With the ACT, Victoria and NSW all experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks, the national discussion about the level of vaccine coverage required to open borders has been unfolding since the rollout began in February.
At Friday’s national cabinet meeting, ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the discussion focused on the “significant risks” associated with reopening at 70 per cent vaccine coverage as per one stage of the Doherty Institute Modelling Report.
“Let’s stop talking about 70 because it’s not safe at 70, but 80 is the more realistic step,” Mr Barr said today.
“There’s a massive risk at 70 per cent and, no, states and territories won’t be able to come to the rescue of one another.
“It doesn’t matter which set of modelling you look at, once the nation opens up there’s going to be cases, there’s going to be hospitalisations, and there’s going to be people in intensive care in numbers that Australians might find very uncomfortable.”
Mr Barr’s remarks come as the Federal Government continues to advocate for the reopening of state borders and lockdowns to reduce at 70 and 80 per cent national vaccination coverage.
Commonwealth Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has said state and territory governments would not receive the same levels of lockdown support when the thresholds were met.
“As vaccination rates continue to increase, and more supply comes online, we have to change the national conversation from one of fear about getting the virus to one of living safely and realistically with it,” Mr Frydenberg said.
“If we don’t open up as planned and agreed, the economic scarring will be severe. Small businesses will close. Jobs will be lost. The mental health of Australians will suffer.
“We owe it to every small business owner to ensure costly lockdowns do not last a single day longer than necessary.”
According to Mr Frydenberg, the decline in economic activity caused by lockdowns in the ACT, NSW and Victoria is currently running at around $2 billion a week, with Commonwealth fiscal support running at over $1 billion a week.
The national plan does not prohibit lockdowns beyond 80 per cent if jurisdictions reach that target before the whole country does so, as will be expected for the ACT.
Mr Barr said protections exist within the plan to allow jurisdictions who reach the 80 per cent marker prior to others to keep their borders closed.
“The national plan has an in-built protection that it requires both the nation and the jurisdiction to both be beyond those thresholds before you would step to the next stage.”
With AAP
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