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With the gradual lessening of locally acquired cases of COVID-19, on 28 April 2021, the Government announced measures to relax restrictions in respect of the operation of restaurants and other premises. While catering business owners and customers welcomed the lengthening of operating hours permitted, various legal issues arise from the relaxation measures, in particular the differential treatment afforded to those who have received a COVID-19 vaccine as compared to those who have not.
Under the latest measures, which the Hong Kong Government refers to as “vaccine bubble”, if all staff in a catering business have received the first dose of vaccine, that business is permitted to provide dine-in services until 11:59pm. If all staff have received both doses, the time for closure for dine-in service can be extended to 1:59am on the subsequent day. For bars and pubs, provided that all staff and customers have received the
The Parenthood, an advocacy group, outlined problems with the current system in its pre-budget submission.
“Despite success in lifting enrolments of children in preschool programs in the year before school (four-year-olds) Australia is in the bottom third of countries ranked by the OECD in relation to enrolment of three-year-olds,” the group wrote.
Last month a group of prominent Australians, including business and union leaders, called on the government to invest in and reform the system and to “work to the goal of universal access to quality early childhood education and care”.
There has also been growing global momentum for reforms, including in the US, where Joe Biden last month announced a plan to provide universal, high-quality preschool to all three- and four-year-olds.
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Shots fired – Vaccinations and workplace
One of the most topical questions for employers during the COVID-19 pandemic has been whether they need to introduce policies that mandate vaccinations and, if so, what can be done to enforce them in the workplace.
As with any other policy or procedure, employers need to assess whether it would be reasonable and lawful to require that their employees comply with a policy that mandates vaccinations. What is reasonable will differ for each employer and even between different positions within an organisation. There are different industry regulations, standards and personal circumstances that must be considered in each case.