Masks, and the $ 21,909 Revenue Raiser, are Forever! By James Reed
When you are on a good thing, stick to it, the old ad said. That is certainly true for Victoria’s mask mandate, which is here forever. I imagine after the extinction of the human race, in a few years’ time, visiting Martian archaeologists will puzzle about the billions of tons of masks, never to decompose, perhaps the last trace of what pretends to be human civilisation, at least here in Victoria!
“Daniel Andrews has hinted Victoria's hated mask mandate could remain indefinitely as Covid still remains 'challenging' for the state to manage, despite infection rates tumbling in the last month.
Asked whether the rule would finally be dropped, the Victorian premier said it would not change 'any time soon' as Omicron was a 'wildly infectious variant and we are being guided by safety, which has never been more important than it is right now'.
With the restriction to wear masks indoors unlikely to be eased for some time, it means anyone breaking the rule will continue to face a crippling $21,909 fine for breaching the pandemic order.
Victorians are still living under vaccine mandates, meaning only those who are double-jabbed can go to bars, restaurants or retail venues.
Mr Andrews, who has plunged Melbourne into six lockdowns, extended his controversial pandemic laws last month until at least April - allowing him to announce a health crisis at any time and assume unprecedented powers.
The Victorian Premier is seeking to impose indefinite restrictions despite the number of active Covid cases in the state having dropped by 74 per cent in the past two weeks, leaving just 66,648 statewide on Wednesday.
Mr Andrews justified ongoing restrictions by saying there was 'incredible pressure on our health system right now despite the fact the numbers are coming down'.
However the number of Covid cases in hospital had dropped by 39 per cent since the peak on January 17 and are lower now than they were in October before the Omicron wave.
If a new variant of Covid arises, the state government can announce pandemic orders 'by decree' to confine Victorians in their homes once again.
He also hinted again that Victoria's definition of fully-vaccinated could soon be extended to mean three doses, saying 'it's becoming increasingly obvious that two doses are not enough'.
The continuing rules mean a person can be fined up to $21,909 for a breach of an order.
This could include not wearing a mask, breaking a movement limit, attending an illegal protest or a gathering, refusing to get tested or failing to show ID.
Businesses can be fined up to $109,044 for breaking rules which may include failing to make sure customers check-in or show proof of vaccine status.
In addition, there is a new aggravated offence for breaches that 'cause a serious risk to the health of another individual'.
These can be punished with a $90,870 fine and two years in jail. An example given in the bill is someone going to work when they are infectious and should be isolating.
Businesses can also be guilty of an aggravated offence, with a maximum fine of $454,350 if, for example, they refuse to obey a lockdown and encourage customers to also flout the rules.
It comes as Australia's chief medical officer Paul Kelly said there would likely be another wave of Covid this winter.
'Every June since 2020 there has been a wave of Covid in Australia and other southern hemisphere countries.'”
Can you imagine how these guys would freak out if there was a really deadly plague, like the Black Death 2.0, which piled the bodies in the street? But, I suppose then, people would gladly self-isolate.
Anyway, even the mainstream are having a little rethink now:
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