Tag: vaccination

Events in recent years have pushed countries to rapidly evolve their healthcare systems, demanding that they shift their focus towards pivotal strategies that can curtail long-term healthcare costs. It is particularly pertinent in South Africa, where the escalating healthcare costs pose a formidable challenge. Healthcare costs are spiralling, putting immense pressure on the nation's economy.

South African business travel is rapidly accelerating in 2023 as most travellers have by now dusted off their suitcases and started taking to the skies again. Interestingly, former road warriors may have become slightly ‘travel unfit’, leading to mistakes, oversights, or difficulties during a trip.

Hot off the heels of a number of awards by the Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) which upheld mandatory vaccination policies in the workplace, the CCMA has recently declared mandatory vaccination policies to be unconstitutional.

Prior to 2019, anyone booking travel would have considered cost saving their key priority. Not anymore. Although travel bookers are, obviously, still keeping an eye on expenses, they (and their clients) are now more concerned with wellbeing.

Life looks a whole lot different since the dawn of COVID-19 – face masks, elbow greetings, temperature checks at practically every entrance, and an overwhelming amount of sanitiser dominating our days. And business travel definitely isn’t an exception.

Since the pandemic began, Work-From-Home (WFH) has been lauded as the new working model for many occupations. Now, with vaccination efforts ramping up, some employers are eager to get their staff back to the office. Organisations need to plan and execute that migration sensibly and with sensitivity to keep productivity high.

Several corporations have recently announced that they will implement mandatory vaccination at their workplaces, and possibly many more will follow. This important development will hopefully result in a few unanswered questions around mandatory vaccination finally being tested (and answered) before our courts (including, among other things, disciplining employees in this context). 

South Africa is bracing itself for a third COVID-19 wave. According to scientists, this is due to the slow start to the vaccination programme and relaxed level 1 restrictions. Finance Minister Tito Mboweni has stated that 'If that third wave comes, it should be managed (in such a way) that we keep the economy going and protect lives'.

A Global Travel Industry Roundtable has defined a unified roadmap with safe alternatives and specific actions to phase out the use of long-term quarantine policies and travel restrictions. Comprising 20 major trade organisations, including the World Travel Agents Associations Alliance (WTAAA), of which we are a member, the global coalition was formed to accelerate the recovery of the travel industry by aligning global efforts behind common messaging and industry standards in collaboration with medical and policy experts.

Many employers have placed their hopes of a return to the pre-COVID-19 workplace on the development of a COVID-19 vaccine. South Africa is in the process of acquiring and rolling out vaccines, however, it seems that although people are encouraged to be immunised, no one will, at this stage, be legally required to take the vaccine.