Lockdown in regional Victoria bordering on insane
It is absurd to subject Victorians in areas that have not had a COVID case in months to draconian lockdown measures that cripple their society and economy.
Rita Panahi
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Lockdown 3.0 is a gross over-reaction in Melbourne but the imposition of draconian restrictions on regional Victoria is bordering on the insane.
It is absurd to be subjecting people in areas that have not had a single case of coronavirus in months, if ever, to lockdown measures including closing schools and businesses, cancelling elective surgeries and mandatory masks even when outdoors and socially distanced.
The crippling restrictions are a blow that many Victorian businesses can ill-afford after a disastrous 2020.
Just about every sector has been hit hard but for the hospitality industry the shutdown came at the worst possible time; what was expected to be the biggest weekend of the year — featuring Valentine’s Day and the Chinese New Year celebrations — was written off.
On Sunday, the owner of the Metung Hotel, David Strange, tweeted out a desperate plea to the premier: “Dear Dan let East Gippsland open. Zero cases ever and we are just dying here 350kn from nearest case. We will only serve people not from Melbourne. We are really struggling (sic).”
Strange employs 43 people and has seen the devastation caused by the lockdown for his employees, suppliers and the wider community.
“The whole toll is on people – people are suffering,” he told the Herald Sun.
“Shutting down is a quick and easy solution, but it shouldn’t be – it should be a last resort.”
Funnily enough that’s also the advice of many of the world’s leading experts including the World Health Organisation’s special envoy on COVID-19.
Back in October the WHO’s Dr David Nabarro made it clear that lockdowns were to be a last resort only.
“We in the World Health Organisation do not advocate lockdowns as the primary means of control of this virus,” he said.
“The only time we believe a lockdown is justified is to buy you time to reorganise, regroup, rebalance your resources; protect your health workers who are exhausted.”
On Monday Victoria recorded just one new locally acquired case from more than 25,000 tests and yet we still cannot be certain that the lockdown measures will cease at midnight Wednesday.
Health authorities are refusing to rule out on extension to the five-day lockdown.
Dan Andrews’ panic-stricken response to the latest hotel quarantine mishaps is further proof that he does not trust the state’s revamped contact tracing system.
How can the state continue to botch its COIVD response when NSW has shown the country how to keep the community safe without crippling your society and economy?
Victorians deserve better than this.
Premier Andrews, who days ago was claiming to have the country’s leading hotel quarantine and contact tracing programs, continues to deflect blame and dodge responsibility.
As Victoria again suspends its hotel quarantine program, NSW does the heavy lifting in taking more than 3,000 overseas arrivals a week, more than the rest of the country combined.
It shows what can be achieved with competent leadership, something Victoria has sadly lacked throughout this crisis.
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