Christmas carols cancelled, food in short supply, Santa goes online
Victoria faces shortages of festive food favourites unless coronavirus restrictions ease, a grocery boss has warned. Carols have also been made virtual and Santa will go online for a very different looking Christmas this year. Here is what is happening.
Outer East
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Victoria faces festive shortages at the supermarket under current restrictions on workplaces and distribution centres, Woolworths has warned.
Chief executive Brad Banducci told the state government COVID constraints on the supply chain were threatening stocks of some popular items.
It comes as the Herald Sun can reveal Melbourne’s much-loved Myer Christmas windows will not be staged this year and some popular carols concerts have been cancelled.
Mr Banducci joined a call of more than 100 business leaders, health department officials and government authorities on Wednesday night to discuss the road map restrictions.
“We’ve been working to support the government’s overarching health objective of reducing community movements to help prevent the spread of COVID-19,” he said.
“As part of this, we’ve shared data-driven insights on anticipated shopping behaviour in the lead-up to the busy Christmas season to help inform policy making as it relates to our supply chains.”
Families will also miss out on the Bourke Street mall windows display for the first time since its inception in 1956.
A Myer spokesman said all options for the windows had been considered in the hope they could go ahead, but the government’s announcement on Sunday made it impossible.
Designer John Kerr, who has been responsible for 25 years of the windows, said a key issue was concern about crowds gathering and potentially spreading the virus.
“We have a real issue with contamination on the glass,” he said on Instagram. “Kids love to put their face and hands up against the glass.”
The decision comes as other Christmas celebrations will be silenced this year as traditional carols nights are either cancelled or face serious doubt.
Many events have been called off, with experts warning carolling groups were a health risk and could trigger a third COVID-19 wave.
Organisers of Carols by Candlelight at the Myer Music Bowl were scrambling on Thursday to save the Christmas Eve event, now in its 83rd year. Festive celebrations in the city centre, including Santa’s Grotto in Federation Square, may also have to be reined in to ensure safe health practices.
Santa is also preparing for a very different Christmas this year as he sets up studios for virtual catch ups and safe socially distant photos.
Children will be able to share their Christmas wishlists with Santa from their lounge rooms in one-on-one video chats or receive personalised videos in some of the options Melbourne’s major Santa talent agencies are offering.
Premier Daniel Andrews’ aim is for as normal a Christmas as possible, a lure to get people to stay the course.
But with coronavirus restrictions unlikely to let up until late November, organisers face a challenge to deliver COVID-safe events.
Both the Knox and Monash councils are preparing virtual singalongs for families to keep up with the annual tradition.
Knox Mayor Nicole Seymour said the municipality’s Carols by Candlelight was one of the most beloved events on the annual calendar.
“We are preparing for a virtual event to be streamed on Facebook on Saturday, December 12,” Cr Seymour.
“Our virtual Carols will still feature outstanding performances and entertainment, as well as our Knox Factor grand final pre-show.”
Cr Seymour said the council was continuing to adjust its event plan to ensure it was engaging and accessible, while also complying with changing coronavirus restrictions.
“While we know many are eager to get out and enjoy the traditions of Christmas in the coming months, the most important thing is ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our community,” she said.
Monash Mayor Stuart James said while the much-loved Jells Park carols – in its 32nd year – would not be going ahead because of the pandemic, the council were working on livestreaming Christmas.
“We are working on a way to celebrate through a virtual carols event,” Cr James said.
“Our Monash Carols by Candlelight at Jells Park is a well-loved and highly anticipated event attracting around 25,000 people each year.”
Cr James said while the council couldn’t release program details at this stage, it looked forward to sharing it with the community as soon as it could.
“I share the disappointment of others in the community about not being able to meet in the ways we usually do,” he said.
“We are working to capture the spirit of our carols in a new way, and to ensure we continue to celebrate together.”
Mornington Peninsula mayor Sam Hearn said the roadmap out of lockdown would “take some days to decipher” and more advice around crowd numbers was critical.
He said council-run events, which included carols at Tyabb, Hastings and Mt Eliza, would be difficult to plan without knowing how many people could attend.
Cr Hearn said it was also unclear when the shire could open its foreshore camp grounds at Rosebud, Rye and Sorrento.
The season, which was meant to begin on October 23, has already been postponed to December 19.
“At this stage we don’t know if the season will start in December,” Cr Hearn said.
“The plan announced on Sunday had one line in it about bookings for ‘COVID-safe accommodation’ allowed from November 23.
“There was no mention of camping.”
The popular carnivals at Rye and Rosebud were also in doubt.
Owner Michael Wittingslow said in order to proceed the team would have to “bump in” by December 1.
“We could operate with capped numbers if necessary,” he said.
Mount Martha Cricket Club has pulled the pin on its popular carols night, which attracts up to 1500, and includes a live band and fireworks.
“We decided in the second week of August that it wasn’t feasible to go ahead,” club president Andrew Gill said.
Bass Coast Shire supports five Carols by Candlelight events and said at this point all had been cancelled by the organisers.
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