The businesses took to YouTube to pronounce they did not believe in “medical apartheid”.Paul Waters from Fundies Organics — a business deemed essential so not needing to check vaccination status anyway — said: “We believe in health and wellbeing and freedom of choice, in our business don’t discriminate against anyone, we don’t support medical apartheid, your medical choices are not our business”.“I’m vaccinated, not for Covid, but I’m not an anti-vaxxer, I’m not a conspiracy theorist loony. Apartheid is where you have different rules for different people, the vaccinated are treated differently to the unvaccinated so it is apartheid”. Daily Telegraph – News Feed latest episodeAdam Kingsley, owner of supplements business Jing Organics, who has hosted anti-vaccine events in the past and is a proud anti-vaxxer, said: “We do not discriminate, your medical choices are not our business”. The current health orders in place require a person to be vaccinated in certain indoor areas and public outdoor gatherings in NSW, unless an exemption applies.Business owners can ask people to leave the premises if there is no valid exemption. Infringement notices are $1000 for individuals and $5000 for corporations/businesses.Byron Bay Chief Inspector Matt Kehoe said some businesses were exempt from the laws. “We have been called to quite a few of those businesses and some of them are classed as critical or essential services — fruit markets et cetera,” he said.“They can put out there they are not complying and will accept unvaccinated people but, under the public health order they can anyway. So they are blowing their trumpet but there is no need to blow it. “We are responding to other jobs where there are obvious breaches and we’ll take action, but so far, we have seen the majority of people are pretty compliant.“We remind people there are some fairly strong penalties in regards to business owners who openly breach the public health order.”Nicqui Yadzi from pro-vaccine group Mullumbimby Flattening the Curve said the issue was definitely dividing the shire.“I think their terminology is wrong but a lot of people in the community understand the sentiment, even if we don’t agree,” she said. “We are a small community and it is hard for a lot of businesses when their staff aren’t vaccinated, or the owners aren’t vaccinated.”Izakaya Yu, the Japanese restaurant in Mullumbimby, will keep its doors closed until December 1 when all restrictions on the unvaccinated are lifted. “It is impacting everyone, there are businesses that closed their doors on Monday and they are not prepared to say no to their regular customers and are closing until December 1.”Despite having one of the lowest double dose vaccination rates in the country (47 per cent) three out of four people have had at least one dose (75.7 per cent) in the local government area. The Byron Bay Central Pharmacy, which is administering Moderna, has dozens of spare appointments next week. “I think it is great so many are stepping up and getting vaccinated but it also comes down to the fact vaccines are now available,” Ms Yadzi said. “We did have a chronic shortage and it was hard to get appointments, but we’ve only just got our very first vaccination hub in Byron.”NSW Health has launched a targeted campaign in the Byron Shire.Got a news tip? Email weekendtele@news.com.auNAT – Stay Informed – Social Media
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