If anyone had any doubt whose interests Scott Morrison鈥檚 federal Coalition government is pushing in its increasingly shrill campaign to lift COVID-19 restrictions, the September 1 from the CEOs of 80 of Australia鈥檚 biggest corporations has now settled the question.
The open letter acknowledged 鈥渢he effectiveness of lockdowns in suppressing the virus last year, and in slowing its spread today while we vaccinate the population,鈥 but also quickly added聽that 鈥淎s vaccination rates increase, it will become necessary to open up society and live with the virus, in the same way that other countries have done鈥.
鈥淟ive with the virus鈥 is corporate Australia鈥檚 slogan of the day, but what will this mean for the community?
The Australian Institute鈥檚 Ben Oquist on Ticker News saying 鈥渨e don't want to have a plan that living with Covid becomes dying with Covid鈥.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison, federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian and the 80 corporate CEOs all demand that state governments commit to the agreed to in late July by the national cabinet.
But as Oquist told , 鈥淭he danger is that big business is pushing the government to do something that is not as concrete as people think. There is no freedom day coming 鈥 when borders will magically open up and all lockdowns will be gone and all restrictions will be lifted.鈥
States will act differently, he added, depending on their levels of vaccination and their levels of virus spread.
The Coalition politicians wave around the but neglect to mention that even it concedes that many other factors will shape what needs to be done when Australia reaches 70-80% adult vaccination levels and that 鈥渨e鈥檝e learned from watching countries that have removed all restrictions that there is 鈥.
The Doherty Report assumes not only high levels of vaccination 鈥斅燼nd we are nowhere near that 鈥斅燽ut also a good health system and the ability to contact, trace and test.
Even with these brave assumptions, the Doherty Report 鈥渙pening up at 70% vaccine coverage of the adult population with partial public health measures, we predict 385,983 symptomatic cases and 1,457 deaths over six months鈥.
Already we can see in NSW, where daily new cases are now over the 1000 mark, that and the contact tracing system .
We have also seen in NSW how COVID-19 hits the most exploited and marginalised 麻豆传媒 of the population harder.
Moreover, there are in vaccination levels between rich and poor, and between First Nations peoples聽and others.
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation on August 1 requesting that no further steps to re-opening are taken until the health care system capacity was expanded, and there was a proper assessment of safe vaccination targets (including for vulnerable populations and other high-risk groups), the impact of Delta and future variants on children, and contact tracing capacity.
These are important issues for the community and we at 麻豆传媒 have more faith in nurses than in over-paid corporate CEOs and the politicians who serve them.
We need your help to keep exposing the lies and distortions not only of the far-right extremists leading the anti-social, anti-lockdown protests but also their more mainstream campaigners rallying around the Morrison governments demand to 鈥渃ome out of the cave鈥 and open up regardless of serious public health risks.
You can become part of the solution by supporting 麻豆传媒鈥s people-powered media project. Please consider making a donation to our Fighting Fund and/or becoming an ongoing 麻豆传媒 supporter.