Virgin announces vaccination policy after a period of consultation. According to a press release from the airline, Virgin Australia will introduce mandatory vaccination to all its employees. The airline says the policy was finalised after a two-week consultation period with their employees, unions, suppliers, etc. Virgin is the second airline in Australia to create a vaccination policy, Qantas CEO, Alan Joyce, has also taken that step and wants passengers and employees vaccinated.
According to Virgin Australia’s press release, all airport-based workers will have to be vaccinated by the 15th of November and all other office-based staff by the 31st of March, 2022. The airline has also provided compensation for those who need to pay for medical appointments in order to get advice about vaccination, leave if they feel unwell after being vaccinated and information so all their employees are well informed.
One step closer to freedom
Although this may be a rather controversial issue for most, for aviation is a question of survival. We have all seen what happened with cruise ships at the beginning of the pandemic. Although planes have always been safer due to their very strong HEPA filters that clean and recycle the air every few minutes, we still need assurance that our flight is not going to become a Delta super spreader event that will end up putting us in a hospital bed on a ventilator.
Qantas has been very clear about this, now Virgin sets the same rules and other world airlines join them in the fight against covid. We need this sector back on track as soon as possible. I think everyone in aviation understands that and wants that, so I think is a no brainer, if we want our freedom back we need to get the jab.
The possibility of having international borders reopen as well as state borders, with crews and passengers fully vaccinated it may be the freedom we all desperately want.