JOURNALIST Sandra Godwin looks back at the events and issues from January in The Guardian’s Year in Review series.
Tuesday, January 4
· Swan Hill Rural City Councl’s rate cap was increased from 1.5 per cent to 1.75 per cent for 2022-2023. Mayor Jade Benham criticised the rate systems as “very broken” for rural and regional councils which struggled to provide services across large areas. The State Government started capping rates in 2016 to limit uncontrolled rate increases.
· Early childcare providers in Swan Hill avoid a gastro outbreak running rampant across centres in Victoria. Health officials said there had been 56 outbreaks across the state since the beginning of November, compared with 19 for the same period last year.
Friday, January 7
· New rules were introduced to combat a surge in COVID-19 case numbers caused by the Omicron variant. They included masks for people aged eight and over, density quotients and mandatory reporting of positive rapid antigen tests (RATs). A shortage of RATs mean people were queuing for PCR tests and businesses were closing or reducing hours as staff waited up to 10 days for results.
· The death of a Robinvale woman in her 70s from COVID-19 fuelled renewed interest in vaccinations. Robinvale Amcal pharmacist John Pisasale said it was a silver lining out of an awful situation. Vaccination would save lives and reduce pressure on hospitals, he said.
