Talking Retail Grocery and product news for independent retailers
Health secretary, Matt Hancock, yesterday (12 January) told parliament that ministers are “looking very carefully at those professions that will need to be prioritised in phase two of the prioritisation programme … We’ll look at of course teachers and police and others, but also we’ll look at shopworkers and we’ll make those decisions based on data.”
In response, NFRN national president Stuart Reddish said he hoped the government would act on his words. He added: “Thousands of independent retailers and their staff have been at the frontline throughout the pandemic. While safety measures have been put in place to protect staff and their customers, our members still put themselves at risk day in and day out to keep the population supplied with food and other essential goods.”
In addition, Retail NI is urging the NI Executive to consider giving frontline shopworkers priority for vaccination.
Chief executive, Glyn Roberts, said: “We absolutely understand there are groups of people, such as the elderly, those with underlying conditions and emergency services that need to be vaccinated first. But given that retail workers are on the shopfloor, interacting with the public, and are vital to ensuring the supply of food, they should be factored into the local vaccination programme.
“While our members are ensuring that safety measures are in place for their staff and shoppers, a retail worker vaccination program will be essential to provide further protection and reducing transmission of the virus.”
Meanwhile, a petition asking for frontline retail staff to be prioritised for the Covid-19 vaccine has been launched.
