The letter states –
I write to government to request consideration that home delivery, express couriers are given a high-priority vaccination status.
You will be aware that home delivery has supported 'stay safe, stay at home'. Over four hundred thousand Express couriers are key workers that support the public need to stay safe and stay at home. Placing themselves in danger of transmission at every doorstep delivery across the UK.
The increased vulnerability to infection will have a significant direct impact on the absence levels, leading to a reduction of capability for the Express courier service to support the demands of stay safe, safe at home.
Express courier drivers have and continue to deliver during a time when risk of transmission to them is high. Our Express couriers are critical to keeping people at home. They are a resource we need to keep the UK safe.
IOC chairman, Carl Lomas,
Our industry has delivered from the very beginning of COVID, PPE, meds and work at home kit, continuing every day of the year with parcels to help people stay at home and stay safe. Over four hundred thousand Express couriers are key workers that support the public need to stay safe, safe at home. Placing themselves in danger of transmission at every doorstep delivery across the UK. We do, of course, respect the absolute priority set out in the Independent report by the Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, which identifies the priority groups for COVID-19 vaccination (updated 6 January 2021) but wish to add that Express couriers need to included.
Vaccine request for express couriers delivering to the door - IOC letter to Ministers Jan 14th
Ministers: Nadhim Zahawi MP is the Minister for COVID Vaccine Deployment.
Baroness Vere - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Department for Transport,
Matt Hancock - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Dear Ministers,
I write to government to request consideration that home delivery, express couriers are given a high-priority vaccination status.
You will be aware that home delivery has supported 'stay safe, stay at home'.
Over four hundred thousand Express couriers are key workers that support the public need to stay safe, safe at home. Placing themselves in danger of transmission at every doorstep delivery across the UK.
The increased vulnerability of infection will have a significant direct impact to the absence levels, leading to a reduction of capability for the Express courier service to support the demands of stay safe, stay at home.
Express couriers deliver medical supplies, PPE, food and parcels daily, seven days a week. Express courier drivers have and continue to deliver during a time where risk of transmission to them is high.
IOC have developed a ‘stay safe at the door’ policy for these individuals who continue to deliver every day throughout lockdown. Our Express couriers are critical to keeping people at home. They are a resource we need to keep the UK safe.
We do of course, respect the absolute priority set out in the Independent report by the Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, which identifies the priority groups for COVID-19 vaccination (updated 6 January 2021) but, we respectfully ask that home delivery, express courier drivers are included/added to this list.
Yours sincerely,
Carl Lomas MBE
Chairman Institute of couriers
www.ioc.uk.com
January 14th
