Australia’s often draconian measures in response to the epidemic continue to intensify, with reports now saying that one of its states, New South Wales (NSW) is threatening to jail unvaccinated people who try to enter business premises without a COVID vaccination pass.
All this comes as the state is rolling out vaccination passports amid fears that preventing people from entering certain premises might lead to altercations and confrontations. This has already been happening when people were forced to wear masks or show QR codes, and is only expected to get worse when NSW starts forcing citizens to show a passport to enter restaurants or the hairdresser’s.
The National Retail Association data shows increased violence towards staff in Victoria and NSW in 2021, and the organization’s chief executive Dominique Lamb is worried that vaccine passes will make things worse.
“We know customer violence escalates every time a new public health protocol is put in place,” Lamb said, according to reports.
In what appears to have been an attempt to intimidate anyone who might try to enter a store or a restaurant without a vaccination pass, NSW Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello is quoted as telling ABC, “If people want to do the wrong thing, if they get found out it could be jail time there.”
Hellbound and Down 