Melburnians exploiting vaccine travel loophole putting lives at risk in regional Victoria

‘Selfish’ Melburnians are putting lives at risk and draining Covid vaccine supplies by travelling to regional Victoria for their jabs, officials say.

Melburnians are being turned away from regional vaccinations hubs in droves.

Melburnians are using a travel loophole in droves with claims they are putting lives at risk and draining Covid vaccination supplies by turning up for jabs in regional Victoria.

There are fears up to one-third of Colac’s vaccination supply is being taken up by Melburnians while vaccination hubs in Warrnambool, Portland and Bendigo have all raised concerns about the issue.

Regional Development Minister Mary-Anne Thomas on Thursday said the practice was a clear “abuse” of the restrictions and the Victorian Government vowed to close the loophole.

Member for South West Coast Roma Britnell said she had been contacted by staff from Warrnambool and Portland vaccination hubs concerned about the numbers of people from metropolitan Melbourne trying to get jabs.

Ms Britnell said she had been told South West Healthcare had turned away 30 people in the past few days at vaccinations appointments in Warrnambool.

Member for South West Coast Roma Britnell. Picture: Nicole Garmston

“We’re talking 30 people just in the last few days, not over the last three months,” she said.

“It’s just extraordinary.

“And they get very, very angry when they’re rejected.”

South West Healthcare chief executive officer Craig Fraser confirmed a number of Melbourne people had booked through the Victorian central booking system to have their vaccination in Warrnambool.

“We are fully committed to promoting and providing Covid vaccinations; however it is inappropriate that during a statewide lockdown, with 5km limits in place, that people would seek to travel hundreds of kilometres from their home and risk spreading Covid into a region that has not had any Covid positive cases in many months,” Mr Fraser said.

“We have made it clear on our website that people from Melbourne or other known exposure sites will not be permitted on-site without prior approval. We want to deter travel across Victoria when closer options are available.”

Portland District Health Covid vaccination program executive sponsor Claire Holt said one Melbourne person arrived at the clinic at the weekend and another was stopped after calling from Camperdown.

The person who visited the Portland vaccination clinic had booked online.

“We were particularly concerned that this person had caught public transport from Melbourne,” Mrs Holt said.

Another Melburnian had called from Camperdown to confirm their booking, also made online.

“They had driven from Melbourne but we told them we weren’t going to vaccinate them and they should turn around and go back,” Mrs Holt said.

“We will continue to discourage people from travelling from hot spots to regional areas.”

Bendigo Health has repeatedly turned away outsiders travelling into the region for their Covid jab.

Regional Victorians have slammed Melburnians trying to sneak into their towns to get a Covid jab.

On August 20, the health service said people from outside the region were presenting for vaccinations at the clinic.

“Our vaccine supply is for Loddon Mallee residents,” Bendigo Health wrote on Facebook.

“If you have an appointment and have visited, or are from, Covid outbreak areas you will be turned away.”

This was not the only lockdown where people have made the vaccine holiday to Bendigo.

In the July lockdown the health service issued a similar warning to those travelling to the region for their shot.

"While we strongly support people getting vaccinated, we ask that this occur in your local area," it said.

Peter Armstrong, from East Grampians Health, confirmed Melburnians had travelled to Ararat but said it would not turn anybody away.

“We have had plenty of people from outside Ararat travel here for a vaccine,” Mr Armstrong said.

“We haven‘t turned away anybody, and people can book wherever they want to.

“People from Melbourne have regularly travelled to Ararat to get a vaccination — around five out of every 100 people getting a vaccine are from Melbourne.

“The system is run by the State Government, we don‘t have any say over who or where they come from.”

Bass Coast Health chief executive Jan Child the amount of Melburnians getting vaccinated in the area changes week to week.

"It varies everyday and it depends on the bookings, we can't control it or measure it," she said.

"But there's been days where maybe a quarter of the people who have been vaccinated have travelled to Wonthaggi from Melbourne."

Ms Child said they were not turned away.

"We screen them very thoroughly to make sure they haven't been to exposure sites," she said.

"Then if they are fine to come in because they aren't a risk, we vaccinate them.

"I think it's about us trying to make sure if people do travel to our part of the world for vaccinations, they do so safely."

Covid Response Division member Nicole Brady said the loophole would be closed once the police patrols began monitoring regional roads.

The Public Health Policy and Strategy deputy secretary said it was "absolutely not on" for Melburnians to travel to the regions to get their vaccine and they would be turned back and fined if found by police.

But Ms Brady was cautious not to ban people with Melbourne drivers licences from going to vaccination clinics.

Ms Brady said many people living in the regions had not updated their licence and still carried Melbourne addresses.

"We don't want these people to be discouraged from getting the jab," she said.