Some of the Peninsula’s best known and loved business personalities have made a video together encouraging locals to get vaccinated so the community can get back to doing everything it loves sooner.
The video is expected to feature on the Peninsula Business Chamber’s social media channels in the coming days.
It coincided with a warning from the NSW Chief Medical officer, Kerrie Chant, on Tuesday, September 7, that a spike of cases on the Central Coast overnight was cause for concern.
The Coast was mentioned twice in the daily NSW Government 11am media conference and locals were urged to get vaccinated.
“We deliberately produced the video with a positive message because we felt it extremely important that the community take vaccination seriously because it is the only way out of lockdown,” said Business Chamber President, Matthew Wales.
“Unless we reach that 70 per cent target there will be little prospect of us enjoying those freedoms we take for granted.
“We wanted the video to be positive and get the message across that if you are worried about the vaccine talk to your doctor; there’s no pressure but we are all in this together.”
The celebrity cast featuring in the video includes Natalie Kirbancioglu of Safran Restaurant in Ettalong Beach, Ettalong Bowling Club bowler John Roberts, Ricky Zappavigna from Zapps in Booker Bay, Gemma Gordon at McDonalds Umina Beach, Carla Simpson at Anytime Fitness at Woy Woy, Gary Narvo at The Bayview Hotel at Woy Woy, Peter Clarke at Bar Toto at Ettalong Beach and Matthew Wales, President of the Peninsula Chamber of Commerce.
When asked if the business community was concerned about the amount of community transmission on the Coast, Wales said vaccination was the key.
“I don’t think it is about the case numbers anymore, it is about the vaccination rate.
“We are awash with AstraZeneca and if people are holding out for Pfizer they do so at the risk of missing out on going to venues because they won’t be fully vaccinated.”
Wales said he believed locals should aim for being fully vaccinated by October 17.
“This is about returning to some semblance of normal and that is about the vaccination rate,” he said.
Jackie Pearson