Cashiers, hairdressers, receptionists ... from the Northern Territory in Australia are among dozens of professional categories that will need to be vaccinated to continue to exercise, authorities announced on Wednesday, a measure of exceptional magnitude.
Worried about the low rate of vaccination against Covid-19 among certain categories of the population, the Prime Minister of this Territory, Michael Gunner, announced that "
any person working in contact with the public should be vaccinated
".
The vast Northern Territory stretches from the city of Darwin to the Outback of Alice Springs and Uluru, an area three times the size of Spain.
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It is home to a large number of indigenous communities and particularly vulnerable isolated populations.
Although more than 80% of the region's adult population has received at least one dose, Michael Gunner claimed that in some areas people are reluctant or unwilling to get vaccinated.
“
I make sure that we do our best to ensure that everyone is vaccinated,
” he said.
By December 24, anyone working with the public must be fully vaccinated or face a fine of AU $ 5,000 (€ 3,175) and immediate dismissal.
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In other parts of Australia, Covid-19 vaccines have been made mandatory for caregivers and teachers.
In many countries, unvaccinated people are denied access to enclosed or crowded places.
The measure decreed by the Northern Territory goes further than those adopted by many nations.
Since the start of the pandemic, this Territory has recorded only 214 cases of coronavirus and no deaths, but the authorities have recognized that this should not last.
“
One day, maybe soon, (the virus) will be there and it will stay there.
We will have to live with it,
”said Michael Gunner.
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