Stranded Victorians in NSW Allowed To Come Home As Vax Clinics Close

Reprieve for thousands of Victorians as the state government announce stranded Victorians in extreme risk zones across NSW and the ACT will soon be able to return home.

From September 30, fully vaccinated Victorians can come home upon delivering two negative COVID tests.

They will also be required to home quarantine for 14 days.

“Those several thousand Victorians that are in Sydney who are from Melbourne or Victoria will be able to return home. That is a big step forward” Victorian premier Dan Andrews said.

“We don’t want to have people locked out of their state and we don’t want people locked into their home.”

Mr Andrews said given the number of cases in NSW and Victoria and the growing vaccination numbers "its the right thing to do". 

Meanwhile, two vaccine clinics have been closed due to safety concerns after healthcare workers were reportedly been spat on, with abuse from protesters in Melbourne's CBD on Wednesday. 

Cohealth chief executive Nicole Bartholomeusz said protesters had abused on spat on staff on their way to work.

“Due to the increasingly violent and unpredictable nature of the protests in the city, we have made the difficult decision to close the cohealth Melbourne Town Hall vaccination Centre as well as our Central City homelessness service, and our street based outreach services until Monday,” she said. 

“This means people experiencing homelessness can no longer access vital services and supports at Central City and at least 200 people per day will no longer be able to access the vaccine from the Melbourne Town Hall.”

Disappointed at the actions of a few, Ms Bartholomeusz explained that, “the cohealth Melbourne Town Hall vaccination centre was opened as a safe place for people to come to get vaccinated if they are facing disadvantage, so shutting the doors is a very difficult decision.” 

The Melbourne Town Hall vaccination centre and a pop-up clinic opposite Queen Victoria Market have since been closed and will re-open after the long weekend.

Outraged at yet another disregard for the greater community, the Premier, said the "staff have been treated appallingly,"

"These people are doing the very best of work. They're vaccinating people, for heaven's sake … why would you abuse, why would you — as I'm told — be spitting on people who are doing that sort of work?"

- Premier Dan Andrews

A large police presence was seen throughout Melbourne's CBD and surrounds on Thursday as authorities prepared for a fourth day of protests.

By early afternoon however, it was evident that the self proclaimed 'freedom fighters' had done a no-show.

What began earlier in the week with members CFMEU in protest against the state government vaccine mandate, by mid-week, escalated into madness and mayhem, with a cohort of anti-vaxxers, so-called ‘freedom defenders’ and conspiracy theorists, dishonoring the Shrine of Remembrance.

The Victorian RSL have condemned the actions of demonstrators and said there was no excuse for using the shrine as a protest.

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