Weekly COVID news at a glance

1  Support package to VIC businesses

The Victorian government has announced a new support package for businesses to help with the impact of lockdowns and ongoing restrictions. Small and medium-sized businesses impacted by repeated lockdowns can apply for financial support which will be provided from a 400-million-dollar package.

The package is both state and federally funded and was announced on Wednesday. It includes five-thousand-dollar grants for approximately 30-thousand businesses hit hard by capacity limits under current health restrictions.

Twenty-four sectors are eligible for the grants including gyms, cafes, restaurants, catering services and hairdressers. Businesses in Melbourne’s CBD can receive an additional two thousand dollars, in recognition of reduced foot traffic. Victorian state Treasurer Tim Pallas described the package as a restart measure, aiming to provide businesses with confidence to re-open.

2  At-home carers and clients being left behind

At-home carers and clients are concerned at being left behind in Australia’s vaccine rollout. The federal government’s current rollout plan has the focus largely on aged care residential facilities but not on at-home care, with homecare workers currently deemed as lower risk than residential workers.

Catholic Health Australia estimates that approximately 150-thousand homecare workers provide services nationwide with the federal Health Department confirming that over 11-thousand homecare workers are fully vaccinated.

Teresa Hetherington, an elderly care at-home worker, says that they are just seeking access and recognition, not wanting to wait months to receive a vaccine while continuing to work with vulnerable people. Hetherington also noted that while most of her colleagues want to be vaccinated, they struggle to get appointments.

3  AFL matches crowds prohibition extended

Crowds will be banned from attending Victorian AFL matches for another two weeks. It means the earliest that fans may be able to attend matches might be in round 22 on August 19. The AFL may still shift the grand final venue from the MCG to an interstate venue in Perth, Adelaide or Brisbane.

Last year’s grand final was moved to the Gabba in Brisbane due to a COVID-19 outbreak in Victoria. Two matches were moved from Victoria to Tasmania this weekend.

This weekend’s games will be played outside Victoria with North Melbourne against Geelong in Hobart, while Hawthorn and Brisbane will play in Launceston, Tasmania.

4  Country clubs are going broke

Country Victoria sporting clubs are debating whether to resume competition given crowds are not permitted at matches for the next two weeks under the state’s new COVID restrictions. Some leagues are continuing but others say that without spectators, financial losses become a main factor.

Rod Duffy, president of the Golden Rivers’ Club in Nyah-Nyah West, said that most country clubs are slowly going broke without their supporters in attendance.

Change room restrictions are also a concern for clubs, as they await confirmation that players can use change room facilities, with previous post-lockdown restrictions in Victoria seeing the use of change rooms banned.

5  Young people’s anxiety 

An extensive survey by Mission Australia has shown that disruption to the school year has been the biggest cause of anxiety for young people during the pandemic. The results found that isolation and disruption to education have been the biggest causes of anxiety, with people in Victoria suffering the worst.

Almost half of the young people who responded that concerns in relation to the impact of COVID-19 on feeling isolated, were living in Victoria. Some educators are calling for teachers to be prioritized for vaccines to minimize the disruption of face-to-face learning going forward.

6  VIC fully vaccinated number hit 1M

One million Victorian residents are now fully vaccinated. This means that 19 per cent of the state’s adult population have received both vaccine doses. Around 40 per cent of Victoria’s adult population have now received at least one dose. 

Victoria must have 70 per cent of the adult population fully vaccinated before it can shift into Phase B of the Prime Minister’s updated COVID-19 exit plan. In Phase B, fully vaccinated residents would have less restrictions and overseas travel may be allowed.