Newsroom

January 21, 2022

Member for Hill Shane Knuth is calling on the State Government to end mandates and follow the lead of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnston who has announced the end of face masks and vaccine passports.

With double vaccination rates reaching 90 per cent, it is time to end the mandates and for life to go back to normal.

Mr Knuth said enough was enough.

“For months the State Government has been contradicting themselves and shifting the goalposts,” he said.

“They told Queenslanders they would be safe if fully vaccinated with two doses, now they are using scare tactics that COVID is hunting down the unboosted and recently projected a fourth shot which could be available by the end of the year.

“We need to stop these forced vaccinations and vaccine passports and return to life as normal.”

Mr Knuth said communities, families and businesses have all been affected by these mandates.

“This is now a human rights issue, and it is getting to the point that it is creating a severe worker shortage in hospitals, aged care and disability sector and it is also affecting patients who have a right to a certain level of care.

“Our health workers are overworked; our restaurants and cafes can’t find staff, our education sector is in limbo and those who need support are going without.

“It is also affecting our supply chains with many supermarkets out of stock which has forced the Government to backpedal on their decision that essential workers, who are considered a close contact, are able to return to work without isolating, provided that they have a negative RAT test.”

“There are many other countries that are effectively dealing with COVID without enforcing mandates onto their people and English Prime Minister Boris Johnston has successfully taken these steps.”