As restrictions ease, keep up the masks and social distancing, people

As Melbourne moves to the second step of Stage Four lockdown, we urge everyone to remain vigilant in their efforts to maintain mask wearing, social distancing, hand hygiene and support for those who have struggled and will continue to struggle through the recovery phase.

As a team in a busy general practice, we have experienced the challenges of the pandemic through the eyes of our patients. Victoria has come a long way in managing the second wave of COVID-19. lf we drop our guard at this critical stage and stop caring we could follow the frightful course we have seen in Europe and the US. That would be disastrous. But if we continue to maintain high standards of COVID-19 safety, we will defeat this silent enemy and begin the long road to a sustained recovery.

We also urge our politicians to stay focused on the task at hand and to resist the urge for childish political point scoring. More than ever, our battered communities need leadership from all sides of politics.

Dr Doron Gaddie and 12 other doctors, Hampton, Vic

The limits of ideology

One would have to be a dinosaur to believe in any economic ideology as a panacea for COVID-19’s fiscal fallout (Paul Kelly’s “Ideology surplus to requirements” and Chris Kenny's “Nanny state spread crushes liberty, spirit”, 26-27/9). Surely nobody in their right mind would advocate inaction by governments in the face of such a challenge; their policies and practices may be ill-advised or downright damaging, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be involved. What we need is smarter, less ideologically driven governments, not just adherents to a one-size-fits-all economic doctrine.

Scott Morrison and Josh Frydenberg have shown commendable flexibility in tackling this problem — it’s just tough that they had a totally new pandemic as well as the fallout from the states’ actions to deal with, and mistakes were inevitable. The consequences would probably have been far worse if they had let ideological considerations override pragmatic attempts to deal with the situation.

David Barker, Bunbury, WA

I note Paul Kelly’s article “Ideology surplus to requirements” says, “Reviving immigration will be a pivotal task in coming years.” Pre-COVID, Australia’s population growth rate was far too high and was used as an artificial way to pump up the economy for decades. Going back to the old way of doing things isn’t going to work. We need to take this opportunity to reshape our thinking, society, economy and communities.

Marcus Everon, Brisbane, Qld

Letting go of nanny

In “Nanny state spread crushes liberty, spirit”, Chris Kenny suggests the 62 per cent of Victorians and majority of Australians who accept Daniel Andrews has handled the COVID crisis well is an indication we as a community have developed a handout mentality that meekly expects the government to control our lives.

Katrina Grace Kelly, on the other hand (“We’re managing quite well, so stop the wild shrieking”, 26-27/9), suggests the poll indicates healthy public confidence that Victoria is being run well with a booming pre-COVID economy in a state with a record number of public servants.

The poll was taken prior to the revelations of this last week’s quarantine inquiry. The big question is, will the next poll show that the wider Aussie electorate is a wake-up to the reality, or are we content to remain meek and compliant with the mindset of an authoritarian nanny state that has taken unquestioned control of our lives?

John Bell, Heidelberg Heights, Vic

With the easing of coronavirus restrictions, the question on all DIY tradesmen’s lips is, “When will the Bunnings sausage sizzles resume?”

David Crommelin, Strathfield, NSW