Dr Monique Ryan MP is calling on the National Cabinet to publicly release the health advice provided to them that informed today’s decision to scrap mandatory COVID 19 isolation.
Attributable to Dr Monique Ryan MP:
“All health advice provided to National Cabinet, including the health advice upon which this decision was based and the minutes from today’s National Cabinet meeting must be made available for public scrutiny. At this stage, it is unclear if the decision to scrap isolation requirements was considered by the Health Advisory Committee. This is deeply disturbing and must be clarified to the public.”
“Removing mandatory isolation for people with active infections will have significant impact on our communities, our health systems and our economy: the public have a right to know how and why this decision was made.”
“It is deeply concerning that National Cabinet has essentially abandoned all the measures in place to minimise COVID 19 infection and reinfection. Requiring people who are infected with COVID 19 to isolate from others while they are most infectious protects our health and hospital systems, our economy and workforces and the safety of vulnerable people in our communities.”
“The reality is that without mandatory isolation, many people will return to work while they are sick and infectious with COVID 19, either because employers force their staff to attend work or because workers are unable to take sick leave.”
“Removing COVID 19 isolation will have significant impacts on our local and national economies and on workforces that are already struggling with absenteeism, both from COVID infection and reinfection and from the emerging
public health crisis of Long COVID.”
“I don’t believe that Australian parents want their very young children cared for by early childhood educators forced to work with this illness, or their older kids to sit in classrooms next to COVID positive kids, taught by COVID positive teachers. I don’t believe that Australians want to be served at shop-counters, front desks or café tables by staff who are infectious.”
Dr Monique Ryan was elected to the seat of Kooyong on a platform of transparency, accountability and government integrity.
Dr Ryan is a paediatric neurologist and was the Director of Neurology at the Royal Melbourne Children’s Hospital before entering parliament. She is also a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport. Dr Ryan MP is currently advocating for a National Summit on COVID 19 strategy to prepare a national strategy for the likelihood of a new COVID 19 variant emerging over the northern hemisphere’s winter.