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‘Raging’ Boris Johnson pushes for university ban on unvaccinated students
From September, university students could need to be fully vaccinated in order to attend lectures and live in halls of residence
Unvaccinated students could be banned from attending lectures and living in halls of residence under new plans pushed by Boris Johnson.
The prime minister is said to have been ‘raging’ in regards to the comparatively low vaccine uptake amongst younger people and has decided to use pressure to get those individuals vaccinated, The Times reported today.
During video conferences with colleagues from his isolation at Chequers – which comes to an end today – Johnson allegedly said that students in larger and additional schooling settings ought to face obligatory vaccination.
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However, The Times also reported that the Department for Education has reservations in regards to the legality and practicability of the plans with regards to the fact that universities are impartial.
However, the move has been supported by The University and College Union (UCU), who wrote to the education secretary Gavin Williamson last week, warning that the Covid chaos seen in universities last year will be repeated unless strict measures are in place to protect staff and students.
According to The Guardian, the union wants all students to be double vaccinated before the start of term in September.
Just last week, vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi announced that Covid certificates (received upon getting the second jab), will be compulsory for entry to nightclubs and other ‘crowded’ venues from September.
The government had previously opposed the compulsory use of coronavirus certificates – which involve customers using the NHS app to show their vaccination status, or prove they have had a negative test result.
But now, the government has urged venues such as clubs and sports stadiums to introduce them as a matter of ‘social responsibility.’