Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton was not consulted on whether it was safe to revoke Victoria’s emergency pandemic powers. covid19 pandemic springst
required to give the health minister the power to order people to stay home, businesses and classrooms to shut and positive cases to isolate.
While the lifting of the pandemic declaration has been broadly welcomed by business groups, the absence of Sutton and his public health team from this final, significant decision will create unease among people who, since the pandemic began, have taken comfort from the government’s repeated assurances that it always follows the public health advice.
Sutton’s recent tweet warning against “sleepwalking into COVID” suggests he doesn’t support the national cabinet decision to abandon mandatory isolation – a decision taken without input from the state chief health officers – and by extension, the lifting of the pandemic declaration. “The government doesn’t need to take only the advice of the chief health officer – they can consult other departments and interests to make a final decision. But it would be unwise not to at least consult with the CHO and take their advice into account.”Deakin University epidemiologist Catherine Bennett said the absence of formal advice from Sutton was only a problem if it reflected a larger gulf in communication between his public health team and the health minister’s office.
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