WORKERS in key industries such as healthcare, aged care and food distribution will have to receive a COVID booster shot to continue working on-site, under a new order from the Victorian government announced on Monday.
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The pandemic order will come into effect at 11.59pm on Wednesday 12, in an effort to curb the rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state.
Workers eligible for a third dose on or before Wednesday, January 12, will have until Saturday, February 12 to get their third dose.
Workers not yet eligible for a third dose will be required to get it within three months and two weeks of the deadline to receive their second mandatory dose.
The order responds to the increased risks of COVID-19 exposure for critical workers industries first required to have mandatory vaccines in 2021.
Luv-a-Duck chief executive James Thompson said the business welcomed the decision and had plans to vaccinate workers at its Nhill Processing Facility in the coming weeks.
"We welcome the action being taken by the government to help protect our staff and keep the critical food supply chain open," he said.
"The business is very thankful for the support provided by the local West Wimmera Health Service, whose staff will administer the booster doses to our staff on 20 January."
Booster shots will be available at pharmacists and clinics across Horsham, with reports of strong uptake among the city's population.
A spokesperson for Priceline Horsham said the pharmacy had seen a high demand for the third vaccine dose and was booked out until February.
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"We are doing the 18 or over boosters. We have appointments available until early February," the spokesperson said.
"Demand for the booster vaccine has been pretty consistent, we have been booked for a while.
"It is important to have. It does not matter what vaccine you have received for the first vaccine."
Monday's announcement from the Victorian Government also included further restrictions on dance floors in hospitality and entertainment venues.
From January 12, indoor dance floors must close - however, there were no changes to the density limits in place.
Royal Hotel publican Grant Fielder said the decision to close dancefloors would be another financial impact on the business.
"We will have to close our dance floor on Friday and Saturday nights. It will obviously impact the business financially. There is normally a DJ on Friday and Saturday night," he said.
"I haven't heard of any government support to compensate, so it is going to be hard.
"If you can't have a dance floor, which is normally part of your business, then there should be some compensation because you have the same bills to pay.
"You still have your rent, which is high, your insurance which is high, everything else - you just have less income because you aren't allowed to have a dance floor.
"Ideally it would be some sort of compensation through the government, but I don't expect there will be."
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