Essential workers in the Northern Territory in Australia will be subject to one of the strictest Covid-19 vaccination mandates in the world to begin in just a month.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner said employees who interacted with the public needed to get least one Covid-19 jab by November 13 or they wouldn’t be allowed back to work and faced a $5000 fine.
The new directions apply to:
- Employees at all jobs that involve interacting with members of the public. For example: hospitality, banking, retail, supermarket, receptionists, hairdressers and beauty therapists
- Workers who come into direct contact with people at risk of severe illness from Covid-19, like Aboriginal people or those who can’t be vaccinated
- Employees who work in a high-risk setting where there is a known risk of Covid-19 transmission or outbreak
- People who perform work in essential infrastructure, food or essential good security or supply, or logistics
The direction also includes a provision that mandates booster shots for those workers in the future.
Employers will be allowed to request proof of vaccination of staff and will be required to keep a register of the vaccination status of all employees.
Some exemptions will be available to those who have legitimate reasons not to be vaccinated. It must be supported by medical evidence.
“If your job includes interacting with members of the public, then you need to get the jab,” Mr Gunner said.
“If you work in hospitality you need to get the jab. If you work in retail or in a supermarket, you need to get the jab.”
Mr Gunner warned Territorians: “You have 30 days”.