National Cabinet has released a national roadmap to transition Australia’s countrywide COVID response from its current suppression strategy to one that focuses on prevention of serious illness post-vaccination.
Detailed in the plan are four phases; Current Phase - Vaccinate, prepare and pilot; Post Vaccination Phase; Consolidation Phase; and, Final Phase, which outline the steps the government will take to transition Australia away from a suppression response.
Steps that the government is taking in the current phase include reducing commercial inbound passenger arrivals by 50%, trialling and piloting the introduction of alternative quarantine options, and increasing commercial flights for international repatriations to Darwin.
In pleasing news to retail and business owners, National Cabinet has stated that lockdowns should be used only as a last resort.
Australian Retailers Association CEO Paul Zahra welcomed the move.
"Lockdowns are not long-term sustainable solutions for businesses when it comes to containing the virus.
"We have to learn to live with COVID and manage things in a responsible way that doesn’t decimate people’s businesses and livelihoods.
"Finally, we have a roadmap for how Australia is going to live with the virus as vaccination rates improve.
"This has certainly been a long time coming and is a welcome relief for businesses, who’ve been treated like an on/off light switch, whenever new COVID outbreaks occur," he said.
Zahra added that the consistent national approach to lockdowns is great news for retailers.
"The inconsistent approaches from the different state and territory governments have been a confidence killer for businesses.
"The commitment that lockdowns will be used as a ‘last resort’ will be music to their ears," he said.
Zahra stressed the importance of the vaccination rollout and stated that the ARA is ready to assist the vaccination effort if needs be.
'The National Plan to transition Australia’s National COVID Response' is available to read on the Liberal Government website.