Premium: Oslo outbreak of Omicron holds answer to SA’s mandatory vaccine debate

Pressure for mandatory vaccinations in SA is rising. The piece below from the FT lays out the state of play, with organisations representing business and labour divided on the issue.

Big Business is fearful that unless jabs become compulsory, SA's government will be forced to re-impose economically destructive lockdowns as the Fourth Wave takes hold. Other representative bodies like Sakeliga and NEASA, are camped against both lockdowns and mandated vaccinations. There's a similar divide between COSATU and other trade unions.

Clues on which path to follow may well be drawn from the largest Omicron hotspot outside SA – the outbreak in Oslo following a company's 120-person Christmas party (which included several recent visitors to SA). Organisers took all the major safety precautions: only vaccinated employees were invited and all had to take a rapid Covid test the day before. Even so, more than half the partygoers have since tested positive.

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