Johannesburg – Free State Premier Sisi Ntombela has emphasised the importance of vaccinating educators, administrative and support staff against COVID-19 as they play an important role in society.
“The nature of their work dictates that they are in close contact with their learners. Obviously, that is not ideal in these difficult times. We have already sadly lost teachers and learners to COVID-19 in our province,” Ntombela said on Wednesday.
She made these remarks at the provincial vaccination media launch for teachers and support staff in Bloemfontein. The inoculation for the education sector is currently underway, with government expecting to vaccinate 582 000 people over 10 to 14 days.
“Teachers are the mainstay of our country while the learners are the very people who will lead this nation tomorrow. It is therefore imperative that we make their safety our number one priority.
“I am happy that our teachers, administration staff and all the other non-teaching staff will be able to register for vaccination. This important step will hopefully bring us close to herd immunity and help us save many lives,” the Premier said.
The province has lost more than 4 600 people to the virus.
“By getting vaccinated, we are putting on a protective armour against a disease which has affected all of [us] one way or another. We can beat this thing. By observing social distancing, washing of hands and putting on our face mask in crowded places, we stand a very good chance of defeating the virus. The vaccine now increases the odds of finally conquering this virus,” she said.
Also read: Teacher inoculation gets underway
–SAnews.gov.za
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