is not a legally binding document, but a guideline for employers and workers. Once again, this document strongly encourages vaccination, but the extent to which this becomes mandatory in workplaces is dependent on risk assessments conducted in these workplaces.”
Professor Thumbi Ndung’u from the Africa Health Research Institute said that although Covid-19 case numbers were low, South Africa had not reached its target of 67% of the population being vaccinated.
“Our vaccination rate remains low, but it remains the best defence against the Covid-19 pandemic. We can’t just rely on immunity that is achieved after natural infection and recovery. We have to get vaccinated. The decision by Standard Bank to withdraw its Covid-19 compulsory vaccination policy, I can’t really comment on this as each company has its own guidelines on risk assessment.”
Professor Yunus Moosa from the University of KwaZulu-Natal said he could not really say at this stage whether the move was a good or bad one.
“We will just have to wait and see. I will always support vaccination as it’s the best form of protection against Covid-19, and protects against severe illness. At this stage our Covid-19 numbers are relatively low and we can’t actually judge Standard Bank for its decision to withdraw compulsory Covid19 vaccination. In fact, no expert would be able to tell you if it’s the right thing to do away with compulsory vaccines, as each company has to make its own decision.”
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