Would you just take a Captain Cook at the mess Victoria has got itself into?

Victoria’s efforts to control the pandemic are big news, and it’s all bad. The Australian, Monday:

Victoria has confirmed 75 new cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours. The massive increase comes after more than 80 new cases were confirmed over the weekend.

Indeed it is almost out of control. Nine Network news, Sunday:

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has confirmed health authorities are considering putting coronavirus hot spots in lockdown as the state recorded another jump in daily COVID-19 figures. Likening the ongoing pandemic to battling bushfires, Mr Andrews said “putting this out” would prove a big challenge.

She’s on the case. ABC, Sunday:

Deputy Chief Health Officer Annaliese van Diemen said almost 22,000 people have been tested since Friday as a testing blitz begins in Melbourne’s six hot spots … (she) said health authorities were “very concerned” about the consistent increase in daily cases of COVID-19.

But we are relieved that van Diemen at least has stopped tweeting about James Cook. SBS, June 17:

A Victorian health official, who was told by the Prime Minister to stick to her day job after she likened COVID-19 to Captain Cook’s arrival in Australia, says she regrets the distraction her comments caused … “Sudden arrival of an invader from another land, decimating populations, creating terror. Forces the population to make enormous sacri­fices & completely change how they live in order to survive. COVID-19 or Cook 1770?” she tweeted.

She was counselled on her use of social media. What she needed was a history lesson. Herald Sun, May 25:

A tweet by Victoria’s Deputy Chief Health Officer, levelling blame at Captain James Cook for the “invasion” of Australia, contained a factual error commonly made by Year 9 boys, according to a senior Xavier College staffer. “I’m not sure whether Dr van Diemen was aware that Cook had no direct role in the British decision to send the First Fleet to Botany Bay, as he was dead when the decision was made,” Fr (Chris) Middleton said.

In any case, surely she had bigger fish to fry. The Age, June 7:

Health authorities say it will take weeks to find out whether COVID-19 spread through protesters at a Black Lives Matter rally in Melbourne on Saturday … Deputy Chief Health Officer Dr Annaliese van Diemen said the risk of an outbreak was “not insignificant” after tens of thousands of people gathered in the CBD to rally against Aboriginal deaths in custody and police brutality.

After all, it’s a serious role she is meant to play in this deadly pandemic. Health.vic website, Monday:

Dr Annaliese van Diemen is the Deputy Chief Health Officer (Communicable Disease). The Deputy Chief Health Officer (Communicable Disease) provides expert clinical and scientific advice and leadership …

But Victoria is in the corner with the dunce’s cap. Mirko Bagaric in The Australian, Monday:

The pandemic is principally a community health problem, not a criminal justice issue. The failure of the Victorian government to realise this and its overzealous insistence on arbitrary restrictions including prohibiting fishing and golf (even solo) resulted in people questioning many of the lockdown laws, even those (that) were appropriate … The Victorian government has uniquely failed to implement effective COVID restrictions.