The Chamber of Advocates has again called for lawyers who frequently work in a courtroom setting to be vaccinated.
In a statement, the Chamber said that it had noted reports in the media earlier this week stating that all court personnel are to be scheduled for COVID-19 vaccination, after pressure exerted by the UHM.
They said that more than three weeks ago the Chamber had compiled a list of lawyers who work habitually in court and who are therefore exposed to exactly the same risks that court personnel are exposed to; and requested both the Minister of Justice and Prof Charmaine Gauci, that those members included in the list be treated in a manner which is equivalent to court personnel and to members of the judiciary, who are even better protected than lawyers in view of the protective screens erected in court halls.
A spokesperson for the Chamber said: “It is unacceptable that members of the legal profession, who are exposed to the same, if not higher risks than those of court personnel, are treated differently. This is a serious matter of exposure to potential risks to health. It is just as unacceptable that rather than allow common sense to dictate matters and to treat equivalent situations equally - it is those who make more noise that are listened to first. This only militates towards motivating people to make more noise rather than deal with matters maturely.”
In the meantime, the Chamber said that it wishes to re-affirm its directive to all lawyers issued on the 11th of March 2021, and that therefore such directive will remain in force until the Chamber receives a positive response from the Minister to its request for lawyers to be scheduled for vaccination simultaneously with other stakeholders working in court.