Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena has been used as a mass vaccination centre for HSC students.
Passports to Recovery Nigel Benton explains how vaccines have to play a key role in industry recovery
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iven the impact of COVID-19 over the past 16 months on all areas of the leisure industry, the move towards industry recovery is surely happening too slowly. Ongoing outbreaks and the all-to-frequent reimposition of lockdowns (particularly in Victoria) and the fears of new lockdowns and restrictions on activity make it very different for consumers and most sectors to plan. In terms of public health, Australia and New Zealand are widely acknowledged to have handled last year’s outbreaks of the Coronavirus pandemic well. Helped by geographical isolations and the geography of being large islands, overall deaths (and deaths per million) were among the lowest in the world. By contrast, both country’s vaccination programs (and particularly Australia’s) has been slow to roll out and inconsistent, leaving the nation behind other leading economies in approaching a full vaccinated population. Assuming vaccinations are effective against all COVID strains, it is the bulk of the population being vaccinated that will drive a full reopening of the economy and consumer confidence to return to their pre-Coronavirus patterns of behaviour. As Sally McManus, Secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, explained in June, the nation’s health and economic recovery won’t be secured while the vaccine rollout stalls. Speaking over concerns about the speed of the vaccines rollout and the effectiveness of the Federal Government’s communication campaign, McManus stated “we will never be in a position where we can have certainty about the future ... until we speed up this vaccines rollout. “At the moment it’s extremely slow and it’s one of the main things that will hold us back in terms of jobs and in terms of recovery.” 54 Australasian Leisure Management Issue 145
Getting the Information Out As of 7th June, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) introduced arrangements to facilitate the communication of information about approved COVID-19 vaccines which permit health professionals, businesses and media outlets to develop their own materials about TGA-approved COVID-19 vaccines. They also permit the offer of a range of rewards to people who have been fully vaccinated under the Government’s COVID-19 vaccination program. Surely being proactive in this, is a key role for leading employers and industry bodies? Commenting on this, Wayne Middleton, a leading risk management consultant and Managing Director of Reliance Risk, explained “the TGA’s announcement provides more clarity for Australian businesses in communicating and potentially incentivising their staff to get vaccinated. “As has become increasingly apparent following Melbourne’s most recent outbreak and lockdown, that the whole country is still potentially vulnerable to outbreaks. Mass gatherings will always be one of the most affected industries until a high percentage of the entire population is vaccinated. “Expert advice suggests that we have a way to go before global infection rates are under control, and as the virus continues to mutate, and in some cases become more transmissible amongst some populations we thought were previously unaffected, such as children; large scale vaccination appears the only pathway to realistically navigate out of this. “Vaccination Policy is complicated in that it raises many legal, moral and social issues. The TGA’s announcement, however, helps businesses to promote its importance to its people and share the public information messaging.”
