Western Australia is threatening jail time and huge fines for individuals who are aggressive when asked to present their COVID-19 vaccination cards at restaurants and other public spaces.
Any person who “threatens,” “intimidates,” or is “offensive” to business establishments or workers when they ask for proof of COVID-19 vaccination, face up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $50,000.
The new penalties come as a number of new rules in other areas of the country are banning unvaccinated people age 16 and over from entering public spaces, including hospitals. Businesses that are not in compliance with the state’s vaccine passport system will be fined up to $250,000.
“It’s a significant deterrent for anyone likely to go after a shop assistant for simply doing their job,” Shop Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association State Secretary Peter O’Keefe said. “If people break these rules and a couple of them are prosecuted, that would send a message far and wide.”
West Australia has recorded 1527 COVID-19 cases throughout the course of the pandemic and 1357 recoveries, according to its Department of Health. The state has no current COVID-19 hospitalizations as of Jan. 31, with the one person who had been in the ICU on Jan. 30 being released.
Leave a Reply