Andrew Bolt: Dan’s manic hunt for zero Covid not the answer

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian is showing that clearly there is “another way” than Daniel Andrews’ manic attempt to reach zero Covid cases.

Daniel Andrews keeps telling a big lie about his sixth lockdown of Melbourne – the devastating “seven-day lockdown” he’s now extended into a fifth week. At least.

“There is no other way,” the Victorian premier claims.

Bull. Yes, there is another way, and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Sunday boasted that she’s showing it.

She’s right. Unlike Andrews, Berejiklian has not closed children’s playgrounds. She knows this virus very rarely infects people in the open, and no child here has yet died from it.

Unlike Andrews, Berejiklian has put a curfew on only the worst-hit suburbs. Andrews put all of Greater Melbourne under curfew, even though two thirds of Victoria’s 92 new infections on Sunday were again from Melbourne’s northern and western suburbs, and nine from Shepparton.

Unlike Andrews, Berejiklian promises to let vaccinated people in Sydney meet outdoors in small groups from September 13, knowing how badly people need to reconnect with friends to stop going crazy, and knowing that meeting in the open air is pretty safe. She will now also allow small weddings.

Premier Daniel Andrews keeps telling a big lie about his sixth lockdown of Melbourne. Picture: Sarah Matray

Unlike Andrews, Berejiklian promises an end to all lockdowns with more vaccinations: “No way will we need a statewide lockdown once we get to 80 per cent double dose”.

I know, Berejiklian is still moving too slowly, and her 80 per cent vaccination target is too high. France, the US, Italy, Germany and many other countries opened up with fewer than 60 per cent of adults vaccinated.

But clearly there is “another way” than Andrews’ manic hunt for zero Covid.

In fact, the NSW deputy chief health officer on Sunday even warned that the virus death toll might be exaggerated; officials had trouble figuring which of the predominantly very old and frail victims died from the virus or simply with it. Ease up on panic.

To all this, Andrews keeps saying Melbourne must follow “the rules” or it “will be like Sydney” and face lockdowns “till the end of the year”.

Yes, it’s true that Sydney had 1218 new cases on Sunday, but most were relatively young people. Almost all will recover long before Andrews lets five million suffering Melburnians leave their homes.

So to “be like Sydney” now sounds less of a threat than a treat. For Melburnians, it means less harshness and a promise of more freedoms next month. Plus a guaranteed end to lockdowns by Christmas.

Can Andrews promise that?

Or will he burn the village to save it?