Susie O’Brien: Time has come for household contacts to be set free

The requirement that household contacts still have to remain isolated if they live with a positive case is yet another ridiculous overreach by Dan’s desperate government.

The state government still can’t trust Victorians to manage a single household case of Covid sensibly.

The requirement that household contacts still have to remain locked up for seven days if they live with a positive case is yet another ridiculous overreach by this desperate government.

They’re so keen to keep us captive to Covid – literally – that we have to stop working, pull the kids out of school and stay home just because one person we live with tests positive.

It doesn’t matter that the positive case – and all their contacts – are double- or triple-vaxxed. And it doesn’t matter if they’re asymptomatic and thus much less likely to infect others.

Premier Daniel Andrews still doesn’t trust us after all this time to make good choices.

Instead, we’re paying the price for the poor choices he makes.

Three days ago, the Prime Minister called household isolation rules “redundant”, but Victorians still have to stay home for a full seven days if they live with a positive case. It drives home once again how little faith and trust the state government has in us.

After nearly two years we know how to manage this virus, given that more than a million of us have caught it now and recovered.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews still doesn’t trust us to manage this virus. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

All my children have had Covid, one at a time, and we’ve managed their isolation thoughtfully and respectfully to others. They have stayed in their rooms, used a separate bathroom where possible and been out of direct contact with everyone. Sure, it’s tough and boring, but our family – and hundreds of thousands of others – have followed the rules and successfully ensured our kids don’t pass it on to others.

Now with cases declining and life returning to normal, it’s time to ditch this silly, outdated mandate, which is starving businesses of staff and schools of students.

Even doctors are starting to turn their attention to the flu season instead of Covid.

The reluctance to let go of this rule flies in the face of Victoria’s sterling vaccination rates. What good is being triple-vaxxed if it means people can’t go to work, see family and friends or send their kids to school?

The people of Victoria have collectively had 14 million doses of vaccination and 70 per cent of the most vulnerable – those aged over 70 – have had three doses. And yet this seems to count for nothing when it comes to household contacts. It’s not as if the close contact isolation period – which is a huge drain on families, businesses and schools – is vital to protecting our nation.

The huge number of exemptions for those in critical industries illustrates this. Nurses and doctors, animal carers, funeral parlour workers, bus drivers and a whole host of others have managed to interact publicly and do their jobs while a member of their family is isolating due to Covid. So why can’t the rest of us?

Victorians still have to stay home for a full seven days if they live with a positive case.

Victorians are now so Covid-weary that we’re losing track of the number of cases. With war raging in Ukraine and floods interstate, we’ve got our minds on other things. As of March 13, we had 5192 new cases, bringing our total case number to more than 40,000. And yet there are only 195 cases in hospital and 15 in ICU. We’re well down on the January spike of 50,000 new cases.

Andrews should follow the lead of the US, where those who are up-to-date on vaccinations do not have to stay home unless they develop symptoms. They are simply asked to watch for symptoms for up to 10 days.

Or Britain, where people are asked to minimise contact with their positive householder, work from home if they are able to and limit contact with vulnerable people.

Or in Ireland, where people are asked to watch out for symptoms and do their best to protect others. Only healthcare workers must have a Covid test.

In such countries, children are allowed to go to school if someone in their family gets Covid. There is a degree of trust in people’s ability to make sensible choices that’s sorely missing here in this state.

Australians continue to be held to ransom by health bureaucrats too afraid to make obvious calls and politicians enjoying the power they have over us.

National cabinet – which has barely made any decisions on anything – has asked the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee to decide when the isolation rules for close contacts can be scrapped. What more does it need to know?

With national cabinet not due to meet again until June, it’s up to Andrews to take matters into his own hands, and set close household contacts free immediately.

Susie O’Brien is a Herald Sun columnist