Unvaxxinated Parents Will Be Banned From Seeing Their Own Sick Kids in Western Australian Hospitals Under Strict New Laws From Mark McGowan
By Sam Mcphee
– Mark McGowan to lock unvaccinated parents out of hospitals seeing sick kids
– New Covid rules will see the unvaxxed denied entry to all ‘high-risk settings’
– Legislation comes after Mark McGowan reneged on re-opening his state
Unvaccinated parents will be banned from seeing their own sick children unless they get a special exemption under draconian new measures being drawn up by Mark McGowan.
The Western Australia premier, who has proudly touted his state will have the ‘broadest’ vaccine passport rules in the country, is bringing in tough new rules on January 31.
The hospital visitation plan would see only those with exemptions from the vaccine to be allowed to visit hospitals – including to see their own kids.
Mr McGowan has promised to make life ‘very hard’ for those who refuse the jab, and has further ostracised himself from the rest of the country by extending the state’s closed borders beyond the February 5 re-opening date he had promised.
Unvaccinated parents will be banned from seeing their own sick children under draconian new measures from Mark McGowan and will need to apply for special exemptions.
The state’s chief health officer said what were deemed ‘high-risk settings’ would be the focus for the government going forward as they look to clamp down on the potential spread of Omicron.
This includes hospitals and aged care homes, and while it doesn’t stop unvaccinated people seeking treatment or being in such a facility, it does mean they can’t visit friends or relatives.
‘Entry into a hospital or RACF by unvaccinated individuals (in those jurisdictions) is prohibited unless an exemption is in place or permitted under compassionate grounds, such as visiting a family member during the terminal phase of their life,’ Dr Andy Robertson wrote in the new health advice.
‘In situations where visitation is permitted by unvaccinated individuals, additional risk mitigation precautions are required to be met by the individual.’
Dr Robertson said the government would support ‘medical exemptions’ based on extenuating and compassionate grounds for the unvaccinated, including ‘end-of-life visits’.
A series of new legislation will see residents locked out of visiting hospitals and aged care homes if they are unvaccinated
The government said in a statement those situations would be decided on a case-by-case decision.
‘These would be assessed on a case-by-case basis with information collected to assess the risks to the individuals involved and the staff/hospital setting in which the exemptions may apply,’ a spokesman said.
‘It would be expected that unvaccinated Western Australians wanting to visit patients/family members in the hospital setting would be required to wear PPE and possibly provide negative RAT tests prior to attending the venue.’
The WA CHO noted these rules are already in place in several other states including New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland.
The Western Australia premier has ostracised himself from the rest of the country by extending the state’s closed borders beyond the February 5 re-opening date he had promised
The rules will come into place from January 31, with the roadmap for the new school year and isolation protocols for frontline workers still yet to be confirmed.
Mr MrGowan warned anti-vaxxers life would ‘get very difficult’ for them when the vaccine passport system launches.
‘They won’t be able to go to the football, they won’t be able to work in a whole range of industries,’ Mr McGowan said earlier this month.
‘They won’t be able to go to concerts, restaurants, bars, cafes, pubs, fitness centres, gyms — all those things will be restricted.
‘Life is about to get very difficult for you… it’s a big encouragement to go and get yourself vaccinated.’
