Packages spruiked for Tasmanians in isolation, as RAT rollout sparks more backlash
Salvos is welcoming the state’s new Covid-care funding for people in need, but government detractors say vulnerable locals are still struggling amid RAT shortages.
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THE Salvation Army is welcoming the state’s new Covid-care funding for people in need, but government detractors say vulnerable locals are still struggling amid RAT shortages.
Health Minister Jeremy Rockliff said the state’s latest Covid-care package would be available on request.
“If people in the community require the support for food, medicine, housing … they need to ring the Public Health Hotline and of course from there will be triaged to the Salvation Army to pick up that support and direct that assistance where it is most needed,” he said.
It comes as the state recorded 825 new Covid cases on Sunday, with 22 cases in hospital and one in intensive care.
Mr Rockliff said ready-to-access grants through TasCOSS would provide people with disabilities, workers and carers in the sector with access to PPE and N95 masks during the “very anxious time for all Tasmanians”.
Salvation Army’s Stacey Milbourne said Covid-care funding was “invaluable”.
She said a “broad range” of people had called the hotline to seek assistance from the charity, including those living alone, in share houses and in family households.
“We have people who we see on a regular basis, we have got people who have never, ever had to access our services before,” Ms Milbourne said.
The Salvos Doorways manager said recipients were sent healthy food catering to all dietary and personal requirements, despite supply chain constraints and order limits putting pressure on food security.
Sunday’s Department of Health statistics showed new cases were the lowest they had been since January 6.
But the Labor and Greens leaders both said it was likely case numbers were really much higher.
“We’re very concerned that we don’t know the true number of cases that are in our community because people can’t get tested,” Labor leader Rebecca White said.
Ms White said people in regional or rural areas, and those without computers or transport, struggled to source Covid tests.
“The government is requiring people to fill out a lot of forms and go through a lot of red tape at a time when they might be feeling incredibly unwell,” she said.
“The government have not made it free and available for everybody to access a RAT and they need to do that to make sure that we can support the community to identify if they are positive.”
Greens leader Cassy O’Connor said the latest figures “don’t tell the real story”.
“People can’t get a PCR test and there’s a genuine shortage of RATs,” she said.
She said the government was “making it up as it goes along” in dealing with the Omicron variant.
Mr Rockliff said about 5000 RATs had been distributed in the past 24 hours.
He said next-day delivery of RATs would help people unable to drive to distribution hubs.
“These contingencies of course have been thought of and my understanding is the system is working well to date,” he said.
‘Super-spreader event’: Multicultural festival canned
Moonah’s Taste of the World Festival has been cancelled for 2022 due to ongoing uncertainty surrounding the pandemic.
Glenorchy City Council said the decision to can the event “was not made lightly” and claimed that following the release of state government modelling Covid cases would likely peak around the time of the scheduled event in late March.
“Even with the best control measures in place, it would be extremely difficult to guarantee Moonah Taste of the World wouldn’t become a “superspreader” event capable of adversely impacting the health of workers, contractors, volunteers, event participants and the general community,” said a spokesperson.
“It is Council’s duty (under the Work Health and Safety Act 2012) to take reasonably practicable measures to ensure the health and safety of workers and of people who come into contact with Council operations.”
The Council said it is reviewing other ways to celebrate the community’s ‘multicultural heart’.
Performance set to premiere at Mona Foma postponed
A ticketed performance set to dazzle and debut at Mona Foma has been postponed amid Covid-19.
It comes amid an avalanche of events succumbing to the pressures of the pandemic, with the state government extending grants to support the troubled industry.
A collaboration between pakana kanaplila and Tasdance titled tuylupa would have had its world premiere at the state’s eclectic summer festival on January 21, but the team has chosen to reschedule.
“Whilst this is a very disappointing decision to have to make, our number one priority is the health and safety of our artists, their community, as well as our team and audiences,” a statement from pakana kanaplila and Tasdance reads.
“We will keep the fire burning.”
Mona Foma said in a statement years had gone by working with the artists to bring the story of the palawa people to the festival.
Mona Foma said ticketholders would be refunded and committed to presenting the performance later.
The postponement comes after A Festival Called Panama, Henley-on-Mersey Australia Day Festival and A Day on the Beach at Kingston announced their Covid-induced cancellations.
Tourism, Hospitality and Events Minister Sarah Courtney announced on Wednesday the government’s Event Ready grants offering $5000 to organisers for Covid-safety measures had been extended.
Ms Courtney said more than $750,000 from the fund had already supported many events, with a further $300,000 allocated on Wednesday to resources for Covid-safe events.
“It can be the provision of masks, buying hand sanitiser, looking at getting Covid marshals or indeed promoting the event with signage to make sure that it’s Covid-safe for patrons,” she said.
“We know that many vibrant events around Tasmania rely on volunteers, and so having this $5000 available really does make a difference to events.”
Ms Courtney said it had been a “challenging time for event organisers” but some were faring well.
“I’m not in a position to name individual businesses … but I have spoken to operators that are trading better than they have in the past 18 months,” she said.
Ms Courtney said a targeted support package for businesses would be unveiled later this week.
Ms Courtney said any event organisers with questions or concerns could call Business Tasmania for support.
The first round of Event Ready funding received more than 170 applications from September 2020.
The newest round of funding is available for events held before November 30 this year.
To apply by June 30 for a grant, or for more information, visit eventstasmania.com
State extends events grants, encourages organisers to seek support
Grants to bolster event planners’ efforts against coronavirus have been extended as several major organisers succumb to the pandemic.
Tourism, Hospitality and Events Minister Sarah Courtney has announced the government’s Event Ready grants giving $5000 to organisers for Covid-safety measures has been extended.
Ms Courtney said more than $750,000 from the fund had already supported many events, with a further $300,000 allocated on Wednesday to resources for Covid-safe events.
“It can be the provision of masks, buying hand sanitiser, looking at getting Covid marshals or indeed promoting the event with signage to make sure that it’s Covid-safe for patrons,” she said.
“We know that many vibrant events around Tasmania rely on volunteers, and so having this $5000 available really does make a difference to events.”
It comes after A Festival Called Panama, Henley-on-Mersey Australia Day Festival and A Day on the Beach at Kingston announced their Covid-induced cancellations.
Ms Courtney said it had been a “challenging time for event organisers” but some were faring well.
“I’m not in a position to name individual businesses … but I have spoken to operators that are trading better than they have in the past 18 months,” she said.
Ms Courtney said the hospitality sector had also been impacted by Covid.
“The Premier has already flagged a targeted support package with more details being provided later in the week, but I’d encourage businesses that have been impacted to contact Business Tasmania,” Ms Courtney said.
“If you’ve actually got staff at your business who are required to quarantine or isolate they can get pandemic grants from the government so they should ring the Covid hotline and make sure that they can access those.”
Ms Courtney said any event organisers with questions or concerns could call Business Tasmania for support.
The first round of Event Ready funding received more than 170 applications from September 2020.
The newest round of funding is available for events held before November 30 this year.
To apply by June 30 for a grant, or for more information, visit eventstasmania.com
Two Australia Day events, major music festival canned amid Covid
An iconic music festival and Australia Day functions across the state have cut their engines as Covid closes in on the events industry.
A family day of Australia Day activities, music and swimming at Kingston Beach has been dropped for the second year in a row as the state’s total active Covid cases has risen to 8356.
A Day on the Beach 2022 shared the announcement on their website.
“The uncertainty of the Covid pandemic and the difficulty complying with current public health directions has forced our organising committee to make the difficult, but necessary, decision to cancel A Day on the Beach 2022,” the statement reads.
“We are disappointed that this decision was necessary, particularly as the event was also cancelled in 2021.”
In the North, the prolific Henley-on-Mersey Australia Day Festival was also canned.
Latrobe Council will host a citizenship and awards ceremony in place of the event in the Latrobe Memorial Hall at 3pm January 26.
Coronavirus also toppled the event last year.
“We have a wonderful and diverse cultural event in Henley-on-Mersey,” committee chairman David Crampton said.
“However, with most of those actively involved with putting it on for the community being volunteers in the 55+ age bracket advising that they are not comfortable with providing this support in the current Covid-19 climate, and the expectation that patron numbers would likewise be affected, the Henley-on-Mersey Management Committee has had no choice but
to cancel this year’s festival.”
Mr Crampton said the event has run since 1911.
He said it had proven difficult to find younger age-groups willing to volunteer for community events, as coronavirus has threatened the health and wellbeing of older cohorts.
Beloved music event A Festival Called Panama has pulled the pin on their March celebration, according to an email sent to subscribers.
“We write today to let you know that we have decided not to proceed with an event,” the email reads.
“(Panama) is dear to us, and with all the factors at play at the moment, we don’t feel we can deliver an event the way it should be.
“We hope to be back in 2023.”
A residential summer string camp in the North West has cancelled their 2022 program popular among music students at schools, saying on their website the decision caused organisers “great sadness”.
“Omicron is spreading wider and faster than we could ever have imagined and we are no longer able to provide a safe and viable camp,” the website reads.
Many hospitality venues have shut their doors, either pre-emptively or due to staff being forced to isolate.
But some have seen positive progress, with Urban Greek restaurant reopening recently, Pilgrim Coffee welcoming customers once more on Liverpool St, and Tavern 42 Degrees South planning to emerge from their hiatus this Friday.
Health Minister Jeremy Rockliff said additional business support was in the works.
He said the pandemic had caused “considerable disruption” to the sector since 2020.
“We recognise the circumstances businesses found themselves in very quickly, we’ll have more to say in a few days,” he said.
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