More COVID-19 support announced for businesses and workers

REGIONAL Victoria has largely escaped the forced closures and restrictions for metropolitan Melbourne revealed earlier this week, but will benefit from some more state and federal government support.
The Geelong region, along with the rest of regional Victoria, will return to Stage 3 restrictions as of today (Thursday, August 6), with several categories of business to close or operate only on a take-away basis.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said businesses in regional Victoria forced to close as part of the Stage 3 restrictions would be eligible for a $5,000 grant from the state government, as they were during the first lockdown, “and we will do our best, our very best to get those paid as quickly as we can”.
The Coalition Government has been under pressure for weeks to introduce some sort of paid pandemic leave for workers without sick leave, and announced such a scheme on Monday this week.
The $1,500 “disaster payment”, as described by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, is for Victorians with no sick leave who are forced to self-isolate for 14 days so they do not feel obliged to go to work.
Victorian Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson welcomed the announcement.
“There simply can be no excuse for not doing the right thing,” she said.
“This adds to the massive economic support we are providing Victorians including $14 billion in JobKeeper and cashflow boost payments.”
The only Stage 4 restriction announced on Monday to apply outside of Melbourne will be for abattoirs, which will be forced to scale back production by one third and put employees through extra testing.
Senator Henderson said the new restrictions in Melbourne were “extremely severe”.
“I trust that regional Victorians will redouble their efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 so that we can avoid the pain and hardship to which Melburnians are now subjected.”