“Cowardly and shameful”: Dan Andrews slams vicious QR code attack
An employee at a Melbourne bookstore has been assaulted after asking a customer to check in using a QR code.
The owner of the Dymocks store on Collins Street says it was one of three incidents of aggression aimed at staff over COVID-19 compliance on Friday alone.
Security footage of the attack shows the worker being shoved at the top of an escalator, before he collides with a railing and appears to fall back on his head. Franchisee Dino Traverso told 7 News that the employee was knocked out by the impact. “It’s very fortunate he’s not more seriously injured,” he said.
The employee was left “pretty shaken” by the incident, but has since returned to work. Mr Traverso said the customer appeared to have a vaccination certificate, despite reacting angrily when asked to check in.
As a result of the increasing number of attacks on staff, the store has increased its security arrangements, and Victoria Police says an investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Premier Daniel Andrews said that reports of staff being abused were “cowardly and shameful”, adding, “They’re just doing their job. I expect police to throw the book at anyone behaving that way.”
The news comes as health authorities linked 29 cases to recent protests against vaccine mandates in Melbourne CBD. Only one case was fully vaccinated, while three had received one dose and 25 were unvaccinated. 1419 new infections were reported in Victoria on Thursday.
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