Susie O’Brien: Daniel Andrew’s virus rules just don’t match the threat
It’s time for Premier Daniel Andrews’ punitive approach to end and for Victorians to get their freedom back, writes Susie O’Brien.
Opinion
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It’s time to get on with life and get our state back in step with the rest of the country.
With just four active cases in a state of 6.5 million, Victoria should be on par with the level of restrictions in other states.
With no new cases and no deaths for 10 days, Victorians have earned more freedom.
Our case numbers compare favourably with NSW, which has seven coronavirus cases in quarantine. They’re all visitors who have returned from overseas.
We’re now at the point where Victorian restrictions should match that state. In NSW you can have 20 visitors to your home, 150 people to a wedding and 150 to a funeral.
In this state the removal of the “ring of steel” and dubious 25km travel limit were long overdue, but the government should have gone further in easing restrictions on the weekend.
Premier Daniel Andrews’ punitive approach pervades, limiting households to a maximum of two people visiting a day.
It’s mean-spirited and out of step with the level of risk.
From November 23 we’ll still only be able to have up to 10 people over for a barbie — even if they’re outside most of the time.
Victorians have been locked up, isolated and restricted for most of this year, and we deserve more reward than this for our hard work.
I welcome further relaxation of rules for restaurants, pubs and cafes, and the reopening of leisure centres, gyms and sporting facilities.
But why are such venues forced to stick to the 20-people rule and be subject to density limits as well? Why are there only 20 people per space at movie theatres, galleries and museums? No music venue is going to be viable with only 20 people in their main concert area.
Restrictions can’t just be vanity announcements by the government; they have to be workable and realistic. Andrews says the virus “is still very much with us”, but the figures say otherwise.
It also doesn’t seem right that only 20 people are still allowed inside at funerals and that there has been no easing of restrictions on weddings.
From November 23, weddings can have up to 100 people, or fewer at a private residence. The same goes for funerals, which won’t allow 100 people until November 23.
Workforce caps have been removed from high-risk abattoirs, but we still can’t have more than 20 people grieving together at a funeral parlour unless they’re out in the car park. This is wrong.
At this point, it’s not just about freedom, it’s also about a respect for humanity. This means being with the people we love for the events that really matter, like births, deaths and marriages — the hatches, the matches and the dispatches.
With our numbers as low as NSW, there is no reason why the same rules don’t apply here.
With the opening of the NSW-Victoria border on November 23, we need to make sure our restrictions are in line with that state, otherwise there will be widespread confusion among visitors. More stringent restrictions will also act as a disincentive for those from other states to come and spend their hard-earned dollars here.
A concrete time frame for an end to compulsory mask wearing also needs to be mandated. At this stage the government has not even foreshadowed a change in mask wearing from November 23.
No other states mandate that people have to wear masks all the time. Mask-wearing is useful when cases are sky high, but experts say it’s of little benefit where cases are low and people are distancing outside.
Andrews says it’s “not too much to ask”, but the mask rules are too much to ask if they are unnecessary or even counter-productive.
Restrictions become a sham when they don’t match the level of threat felt in the community.
It’s why you see so many people around with their noses poking out of their masks. It may be easier for the government to have “one simple rule” for masks — as Andrews said on Sunday — but it’s not easier for everyone else.
We also need a more detailed plan for the return of workers to the CBD and elsewhere. As the chamber of commerce suggests, this could include a roster system, staggered start and finish times, and detailed safety plans.
Businesses need guidance so they can begin this transition. It’s not enough to suggest this should start happening by Christmas — companies need more certainty than that.
It’s great that our state is united again after so long, but now we need to be united with the rest of the country as well. And — who thought we’d ever say this? — we need to get back to work.
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Susie O’Brien is a Herald Sun columnist
Originally published as Susie O’Brien: Daniel Andrew’s virus rules just don’t match the threat