The southern capital is in for a long, suffocating haul before the virus is contained and freedom restored.
This means the national economy will need to climb the same mountain.
It will take months before all the emergency measures are lifted and there is no guarantee Christmas celebrations will be restriction-free.
Daniel Andrews and his chief health officer were both careful on Wednesday not to be pinned down to any timelines for escalating (or easing) restrictions.
It is clear Andrews wants the economy reopened, but the numbers are so poor, the best bet is that movement will be tightened before it is relaxed.
Andrews privately is keen for the caseload to be smashed before opening up the economy, even though he wants restaurants and the like to be able to open their doors in the short to medium term.
This is unlikely to happen before the number of daily cases is back in single-digit numbers.
There is a huge gulf between reality and this ambition as the virus spreads across the metropolitan area and now well into regional areas.
Much has been said about the bungled hotel quarantine system but others in government are asking real questions about how the huge rate of community transmission went undiscovered.
In short, was the testing system up to the challenge and how effective has the contact tracing program really been?
It has become increasingly clear that the government’s messaging campaign is not working nearly as efficiently as it should.
One key finding of the Black Saturday royal commission was the fire authority’s failure to adequately and quickly disseminate information to the community. But the fire messaging failures occurred over a few hours; this pandemic has been raging for months.
Andrews rightly lamented on Wednesday the failure of many Victorians to follow the most basic instructions on isolating after going for a coronavirus test and waiting for the results and when experiencing symptoms.
It’s kind of basic stuff but the government should not underestimate the number of Victorians who effectively live off-grid. They don’t always watch the news, they aren’t on Twitter and don’t necessarily read.
What is lacking is a hyper-local campaign matched with a modern, big-picture advertising blitz relevant for Lockdown 2.0.
Maybe it’s time to bring back the grim reaper.
Much of what Andrews said on Wednesday made sense but the government needs to find a way to get to people who aren’t following the most basic of instructions.
Yes, this might be a story in part about the effects of insecure work, but it’s also a story of how to get vulnerable people to follow basic directions.
The numbers show they aren’t, and this must change. Urgently.
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton should also stop sending mixed messages because it’s utterly clear this virus is not under control.
The signs do not look promising; they look very bleak indeed. Two weeks after going into the second lockdown, Victoria is in a worse place than ever. This is the brutal truth of the state’s misfortune.
More Coverage
Ex-union boss to lead Safe Work
One of Anthony Albanese’s closest union allies, Tony Maher, has been appointed to lead the workplace health and safety watchdog.
Federal review to give verdict on puberty blockers
A newly announced inquiry by the National Health and Medical Research Council will cut short the Queensland government’s review of puberty blocker prescriptions.