News Blog, December 21: Victoria hasn’t ruled out more indoor mask rules; Shepparton receives extra beds for Women’s Mental Health Service

For those that aren’t Paul Kelly diehards like me, December 21 is the date mentioned in Christmas classic ‘How to Make Gravy’.

UPDATE 4.35 pm: Farewell and happy Christmas

We’re taking a little break from the daily news blog over Christmas.

From everyone at the Shepparton News, we wish you all a happy holiday season with family and friends.

Remember to look after yourselves, and have a great, relaxing break.

The holidays can be a difficult time for some, remember to reach out.

You can talk to someone at Lifeline anytime on 13 11 14.

UPDATE 4.25 pm: Shepparton chosen as trial site for new response to public drunkenness

A new system to safely support people who are drunk in public will be trialled in the City of Greater Shepparton, Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley announced on Saturday, December 18.

“A drunk person should be looked after, not locked up. It is a health issue — we’re making sure it’s treated as one,” Mr Foley said, adding the new model would save lives.

The Shepparton site will be one of four, set up to inform how a new public health model will eventually be rolled out across the state.

The announcement comes four years after Yorta Yorta woman Tanya Day died in police custody having been arrested for public drunkenness in 2017.

Rosa Ritchie has the full story.

UPDATE 4.10 pm: Will indoors masks be mandatory over Christmas?

The ACT and Tasmania have reimposed mask mandates as coronavirus cases numbers continue to rise across the nation.

Will Victoria follow suit?

Victorian Acting Premier James Merlino said this morning that they have not ruled it out.

“Mask wearing is a prudent common-sense measure. It can be inconvenient but it’s a small inconvenience for a significant public health benefit,” he told reporters.

Read more here.

UPDATE 4 pm: Five extra mental health beds in Shepparton announced

I’ve got the full details about this morning’s announcement that Shepparton will receive five beds specifically for women recovering from complex mental health issues.

Five new mental health beds specifically for women who are “petrified” of the public mental health system were announced on Tuesday, December 21, for Shepparton.

It’s part of the Victorian Government’s more than $100 million investment to deliver Australia’s first Specialist Women’s Mental Health Service.

A total of 35 beds will be added to Victoria’s mental health system.

Acting divisional director for the Mental Health Division at GV Health Dr Raju Lakshmana said the extra beds for female mental health patients was “long overdue”.

“There’s a big section of the population, especially women, who are absolutely petrified to be in public hospitals,” he said.

“It’s a very chaotic environment.”

You can read the full story here.

UPDATE 2:45 pm: Afternoon headlines

Here are the top headlines this afternoon:

Alleged Mongol member charged with trafficking cocaine: A man who police allege is a patched member of the Mongols Outlaw Motorcycle Club and trafficking cocaine will spend Christmas in prison.

Victorian regional population shift to swell for a year, then tail off: Population growth in regional Victoria, driven by people relocating from Melbourne, is expected to peak in 2022 before tailing off.

Strathbogie fire started by lightning strike: A fire in the Strathbogie Ranges that burned about one hectare of land on Monday was started after lightning hit a tree.

Connecting to new lakeside adventures for Christmas: Perfect canoeing weather and a Christmas break-up party can only mean one thing — time for a new challenge.

Push to tighten COVID rules as cases surge: Premiers want Australia's COVID-19 booster program sped up as pressure mounts on states to agree to uniform pandemic restrictions to curb surging Omicron infections.

UPDATE 2.30 pm: A storm photo worth sharing

Here’s an incredible photo taken by Maryan Bourke of her back paddock in Tatura

It was taken on Sunday morning around 6am - when that incredible storm hit.

UPDATE 2.15 pm: Increase in gastroenteritis outbreaks in childcare

Parents have been urged to keep their kids at home if they are sick after an extra 37 outbreaks of gastroenteritis recorded in Victorian childcare centres from the beginning of November compared to the same period last year.

57 outbreaks have been recorded since November 1 this year, compared to 19 last year.

The key messages from Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton’s office are:

– Keep children at home if they are sick. If they develop symptoms, they should not attend childcare or any other group activities until 28 hours after their symptoms have subsided (this includes staff)

– Wash hands with soap and water to stop the spread

– Stay on the lookout for symptoms

A full set of guidelines from the department of health is available here.

UPDATE 12.15 pm: Local COVID-19 data

Greater Shepparton has had seven new cases of coronavirus overnight.

The total number of active cases in now 67.

In Campaspe Shire, 10 new cases were recorded yesterday.

UPDATE 10.10am: Mental health of women in Shepparton addressed

Shepparton Private Hospital will receive five more beds to support women with complex mental health issues.

It’s part of the Victorian Government’s investment of more than $100 million to deliver the Australia-first Specialist Women’s Mental Health Service.

A total of 35 beds will be added to Victoria’s mental health system in partnership with Alfred Health, Ramsay Health Care and Goulburn Valley Health.

Acting Premier and Minsiter for Mental Health James Merlino said the additional funding was designed to assist women in their recovery, a key reccommendation from the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System.

“Many Victorian women told us through the Royal Commission their experiences within the system haven’t supported their recovery effectively ‒ and we’ve worked with many of those women to design services that will meet their needs,” he said.

GV Health Executive Director of Community Care and Mental Health Josh Freeman, and Shepparton Private Hospital Chief Executive Rhys Jones are holding are press conference later this morning to talk more about this.

UPDATE 9.20 am: Victoria records 1245 new COVID-19 cases, six deaths

Victoria recorded 1245 new cases of COVID-19 today, bring the total number of active cases to 13,355.

Sadly, six people have died with the virus.

Over in New South Wales, the state recorded 3057 new cases were recorded, the largest number recorded in any Australian state or territory since the beginning of the pandemic.

Two people in NSW have died with COVID-19.

UPDATE 8.50 am: COVID-19 advice for Christmas gatherings

The Department of Health has published some new coronavirus guidelines for festive gatherings in the lead up to Christmas. They are:

•If you have symptoms, don’t go. Get a PCR test instead and stay isolated until you get a negative result. If you don’t have symptoms, consider taking a rapid antigen test before leaving home. If you’re hosting, ask guests to do the same. This might mean one person misses out on Christmas lunch, but it's better than everyone getting COVID.

•Take extra precautions, especially among those who are elderly or vulnerable. Fewer faces and bigger spaces mean less risk. It's best to wear a mask when talking to people face-to-face. Wash your hands regularly. Open up the doors and windows and get the fresh air flowing through. Keep note of who comes.

•Keep it short and keep it outdoors. This will prevent you from becoming a household contact who must quarantine for 7+ days (because once someone has spent 4 hours with a case in a house, they are a household contact). So have Christmas on the veranda or reduce your time inside a house with others to less than 4 hours. You may still have to get tested, but time in isolation will be shorter.