The County Court has provided the following update in relation to its Vaccination and PPE Protocol:

Legal practitioners and other court users are advised that the County Court’s Vaccination and PPE Protocol will cease from Monday 12 September 2022.

From that date, court users will not be required to demonstrate their vaccination status prior to entering the County Court in Melbourne, or a County Court courtroom in a regional location.

Consistent with its approach throughout the pandemic, the Court is committed to continually monitoring community circumstances and assessing whether its COVID-safe measures remain appropriate and proportionate according to the prevailing risks and regulatory environment.

The Court’s decision to end the Protocol is based on health and other advice, including:

•                     the high rate of vaccination in Victoria, and the protection provided by that;

•                     the reduced efficacy of a primary course of vaccination in preventing transmission of current dominant sub-variants, even though it remains protective for serious illness;

•                     the presence of other risk mitigations adopted in jury trials and for in-person hearings; and

•                     alignment with, and consistent practice between, other Victorian jurisdictions.

The Court is also currently reviewing the requirements of its Rapid Testing protocols however those requirements remain in effect until otherwise advised.