Rita Panahi: Victorians should have been allowed to come home months ago

Victorians stranded for months in caravan parks on the NSW border can at last come home — but the unnecessary hardships they’ve endured should shame the Andrews government.

Victoria is breaking records on a number of fronts.

On Thursday, the state recorded its highest daily Covid-19 cases since the pandemic began, Melbourne will soon be crowned the world’s most locked-down city and the mayhem in our streets is receiving worldwide attention, with headlines from China to the US to the UK.

The New York Times and BBC are among outlets around the globe showing chaotic scenes of violence in Melbourne including footage of police shooting pepperball rounds at protesters.

Meanwhile, Victoria had 766 cases from just 62,408 tests. NSW’s tally was 1063 from 139,182 cases. The disparity in test numbers remains stark.

If Victoria had done as many tests as NSW in the past 24 hours, and the positivity rate held, our daily case number would be 1708.

Thousands of Victorians have been displaced, with many forced to live in caravans on the NSW border. Picture: Simon Dallinger

It all makes the state government’s claims that parts of NSW are “extreme risk zones” and fully vaccinated Victorians must self-isolate for 14 days even after returning a negative test appear rather ridiculous.

But at least the thousands of “stateless” Victorians who have been stranded across the border, some of them for months, will finally be able to return to their homes from September 30.

The change in government policy comes after the Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass launched an investigation into the Department of Health’s handling of border restrictions.

Many of those stranded are elderly and some have suffered health issues waiting in caravan parks with their repeated requests to enter their home state rejected.

Given the requirement for 14 days of self-isolation they should have been allowed in months ago, many are elderly, double-vaccinated and have returned multiple negative tests.

The hardship these Victorians have unnecessarily endured due to absurd, inflexible restrictions should shame the Andrews government. But sadly, this is a government incapable of shame.