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Czech mate
BELOVED CASTLE IS NOW ON THE MARKET
Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic won this year’s Traralgon International ATP Challenger event. Machac secured victory over American Bjorn Fratangelo 7-6, 6-3, while the women’s ITF final was won by China’s Yue Yuan.
PAGE 7
FULL STORY VALLEY SPORT
DEMAND SPIKES THE Gippsland Region Public Health Unit is anticipating more rapid antigen tests kits will become available in the Latrobe Valley amid local supply shortages and empty shelves. A GRPHU spokeswoman discouraged locals from panic buying, while acknowledging the situation had been “challenging”. She said locals should only purchase a
RAT if they had any COVID symptoms or were a household close contact. “We really need people to remain calm. For the most part, COVID can be safely managed at home. If you have symptoms but can’t access a RAT, assume you have the virus,” the spokeswoman said. “Isolate, Rest and Recover. If your symptoms worsen, call your GP or Nurse on Call and if they become severe, dial 000.” It comes as retailers in the Valley had sold out of kits as soon as they hit
the shelves with locals scrambling to get their hands on one with new state government testing requirements. The Express contacted 15 chemists in the Valley last week, none of which had any stock on the shelves. While no pharmacy would specifically comment on the record, many stated they had been fielding “100s of calls” each day from people attempting to source a test kit. Other retailers told The Express they could not confirm when more deliveries
would be made, with one describing the situation as “frustrating”. Last week, the state government introduced RAT changes to ease the pressure off the community and PCR testing teams. But Member for Morwell Russell Northe said the state government should provide official and timely information on how and where locals could access test kits. Continued on page 5
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