Allianz, IAG, QBE and Suncorp are among major Australian companies to sign an open letter published in daily newspapers calling for governments to “stay the course” on an agreed pathway out of COVID-19 lockdowns.

The letter, authorised by the Business Council of Australia and with 80 signatories, highlights the importance of a National Cabinet roadmap that proposes easing of restrictions as vaccination rates reach 70-80%.

IAG says it is important to stand with the business community to advocate for a path out of the current lockdown.

“Many industries are currently challenged by border restrictions so it is critical that we work together to reopen the country in line with agreed vaccination targets,” a spokeswoman told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

“As we know, natural disasters don’t stop at state borders, so it’s important to us we can help our customers and their communities as quickly as possible when disasters strike, by getting our people on the ground to provide face to face support.”

Other signatories include ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, National Australia Bank, Westpac, Macquarie, BHP, Deloitte, GrainCorp, Herbert Smith Freehills, Shell Australia, Uber, Qantas, Wesfarmers, Woolworths, Mirvac, Perpetual, Telstra and Salesforce.

The letter says business have seen the effectiveness of lockdowns in suppressing the virus last year and in slowing its spread currently, but there are also impacts on customers, small business suppliers, communities and families.

“Australia is juggling a mental health emergency at the same time as a global pandemic. Some of the impacts of current lockdowns are hidden and the effects will be long lasting,” it says.

The letter says as vaccination rates increase it will become necessary to open up society and live with the virus, in the same way that other countries have done, and businesses are taking action to facilitate vaccination roll-outs.

“We ask governments to work together to implement the national plan and chart a path out of the current lockdowns,” it says.

“Providing a light at the end of the tunnel will encourage more Australians to get vaccinated. We need to give people something to hope for, something to look forward to, something to plan around, and to be confident about their futures.”