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Friday, July 10th, 2020
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IMPROVING MOBILITY ACCESS
RESIDENTS with mobility issues will soon have improved access to the Horsham Aquatic Centre after the Horsham Council
• HELP: Leisure centre staff Allison Pannan and Emmy Dingwall will help swimmers with mobility aids access the centre once the new ramp is built.
announced it would install a new ramp and mobility scooter parking by the front door. Manager Sam Winter said the upgrades
would also give access to those residents who were previously unable to access the centre at all. Full story - Page 3.
TOURISM BUSINESSES ‘CRIPPLED’ By Chris Michaels
TOURISM operators in the Wimmera who have previously dealt with a drop in tourist numbers due to coronavirus restrictions, fear their businesses will not survive the latest round of restrictions imposed by the Victorian Government. On Tuesday Premier Daniel Andrews announced the return to stage three restrictions for metropolitan Melbourne as well as Mitchell Shire Council for the next six weeks. The rest of Victoria has not been
locked down. The reinstated restrictions follow a spike in active cases across the state, with 164 new cases as of Monday July 7 and a total of 2824 cases. Thirty-five people are in hospital, including nine patients in intensive care. A total of 22 people have died. The Department of Health and Human Services stated that of the total 2824 cases, there have been 2,469 in metropolitan Melbourne and 261 in regional Victoria. Several cases remain under investigation. Pat Crute, owner of the Giant
Koala in Dadswells Bridge said “it’s going to be very hard on us.” “We already shut down for two months earlier in the year and since opening things have been very slow,” Ms Crute said. Ms Crute said they would normally get people coming through from South Australia and some from Melbourne at this time of year but not now. “We’ve had a few people so far over the holidays but not the normal numbers,” she said. “We would usually get football crowds coming through but there
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haven’t been any.” Halls Gap Zoo owner Greg Culell said the latest round of restrictions would “cripple” them. “It is going to devastate us,” Mr Culell said. “If only they had managed the first outbreak. You can’t keep locking things down because of their stuff ups.” “It is blithering incompetence from the government. Things were finally starting to pick up again after we were affected by the fires and then coronavirus,” Mr Culell said. Mr Culell said he already lost
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PLENTY OF SPACE FOR COFFEE WITH FRIENDS
• Serving lunch and tea 7 days a week • KENO now available • Friday Member’s Draw • Friday Night Raffles • Table bookings up to 10! • OUR BAR IS OPEN ALL DAY! Enjoy table service drinks without a main meal! CURRENT OPERATING TIMES MONDAY - SATURDAY 10:30AM - 8:30PM!
SUNDAY & PUBLIC HOLIDAYS 11:30AM - 8:30PM!
over $350,000 at Easter and had debts of over $400,000. “This will devastate regional tourism.” The Victorian Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) said the new restrictions will be a crushing blow to an industry already on its knees. VTIC chief executive Felicia Mariani said, “while we expected to see some sweeping action taken in greater Melbourne this action will be a seismic shock to an industry that has already been crippled under the weight of restrictions across the state.”
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