At the State level, each State has its own public health legislation to deal with a pandemic. It also has emergency legislation to deal with emergencies, including a pandemic. The States have exercised their powers to impose lockdowns, prohibit mass gatherings, limit the movement of people, close down non-essential businesses, and close schools, libraries and public facilities. They also instituted public health measures, such as providing COVID-19 testing facilities, quarantining those afflicted with Page 2 of 6 COVID-19, instituting tracing and tracking procedures, issuing public health instructions regarding hygiene and safety, and in some cases requiring the use of masks in public.
State and Territory Governments are each responsible for: • ensuring appropriately qualified and trained workforce to support delivery of its jurisdictional implementation plan, in collaboration with relevant peak bodies and training providers; • authorising, under State and Territory legislation, the selected workforce identified in the Commonwealth and State and Territory implementation plans to possess and administer COVID-19 vaccines; • identifying specific vaccination sites (including in external territories) in accordance with the Policy and in line with the Commonwealth implementation plan that meet or exceed the minimum requirements; and • ensuring that immunisation providers remain compliant at all times with their safety, ethical, and reporting obligations.
