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Op-Ed
Covid-19 targets people who are unvaccinated, and you only need to look at the evidence which shows that a large percentage of the current cases we have in New Zealand right now are unvaccinated.
That being said, everyone does have a choice about whether they want to be vaccinated or not. But everyone must be aware of the consequences of their actions.
In National’s Back in Business plan, which we released two weeks ago, we said that under Level 3 lockdown, we would allow fully vaccinated people to go to work, attend events, use gyms, or visit restaurants and bars showing proof of vaccination upon entry.
But we are still waiting for this Government to deliver vaccine certificates. It is highly concerning that the Government have still not released them to New Zealanders, given that three million New Zealanders are double vaccinated and every other country in the OECD has a form of vaccine certification.
We have been living with this pandemic for over 18 months now, and Ministers seem to be asleep at the wheel whilst every other country has got their act together and is looking ahead.
As for vaccine mandates, which under this Government will be required at hospitality and close-contact businesses even after a 90 per cent vaccination rate, we are dividing New Zealand into a two-tier system. With vaccine mandates, the state is telling the unvaccinated that they cannot enter the premises of private businesses.
Once we reach 90 per cent vaccination rates, there is no need for the state to enforce vaccination mandates. I strongly believe in private property rights, and I strongly believe in the freedoms of every New Zealander. Businesses should have the right to come up with their own mandates on vaccines if they wish, and the Government should not step in.
The announcement from the Government on vaccine mandates seemed rushed and lacked any detail. They have failed New Zealanders by promising that we were at the front of the queue, and by being late to order vaccines they botched the vaccine roll-out.
And despite promising that vaccine certificates were on the way in November and then changing that deadline numerous times, all the three million New Zealanders who are fully vaccinated get is a small piece of cardboard that could be knocked up on a home computer. To cap it off they are failing businesses even more by telling them who and who cannot enter their buildings. It is disgraceful.
