Queensland officers who turn down vax ordered to take leave

Officers of the Queensland Police Service (QPS) who will refuse to get the jabs against COVID-19 will need to take leave, authorities said in a new order. The latest instruction from the QPS states that police officers who live across the New South Wales border will not be allowed entry to Queensland to work if they will not get the jabs.

"If officers chose not to be vaccinated, alternative arrangements must be made such as taking accrued leave," a spokeswoman said as quoted by ABC.

The order is in line with the recent directions from the Queensland's chief health officer that requires essential workers entering Queensland to get vaccinated. According to ABC's report, there is a group of police officers in NSW who are hesitant in getting the vaccines, citing medical or ethical reasons.

"Members of the QPS must comply with the Chief Health Officer's (CHO) directions regarding crossing the Queensland-NSW border, including meeting essential work criteria and vaccination requirements," said the QPS spokesperson in ABC's article.

"The QPS does not have any exemptions in this regard."

The spokesperson added that officers who want to get inoculated may obtain a priority vaccination so they can continue working. Last week, Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll ordered staff working at the domestic border entry checkpoints to get vaccinated.

Carroll explained they should get the jabs because they come in contact with people "from or through COVID-19 hotspots," putting them at risk of contracting the highly contagious Delta variant.

The order last week stated that officers who have not taken at least the first vaccine dose will be prohibited from border compliance duties.

Read more: Australia's COVID-19 vaccination roll-out begins

Union approves

Meanwhile, the latest directive of the QPS saw the agreement of the Queensland Police Union (QPU), which said non-vaccinated individuals could jeopardise the health of the community.

"The QPU supports the QPS's position that those police (officers) who refuse to be vaccinated, without a reasonable medical exemption, will be put on their own leave until they comply with the CHO’s directive," a spokesperson was quoted as saying by ABC.

The union also said that it will also "fully support" vaccinated officers who will refuse to work with unvaccinated police, civilian employees, and contractors employed by the QPS.

Queensland as of Tuesday has administered over 3.1 million vaccine doses, according to data from the Australian Department of Health.