Cairns Post readers support mandatory Covid vaccines for tourism workers, polls show

Far Northerners have had a say on whether they believe the Covid-19 vaccine should be mandatory for frontline tourism workers. See the results and have your say.

THE majority of Far Northerners support mandatory Covid-19 vaccines for frontline tourism workers, according to the results of two Cairns Post polls.

Major tourism operator Experience Co is planning a policy which will potentially make it mandatory for frontline staff to be fully vaccinated against Covid.

Administration staff member Jacky Ramsay at the check-in counter of the mass vaccination hub at the Cairns Convention Centre. Picture: Brendan Radke

And chief executive officer John O’Sullivan says the company believes the Queensland Government needs to institute a public health order for the state’s whole tourism industry which requires any customer-facing role to be fully vaccinated.

“It is an approach that is currently being considered in other states and we believe that for Cairns this is a critical policy that needs addressing,” he said.

The results of two Cairns Post polls suggest the majority of Far North residents agree with his stance.

In a poll on the Cairns Post website, as of 10.30am Tuesday 68% of respondents had said the vaccine should be mandatory for frontline tourism workers.

On Facebook, the margin was smaller but the result was the same – 56% of respondents voted that the vaccine should be mandatory.

“Yes, if we want to avoid lockdowns when we are exposed to NSW/Victorian travellers,” said one commenter.

However, 44% of respondents opposed the idea.

“No one should be made to have this. It should be a choice,” another commenter said.

A number of organisations including Qantas, Queensland Police Service, Virgin Australia, P&O and Alliance Airlines have so far mandated vaccines for workers.

Qantas has also confirmed it will mandate vaccinations for all passengers on overseas flights as the airline gears up to reopen international routes.

What do you think? Add your vote to the poll or have your say in the comments below.

Originally published as Cairns Post readers support mandatory Covid vaccines for tourism workers, polls show