The list of workers will include thousands of Victorians across retail, childcare and religious institutions
Victorian premier Dan Andrews has announced a sweeping vaccine mandate, requiring all authorised workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
All employees on the Authorised Workers List will be required to have their first dose by October 15 and be fully vaccinated by November 26. Victoria is rolling out a walk-up ‘Moderna blitz’ later this month in a bid to help workers meet the deadline dates.
Andrews said the measure has been brought in to curb the spread of the Delta variant, after Victoria’s daily cases topped 1,000 yesterday.
In a statement released today, Andrews said: “All of our health workers are working their guts out to be there for us and they need us all to do our bit and get vaccinated, so we can continue on our pathway to opening.”
The new mandate is on top of existing compulsory jab deadlines for those in construction, freight, healthcare, aged care and education. The list of authorised workers spans a whole range of industries, including roadside assistance workers, childcare staff, retail workers, faith leaders and court staff. All authorised workers who cannot work from home, must meet the vaccine deadlines to continue working onsite.
Andrews said the state is also expanding its GP and pharmacy rollout of Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca in priority LGAs. So far, 80% of Victorians have had their first dose and 50% are double jabbed. As Victoria's case numbers jumped significantly this week, largely due to Grand Final parties held last weekend, authorities are desperately trying to speed up the vaccine rollout to prevent the health system from becoming overwhelmed.
Minister for Health Martin Foley said: “If you’ve been putting it off or waiting to get vaccinated, don’t wait any longer. The best vaccine is the vaccine you can get today and we all need to do our bit to protect the community and get back to the things we love.”
