IMAGE: Professor Paul Griffin says vaccine mandates should be regularly assessed moving forward.(AAP: Mater )
Source: ABCnews
Changes from 14 April will allow unvaccinated people to go to restaurants, clubs, museums, and stadiums.
Vaccine mandates will remain for the health sector, prisons, schools and childcare centres.
According to Acting Premier Cameron Dick there is not going to be any move made to get rid of vaccine mandates entirely at this stage.
“We will take the advice of the Chief Health Officer and of course that’s also the agreed position I understand it nationally,” he said.
Infectious diseases physician Dr Paul Griffin said easing the mandates in certain settings makes sense.
“I think the benefits of these mandates has been reduced and they still come as a significant cost, so I think it’s the right thing,” he said.
“It doesn’t mean they weren’t the right thing to do at the time, I think it was very important to do at the time and very effective.”
Dr Griffin said mandates in vulnerable settings, where they remain, need to be assessed on an ongoing basis.
“We know those areas are quite prone to outbreaks,” he said.
“They have vulnerable residents or patients where the outcomes might be worse, so I think we do need to make sure we take those additional steps in those higher risk locations.
“What’s really clear is protection against infection is reduced by two doses against Omicron but largely restored with that third dose.”
The Queensland Council of Civil Liberties is calling for the removal of vaccine mandates in all areas due to how widespread the virus is.
“There’s no justification for the mandates continuing in any circumstance whatsoever, ” the council’s president Michael Cope said.
“People have a right to bodily autonomy which means that all mandates should contain an exception for conscientious objectors and other people who have personal objections to taking vaccines.”
