UK government plans to make vaccines compulsory for university students: Report

After reopening the economy completely and abandoning all Covid-related rules, it has come as a surprise that the UK government might be planning to make vaccines compulsory for university students.

Recent media reports stated the Boris Johnson-led government might be planning to make both doses of coronavirus vaccine compulsory for all students if they want to attend lectures in-person and stay in resident halls.

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A few weeks ago, the UK education minister Vicky Ford has said a plain and direct "no" when she was asked if complete vaccination will be made compulsory for university students who wish to attend in-person lectures.

However, her tone and words were a little different now. "Obviously, I can’t comment on things that haven’t been announced, but one does need to look at every practicality to make sure that we can get students back safely, and make sure we can continue to prioritise education," she said in a local radio programme. "We've always considered everything that we can do to make sure that all people are safe in education. And the key thing, as we know, to keep transmission down, is to make sure that people get their vaccination."

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This announcement has come a few days after the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that domestic vaccine passports — proof that both doses of vaccines have been administered — will be made compulsory for entry in bars, pubs, and nightclubs.