Dr Rosalie Woodruff MP | Greens Health spokesperson
It is reckless for the Liberals to continue to downplay people’s Covid health risks by likening the impacts to recovering from gastro. This attempt to minimise the potential serious health risks to justify their push to end the Covid isolation period is anti-science and dangerous.
Covid is a highly transmissible, and is known to substantially increase the risk of post-viral illness and serious organ damage, which neither gastro nor the flu are linked to.
People with gastro are out of circulation during an overwhelming illness, and unless they are hospitalised they recover with almost no ongoing damage. By contrast, people can recover from Covid symptoms – if they have them - but remain infectious and able to transmit virus to others for around one week.
Covid infection has been proven to increase the likelihood of dementia, heart attacks and stroke – not to mention the impact of long Covid. Comparing it to common bacterial infections or viruses sends a dangerous message.
This kind of propaganda about Covid infection from Jeremy Rockliff’s government will put lives at risk. It is exactly why the AMA referred to National Cabinet’s decision to end the Covid isolation period as ‘not scientifically literate’.
The Liberals are, quite simply, putting the interests of their business lobby partners ahead of the health of Tasmanians. While this is the kind of unscientific rhetoric we’d expect from lobby groups like Tasmanian Hospitality Association, it’s not what should be coming from government ministers.
It’s clear Premier Rockliff has abandoned his previous commitment to put the health of Tasmanians first. Instead, he and his colleagues are peddling the old Liberal narrative of personal responsibility.
This is all about avoiding government responsibility, and is no way to tackle an ongoing global pandemic.