My plan to open the economy

The blunt fact is we need to learn how to live and work and prosper with this virus for the foreseeable future. Picture: Jay Town

In the initial months of the pandemic there was a scramble to put in place the protocols necessary to manage the threat to national health. We accepted the newly designated measures, such as the wearing of masks and the practice of social distancing. Most Australians complied; it was all part of the social contract required to get us through to the other side.

Politicians responded with uncharacteristic nimbleness in devising ways to support those impacted by the lockdowns. But there comes a point on the leeward side of the infection mountain when a different approach is needed. Left unchecked, income support funded by borrowings, or by drawing down on super, would burden the next generation with higher taxes long into the future.

We need a plan to open up the economy, including the tourism, entertainment, aviation and hospitality sectors that have been so badly affected. The way forward will inevitably result in outbreaks, scares, perhaps even the odd step backwards, but we must find a way to navigate life, a way to generate income and pay taxes, that accommodates coronavirus.

I think it’s prudent to assume that a vaccine will not be available for much of the coming year. The blunt fact is we need to learn how to live and work and prosper with this virus for the foreseeable future. We need to adapt. We need to accept a higher level of risk. We need to develop working protocols for this next pre-vaccine phase.

How about office workers divide into teams rotating on five-hour shifts, thus spreading the load on lifts and public transport throughout the day? The balance of the working day would be spent working from home. (This kind of hybrid work-from-home, collaborate-in-the-office arrangement is how the next generation will want to work anyway; they won’t tolerate a nine-to-five, commuter life for 30 years.)

How about cafes and restaurants spill wherever possible into open public space? This might require local councils to ease up on bylaw restrictions. Perhaps more of these businesses could offset lost turnover by operating a takeaway service. Or better still, by offering online cooking classes.

Why not allow meetings, congregations, funerals and wedding services for any number of attendees, as long as there’s an average of four square metres per person? A 20-person meeting would require an 80 square metre room, such as a staff training room, which is probably under-utilised anyway because training is now substantially online. Larger funerals and weddings could be held in little-used convention centres.

What if domestic air terminals had coronavirus testing facilities at the baggage carousel? It would give everyone something to do while waiting for their luggage to arrive. Also, every incoming visitor could be required to show proof of a negative coronavirus test before boarding the plane. There would need to be some kind of internationally accredited proof-of-test digital facility connected to airline ticketing systems for this to work. (I have thought this through.) Or perhaps the aviation sector could fund medical research to develop an instant coronavirus test that would immediately unlock the entire industry.

Australians are remarkably adept at responding to changed circumstances. I have every confidence that, given the right support, including trust in the enforcement of protocols, we can and will find ways of navigating this pre-vaccine stage of living with coronavirus.