Cabonne mayor Kevin Beatty says he's disappointed at the slow rollout of vaccines and the poor messaging around their availability.
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His comments come after the latest vaccination figures for Orange, Cabonne and Blayney show that in the last week over 4000 people were vaccinated.
"Over 20,000 people to date have received the vaccine in our region," Cr Beatty said.
"Whilst these numbers are good, they need to be higher. Having more access to vaccines is the only way to increase our vaccination rates," he said.
On Friday afternoon, Cr Beatty said more than 900 people across the Cabonne region had been tested.
"I encourage anyone who has any COVID-19 symptoms, no matter how mild, to get tested," he said.
"I have been so impressed with the Cabonne community's response in taking this lockdown situation seriously, and getting tested."
Cr Beatty said while testing numbers were good, he had concerns about the impact the lockdown would have on the region's business sector and the wider supply chain outside the lockdown area.
"Whilst I am aware that the government (both state and federal) have support packages available for businesses, I think the information around this support has been lacking," he said.
Cr Beatty stopped short of wanting to restrict access to Cabonne, but was keen for everyone to do what they could to minimise unnecessary travel.
"It appears that even if you do everything right, the Delta COVID variant is very dangerous," he said.
"So, everyone needs to play their part to minimise the spread of the virus."
Cr Beatty said he had faith the Cabonne community would overcome the current difficulties associated with the virus and the lockdown,
"This incident has served as an important reminder that we cannot be complacent when it comes to COVID-19. We need to keep doing all we can to minimise the spread of this virus, through abiding by lockdown laws, reducing travel, social distancing, use of QR codes, and wearing masks.
"Cabonne Council also adjoins nine other local government areas, and we need to do all we can to ensure that those residents are also not affected by COVID-19.
"The safety of the Cabonne community remains council's highest priority."
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