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Gippsland’s lowest vax rate is here
Traralgon Vineyard owner Leon Hammond decided to remain closed despite lockdown lifting in regional Victoria, saying the current patron capacity limits made it unviable for him to open.
By MICHELLE SLATER
photograph tom gannon
NOT HAPPY, DAN
By TOM GANNON
MANY hospitality businesses across the Latrobe Valley have made the decision to remain closed as a result of the state government’s new dining restrictions which they say are ‘not viable’. Local businesses owners say the new rule change which allows for only 10 people indoors and 20 outdoors at any one time is not profitable and must be reconsidered.
Traralgon Vineyard owner Leon Hammond made the decision to remain closed despite lockdown ending in regional Victoria. Mr Hammond said the new limit was not enough for many hospitality businesses to even consider reopening and comes as an ‘insult’ after almost two years in lockdown limbo. “It’s just not practical, really it’s an insult to a person’s intelligence the decision they’ve made to do this because
you just can’t viably operate,” he told The Express. “The trauma for us in hospitality is when you get up in the morning, you’re just not sure what’s going to happen next.” Mr Hammond said he was particularly frustrated with the logic behind the decision to reopen hospitality businesses with such low numbers. “I’m sure they’ve got a spinning wheel or a dart board because there’s no
consistency, there’s no formula, there’s no scientific proof of what they are doing, and they just pluck a figure out of the air and go with it,” he said. Initially hoping to reopen at full capacity, Mr Hammond went as far as requesting bookings on Facebook, to which he received 102 in the hour and a half before becoming aware of the 30-person limit. Continued on page 5
END OF AN ERA AS AGL LOY YANG BOSS SAYS GOODBYE - PAGE 5
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LATROBE City has the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates out of the six Gippsland local government areas, according to the latest federal government health data. Local government COVID-19 vaccination rates up to September 5 revealed only 36.9 per cent of Latrobe City residents aged 15 years or over have received two doses. That ranks Latrobe City behind East Gippsland (48.4 per cent), Bass Coast (47.1), Wellington (44.4), South Gippsland (41.5) and Baw Baw (39.8) when it comes to double vaccinations. Across regional Victoria, 43.9 per cent of residents have received two doses. For single vaccinations, Latrobe City sits a distant last on 56.1 per cent, behind Bass Coast (74.1 per cent), East Gippsland (71.1), South Gippsland (68.6), Wellington (65.7) and Baw Baw (62.0). A Gippsland Regional Public Health Unit spokesperson said Latrobe City contained 40 per cent of Gippsland’s overall population, which meant it was “naturally going to take longer for people (in Latrobe) to get vaccinated”. The spokesperson said the GRPHU was building upon a vaccination outreach program to get more needles into local arms. It is being developed in partnership with local health s e r v i c es a n d c o m mu n i ty organisations to target remote and vulnerable people in Gippsland. It comes as people between 16 and 59 can access the Pfizer vaccine, while over 60s are eligible for AstraZeneca without any criteria. “We have the student blitz currently operating and (children from) 12 to 15 years are eligible under selective criteria,” the spokesperson said. “Vaccine supply is constantly increasing as is eligibility criteria. “People can now get vaccinated at state-run community vaccination centres, at their local GP clinic, a respiratory clinic and participating pharmacies.” The GRPHU spokesperson said vax rates may be higher in other parts of Gippsland due to older overall population demographics, where eligibility was initially a priority. Continued on page 3
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