Coronavirus: State versus state and Victoria with no mates

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews. Picture: AAP

During the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-19, the then teenage Commonwealth of Australia was swept aside by states brawling. A century later and we’re back again. Only the virus has changed.

Yesterday, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said, “I call on all organisations not to interact with citizens from Melbourne at this stage.” What, not even a phone call? Apparently not.

It seems Victorians generally may be OK provided they live north of Kilmore, but Melburnians are unclean, disease riddled folk who must be shunned.

Today in another grim reminiscence of the Spanish Flu pandemic, Finance Minister Mathias Cormann insisted Australia was “One Commonwealth”.

“You don’t see that there is any issue in NSW as a result of localised outbreaks in Victoria,” he said. “There is no border between Victoria and NSW today and there has never been.”

Well, there is. It’s called the Murray River which, incidentally, is part of New South Wales. The river’s southern banks are Victorian. Back in 1919, there were NSW cops on the border to make sure it was not breached. In fact, all borders were closed, and hovel camps were established for the poor blighters who couldn’t get back home, including many members of the First AIF returning from war in Europe.

Look, I’m all for having bells fitted around the necks of Melburnians so we can tell when they’re coming, pandemic or not. Normally it might not be necessary. Dressed from tip to toe in black, some sporting berets, all gasping in horror at the taste of coffee served north of the Murray, they are generally pretty easy to spot.

When they attempt to commence conversations with strangers generally the first question they ask is not where you live or what you do, it’s, ‘Who do you barrack for?” Admittedly this is a relatively easy way to determine social status and basic intelligence in Melbourne.

It’s not so effective outside Victoria where to the amazement of Melburnians there are other sports played besides Australian Rules football.

It might be harsh to say that South Australians are proof that Tasmanians can swim but these are unusual times and there is no point in gilding the lily. The South Australians, Territorians, Tasmanians and West Australians think they’ve got community infection licked. They might be right but on its own it won’t matter a lot economically until they open their borders to the two big states.

Shunning New South Wales and Victoria, South Australia has invited Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory over for tea but they have all politely declined.

Andrews got one thing right. Who’d want to go South Australia? Adelaide is Mudgee with a casino.

Meanwhile in Queensland, the Tweed remains firmly shut to interlopers with no passage across the borders for anyone without a permit. God only knows what’s going on there. Maybe Premier Palaszczuk is building a wall.

You can hear the trembles of fear in Dan Andrews’ voice as large parts of Melbourne face the possibility of new lockdowns. Once the curtain has been raised it is almost impossible to lower it again. And Andrews is and will continue to wear the blame for everyday there are new infections.

Two weeks ago, Andrews was being belted for what was perceived as obstinance in easing lockdown conditions more slowly than elsewhere in the wake of declining rates of infection. Now he’s being castigated for sending the wrong messages to communities. It doesn’t make a lot of sense.

That same fear can be heard in Berejiklian’s voice, too. Palaszczuk’s as well. Like Andrews they fear a second wave coming and they know better than you and me just how hard it would be to lock down again.

Let’s go back to where we were in March. We need to because a lot of people concluded that this pandemic was a trifling matter and done and dusted. We were told then that this could be with us for months if not years. Back in March, the economic rationalists criticised all the premiers for locking down our communities and causing economic harm to prevent what they implied but never got around to enumerating was a respectable level of deaths.

What we had in March is what we have now; a highly infectious disease for which there is no cure or vaccine. It spreads in the manner of a common cold. It kills people. We all know that.

What is barely understood is that many of those who are infected and are hospitalised but recover will carry the scars of battle with the pandemic in terms of chronic heart and/or lung disease and kidney failure.

Many people around the world will be on long waiting lists for lung transplants. There will simply not be enough dialysis machines in the world to cope in a post-COVID world.

Don’t forget that COVID infections around the world are peaking every day. The US is a basket case. The UK likewise. Russia, India and Brazil haven’t got through their first wave of infections yet and people are dropping like nine pins. COVID hasn’t hit Africa hard but it will. China is experiencing its second wave now although you won’t be able to surmise how serious it is from their state media.

The big community infections were always going to be in Melbourne or Sydney, our biggest transport hubs and population centres. The suburbs of Melbourne that have been identified with high levels of community infections include Brunswick, Coburg, Preston, Reservoir and Northcote in the north, They have population densities not unlike the Five Boroughs of New York City. Sydney may yet go off. Does anyone want to bet it won’t or can’t?

Why on Earth did we think this couldn’t happen? Why did we assume that COVID had come and gone and we could go back to life as normal? Social distancing will be with us for years. In the absence of a vaccine, overseas travel is a pipe dream.

If there is one lesson we can learn from the Spanish Flu pandemic a century ago, it is that this pandemic will not be over in months. Stay safe, practise social distancing and wash your hands for God’s sake. Nothing has changed.