Achi news desk-
Health workers in NSW will no longer be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as the state government moves to scrap mandates for the sector.
Health Minister Ryan Park confirmed the change would go ahead after consultation with the state’s health workforce.
“We know that COVID is still around but we have to get on with life back,” he told Sydney radio 2GB.
“That means looking at the measures we’ve put in place during this period and seeing if they’re still relevant.
“We think this is one that we can engage the workforce on and see if it’s still relevant now.”
Public health orders mandating vaccines for health professionals were brought in during the pandemic and workers who either refused to quit or were fired.
Although the order expired in November 2022, some workplaces have still been able to request compulsory vaccination under their own work, health and safety obligations.
Mr Park said that if a decision was made to drop the mandates, workers who lost their jobs would be able to reapply for the available positions through the normal recruitment processes.
He said that COVID is still a threat to public health and urged people to keep up with their vaccinations.
“But we also have to make sure we get on with running a health system after COVID and we can’t continue in the same way we did in the middle of the pandemic,” he said.
