NEW COVID VACCINATION CLINIC IN FREMANTLE

A new pop-up Covid vaccination clinic has opened in Fremantle’s William Street, opposite the FOMO food halls. They also give free flu injection.

If you have not had all the jabs yet, go get it done. Covid is still around, and will be for a long time.

Roel Loopers

GREAT SERVICE AT WRAY AVENUE PHARMACY

It is Thank Your Pharmacy Day today, so a special thank you from me to Anton and his staff at the Wray Avenue Pharmacy. It is so nice to get the very friendly and professional service and advise from them.

If you live in the area I highly recommend them. They are at street level below the Ellen Health GP, corner Hampton Road.

Roel Loopers

IT’S MANNA FROM HELL IN SOUTH FREMANTLE

So Manna Wholefoods in South Fremantle do not want to check proof of vaccination and will stop dine in food and coffee and only serve takeaway to be inclusive to all customers.

That is just one whole big load of spin, because what it in fact means is that Manna endorses anti vaxxers and the Pro Choice lobby.

I hope all of us who have done the right thing by our community and got the Covid vaccinations will know where not to go.

Remember that more than 95 per cent of the Freo population has been vaccinated!

Roel Loopers

MASSIVE PROOF OF VACCINATION REQUIRED FOR W.A.

Here the latest from the WA State Government about proof of vaccination requirements:

Based on the latest health advice, from Monday, January 31, proof of vaccination requirements will apply State-wide and be expanded to include new higher-risk venues.

Double dose proof of vaccination for those aged 16 and older will be required for:

• visitors to public and private hospitals, and aged care facilities;
• all hospitality venues including restaurants, cafes, bars, pubs, clubs, taverns, night clubs and dine-in fast food (roadhouses, service stations and takeaway is exempt);
• indoor entertainment venues, including play centres, gaming and gambling, theatres, concert halls, museums, cinemas and live music venues;
• bottle shops;
• the entire Crown Perth complex;
• major stadiums;
• gyms, fitness centres and health studios;
• amusement parks and the Zoo; and
• music festivals and large events with more than 500 people, unless exempt.

Community sport and school-based events, unless at one of the specific venues listed, are exempt from the proof of vaccination requirement.

People will be required to show proof of their COVID-19 vaccination, either in a digital or paper-based form, along with approved identification if not using the ServiceWA app. Visit https://www.wa.gov.au to see information on getting proof of COVID-19 vaccinations.

Venues, staff and patrons will have a shared responsibility when it comes to proof of vaccination, with venues required to take reasonable steps to ensure all patrons are double dose vaccinated, or exempt.

DOCKERS-EAGLES AFLW AT FREMANTLE OVAL

The AFL women’s footy starts this weekend and the local derby between the Fremantle Dockers and West Coast Eagles will be held at Fremantle Oval at 5.50pm this Saturday, January 8.

Be aware though that entry to the oval will only be with proof of Covid vaccination, so don’t bother to queue up if you have not had the life saving jabs.

Roel Loopers

WISHING YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!

On the last day of 2021, and only three months away from a huge personal milestone, I like to post the two photos above, taken 50 years apart. The one on the left is of me as a press photographer at a German Bundesliga soccer game in the early 1970s, the second one is only two days old, with my new Covid mask on, taken here in Fremantle.

The milestone I mentioned will be on March 13, if I survive that long, when it will be 40 years since I migrated to Australia and started a new life in Sydney, and from September 1985 in Perth. March 13 is my personal Australia Day.

We are living in unprecedented times and the Covid pandemic is a huge challenge for all of us all over the world, but sometimes I feel that the constant reporting about it on social media contributes to that so many people are feeling down and are struggling with it.

We are getting very self-absorbed, even selfish, in modern times, with some serious narcissism, and mostly forget that we are lucky to live in a country that has excellent health care, unlike many third world countries. Here in WA we are double lucky to have had only a few Covid cases and a few minor inconveniences, with very short lockdowns and social distancing restrictions.

I am very aware about the heartbreaking discomfort of not being able to see families and not traveling, but even long before the pandemic many people could not travel and connect with their family because of financial restraints. Closed borders and restrictions are inconvenient and disappointing, but it saves lives, as has been clearly shown in WA.

It is too easy to blame our governments for it all, although the lack of urgency to deal with any Covid related issues out of Canberra is incomprehensible to me. We all need to take responsibility to try to make the best of the pandemic. That means wearing masks, even if it is not mandated, using the WA Safe App, so we can be traced in case of a Covid outbreak, and it means common sense and putting the community first over selfish desires. Unless you have a medical condition you should be vaccinated, to support all those around you!

NSW has 21,151 new Covid cases and six deaths today! How very lucky are we to live in Western Australia and how extremely lucky are we to live in this wonderful place called Fremantle!

I wish you all a very happy New Year! The Covid challenge will remain, and with the state borders opening in February, will get a lot worse, so let’s look out for each other. We are really all in this together!

Roel Loopers

THIRD JAB COMPULSORY FOR WORKFORCE

ALMOST 40% OF FREMANTLE COVID VACCINATED

It is good to read in the Sunday Times today that Fremantle and East Fremantle are in the top ten of suburbs where people had two Covid-19 vaccinations. East Freo comes in at No 7 with 41% and Fremantle at No 9 with 38.8%. It’s good, but not anywhere near good enough!

While Prime Minister Scott Morrison is already talking of no more lockdowns when 70-80 per cent of Australians have had two Covid jabs, experts tell us that we should still have to accept thousands of people dying from the deadly coronavirus. I am with WA Premier Mark McGowan on this that that is not acceptable.

I wonder what the general population believes tolerable ‘collateral death’ should be, and does that include your own family, loved ones, friends, neighbours or work colleagues?

Personally, I could not be selfish enough to want no social distancing restrictions for my own freedom, in the knowledge many people would die or become very ill. I’d rather be safe than sorry and show real care for the community I live in.

According to our incompetent PM we here in WA are backward cave people, but we are doing pretty well for a Neanderthal state, I reckon, with the best economy in Australia and very few and minor Covid restrictions.

Today 1,000 of those cave people enjoyed the inaugural Harbour Master Classic fun run at Fremantle Port, while NSW has been in lockdown for many weeks, with 17,000 cases since June and many deaths.

I am quite happy being backward, but safe from Covid. It is all about priorities and for me life is more important than to travel, or about the economy.

PLEASE, FREO PEOPLE, GET VACCINATED FAST!

Roel Loopers