ACT is calling on the Government to move on from divisive vaccine mandates immediately and tell its departments to stop sacking workers.
MSD has begun sacking up to 220 unvaccinated staff despite receiving advice to pause terminations.
“This is the most divisive government in a generation. Sacking workers when there are perfectly good alternatives available is unbelievably cruel.
“ACT has said since November that mandates should be replaced by a vaxx or test rule.
“Fonterra this week dropped its mandate in favour of daily RAT tests. Why can’t the Government?
“Yesterday, I asked Chris Hipkins what the public policy rationale is for mandates. He couldn’t answer.
“It’s not complicated. Either we have mandates to:
- Encourage more people to get vaccinated;
- Prevent spread by segregating vaccinated people;
- Reduce hospitalisation by ensuring unvaccinated people are not exposed to COVID-19.
“None of these explanations make sense any more.
“At 97 per cent, mandates won’t make more people get vaccinated.
“The growth of cases is exponential – vaccination mandates are not affecting it any more.
“People who are unvaccinated can still go to the supermarket and catch COVID-19, so the benefit of segregating them from other activities for their own good and that of the hospital system seems limited, to say the least.
“It’s time to move on from fear and take back control of our lives from unending government restrictions
“We should not keep ineffective and costly rules because they make us feel comfortable. If rules are not useful, they should go, and it should be up to the Government that imposes them on us to explain why they should stay. It’s time to stop the fear and the control. It’s time to move on.”