The NSW Labor Opposition has called for hand sanitiser to be made available at major railway stations, schools and other major public spaces after the Department of Parliamentary Services today announced that hand sanitisers would be made available at key locations around Parliament House.
So far, Brad Hazzard has advised the public to not shake hands with one another and on the importance of handwashing. Mr Hazzard this morning recognised the possibility that the coronavirus could spread on people’s hands; he said:
“We don’t know a lot about this virus but what we do know is that it can actually- if it’s similar to the other coronaviruses, it can survive on hard surfaces, for quite a while. So, if you’re out and about, you put your hand on a banister, you put your hand on a railway on a train or bus, it’s possible that you might end up with the virus on your hands.”
However, despite the fact that hand to hand transmission of the virus is a possibility, Mr Hazzard has not yet made hand sanitiser available at locations where many people gather, including major railway stations, public spaces and sporting events.
NSW Labor Shadow Health Minister Ryan Park said: “Quite frankly, if this is good enough for those of us up at Macquarie St, then it should be good enough for everyone across Newcastle and the Hunter.”
Labor Member for the Hunter Clayton Barr said: “Newcastle is a major city, the second largest in NSW. The Government needs to be doing everything in its power to prevent coronavirus spreading further and hopefully halting an epidemic from breaking out. That should mean action is taken in every city and every town across the state. That includes Newcastle and the Hunter.
“There’s no reason why we can’t have hand sanitiser being dispensed in busy places across the entire state. Our region deserves the same treatment as Macquarie Street,” Mr Barr said.