Industry Recovery Minister Martin Pakula details the pilot scheme on Sunday.Credit:Chris Hopkins
Premier Daniel Andrews acknowledged the incremental nature of the changes. “They are modest things,it’s not freedom day,it’s not the end of the lockdown. That is getting closer every day though,” he said.
Deakin University chair of epidemiology Catherine Bennett and the Australian Hotels Association welcomed the government’s moves to trial vaccine passports before the country reopens its economy with high vaccination rates while the virus circulates.
“The trials aren’t in risk-free areas and that’s really important,” Professor Bennett said. “You need to do it in areas that have some exposure,potentially,not just to see how the process works,but to understand how risk management works.
Deputy Chief Health Officer Deb Friedman pleaded with people to get vaccinated.Credit:Chris Hopkins
“We need to take steps,evaluate,and that makes you more confident that the approach works.”
The Victorian government will nominate up to 20 businesses in the local government areas of Buloke,Pyrenees,Bass Coast,Greater Bendigo,East Gippsland and Warrnambool — all of which have high vaccination rates and low to no coronavirus cases – to take part in the trial of vaccine passports.
Mr Pakula said the trial,beginning on October 11,would flesh out how best to determine a person’s vaccination status,including how the federal government’s immunisation register could be linked to the Service Victoria app,and alternative ways for people to prove they have been fully vaccinated if they do not have a smartphone.
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“We’ll also be looking at what sort of training staff need,what sort of support business owners require,what sort of public communication or vaccine requirements will be necessary,” Mr Pakula said. “All of that will be fed into these trials.”
Australian Hotels Association chief executive Paddy O’Sullivan said the industry body supported vaccination programs for staff and customers “within the appropriate legal frameworks” to allow pubs and hotels to reopen.
“AHA is awaiting further details on announced vaccination-only trials for regional pubs and hotels,” Mr O’Sullivan said. “As part of the trial our aim is to ease patron capacity restrictions to a meaningful level in order to make it a viable business model.”
Louise Staley,the opposition’s spokeswoman for regional recovery,said the lack of detail on the trial was worrying,and there should be a transparent and fair application process to determine which businesses would be allowed to take part in the two-week scheme.
“Although Daniel Andrews has previously ridiculed the Liberal Nationals’ calls for COVID rules based on local government areas,todays trials by LGA are a welcome reversal,” Ms Staley said.
“Regional businesses and events are keen to start the COVID recovery phase so the government must allow all businesses within the trial areas to participate rather than exclude any without justification.”
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