By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Councillors and staff are in, but the public have been locked out in the last four Greater Dandenong Council meetings of 2021.
According to the council, the public – regardless of their vaccination status – could watch “hybrid” meetings online but not in person due to Covid safety concerns.
Meanwhile, councillors have expressed unease over one of their unvaccinated colleagues attending meetings with a medical exemption.
That councillor did not return Star Journal’s calls.
There is extremely strict criteria to qualify for a valid medical exemption registered with the Australian Immunisation Register.
Only people who had an anaphylactic reaction to a Covid vaccine can be granted permanent exemptions.
A temporary exemption also applies for acute major medical illness.
Significant immunocompromise or pregnancy do not qualify.
Crs Tim Dark and Loi Truong both contracted Covid while the council met remotely during the August-November hard lockdown.
Both are understood to have since been vaccinated.
In public question time on 29 November, Dandenong resident Silvia Mastrogiovanni asked why the council was at odds with other higher-risk indoor settings like restaurants which were open to the public.
Governance manager Lisa Roberts said the council was exercising “the highest level of caution”.
There were “too many unvaccinated people” in Greater Dandenong and infection rates were “still quite high”.
“Risks for people in public places remain and we have structured attendance levels at this venue to maintain an optimal level of safety particularly in this period immediately after lockdown.
“When vaccination levels improve and when densities can safely increase, we will have no hesitation in allowing more people to attend.”
Ms Roberts said there were not yet any State directions for opening council meetings.
“Council is hopeful that further clear directions will be issued by the State Government that outline a clear path in coming together indoors in the Council meeting environment for all participants regardless of their vaccination status.”
Under Greater Dandenong’s councillor vaccination policy, attending councillors are required to be vaccinated or have a valid medical exemption.
The same applies to council staff under state Chief Health Officer rules.
Chief executive John Bennie said several Covid safe protocols were “strictly adhered to” at meetings “before anyone is permitted to attend in person”.
They included scanning in, a general health check questionnaire, a vaccination status check, the wearing of a mask at all times unless eating or talking, sanitizing hands whenever moving from seats, and social distancing.
“All staff and councillors are continually reminded to stay at home if they feel unwell, no matter how slight their symptoms, or if a member of their household is getting tested.
“Every person who checks in to a Council facility using a QR code, is encouraged to maintain social distances at all times and to always practice good hand hygiene.”
There were 195 new Covid infections in Greater Dandenong in the week up to 13 December.
Seventy-one were in the Dandenong 3175 postcode – which has a double-vax rate of less than 90 per cent.
The municipality surpassed 90 per cent full vaccinations as of 7 December.
