Vic Rapid Antigen Testing Expanded to 3 to 5 Year Olds

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews addresses the media during a press conference in Melbourne, Australia, on Jan. 11, 2022. Diego Fedele/Getty Images

The Victorian Labor Government has expanded the twice-weekly rapid antigen testing to children aged 3 to 5 at childcare centres as news comes of possible ceasing RATs after the first four weeks of the school term.

The Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews announced that more than 1.6 million RATs will be delivered to childhood settings in the coming weeks for voluntary twice-weekly testing. Sessional kindergartens will receive their deliveries in the next two weeks, followed by long daycare, family daycare and occasional care.

The premier has reiterated that it is “not compulsory,’ rather it is something that we will recommend and something that we make possible.”

The Victorian Government reported positive feedback from principals, staff, parents, and students for the RATs for “providing confidence and comfort to everyone in our schools and teachers and students,” therefore, the cohort receiving RATs have been expanded.

The 1.6 million RATs will be an addition to the 943,000 RATs the government is already supplying to staff in kindergarten and childcare.

Additionally, there has been a discussion of expanding the twice-weekly testing regime past the fourth week of the first school term.

The Victorian Education Minister James Merlino stated on Feb. 7 that there are “active discussions” as to whether twice-weekly testing will extend beyond the fourth week.

“We will obviously have discussions about that,” he said at the press conference on Feb. 7.

“We haven’t made a call yet, whether we’ll wrap up surveillance testing after four weeks or whether we’ll continue it.”

Victoria to Seek Legal Avenues to Religious Discrimination Bill 

Meanwhile, the contentious religious discrimination bill will go through its first sitting in federal parliament on Feb. 8, with five days of senate sittings scheduled before the likely election in May.

The Victorian premier has maintained that Victoria will use “any and all legal avenues” to defend members of the LGBTQI+ and other communities that may be affected by the override in the religious discrimination bill.

At present, the bill allows an override of state and territory discrimination laws for schools and religious avenues to hire employees based on how they identify with the school’s teachings and ethos which would effectively override Victoria’s anti-discrimination bill against unemployment of staff by religious groups and schools.

Andrews stated that he believed “everyone should be treated equally”,  however, he also mentioned some exceptions for “anti-vaxxers,” encouraging more vaccine uptake.

He argued that whilst not getting vaccinated is the “wrong choice, people’s identity is not a matter of choice,” and asserted that he found it “pretty offensive for some in the community to equate sexual orientation or gender identity to a choice not to get vaccinated.”

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has reiterated that he “stands behind” the religious discrimination bill at the press conference on Feb. 8.

“For so many Australians, their faith and their religion is their culture; you can’t separate them,” asserting that the faith of Australians always has been “binding Australia together, not forcing it apart.”

There were 9,785 new COVID-19 cases as of Feb. 8, whilst Victoria reported 49.9 percent of children aged 5 to 11 in Victoria have received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.