The editor: Banning the unvaxxed from fun is necessary

Queensland’s vaccine rate has soared since the ban on unvaccinated people attending multiple venues was unveiled. But, just as we’re going to have to learn to live with Covid, we are also going to have to learn to live with our misguided neighbours.

There is no doubt that the state government’s threatened ban on fun for anybody unvaccinated against Covid after December 17 has achieved its primary goal of being a seriously effective way to encourage the hesistant or lazy among us to go and get their jab.

Queensland’s first-dose vaccine rate has soared well above 80 per cent since the ban on unvaccinated people attending pubs, restaurants, cinemas, nightclubs, concerts and stadiums was unveiled 10 days ago – and at the current rate we are now on track to potentially even bring forward our state’s reopening to the nation earlier than planned.

The threat – that has clearly worked – was necessary, when you consider that just prior to its announcement 9.6 per cent of Queenslanders said they were simply not prepared to get jabbed, leaving the tiniest of margins if we were to ever hit the 90 per cent rate that is necessary to ensure our lives can return to normal.

Consequently, The Courier-Mail has endorsed the move to ban the unvaccinated from pretty well everything, as a way of getting jab rates in Queensland up towards 90 per cent. The big southern states will get there without needing to resort to such a ban, because they had to endure long lockdowns – the ultimate incentive to get protected. We needed a different motivator.

It is critical that as a state we get as many people as we can protected as soon as possible against this deadly virus that has laid siege to the world for the past two years.

Queensland’s first-dose vaccine rate has soared well above 80 per cent. Picture: Liam Kidston.

Even with vaccines, Covid – which is real, and is deadly – will continue to be a threat. But being vaccinated means your chances of falling seriously ill – and dying – are greatly reduced. And while Covid will continue to be more dangerous than the seasonal flu, having a high proportion of the population fully jabbed means we can learn to live with it without having to resort to economy-killing lockdowns – with all the flow-on effects, including on mental health.

When this ban was revealed, we did however warn about the challenges that will face venues in turning away people who are not vaccinated. Refusing to serve people who are too intoxicated is one thing; turning away customers because they have not had two jabs is quite another. The police can give all the assurances they like that they will help with enforcement, but that is cold comfort for – say – a 15-year-old waitress who has to refuse to serve an unvaccinated fully grown man at a suburban cafe. What could happen before the police turn up?

We therefore think Prime Minister Scott Morrison has half a point when he said yesterday that people should be able in the future to “get a cup of coffee in Brisbane regardless of whether you’ve had a vaccine or not”. Now, we don’t think that time is now – or even before the end of the year. But certainly at some point in the longer term, this ban will likely have to be lifted simply because it is impractical.

Just as we are going to have to learn to live with Covid, we are also going to have to learn to live with our neighbours who – for whatever reason, usually misguided – decide against taking advantage of the miracle of science and getting vaccinated against this deadly virus.

For now, however, and perhaps until we reach that 90 per cent vaccination rate, we agree with Deputy Premier Steven Miles – who responded to the PM by saying: “We want people in Brisbane to get a coffee too, we just don’t want them to get Covid while they’re doing it.”