Editor’s view: Unvaccinated teachers taught actions have consequences

Teachers are supposed to lead by example. So those who ignore medical advice on vaccinations have to accept they will be punished, writes The Editor. VOTE IN OUR POLL

Throughout this pandemic, The Courier-Mail has consistently and repeatedly pushed the need for the community to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

We, following the advice of experts around the world, saw it as the way to getting back to normality as quickly as possible, from a health and economic perspective.

As a company, News Corp, the publisher of The Courier-Mail, embarked upon a national campaign to get Australians to roll up their sleeves and be vaccinated.

It came at a time when there was a degree of reticence toward vaccination, fuelled by people who were entertaining alternative views, exercising their right to choose whether they would get the jab or not.

The result was a national vaccination rate that is the envy of much of the world – with over 96 per cent of Australians double-jabbed – enabling borders to open up and lockdowns to end.

We have always respected that people have a choice to be vaccinated against this virus but with that choice comes consequences and repercussions.

The most obvious implication is the health impact. All credible medical research into Covid-19 has concluded that those who are vaccinated are much less likely to die, and are much less likely to be hospitalised and are indeed less likely to contract the virus at all.

This pandemic has killed, at yesterday’s count, 6,475,427 people. It has hospitalised many more, and a percentage of those have contracted what is known as long Covid, a debilitating side effect that can ruin people’s lives.

It is not merely the flu, a tired an discredited line the anti-vaxxers like to use. Far from it, Covid-19 has had an extraordinary impact on our lives, forcing lockdowns and border closures that have closed businesses and ended people’s livelihoods.

The economic and lifestyle impacts are endless. As such, employers have introduced rules – some strict – to protect their business and the people they come into contact with.

That’s why we support the education department’s stand to dock the pay of teachers who remain unvaccinated. This is about safeguarding everybody in the community, especially students and parents.

The Courier-Mail front page on August 24.

We made our feelings clear with our page one headline in yesterday’s paper – CANING CLASS CLOWNS.

Some thought we had gone too far. But the headline reflects The Courier-Mail’s consistent attitude to vaccination since they became available. We don’t apologise for that.

Schools, as we know, are a haven for viruses so it is vitally important that teachers do everything in their power to ensure they are not introducing Covid-19 into the classroom.

The teachers who went against the medical advice – and they are a small minority – have created a massive headache for themselves and the education department at a time of crisis.

Parents would unquestionably be nervous to know that their kids’ teacher is not vaccinated and it’s a legal minefield for schools.

At a time when all we ask of people is to be responsible and follow the medical advice, it is mind-boggling that educated teachers would ignore that advice (when you hear about unvaccinated nurses, the mind boggles).

Teachers are supposed to lead by example. They are creating and nurturing the leaders of tomorrow.

If the education department chooses to punish them, so be it.