COVID live updates: Business leaders call on governments to stick to National Cabinet plan to ditch lockdowns - ABC News

Thoughts. We all have ‘em. Share them with the blog!

Here’s what a bunch of you have already shared with us this morning:

Oh look, large companies concerned about mental health… Once everyone is back in the office, will be great to see them all implement manageable workloads, increased pay for low-income earners, appropriate resourcing, and doing something meaningful rather than suggesting “yoga & mindfulness”.

Business bosses concerned about mental health? Let’s have them put their money where their mouth is. Permanent jobs instead of casual, wage rises and, let’s say 10% of profit straight into the hands of mental health services for the homeless without getting a tax kickback. Then I might have time for it. How stupid do they think we are.

South Australia has revoked a COVID-19 order that would have required truck drivers and other essential travellers coming into the state from NSW, the ACT or Victoria to have at least one vaccination before coming across the border.

The measure was due to come in on September 24, but faced a backlash from truck drivers.

Three truck drivers visiting SA from NSW while having COVID-19 since August 21 have sparked scares and resulted in exposure sites being listed, mostly in rural areas.

“We’ve been exposed to a bit of media and ultimately we’re just doing our job in the sense that somehow the Weet-Bix has got to end up on the shelf in the supermarket and we’re the ones that do it.”

I’ve just had a quick scan of the comments section and I tellya what, the vibes are not off today.

Business community: 'Give people something to hope for’

Bosses from 80 of some of Australia’s biggest companies have come together to put out an open letter, which is being published in all major newspapers today. 

I’m not going to name all the leaders who signed this letter because, as you’ll see in the graphic below, there were a lot of people chiming in on this one. 

We, the undersigned, represent businesses which employ almost one million Australians, and provide products and services to people right across the country. We have seen how effectively this country can come together over the past 18 months – with state and federal governments working alongside communities and businesses.

We have seen the effectiveness of lockdowns in suppressing the virus last year, and in slowing its spread today while we vaccinate the population as quickly as possible. We are encouraged by the building momentum in the vaccine program, with Australia now administering more doses per capita each week than the UK or the US ever achieved in their programs.

At the same time, we can also see the impact of lockdowns on our people, on our customers, on our small business suppliers, and on communities and families right across the country. Australia is juggling a mental health emergency at the same time as a global pandemic. Some of the impacts of current lockdowns are hidden, and the effects will be long lasting.

As 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. The National Cabinet has agreed to a roadmap which provides a path out of lockdowns, with an easing of restrictions from 70 per cent and 80 per cent vaccination rates. We need to stay the course.

Informed by modelling from the Doherty Institute, it balances the risks from COVID in a more vaccinated population, with the risks of indefinitely keeping our country divided and cut off from the world, our children out of schools, our friends apart from loved ones, and our small businesses closed.

Businesses will continue to do whatever we can to support our people to get vaccinated and to provide a safe environment for our customers and the community, including the prioritisation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities as originally intended.

We ask governments to work together to implement the National Plan and chart a path out of the current lockdowns. Providing a light at the end of the tunnel will encourage more Australians to get vaccinated. We need to give people something to hope for, something to look forward to, something to plan around, and to be confident about their futures.

This content was originally published here.

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