Business owners battling staff shortages across the Northern Territory have welcomed the NT government's decision to lift its strict vaccine mandate on June 16.
Penny Phillips, who manages Hotel Darwin in the CBD, said she felt "utter relief" after hearing the announcement by NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles this morning.
"We were short-staffed for a while, so this is going to be great, great news."
Under the policy change, individual workplaces will be allowed to decide whether their staff must be fully vaccinated to go to work.
It is unclear if high-risk workers must continue to comply with the vaccine mandate.
Ms Fyles said additional information would be provided to the community and businesses in the coming week.
Ms Phillips said it had also been tough keeping up with the latest coronavirus rules and communicating them to staff and customers.
"I understood that we had to play our part in protecting people, that’s fine," she said.
"But at the end, you could sit in a pub and not be vaccinated, but my staff all had to be vaccinated. It didn't add up, to be honest."
Ms Phillips said she expected more staff would return to work from June 16 but did not think it would be enough to solve the hotel's ongoing staff shortages.
Alex Bruce, head of the NT's peak hospitality industry body, said his phone had been running hot with excitement over the end of the mandate.
"It wasn't the single issue and nor will it be the silver bullet that cures it, but it's now one less impediment to trying to get more people employed in our industry," he said.
Although he welcomed the end of the mandate, Mr Bruce said the broader community would need some time to heal from what he described as "divisive language" used by the NT government about its vaccination policies.
"It's not our role as business owners to be dividing the public, customers or our staff in that way."
Consider risks before celebrating, says AMA
Rob Parker, president of the NT branch of the Australian Medical Association (AMA), said lifting the mandate would add to the "constant pressure" on the NT's already strained health system.
However, he said allowing individual workplaces to choose their own vaccine rules was "probably a good move".
Dr Parker said workplaces had a responsibility under federal law to ensure the safety of their staff, which may include requiring full vaccination against COVID-19.
"Workers' susceptibility to infectious disease is a significant OHS issue," he said.
"So I think workplaces have a right to determine — as part of that federal industrial law — whether people get vaccinated or not."
Dr Parker said the benefits of full vaccination were clear and that people resisting vaccination should consider their health before celebrating the end of the mandate.
"Yes, you don't need to get vaccinated. But if you do get the virus, then you'll get probably very sick from it and potentially die from it," he said.
"So celebrate in the short term, and maybe you'll regret it in the long term."
