And if You Refuse the Jab? By Mrs Vera West
I have been anxious to see the consequences of not getting the Covid-19 vaccine. Will the path be followed of no jab, no pay, amplified to stop resisters from getting food?
“One key question people want answered is what freedoms the vaccine will grant them.
So, while no one will be forced to get the vaccine, federal and state governments may still implement some incentives to encourage people to get the shot. Some businesses may also have the opportunity to impose their own rules around vaccination.
On Sunday, the Federal government announced Australians will be issued a “digital certificate” when they receive a COVID-19 vaccination, which will be stored and displayed on the Express Plus Medicare and MyGov apps.
Here is a look at the different situations where proof of a COVID-19 vaccination may become a requirement.
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL
Qantas was the first major company to declare a vaccine would be mandatory for anyone wishing to travel internationally on the airline.
In November 2020, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said as soon as a vaccine becomes available it will be a condition of travel.
“For international travellers, we will ask people to have a vaccination before they get on the aircraft,’’ he said.
“Certainly, for international visitors coming out and people leaving the country we think that’s a necessity.”
Mr Joyce said he expected other major airlines around the world to follow suit and require passengers to provide proof of vaccination.
The Federal government has also hinted through Australia’s COVID-19 Vaccination Policy that the vaccine may be required when entering or leaving the country.
“While the Australian Government strongly supports immunisation and will run a strong campaign to encourage vaccination, it is not mandatory and individuals may choose not to vaccinate,” the policy states.
“There may however, be circumstances where the Australian Government and other governments may introduce border entry or re-entry requirements that are conditional on proof of vaccination.”
Health Minister Greg Hunt told news.com.au the government “may consider establishing new entry requirements for incoming travellers” but there has been no decision around mandating the vaccine for international arrivals.
“An Australian requirement for proof of COVID-19 vaccination upon entry would be made in consideration of any new recommendations from the World Health Organisation (WHO),” he said.
Government Services Minister Stuart Robert said digital proof of vaccination would be crucial to reopening borders.
“Any requirement for borders to open up will require vaccination and it will require the widespread use of assured certificates, and that is what we are talking about today – the Australian assured certificate that Australians can have enormous confidence in,” he said on Sunday.
However, even if the COVID-19 vaccination becomes a necessary part of international travel, mandatory hotel quarantine is likely to remain for the foreseeable future.
“For the moment, vaccination will not be an alternative to 14-day quarantine. And those decisions will have to be thought through carefully over the coming months as to how that will be handled,” Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said in December.
Australian Medical Association (AMA) president Omar Khorshid said quarantine requirements would be kept in place at the very least until all of Australia’s vulnerable population had been vaccinated.
“At some point you’ve got to open up and accept that it is going to come through the population and just make sure that the vaccines have been distributed,” Dr Khorshid told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“There is no doubt these vaccines are not the silver bullet for our borders and we’re going to see quarantine stay in place for many months to come … if the government decides it wants the whole population vaccinated before we open up.”
WORKPLACES
While the COVID-19 vaccine will be voluntary and won’t be party of Australia’s “No Jab No Pay” welfare policy, there may be some workplaces that require staff to be vaccinated.
Last month, Scott Morrison revealed health and aged care staff may be some of the Australian workers that could be required to get the jab for public health reasons.
It could also become a requirement for people wishing to visit health care facilities or aged care settings in a bid to protect people who may have an increased risk of becoming critically ill from the virus.
Associate Professor and Social Scientist from UNSW, Dr Holly Seale, told news.com.au vaccine requirements for certain workers were not new.
“It may be down the track that this COVID vaccine becomes one of the required vaccines for healthcare workers, aid care workers and people working in community settings,” she told.
“This would mean workers must have evidence of having the vaccine in order to proceed to work in these settings.
“We have had vaccine requirements in many occupational settings for a long time. These requirements are accepted by healthcare workers because they understand the necessity of them.”
Dr Seale said many healthcare workers have seen the “devastating impact” vaccine preventable diseases can have in clinical settings.
“There may be other occupations that you would hold the same kind of principle (regarding vaccines). It may be roles in the community where staff members have high risk of exposure or they are dealing with members of the public who could be vulnerable themselves,” she said.
“That is going to be a situation where the organisations themselves would need to make a decision.”
I am not interested in pubs and clubs, and you should not be either. Clearly, people are going to be squeezed into getting the vaccine, but there is a small window of survival, still shopping for food, at present. But, I would still stockpile supplies as money permits.
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