October 29, 2021
12496497-CG22-21
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SIG N U P N O W!
City comes alive again
Roving performer Kelsey Jenning with Katrina Kenfield and Cr Trent Sullivan.
Central Geelong will be a hive of activity as it welcomes back visitors with a range of public activities and attractions. With restrictions easing, Love Central Geelong is trying to get visitors back to the city with its Welcome Back Weekend. Popular meeting places including Johnstone Park, Customs House lawn, Steampacket Gardens and Traansvaal Square have had picnic circles painted to encourage the community to get together for socially-distanced picnics. To keep passers-by entertained, there will also be on-street entertainment. Acoustic musicians and roving performers will be along the city streets, while there will also be themed musical entertainment at the picnic spots. The weekend will be capped off with a treasure hunt. There have been 50 mini-hearts hidden around the city, with anyone who finds one receiving a prize. Love Central Geelong will be releasing clues on where to find the hearts today. Details: centralgeelong.com.au/ welcome-back-weekend. Ash Bolt
(Louisa Jones) 255231_01
Welcome back Melburnians By Ash Bolt Geelong will be able to welcome back Melburnians and hospitality venues will be able to seat more customers this weekend, with restrictions set to ease tonight. Premier Daniel Andrews announced last Sunday that the state was set to hit its 80 per cent double dose vaccination target today, almost a week ahead of schedule, allowing Victoria to take its next step on the roadmap. From 6pm, regional Victoria and Melbourne will be united, allowing Melburnians to return to Geelong for the first time in months. Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine executive director Brett Ince said there was a
sense of relief among tourism and hospitality businesses to have clarity on the future. “We’re really exciting that we will be able to open up again and particularly with the timing ahead of the Melbourne Cup long weekend,” he said. “We know that the Melbourne Cup long weekend is historically a strong weekend for both accommodation providers and hospitality businesses. “Since the announcement, we’ve already seen a high number of bookings. People are looking forward to catching up with family and friends again and coming back out to stay at their holiday homes.” Mr Ince said it had been tough for the industry, with the region relying heavily on visitors from Melbourne.
“In a normal year, 80 per cent of our visitors are from Victoria and about half of those come from Melbourne,” he said. “To have that turned off has been extremely challenging. “The positive is there has been pent up demand to visit the region, so we’re expecting a bumper weekend and … hopefully that will continue into a blockbuster summer.” Mr Ince said the important message was to enjoy the new freedom and support businesses. “It’s going to be busy so it’s important to book ahead and be kind to businesses,” he said. “It’s going to take businesses time to get going again, particularly with staffing, so we’re just asking everyone to be kind.” Mr Andrews also announced a significant
change to the existing roadmap, with further restrictions now set to ease when the state hits 90 per cent of people aged 12 and over fully vaccinated. It is expected the state could hit that mark by November 24. At that point, patron caps and density quotas will be removed for all settings, and masks will only be mandatory indoors in some high-risk settings, including hospitals, aged care, public transport and justice and correctional facilities. There will be no restrictions for indoor and outdoor events provided they follow COVID-safe rules including vaccination requirements. There will also be no limits on gatherings at private homes.
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