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PropertyGuide GippslandTimes
INSIDE INSIDE
Mask rule changes Sarah Luke
Visitors will be back
Loch Sport LakeView Bar and Bistro owner Peter Arsenijevic has gone the extra mile to make patrons comfortable enough to dine in again. With Melbourne visitors making up 85 per cent of his business, he is confident once Melbourne restrictions are lifted, pent-up demand will bring visitors back. Full story, page 3. Photo: Liz Bell
Kerran, Louisa and Imogen are here
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PREMIER Daniel Andrews has announced tighter face covering restrictions and an increased fine to target mass gatherings, as regional Victoria records no COVID-19 cases from unknown sources in the past 14 days. While scarves, bandanas and face shields may have been accepted methods of mandatory face coverings, they will no longer meet the requirement which has now been in place across Victoria for eight weeks. People will soon need to ensure they wear fitted face masks that securely cover the nose and mouth. People have two weeks to transition to fitted face masks, before those flouting the new rules qualify for a $200 fine. Plastic face shields on their own will not be enough, but will be able to be used to protect eyes in conjunction with fitted face masks. “Some of the concessions we made as we adjusted to this new normal — things like wearing a scarf or a bandana or a face shield — will no longer apply,” Mr Andrews said. “As I’ve said before, wearing a face covering is a small sacrifice — but it makes a huge difference in keeping all of us safe. “We would recommend a two-ply mask, but again, face coverings, masks — anything is better than nothing — but a shield is akin to not wearing a face covering.” The Premier said the mask requirement would not be ending any time soon. “We do know particularly as we get into the warmer months that the degree of discomfort associated with them potentially gets higher, but the benefit is really clear,” he said. Mr Andrews said the exact circumstances in which masks could be best
used — such as in workplaces and the outdoors — were “not settled”, adding he’d defer to the experts at the appropriate time. Resources such as badges and printouts are available via the Department of Health and Human Services website for people unable to wear face coverings for valid reasons, such as people who are hard of hearing or deaf and need to remove their face coverings for better communication. There will be higher on-the-spot fines for breaching rules about visitors to people’s home and outdoor gatherings, with the Premier announcing on Sunday a nearly $5000 fine for those caught at unlawful outdoor or indoor gatherings. Currently in regional Victoria, public gatherings with up to 10 people outdoors can take place, and up to five visitors from exclusively one other household can visit people in their homes. “If you’re having a party at your house, that is not lawful — that puts everything at risk,” he said. “If a call is made to the police assistance line — and there’s been many of them, many of them over these months — or if police are out on routine patrol and there are an inordinate number of cars parked out the front of your home, then you may well get a knock on your door. “There will be no warnings, there will be no $1652 fine — it’s almost $5000. “This is a very significant penalty. “We don’t make this decision lightly, but no-one has the right to put everything Victorians have done at risk by going and potentially spreading this virus one family to the other. “We are so close, so, so close to beating this thing, and it is just not appropriate to be going and visiting friends.” The Premier said he understood people wanted to see their family and friends, but the evidence pointed to the home Continued page 3