Nationals Member for Ovens Valley Tim McCurdy said he had previously called for the use of Rapid Antigen Testing in Parliament and was delighted to hear that the Victorian Government is now providing these services, especially for early childhood sectors.
The Victorian Government released a statement in November 2021 stating, “[the aim of] supplying at-home rapid antigen test kits for children who have been identified as primary close contacts – reducing both quarantine time and pressure on families, while ensuring early childhood settings are as low-risk as possible.”
“Although the Victorian Government is providing free kits to early childhood services, the catch for many regional towns is that to be eligible, there needs to be a system implemented to collect, record and hold the testing information and parents and carers will opt-in for their children to be part of the scheme.”
Mr McCurdy added “the Victorian Government needs to listen to our communities, their families and more importantly children to understand how constant quarantine requirements have and still continue to impact their daily lives.
“As 2022 begins we need to make sure these services are available for communities in all small country towns, not just the ones that can facilitate the delivery of the rapid testing kits.
“If we have learned anything from 2021 it is that our children who are under the vaccination ages are therefore placed in a much higher risk setting on contracting Covid and having it spread.
“Children who are too young to be vaccinated from Covid need to be protected and monitored; free rapid testing kits can ensure that for our childcare facilities.
“As we go back to work and our children go back to school or childcare services, I encourage members of our community to get behind these rapid testing kits.”
15°C