The Northern Grampians Shire Council have outlined where and for which of their council services a double dose COVID vaccination will be required.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In line with the Victorian State Government's Roadmap to Deliver the National Plan, Northern Grampians Shire Council is responding to government directives and implementing a plan to ensure that only patrons with proof of double vaccination may use a specified list of council premises.
This plan will come into effect on Thursday 21 October at 11.59pm.
The Shire has outlined a proof of double dose vaccination prior to entering these facilities will be required:
- Stawell Sports and Aquatic Centre
- St Arnaud Pool
- St Arnaud Early Learning Centre
- Maternal and Child Health
- Senior Citizens clubs, Stawell and St Arnaud
- Council chambers
- Stawell library
- St Arnaud library
The Shire said anyone who tries to not follow this plan or is verbally abusive or aggressive in any way to council staff will be referred to Police Victoria.
READ MORE:
Northern Grampians Shire Council Mayor, Cr Murray Emerson said the vaccination of the community was important for ensuring Victoria opens up safely.
"Throughout the State of Emergency, Council has been responding to State and Federal government directives with regards to coronavirus," Cr Emerson said.
"This is just another step towards our society returning to normal and we expect, given that our shire is close to 95 per cent single dose vaccinated, that very few residents will be affected and that the majority of our community will be wholly supportive of our request to only admit double dose vaccinated people into our facilities."
"Our primary aim is to keep our community safe while we navigate through this public health emergency.
"At this point in the government roadmap, we are focusing on the service sectors and council activities where we feel the greatest need to manage proof of vaccination."
Council staff will place signage at the entry to any premises or event where proof of vaccination will be required.
OTHER NEWS:
The requirement for double dose vaccinations will also affect how members of the public can deal with council staff.
The Shire's customer service centres at St Arnaud Town Hall and Stawell Town Hall will not request proof of vaccination from community members prior to serving them.
However, there will be no facility for unvaccinated community members to meet with staff or be provided with a council service from any other council officer beyond the initial point of enquiry with customer service.
An example of this would be a request to meet with an officer to discuss a building or planning permit.
Council meetings or any council-run meeting scheduled with the public will be off limits to any person who does not hold proof of double vaccination.
At this stage of the roadmap, the proof of vaccination request will apply to any person who is aged 16 years and above.
The Council will accept two types of proof of double vaccination as valid:
- A paper copy of the Australian Government (Services Australia) Medicare Immunisation history statement with the COVID-19 immunisation status ticked.
- Digital proof of vaccination via the Service Victoria check-in app or MyGov app.
The Stawell Times-News has removed the paywall from our stories relating to health warnings and safety of the community. However, we depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.
