Dan keeping Victorians in state of servitude

The Andrews Government’s nonsensical Covid restrictions are about keeping us in a state of servitude, rather than keeping us safe.

Thanks to the Andrews Government, Victoria remains in a state of pandemic paralysis.

While other states like NSW are casting aside mask and vaccination mandates, our government is holding on to a raft of nonsensical, illogical restrictions.

It’s not about keeping us safe, but keeping us in state servitude for as long as possible.

When asked why the government won’t lift masks in retail after December 15 as first planned, Mr Foley said: “One word – Omicron. (It) has changed the landscape.”

He’s wrong.

There is no justification for Omicron – a less virulent strain of the virus – to stop the easing of restrictions we were promised.

The State Government insisted that we would only have to keep wearing masks if there was an increase in hospitalisations, but this hasn’t happened.

It also said masks would remain if we had a major Omicron outbreak, but we’ve only got a handful of Omicron cases.

Victoria recorded 1405 new Covid cases and three deaths in the 24 hours to Wednesday. Only 10 of our 11,500 cases are the Omicron strain.

Our hospitals are not overwhelmed, and admissions are not spiralling out of control.

We have 365 cases in hospital and 84 in ICU. The biggest outbreaks are in schools which are about to close for the summer.

Omicron, while highly transmissible, is not more virulent or more deadly than other strains, and the government must stop acting as if it is.

The first confirmed Omicron fatality came in the UK this week and 10 people with the strain are in hospital. This is despite Omicron infections of up to 200,000 cases a day. Most Omicron cases in Europe have been mild or asymptomatic.

In refusing to remove masks from retail settings, the State Government has failed its first major test in freeing us from unnecessary restrictions.

So much for living a Covid-normal life.

On-going restrictions such as the continued wearing of masks in retail settings act as a major disincentive for patrons to enter businesses.

They also don’t make any sense.

From midnight on Wednesday, shoppers don’t have to be vaccinated, but retail workers do.

Bookshops and clothes shops don’t need proof of vaccination from patrons, but hairdressers do.

And you don’t need to be vaccinated if you attend a wedding at a private home or church, but you do if it’s at a hospitality venue.

Masks have to be worn in indoor retail shops, but not in beauty salons or hairdressers.

Masks don’t have to be worn by hospitality patrons, but they do by staff.

QR check-ins will be needed at hairdressers, but not bookshops; and at gyms but not coffee shops.

While I welcome the winding back of vaccination requirements for children from the age of 12, the rest cannot be justified.

At present we have a 92 per cent double vaccination rate which is one of the highest in the world. We were told this would leave to a “greater level of freedom” but we’re still waiting.

Surely, it’s time for governments to stand down and for people to take personal responsibility for keeping themselves safe as they see fit.

Our vaccination rate shows we’re more than equal to the task.