Coronavirus: Gladys Berejiklian braced for bold calls

Gladys Berejiklian says the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic may be still to come.

Gladys Berejiklian said she had been forced to grow comfortable with making snap decisions during the initial, chaotic days of the pandemic, when information at hand was incomplete and uncertainty remained high around the world. Picture: AAP

Gladys Berejiklian says the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic may be still to come, with her cabinet set to make bold decisions around the lifting of restrictions to stimulate the economy.

But with so much uncertainty around the ramifications of each decision, the margin for error is slim. Each consideration is literally a matter of life or death, she says, with infections likely to rise each time restrictions are eased. “If we are serious about having a good economic recovery, we may need to be bold in some of the restrictions we raise,” she said. “So if that’s the case, that comes with some level of risk. I have to brace myself for the fact that the worst days may be yet to come.”

NSW recorded nine new cases out of more than 7000 tests during the 24 hours to 8pm on Thursday, bringing the total number of diagnoses to 3025 cases.

Ms Berejiklian said she had been forced to grow comfortable with making snap decisions during the initial, chaotic days of the pandemic, when information at hand was incomplete and uncertainty remained high around the world.

Asked if the weight of such enormous decisions ever caused her to feel lonely, she replied: “I don’t feel lonely, I never feel ­lonely. Without getting soppy, I feel loved more than ever. I’ve never felt so supported in that people are willing you to succeed, people know if you make the right decisions it’s going to help them and their families.”

Up until this week Ms Berejik­lian curbed almost all physical contact with her parents and two sisters, with whom she is close and holds daily FaceTime calls. In the case of her parents, Arsha and Krikor, both in their late 80s, she has had to maintain contact from the driveway of their home.

They, like many residents, had to be told repeatedly that the crisis was real. “I did have to convince them, especially in the early days when NSW probably moved a bit more quickly than others. But now they get it,” she said.

Friends have nagged her about easing the restrictions, and so have her parents.

“My parents are funny,” she said, breaking off for a brief impersonation, “ ‘Glad, when is this over? When can we …’ you know my dad says, ‘I’m a good prisoner, but when can I get out?’ He’s very inspiring, he’s very active, and he begrudges the fact he can’t catch public transport and walk around, which is what he loves to do.”