Mandatory COVID Passports and Passports in General

Post Reply New Topic

Have to say, I'm starting to agree with Smudge on the matter of mandatory vaccinations, though it seems to be going against popular opinion.

Here in Aus we are up to something like 90% of the eligible population fully vaccinated (2 shots) and booster shots are being actively encouraged. I have no issues with this, the more people vaccinated the better.

But in the last couple of months they've been been bringing in mandatory vaccinations in some sectors, such as health, aged care, and education. And it looks like other employers may follow suit. Seeing teachers (for example) losing their job because they don't feel comfortable with vaccination, and not just their job but their vocation (since the edict applies to all schools), doesn't sit right with me.

I also found it upsetting to see a colleague expressing hope that our sector would follow suit, which would (not stated in so many words but by my inference) get rid of all the selfish anti-vaxxers, and free up jobs for the right kind of people.

This is madness.

I mean, I tend towards the left on politics, which means I'm usually happy with the government using their powers for the greater good. But I'm also a Dumbledore fan - that is, wary of using "the greater good" to justify any and all means to an end. When those means are going to cause people suffering, you want to be dead certain the benefit outweighs the pain and the numbers stack up.

Do they?

90% vaccinated and yet we're having a huge upswing in covid cases. Does this mean:
(a) we must force the remaining 10% to toe the line and get vaccinated, or
(b) vaccination alone is not the solution to this pandemic.

Last night I had a call from my mother in the UK. She has tested positive for covid, despite having had 2 vaccinations and the booster shot. So it looks to me like the answer is (b).

What governments should be doing is encouraging safe behaviour such as mask-wearing and maintaining reasonable restrictions on non-essential indoor gatherings. Vaccinations should be encouraged also, for as long as there is evidence that they reduce the number of hospitalisations and deaths. Transparent statistics in this regard are essential, to educate those who might be hesitant. But forcing people who can't stand the idea of having a vaccination (for whatever reason) to make the choice between their bodily autonomy and their livelihood? No, I don't think this is a good way to go.

I don't like it when people die before their time. It's not fair for the people who want to live a full life, even with something like diabetes.

The vaccines and/or natural immunity won't stop SARS-CoV-2 and it's not going anywhere, SARS-CoV-2 isn't that bad overall, the outcome of SARS-CoV-2 will be mostly the same regardless of what happens, mandates and forced vaccinations are bad, as are governments, and we're all [mostly] just afraid and should probably be nicer to one another and try to understand where we all are, as we're all suffering to some extent.

You still believe that if everyone is vaccinated, things will go "back to normal" ? No, it's just more government oversight. They can forcefully vaccinate everyone and still keep up these ridiculous restrictions.

The problem isn't a virus. It's governmental abuse of power. You're saying we should let them abuse us further, because they might promise to stop abusing us in the long-run.

"Maybe it's a good thing to let daddy beat the crap out of me now, if he promises he'll never ever do it again in the future. So, maybe we should let daddy go crazy now, so that he's normal in the future." If daddy is doing this in the first place, something is wrong. It will never be normal. Amazed more people aren't shocked and disgusted by government abuse.

Off-topic: I've noticed specifically in the News and PPR forums, that it's very cliquey. Either that, or I'm really disliked by the people there. They almost never talk to me.

Those are good points. So if government is not interested in getting rid of covid and they just want to abuse power, then what is the motivation for abusing power? I mean getting people to show their vaccination gets to get certain perks, doesn't really do much for the government in return, does it?

But is the government continuing to go on with this actually helping? I mean a lot of people are not vaccinated and covid is still around, so by having lockdowns and masks, is this actually helping or is the government just going in circles and it's not until they force everyone to get vaxxed?

Oh you have to get vaccinated every six months there?

The option now is 5 months and going down.

The Australian government are implying jabs need to be done every 5 months or less?

Mandatory booster shots in Australia? That's the first I've heard of it (except for my mother, who works for an aged-care company that's requiring their workers to get a booster shot – my mother's already gotten hers).