Christopher Pyne: The reality is the SA government has done a remarkable job

Anyone who thinks the SA Government’s remarkable job was really just good fortune needs their head read, writes Christopher Pyne.

I’m so sick of talking about Covid, the idea of writing a column about it almost makes me vomit.

Wall to wall coverage of the pandemic has sapped the national morale. It’s hurt our optimistic, “can do” Australian character.

It’s particularly deflating watching the ABC 24 news channel. It’s a never ending cycle of Covid reporting – graphs, tables, press conferences, angry premiers, business people, epidemiologists and academics, journalists interviewing other journalists!

Who knew there were so many experts on viruses in Australia.

On Tuesday, South Australia opens its borders to the eastern states and our state government will loosen more of the current Covid restrictions.

Travel between our state and the rest of the nation will be almost free. Even some unvaccinated people will be able to travel to and from South Australia.

Very soon, 80 per cent of the SA population aged 16 and over will be fully vaccinated. That number will continue to rise, with the November 23 opening becoming even more reason to be vaccinated.

Professor Nicola Spurrier, Premier Steven Marshall and Police Commissioner Grant Stevens signal after getting their second vaccines at the RAH. Picture: Brenton Edwards

If a vaccinated person comes into close contact with a Covid case, then they will only need to quarantine for seven days, but an unvaccinated person will have to do so for 14 days.

Masks will be required to be worn indoors but not outside. While we all loathe the masks, we are assured by SA Health that the rate of infection and death from Covid will be substantially diminished by mask wearing.

Quite frankly, if me wearing a mask for a few more weeks saves even one life, I am happy to do it.

South Australia’s version of Freedom Day won’t suit everyone. Social media has given anyone who wants it a platform.

And my, haven’t we seen some mad posts from some truly deluded people in the past two years about this pandemic. But those people holding up the United Kingdom or Germany as examples of a proper Freedom Day only need to look at the figures of infections and deaths in those two countries to see what the future holds for a society that allows the angry mob to dictate government policy.

According to the tables kept by John Hopkins University, in the UK in the past week there have been 282,961 new cases reported and 1042 deaths.

In Germany the figure for new cases was 326,533 and 1370 deaths.

Don’t let anyone kid you, even if there was a significant minority in favour of more opening up in Australia, if such figures started being replicated here, any support for opening up would disappear faster than a chip on the beach.

The reality is the South Australian government has done a remarkable job at keeping Covid at bay.

Anyone who thinks this is because of good luck needs their head read. It has been because of sound policy and good management of that policy by bureaucrats and professionals.

The alternative was allowing shock jocks and purveyors of crankism to determine our destiny.

It is true, too, that South Australians are in for a rude shock.

When the borders open and life begins to return to normal, there will be new Covid cases, there will probably be deaths. Some sections of the media will run stories about Covid cases as the end of the world and try and create a frenzy of fear to suit their particular agenda.

We will need to weather the impact of opening and keep in mind that without the measures that we have already endured, without the preparation of the SA government through more hospital beds, more health professionals and new Covid marshals in the police force, the situation would be much worse.

Royal Adelaide Hospital. Picture: Brenton Edwards

That’s why when people say to me that the government should have opened up and “let it rip”, I often say to that person that they might think differently if it was them gasping for air on a ventilator in the Royal Adelaide Hospital, or burying their family member at Centennial Park, or feeling the effects of “long Covid” months after the so-called flu-like virus has seemingly passed through their system.

All the grief after our friend has died is not going to bring them back.

Opening up prematurely is the last thing we should do. Patience and fortitude needs to remain the order of the day for some time yet.

Yes, the rule changes are confusing and frustrating. Sure, it’s upsetting that we can’t see everyone we want to see at Christmas. But a few more weeks of inconvenience is better than the alternative.

The truth is, it will be many months before we return to the new normal that is the world post pandemic. In the meantime, we will keep opening up as we can.

So, two and a half cheers for Freedom Day tomorrow! We will go all three when we can ditch the mask and get down and boogie without counting the number of people on the dance floor!