Unvaccinated residents of the Australian state of Victoria will be “locked out” of the economy when the state reaches its targets for reopening, the state’s premier announced.
Speaking at a press conference Sunday, Victoria Premier Dan Andrews underlined the notion that the state is experiencing “the pandemic of the unvaccinated,” therefore, he said, when 70, and then 80 percent of Victorians are fully vaccinated and the state’s restrictions are gradually lifted, those refusing the vaccines will not get their freedoms back.
“When we get to those [70 and 80 percent] vaccination double-dose thresholds as part of the national plan, the notion of a lockout of the whole community is far less relevant,” Andrews said.
While admitting that it may seem like a harsh measure, Andrews continued, “We’re going to move to a situation where, to protect the health system, we are going to lock out people who are not vaccinated and can be.” Saying that he was not going to lock the whole state down “to protect people who would not protect themselves,” Andrews noted that chances of unvaccinated people participating in public activities such as attending a sporting event or going to a pub “will be very, very limited.”
It remained unclear why the remaining unvaccinated cohort would pose any threat to the healthcare system or any vaccinated people, since, according to Andrews, the vaccines are not only the best protection against severe complications of COVID, but a means to prevent one from getting the infection and passing it to others — a notion debunked by the real-world data on breakthrough infections worldwide and confirmed, among others, by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (see here). Israel, one of the most vaccinated countries in the world, with 2.5 million citizens being triple-jabbed, continues to see a rise in infections, and will be moving to offer a fourth jab as early as the end of 2021-beginning of 2022. The news has probably not made it to the Land Down Under yet.
The premier added, “If you’re making the choice not to get vaccinated, then you’re making the wrong choice.” Andrews did not specify what kind of services and venues unvaccinated people would be barred from, but noted that there will be “many, many” of them.
Andrews stressed that once Victoria reopens, it will evolve into what he called a “vaccinated economy,” the development of which is already underway. And when that happens, “It’s not going to be safe for people who are not vaccinated to be roaming around the place spreading the virus,” the premier remarked.
The “vaccinated economy” will be enforced via a vaccine passport system where public events, facilities, and services can only be accessed by those who received a COVID jab, while ensuring those “roaming around” virus-incubating unvaxxed people stay out.
The local media reports that as the government prepares to ease restrictions across parts of the state that observe no COVID infection, they have identified regional Victoria as “the perfect testing site” for the vaccine-passport system.
According to Minister for Industry Support and Recovery Martin Pakula, “In terms of a trial for those sort of small gatherings which might be done in a double-vaccinated only environment, we think it makes sense for that to start in regional Victoria.” He said the government is actively engaged in discussions with the local hospitality business on how to design and implement the vaccin-passport system for the patrons.
It is also noted that the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has been a strong proponent for the introduction of vaccine passports, with its representatives expressing their satisfaction with the system’s advancements.
The idea of separating Australian society into two castes is being supported at the federal level as well. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has voiced his support for “vaccinated-only” admissions, implying businesses have a “legitimate” right to refuse service to the unvaccinated. “Businesses under property law have the ability to say, ’No, you can’t enter,’ and they can ask for it [proof of vaccination]. It’s legal for them, and they’re doing it to protect their workers and protect other clients,“ Morison stated. While noting that the issue is not about ideology, but about “freedom and so on,” Morrison said that unvaccinated people represent a “greater public risk” to the community.
Unvaccinated Australians are already being discriminated against in the state of New South Wales. At the end of August, NSW eased restrictions for fully vaccinated residents in certain local government areas, allowing one-hour outdoor gatherings of up to five people. While most of the draconian lockdown rules remain in place, in order to enjoy an additional hour outdoors, fully vaccinated individuals older than 18 must have proof of their vaccination status. The government provides for such options as a digital certificate that may be downloaded on a smartphone. For those old-fashioned folks, their vaccination provider would print a paper version of the certificate. Moreover, fully vaxxed Aussies may call the Australian Immunization Registry that keeps track of all and every single vaccine dose given and ask for their certificate to be mailed to them.
On Monday, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, similar to her Victorian colleague, confirmed that only the vaccinated will be able to regain the freedoms that come when the state reaches 70 percent double-dose targets.
