The disability sector has slammed the slow rollout of COVID-19 jabs, as Health Department officials revealed only about 355 out of more than 22,000 people living in disability accommodation have been fully vaccinated.
Regional leaders call for lighter restrictions in rural areas
We’re sorry, this service is currently unavailable. Please try again later.
Dismiss
Normal text size
Advertisement
Regional communities are urging the state government to ease restrictions in parts of Victoria with no cases or exposure sites to reduce the social and economic impact of the latest lockdown.
The state government is set to announce later this week whether the seven-day lockdown will continue to apply across the state.
Communities in regional Victoria that have not been exposed to the lastest coronavirus clusters want the government to ease restrictions.
Credit:Eddie Jim
Victoria pleads for federal aid for suffering businesses
May 28, 2021 – 3.55pm
Share
The Victorian government has requested financial aid from the federal government to help businesses through the seven-day lockdown, with a support package worth around $200 million to be announced as early as Sunday.
In the meantime, the Morrison government has approved the use of 160 Australian Defence Force troops to assist with the doorknocking of people in quarantine.
Victoria’s Acting Premier James Merlino speaks to the media on Friday morning.
Jason South
On Friday, the Australian Industry Group said that in addition to an estimated $1 billion or more in lost revenue and stock, each week of hard lockdown would result in $1.5 billion in lost or deferred consumer spending, bringing the total cost to businesses to $2.5 billion a week.
In a late alert on Friday evening, the Health Department said the details of the 20 locations had been urgently added to the state’s growing list of exposure sites and that it was working with the person’s employer to track down contacts.
It comes after health authorities identified five bars and pubs as being exposure sites of significant concern when revealing a new COVID-19 case in Melbourne had caught the virus on a night out.
“If you have been to those locations you have been out partying with somebody who was COVID-positive at the same time, with you in that space,” COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar said on Friday. People who were at the venues should get tested and isolate, he said.
The hospitality, events and retail sectors were frantically responding to the new rules on Thursday and preparing for the first lockdown without JobKeeper for any business.