Never forget what lockdown did to us or it could happen again

We all deserve to raise a glass to freedom but lockdowns must become a thing of the past. There are only so many times authorities can hit us with a stick until we start to rebel.

Thank God all that’s over.

Well, not really. It’s a strange version of freedom in which we are now living – where it’s okay to get pissed in the pub maskless, but not to go to Bunnings.

But it’s the first bit of positivity Victoria has had in some time and we need an iron-clad promise that it won’t be smashed.

No matter what happens, we can never go back into lockdown again.

It would, quite seriously, break Melbourne irreparably.

We all deserve to raise a drink or seven to lockdown’s death today – and enjoy a good meal – but we must not forget the cost of what has just passed.

We are, of course, the most locked down city in the world. The fact most of us have come out the other side intact is a great testament to our resilience and fortitude.

But some haven’t fared so well. I’ve seen people dear to me struggle immensely because it robbed them of everything that makes life worthwhile – work, structure and human interaction.

People celebrate in a bar in Melbourne as one of the world’s most locked-down cities reopens. Picture: AFP

Some people, unfortunately, have not made it to the other side.

We hear daily of how many people have died with Covid-19 but we do not know how many have taken their lives under the pressure of hopelessness. Their lives are no less important.

I have struggled to cope at times and I consider myself a generally resilient person.

It was difficult to get out of bed some mornings – and I know I’m not the only one.

There is a well-documented youth mental health crisis.

Lockdown, after all, is totally anathema to human nature.

We are social creatures. We thrive on being with others. And our freedom is central to our way of life.

Which is why the whole concept started to lose its effectiveness.

I said more than a year ago that lockdowns should be a last-resort option because you only get one chance to make them work.

Health authorities have as good as admitted that people were already visiting family and friends and it was virtually impossible to stop them.

Peter Olsen gives Rod Anderson a haircut at Barber on Degraves as Melbourne opens up. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

During the first stages of lockdown last year, people took the rules extremely seriously.

But it all seemed a little more laissez-faire this time – people didn’t worry about going to the supermarket twice a day or shopping with their partners.

There are only so many times you can hit us with a stick until we start to rebel.

Many people have been without a job. Others have had to watch their business stand still, all the while still paying rent on their shopfronts.

We’ve seen people stopped from visiting their dying relatives, forced to share their final moments over a Skype call.

This has been a dark and at many times shameful episode in our history. If we ever had to revisit it again, it might push this town over the edge.

So, raise a glass today to the end of lockdown – to the sacrifice and pain of so many, to the tireless work of our doctors and nurses and to the hope that this shall never happen again.

Vive la Melbourne.

Originally published as Never forget what lockdown did to us or it could happen again