“It doesn’t make sense”: Lisa Wilkinson slams COVID-19 “double standard"
Australia has begun to reach a major turning point in the fight against coronavirus, as cases drop in Melbourne.
However, Lisa Wilkinson is not impressed with one aspect of coronavirus, and that is the “crazy” double standard that exists when it comes to business and contact tracing.
NSW health on Sunday confirmed that a taxi driver had been diagnosed with the deadly virus after working for nine days.
Health authorities are now scrambling to contact as many of the 13 Cabs driver’s passengers as possible since taxi drivers are not required to collect their customer’s details.
The Project Wilkinson said it “makes sense” that taxis should be required to record all passenger details the same way cafes and restaurants were.
Hospitality venues are required to record the names and contact details of all dine-in customers, with hefty penalties for those who don’t follow the rules.
“It doesn't make sense that they don’t,” co-host Peter Van Olsen echoed in agreement.
“Yeah, you can sit in the cafe for 10 minutes and you’ve punched in the QR code and given them your number,” Wilkinson said.
“You can sit in a taxi for an hour in even closer proximity and there’s no accountability, which is crazy.
On Sunday NSW Health’s Dr Jeremy McAnulty said that “early investigations indicate” the infection was likely transmitted at Liverpool Hospital.
The driver had reportedly worn a mask and also had the COVID-Safe app on while working.
Dr McAnulty said the app was “being used to help identify contacts”.
The driver worked shifts on September 7 to 10 as well as September 14 to 18 in suburbs Moorebank, Bankstown, Chipping Norton, Liverpool, Lidcombe, Warwick Farm and Milperra.
“People who may have taken taxis in western, south western Sydney must be alert for symptoms,” Dr McAnulty said.
Earlier this month, the Prime Minister praised New South Wales’ response to the pandemic as the “gold standard” for Australia.