LOGIC HARD TO TRACE

IT IS right that the state government has reopened the borders to low- risk COVID states, but there are still some troubling issues that lead us to question whether the health authorities used the past six months as well as they could have to prepare us for a potential second outbreak.

Director of Public Health Mark Veitch conceded on Tuesday he had not recommended the government mandate every business take and keep the names and contact details of everyone attending their premises.

Given tracking and tracing is the key strategy to stopping the spread of the virus, this decision seems inexplicable.

Surely in this day and age it would have been relatively simple to develop some sort of technology to do the job.

Surf clubs and RSLs have been successfully collecting the data of every patron at the door for years – some now using iPads that collect photo identification to make the system seamless.

By all reports, other states are doing this without a hitch.

At least the government, surely, could distribute standardised forms with guidelines on how each business must use them.

We could probably whip up a spreadsheet for them in about 30 seconds.

Dr Veitch said “with the benefit of hindsight” perhaps the government should have mandated this earlier.

But that’s no excuse for not fixing up this issue straight away.

We all need to adhere to sensible COVID- safe practices for the foreseeable future and it’s the government’s job to tell us exactly what those are.

Provide a framework and mandate it. Dr Veitch needs to clear this issue up immediately.