By 2GB breakfast guest Ben Fordham
Prime Minister Anthony Albanian has rolled back on a Covid policy this weekend.
He has reduced the payment of $750 for people who test positive and undergo a mandatory 7-day isolation.
It is for people who do not earn sick pay.
So casuals and sole traders.
The Prime Minister has extended it until the end of September.
And I support that.
But here’s the broader problem.
At what point do we start to make a tough decision here?
The current system is driving us bankrupt.
We force people to sit at home for a week after a positive test.
99% of them have mild symptoms.
And then we have to compensate them for the lack of work.
It’s untenable.
This latest policy backflip will cost taxpayers $780 million.
2GB host Ben Fordham says Australia should simplify things and remove seven-day isolation rule for those who test positive for Covid
At some point, very soon, we need to simplify things.
If you are sick, you stay at home.
And when you’re better, you come to work.
That’s how it works with the flu.
This is how it should work with the coronavirus.
There are no strict isolation rules in America, the UK, Sweden, Denmark or Norway.
They are back to normal.
We hold on to old limitations.
The whole point of getting the shot was to lessen the severity of the virus.
95% of us are dosed twice.
More than 60% have had a booster.
And a fourth dose is available for people over the age of 30.
Yes, the number of files is high.
But the flu can kill people too!
And we don’t prescribe how long you have to stay home if you get the flu.
And we don’t give anyone $750 a week to do that.
NSW Prime Minister Dominic Perrottet told us this morning:
‘In many cases, the current flu wave is currently more serious than the current flu viruses.’
We can’t force people to sit at home forever.