Coronavirus: Daniel Andrews soldiers on amid second wave fight

The army is being deployed in Victoria to back up local authorities. Picture: Scott Powick

Sometimes consumerism can be the best measure of a community’s mindset.

For at least 48 hours, there have been signs of panic-buying in some Melbourne suburbs as the virus threat has intensified.

Toilet paper, hand sanitiser, flour, sugar and pasta all face supermarket rationing now.

Wait until the ADF hits the streets — the shopping canter will probably reach a gallop.

In reality, the military presence will be relatively modest but it will still serve two purposes: first, to provide ballast for local defences that aren’t working as well as they should; and second, it will be another reminder that we are dealing with a crisis on top of a crisis, as the virus has quietly spat its way back into the high-risk status it has always deserved.

It’s not an admission of defeat for Premier Daniel Andrews, but it is a concession of sorts. On Tuesday, he was asked whether he would use the ADF for security after staff had contracted the disease from quarantined travellers and then spread it around the community. “No, I don’t think we need to do that now,” he replied. “But, of course, I am very grateful to the Prime Minister for the ongoing dialogue I’ve had with him.’’

Now we are expecting the ADF to help deal with quarantined travellers to help head off a second wave.

Some criticism of Andrews from the cheap seats is unfair, based on what we know. The inevitable royal commission after this crisis passes will shed light on the unknown unknowns. What we do know is that the two biggest states have taken the lion’s share of overseas travellers; they and the security detail and other staff make up scores of the active cases in Victoria.

There are obviously things to learn from here, perhaps things that weren’t easy to predict at the start of the crisis. The question that interests most is why NSW, with its significantly higher number of infections, has managed to pretty much stem the flow, certainly compared with Victoria.

Has Gladys Berejiklian outboxed Andrews, or is it a combination of luck and timing?