Lockdowns over, but now is not the time for complacency

Territorians all breathed a collective sigh of relief yesterday when the Greater Darwin and Alice Springs lockdowns were lifted, but with restrictions in place for at least another week, the job is not done yet.

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IT’S fair to say it’s been a bit of a long week.

The rollercoaster began with the news no one wanted to hear – that Covid-19 had finally made its way into the Territory and we would be going into lockdown, and ended with Friday’s announcement that things might just turn out all right after all.

The only way we got there was through the amazing work of our public health teams and the incredible dedication shown by Territorians from Darwin to Alice Springs who knuckled down and almost universally respected the lockdown rules.

Chief health officer Hugh Heggie. Picture: Che Chorley

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We all breathed a collective sigh of relief on Friday, but the job is not done yet.

There are still restrictions in place for at least another week, and if we all continue the work of the past five days and abide by all of chief health officer Hugh Heggie’s directions for another week, with a bit of luck, life will more or less return to normal.

Lockdowns are no fun and wearing a mask in public is no picnic either, but if we all stick it out that little bit longer we should be able to close the book on this latest scare and get back on with living our lives in the greatest place on Earth.

Now is not the time to get complacent.

Wear your mask when required, stay home if directed and if you have any symptoms at all – get tested.

Let’s beat this virus and get back to enjoying our Covid-free Territory lifestyle.

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