The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has agreed to raise a Fórsa request that certain local authority staff are prioritised for Covid-19 vaccinations, once they are approved for use in Ireland, with the “appropriate bodies.” The union raised the issue with the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA), which subsequently took it up with the department.

Fórsa argued that a number of groups should be prioritised. These include staff in fire services including ambulances, water services, veterinary services, civil defence, social work, housing and public realm cleansing.

The union also says those working in libraries and on public counters should be considered for inclusion as key workers with regard to vaccines.

The union welcomed the proposed prioritisation of healthcare providers, education staff and other key workers in the ‘provisional vaccine allocation groups’ published by the health department last week. 

But it said frontline council staff should also be included as ‘essential workers’ who can’t avoid a high risk of exposure, which is the tenth priority in the published list.

Separately, Fórsa has convinced the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) to include reception areas and public counters as places where the use of face masks should be considered. This was set out in new guidance issued earlier this month. See point 1.8 in this FAQ document. 

The Government subsequently published a detailed national vaccination strategy, which will see Covid vaccines rolled out by a range of qualified health professionals in three phases, with the highest priority groups receiving the vaccines first.

The strategy says vaccines will be administered from long-term care facilities, hospitals, mass vaccination clinics, GP surgeries and community pharmacies.

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