Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves says a decision took place in Cabinet on Wednesday after he received recommendations from the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) in relation to an amended regime for frontline workers – persons in health, teachers, certain categories of public servants, immigration and customs, and those at the airport.
Prime Minister Gonsalves outlined the terms for the rehiring of teachers that had decided to take the COVID-19 vaccine to remain employed with the Government.
For teachers and other adult staff in learning institutions, there must be strict adherence to the following measures- unvaccinated teachers and other adult staff- 100 per cent masks, spacing between cohorts, strict cohorting (if you all are in the same space, you stick together), proper ventilation, screening and a testing regime to stay on the job.
He said in this layered approach there will be no requirement to be 100 per cent vaccinated, but vaccination will be encouraged.
“For those persons who under the regulations had abandoned their jobs by not following the requirement, the new epidemiological situation has occasioned an altered regime.”
Dr Gonsalves said those teachers who are interested in employment, who had chosen not to follow the requirements, will have to write to the Ministry of Education to indicate whether they want to be employed for the new period.
The Ministry and the Chief Personnel Officer will make the announcement as to what period, which he suspects will be short, probably a week, because schools need to be staffed for the new school term.
The prime minister said it was also agreed that for those who are employed and are not vaccinated in the teaching profession, the State will pay for the first four sets of COVID-19 tests, thereafter it will be the person’s responsibility.
