Weekly COVID news at a glance

1  International flights resume in VIC

Victoria’s hotel quarantine program is set to resume, but with stricter procedures to be introduced to ensure there is no risk of community transmission of COVID-19, and stronger safety protocols.

International travellers start flying back into Melbourne on April 8 and the revamped program will include approximately a dozen hotels, quarantine hotels remain the primary accommodation for returned travellers. 

Hotel quarantine workers will also have received at least the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. International passenger flights have not arrived in Melbourne since mid-February, after hotel quarantine workers contracted the virus from returned travellers at the Holiday Inn near Melbourne Airport.

The government will proceed with plans to construct a purpose-built quarantine facility outside the city, but it will take a minimum of six months before being available for use.

2  JobKeeper is no longer running

JobKeeper payments will end on 29th March, amid concern about workers who are still being employed under the scheme. 

There are currently over 380-thousand people across Victoria still using the wage subsidy program and Melbourne will suffer the biggest impact when the payments end.

Workers in the state’s capital account for 300-thousand of those still on JobKeeper. While health and retail industry workers have largely come off the payments as they return to work, some industries are still relying heavily on the subsidy.

More than one in five workers in the arts and recreation services sector are still on JobKeeper as are over 40 per cent of administrative and support service workers.

3  PFV 2021 grant program

Applications are now open for the Supporting Multicultural and Faith Communities to Prevent Family Violence 2021 Grant Program.

Organisations with both limited and established experience in delivering prevention activity at a state-wide, regional or local level can apply for grants of up to $100,000 and $200,000 per year respectively. Applications close Wednesday 21 April.

For more information, visit the Victorian government home page at vic.gov.au and search for Prevent Family Violence 2021 Grant Program.

4  Multicultural events grant

The Victorian Government will provide more funding to multicultural communities to deliver COVID-safe events to celebrate their culture and traditions.

The Multicultural Festivals and Events Program has grants of up to 50-thousand dollars to help local organisations host both face-to-face and digital COVID-safe events.

Applications are open now and close at 3 pm on April 21. For more information and how to apply, go to vic.gov.au and search for the Multicultural Festivals and Events Program Victoria”.

5  Website Accessibility

The federal government will improve the vaccination eligibility checker and clinic finder website so that it is more accessible for blind and low-vision Australians.

Vision Australia criticized the recently launched checker for failing to meet basic web accessibility standard with large sections incompatible with accessibility software like screen readers.

The Federal Department of Health said that they would be working with an external agency to see if further improvements could be made.

6  Free vaccination in AUS

The COVID-19 vaccination is free to everyone living in Australia. This includes Australian citizens, permanent residents, holders of temporary visas and those not eligible for Medicare, as well as refugees and asylum seekers and those on temporary protection or bridging visas.

People who are not eligible for Medicare are encouraged to attend a general practice respiratory clinic or state vaccination clinic to receive their COVID-19 vaccination, when eligible to do so. Vaccinations are an important step in reducing the impact of the COVID-19 virus in the community.