Susie O’Brien: While Dan hits snooze, restless Victorians lose
Every day we stay closed brings us one step closer to economic and social annihilation. And yet, Dan Andrews continues to offer us so little after we’ve given up so much for so long, writes Susie O’Brien.
Susie O'Brien
Don't miss out on the headlines from Susie O'Brien. Followed categories will be added to My News.
It’s Groundhog Day in Victoria.
While other states with a small number of coronavirus cases have managed to remain open, Victoria is still in bed snoring.
It’s time for a wake-up call.
Every day we stay closed brings us one step closer to economic and social annihilation.
Premier Daniel Andrews has already said he won’t be opening up the metropolitan area on October 19 as previously outlined.
He has foreshadowed outdoor public gatherings of up to 10 people could be allowed, and he may revise the 5km travel cap. There may also be movement on some outdoor leisure activities.
But there is unlikely to be much reprieve for businesses.
It’s arrogant and patronising for him to offer us so little after we’ve given up so much for so long.
No picnic can make up for people losing their sanity, their marriages and their homes.
There are 400,000 people on the dole queues and he is finally letting us go bushwalking?
There are a million Victorians on JobKeeper and he wants us to be happy we can get together with our friends in the park?
Our economy has lost $12bn this quarter alone and he wants us stay inside with our heads under the covers? Unbelievable.
Andrews is just tinkering around the edges, pressing snooze again, when he needs a complete restart.
Two weeks ago, the Premier said we were well on track.
So what’s gone wrong? Have we now got hundreds of cases a day? Thousands? No. Monday’s number is 15. Fifteen new cases.
How extraordinary just 10 cases have come between us and the next step to freedom. There are now 191 active cases across Victoria. No one is in intensive care and there are just 21 people in hospital.
As the World Health Organisation is now acknowledging, a total lockdown is unnecessary as a primary mode of containing the virus. David Nabarro of the WHO said lockdowns at this point achieved little more than widespread poverty.
We need to have some restrictions in place — the experience of many European countries, the UK and the US illustrate this.
But our low numbers and law-abiding, long-suffering populace justifies Victoria starting to open up our economy — and I don’t just mean more picnics. As Dr Nabarro says, we need better systems for controlling the virus, not more ways to escape from it.
This view is backed up some of the world’s most learned doctors and scientists who signed the Great Barrington Declaration. They argue it’s time for us to return to our pre-COVID way of life. Five hundred doctors from Victoria have joined in, saying our “response to the virus will cause more deaths and result in far more negative health effects than the virus itself”. Hear, hear.
Daniel the Dozer needs to accept the coronavirus is something we must live with. Trying to eradicate it is killing our economy and our state’s future.
He needs to drop the arbitrary measure of five new cases over 14 days, and accept we can start opening up with cases up to 15 or 20, or even a few more.
People have made commitments and decisions based on the government’s promises and forecasts. If the road map has too many U-turns, it will spell economic doom.
Andrews needs to think about the single mum who works in a clothing shop who’s living off her credit card and the promise of her next tax return. She’s getting JobKeeper but her rent is $650 a week so she’s going backwards. She needs to get back to her full-time wage next week or she’ll be in strife.
Andrews needs to think about the man who works in a fruit shop. His wife has just been laid off. Their landlord has just given them 60 days to move out and they’ve got three growing sons, so their food bill is sky-high. The grocery takings are down because of the lack of hospitality orders and the man is very worried because his shifts are about to be cut.
These are just two people I know, but there are thousands and thousands out there like them.
And yet Andrews thinks we should be happy getting more time outdoors with our mates?
At the very least, small businesses and other retail operators should be allowed to reopen under strict rules, taking thousands of people off JobKeeper.
Such public environments are more accountable in terms of social distancing and mask-wearing than people’s homes are.
It’s time to end Groundhog Day.
Wake up, Daniel Andrews, and let us get on with life.
Susie O’Brien is a Herald Sun columnist