Mandatory vaccinations belong in the bin/ the Rebecca Jane column

Before covid police jump on my case, I am vaccinated,

I am NOT an anti-vaxxer (I have all vaccinations possible). I have very little stance on Covid-19 vaccinations, but what I am passionate about is this new undercurrent of trying to enforce vaccinations - without directly saying ‘we’re enforcing vaccinations.'

All these policies floating around telling workers they must be vaccinated in order to work are the most passive aggressive move in the landscape of Covid-19 I have seen so far (and there have been a few).

Other passive aggressive moves I have seen, Travel!... ‘We’re not saying you have to be vaccinated to travel, but what we will say is that you need to part with £2,500 per person, stay in a 2* hotel, spend £1,927 on horrendous hotel room service, not go to work and not see anyone you know for the next 10 days and remain in isolation… if you’re not vaccinated.'

Essentially, only the privileged can travel if they don’t want to get a Covid-19 vaccination.

This country is not operating a mandatory vaccination policy, but what we are operating is an unspoken, passive aggressive vaccination policy that will see you isolated, chastised and shamed if you dare to try turning down the Covid-19 vaccination.

I lost loved ones to covid, everyone in my immediate family has now had covid and I was personally hospitalised with it. I believe in it, it is a horrendous illness and I firmly believe our country was brought to our knees and will take years to recover. I wholeheartedly hold respect and space for the illness that is Covid-19.

I have aimed to stay away from covid conversations in my newspaper columns, but on occasion, enough is enough. Today, I’ve had enough.

Mandatory vaccinations is a step too far.

Humans have lived on this earth for about six million years. 2020 and 2021 are not the years where it is declared that we do not have our own thoughts, opinions or are capable of making decisions for ourselves.

Where the heck did our human rights go?!

My problem with the government throughout the handling of Covid-19 was that they changed laws at the drop of a hat. I trained in law, I spent years learning how laws are made. The consultation process, the time involved.

In 2020, the government decided they were above all of that and brought laws within hours. We have a system and process that is hundreds of years old for a reason. Why do our current government believe they are above that process?

Last summer, Boris and his pals introduced new laws every time they had one too many red wine’s in an evening, in my opinion. One week they locked down the North at 9pm, the next week they locked down half the country at 10pm.

They had absolutely no thought or regard for the anxiety their speedy decisions had on our nation. I firmly believe this ludicrous lack of respect for law, people and the nation directly increased the 266% rise in suicidal cases that I personally saw.

I am wholeheartedly sure that experts in this field are far more qualified than I to hold this debate and argument, I do not profess to be anything more than one person with an opinion - but what I can tell you is that no one understands the implications of time.

Vaccinations need time. Laws need time. Heck, even I need time. Reacting ‘off the cuff’ is not good for anything, responding after an argument, reacting to big news or making a law after a life changing pandemic. The repercussions from vaccinations are not known, the repercussions of the anxiety created by the government's constant indecisions over Covid-19 are not entirely known and the long term effects of the virus itself are still largely unknown.

SIX MILLION YEARS. That is what we do know. The amount of time that humans have been alive and trusted with making their own decisions.

I do not agree with the passive aggressive moves being made in the Covid-19 game, but I still made the decision to vaccinate myself. We are all capable of deciding what is best for ourselves, our bodies, our families and our children. We will make the decision that is best for us.

If you’re an employer, enforcing vaccinations, you should be ashamed of yourselves.

You have entrusted your employees with a role within your business, you have trusted them to represent you and your brand, you trust them to turn up when they need to and you trust them with decisions that could make or break your company.

It is time to trust them to make a decision about vaccinations too.