Victorian government declares Covid is over, pandemic declaration to end

The Victorian government has confirmed the pandemic declaration will come to an end but the opposition says the move is more about politics than public health.

The state government has declared Covid over — with Victoria’s official pandemic declaration to end on Wednesday.

Daniel Andrews, who appeared at a press conference earlier on Friday, announced the decision in a press release this afternoon.

“Victorians have done an amazing job over the last three years – and this new framework will give people the choice to do what is right for them and their community following the unanimous decision taken at National Cabinet,” he said.

“We’re making sure there are still requirements in place to protect our dedicated healthcare workers and vulnerable Victorians in high-risk settings like aged care, disability settings and hospitals.”

The declaration will end from 11.59pm on October 12.

Victorians will no longer be required to isolate after testing positive to Covid-19.

Victoria’s pandemic declaration will end on Wednesday. Picture: David Caird

As revealed by the Herald Sun on Friday vaccine mandates will remain in place for tens of thousands of Victorians even after the declaration ends.

The state government has confirmed the Department of Health will extend vaccine requirements for workers.

A spokesman said powers exist under occupational health and safety laws and Departmental Secretary Directions to require vaccinations for people in workplaces, including in the public service.

“It’s important that additional arrangements remain in place to protect workers and vulnerable

Victorians in aged care, disability settings and hospitals,” a spokesperson said.

The directions will allow mandates to remain in public, denominational, and private hospitals, health services, public sector aged care facilities, day procedure centres and ambulance services.

The Herald Sun understands senior public health officials had argued for the pandemic declaration order to be extended for another three months.

But the government was keen to finally end the declaration, which has been in place since December.

Before that Victoria was under a state of emergency since March 2020.

Opposition say it’s all about the election

Opposition health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier said the announcement was about politics over public health.

“This decision isn’t about public health but about a state election in 50 days’ time,” she said.

“From a government that said in January 2020 that our health system was “well-prepared”, Victorians know it was anything but.

“Victorians won’t forget the last two and a half years under Labor and the cruel decisions to impose seven harsh lockdowns, vaccine and mask mandates, curfews, playground, school and business closures.”

Ms Crozier said called on chief health officer Brett Sutton to explain why the decision to end the pandemic declaration was made.

Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief Paul Guerra was thrilled by the announcement.

“This is outstanding news for the state of Victoria as the onus is once again on the individual to manage their own health,” he said.

“It is time for us to get back to life as normal, focus on our post-pandemic recoveries and get on with it.”

Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief Paul Guerra welcomed the announcement. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Australian Foodservice Advocacy Body director Wes Lambert welcomed the news.

“It’s about time,” he said.

“We have come through the pandemic in Australia and the hospitality industry is booming on the other side, up nearly $1.3bn a month according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

“The entire food service industry is applauding the removal of the pandemic declaration, which now provides the certainty needed for us to finally get back to business and put the pandemic behind us.”

Tim Piper, the Victorian head of the employer association Ai Group, said the move was good news for industry.

“Assuming this means there will no longer be any vaccination requirements, a number of my larger food manufacturing members in particular will be really pleased,” Mr Piper said.

“It will make a difference to being able to bring back people who were required to work, we had to let them go, and they’ll be going to come back as fully operational.”

Mr Piper said many Victorians had already moved on from the pandemic.

“I think the symbolism is probably the important part, the government recognising that we’re moving to another stage I think does help with confidence,” he said.

“It won’t make a great deal of difference. Most people have now considered it to be part of life, and if you get COVID it’s an unfortunate illness.

“You don’t want to get it again, but it means that you just have to deal with it as you do a bad flu.”

Small Business Australia executive director Bill Lang said removing the declaration was another positive step for small business families.

“Many Victorians will finally start to feel unshackled from the ball and chains of the government’s management of the pandemic,” Mr Lang said.

“It would be great to see the balls and chains that continue to keep many public servants working from home removed and to see the government start to lead the resuscitation of the city of Melbourne by getting the biggest taxpayer funded taskforce back to work at their desks in their offices.”

Third dose mandates remain in place across many industries.

Vax mandate remains in some settings

Court Services Victoria has been enforcing its own policies, including a vaccine mandate, since October last year.

Third dose mandates remain in place to work onsite in a range of settings including in prisons and health settings and across Victoria’s emergency services.

Teachers in specialist settings must also have three doses. Under current laws, employers could be prosecuted by WorkSafe Victoria for failing to protect workers.

Across the state, 94.8 per cent of people aged 12 and over have had two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine.

Of those, 69.9 per cent of people aged 16 and over have had their third dose.

In June, leading epidemiologists Catherine Bennett and Nancy Baxter told the state’s pandemic declaration accountability and oversight committee there was no further need for jab mandates in most workplaces.

Professor Bennett, who is the epidemiology chair at Deakin University, said there was no basis to keep people away from workplaces that only require two jabs.

“I don’t think there’s any dispute that they served a role at the time … (but) we’ve moved on from any reasonable argument around two dosed mandates,” she said.

Professor Baxter, who leads the University of Melbourne’s school of population and global health, said it was “unclear” why a two-dose edict was still being enforced.

Originally published as Victorian government declares Covid is over, pandemic declaration to end