Construction jab blitz as longer, harsher lockdown looms

Thousands of construction workers are set to get vaccinated at their worksites, in a special deal struck between builders, unions and the government.

Thousands of workers are set to get their Covid vaccine at worksites by the end of the year under a deal struck between Master Builders Victoria, unions and government.

It comes as Victoria faces weeks of harsh statewide restrictions.

Escalating Covid-19 cases are threatening the state’s September 2 freedom date, with senior government ministers fast losing hope we will be able to come out of lockdown by then.

Tougher measures such as total shutdowns of construction sites and the hospitality industry are being considered, along with further clamps on outdoor exercise.

The next 48 hours will be critical as the state stands on the brink of a devastating third wave.

On Saturday police were forced to fire pepper ball pellets at violent anti-lockdown protesters during pitched battles in Melbourne’s CBD.

The Herald Sun understands tougher restrictions – such as bans on takeaway, exercising alone for shorter periods and weekly shopping limits – could be needed to bring the virus under control.

High-level discussions about whether to completely shut down the construction industry were on Saturday night ongoing.

Victorians may be stuck in lockdown beyond September 2.

It comes as the industry, which is facing a $455m loss in revenue for each day in lockdown, unveils a landmark onsite vaccination program across major Victorian worksites.

Up to 30,000 workers would be given Pfizer or AstraZeneca by year’s end under a deal struck between Master Builders Australia, unions and government.

Master Builders Victoria chief executive Rebecca Casson said: “Getting as many Victorians as possible vaccinated, ideally 80 per cent, will reduce the likelihood of lockdowns and other restrictions that affect our ability to work.

“In coming days, across Melbourne, we will provide mobile Covid-19 testing through Incolink, our industry health and wellbeing provider. Thousands of antigen testing kits will be available on demand to employers, and in just a matter of days, we will be the first industry in Australia to deliver Covid-19 vaccinations on-site, with an aim to deliver a minimum 30,000 by year’s end.”

Covid-19 vaccinations will be administered at worksites.

On Friday Premier Daniel Andrews said he could not “rule out going further in the future” with restrictions.

Regional Victoria was plunged into lockdown with just two hours’ notice on Saturday, childcare centres were closed, workforces were reduced on construction sites and in some high-risk settings, primary-aged children will now be asked to wear masks.

It comes as Victoria recorded 82 new locally acquired cases, including 21 infections to be included in Sunday’s case numbers.

Of the 61 officially recorded on Saturday, just 22 were in isolation throughout their infectious period.

Chief health officer Professor Brett Sutton said the state was sitting at a “critical juncture”.

Premier Daniel Andrews said he could not “rule out going further in the future”.

“We are buying time, we are doing what we know works because a transmission saved today is a thousand cases saved from a month today,” Professor Sutton said.

There are still only five reasons to leave the house – for essential shopping, to provide care, to attend work with a permit, to get vaccinated, or to exercise up to two hours per day.

Covid-19 commander Jeroen Weimar said the virus had now spread to all pockets of Melbourne, with 11 new mystery cases across Mordialloc, Kew, Fawkner, Frankston, Yarraville, Docklands, Melton, Point Cook and Airport West.

“This is a rapidly escalating situation … Every single Victorian is now at risk,” Mr Weimar said.

“You have to be aware that Covid is now circulating in the community near you.”

But authorities have revealed there was evidence that a number of positive cases were waiting significant periods of time before getting tested, therefore infecting a large number of people before receiving their result.

Royal Melbourne Hospital has been placed on high alert, with some staff forced into isolation after a colleague and two patients caught the virus.

An investigation is under way as to whether transmission occurred inside the hospital.

Authorities have also confirmed some Melbourne hospitals were dealing with uncooperative Covid-positive patients that refused to wear masks while also walking through wards.

The Premier was forced to defend the timing of locking down Shepparton, after repeated wastewater detections were found a week ago.

Thousands of workers in the construction industry will be vaccinated on-site.

“We don’t lock places down off sewage, right off a ping of a test, we need positive cases,” Mr Andrews said.

The number of cases in Shepparton has now ballooned to 21, across three large family households.

And 14 more cases have been linked to a growing cluster at the MyCentre childcare facility in Broadmeadows.

All childcare centres will be closed to kids except those of essential workers, and construction sites across the state will be capped at 25 per cent of the workforce.

New measures such as workforce limits and mandatory surveillance will also be brought into high-risk industries – such as abattoirs and processing plants – in Melbourne.

Small Business Australia’s Bill Lang said regional communities would be asking for the health advice as to why heavily unionised industries, such as construction, were safe to continue operating, but cafes, restaurants and retail outlets in towns, which have had zero cases and are hundreds of kilometres from Melbourne are considered a danger to open.

Former World Health Organisation epidemiologist and University of South Australia Prof Adrian Esterman said there was “absolutely not a chance” that lockdown would end in two weeks.

“The question is more about whether this will be under control in two weeks,” he said.

“It’s a 50-50 situation, but Victoria is still not at its peak. I’d say Victoria is in deep trouble right now.”

Prof Nancy Baxter, who is head of University of Melbourne’s School of Population and Global Health, said Victorians should brace for higher case numbers in coming days.

“It’ll be a month before they would look at relaxing restrictions, I would think,” she said. “It’s hard for people to see it now, but we will get out of this.”

Originally published as Construction jab blitz as longer, harsher lockdown looms