Is it true that in Australia, from December 17, unvaccinated people who sneeze in public places will be fined?

Social media users are reporting that Australians who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 could face heavy fines and even jail time if they sneeze in front of others. We have verified the accuracy of such publications.

In "VKontakte", Facebook And Twitter in mid-December 2021, publications began to appear talking about an alleged recent decision by the Australian authorities. According to these reports, starting December 17, a new law will come into force in the Green Continent, providing for unvaccinated citizens with a fine of up to $13,000 or up to six months in prison for sneezing and coughing in public places.

In April 2020, the Prime Minister and Minister of Health of the Australian state of Queensland released a joint statement informing citizens of new measures to combat the spread of coronavirus. In part, this statement said: “People who intentionally "Coughing, sneezing or spitting on clerks and workers, including shop assistants, can be fined up to A$13,345." Explaining the decision, ministers stressed that they had seen several cases of similar threats in Queensland, which they described as “disgusting”. The new rule is intended to protect "everyone who works or travels for work during the COVID-19 pandemic," such as doctors, police officers, firefighters, grocery store clerks, delivery workers and teachers.

These rules are as punishment provided imposition of a fine. He could be imposed at the scene of the offense (in which case the offender will pay AUD 1,335) or later by court order (but then the fine will increase more than tenfold). No prison sentence was established at that time.

In August 2021, Queensland authorities updated previously introduced rules. The new version of the law slightly increased the fine (up to 1,378 Australian dollars on the spot and 13,785 at the court's decision), and the maximum penalty was imprisonment for up to six months.

Neither of the two pieces of legislation passed by the Queensland Government states that the rules regarding deliberate sneezing apply only to unvaccinated citizens. “These measures are not aimed at unvaccinated people. If you go into a store, coffee shop, or anywhere else and cough on someone on purpose to scare them, whether you're vaccinated or not, you're committing a crime." reported a state health department spokesman told The Associated Press.

Thus, the legislative norms described in the messages of Internet users have not been introduced since December 17 - they have been in effect for quite a long time. At the same time, existing anti-Covid measures are interpreted incorrectly. The rule applies to both vaccinated and unvaccinated citizens, and a fine or imprisonment is a punishment solely for intentional, and not for any, sneezing or coughing, and only if this action is directed at an employee of a particular institution. Moreover, the authors of the audited publications omit two important details in their texts: firstly, the Australian dollar is not equal to the US dollar (the maximum fine is equivalent to approximately $9,200 at the time of publication of this audit, but not $13,000), and secondly, the rules apply only to the state of Queensland, but not to the whole of Australia.

Mostly not true

What do our verdicts mean?

Read on the topic:

1. AP News. Queensland is not punishing unvaccinated people for coughing in public
2. Reuters. Fact Check-Queensland rules do not outlaw unvaccinated people sneezing
3. "Vox Ukraine". Not trueA: Unvaccinated people in Australia will be fined for sneezing or coughing in public