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Nationals alternative roadmap for Victoria and Gippsland to reopen, rebuild and recover out of COVID restrictions delivers certainty and positivity
Victorians are looking for an iron-clad guarantee on the road to reopen, rebuild and recover.
Mixed messages and the Premier's condescending lack of trust in Victorians has left us without hope that Labor's roadmap will deliver us the freedoms it promises. As double-dose vaccination rates reach 60 per cent in regional Victoria, we deserve to know 18 months of sacrifice won't be for nothing. 
The Victorian Government has announced the details of the roadmap to deliver the national plan out of COVID-19 restrictions, but for regional Victoria, restrictions should not depend on Melbourn COVID rate
Keeping health protected
The Nationals' alternative roadmap delivers certainty and a positive way forward. Under Labor's roadmap, when regional LGAs do hit higher vaccination thresholds we'll still wait weeks to reopen due to lower rates in Melbourne (51 per cent of Melburnians have been double dosed).
The Nationals' alternative roadmap calls for regional Victoria to be unshackled from Melbourne, to allow us to move to the next phase as soon as we reach key milestones. Common sense changes, like rolling out rapid testing, will build confidence that we're doing everything we can to keep protecting our health when we reopen.
Returning to density limits
For regional hospitality, it should include an immediate return to density limits of one person per four square metres, not patron caps, for LGAs that aren't in lockdown. Our schools and childcare in regional areas that aren't in lockdown should be able to fully reopen - immediately.
And at the 70 per cent milestone, all country community sport should return for fully vaccinated Victorians, with an adequate number of players for competition. What regional Victoria needs is a plan for recovery, not a fake lifting of restrictions that stops us building a post-COVID future.
Pictures from Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation Facebook page.
Source: www.gippsland.com
Published by: news@gippsland.com
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