COVID-19 | Can employers ban anti-vaxxers from workplaces?

Today, a 90-year-old woman became the first person in the world to receive a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. She received the first of 800,000 doses that will be rolled out across the UK this week, with up to four million expected before the end of the month.

The UK became the first country in the world to officially approve the widespread use of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. The vaccine offers up to 95% effectiveness in building immunity to the virus, and the UK has ordered a further 40million doses. However, will workforces accept the vaccine? And if not, can employers do anything about it?

The coronavirus crisis has been a time of great division – not just physically, but mentally. Whilst the vast majority of office workers currently remain remote to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, public opinion on the validity of the Government’s assessment of the pandemic and its ensuing measures and solutions have been divisive.

Across the globe, and especially in light of the recent US presidential election, a social divide has grown between those who feel that wearing masks and accepting a vaccine are unreasonable and, in some cases, dangerous. And these views aren’t limited to other nations; anti-COVID measures marches have taken place in cities across the UK, with a particular concentration around London.