EDITORIAL: Complacency IS the enemy

After months of living with spectre of a pandemic, there is another C-word which threatens to undo all the good work — complacency. Here’s why the danger is larger than ever >>

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THERE is a deadly condition creeping into Tasmanian society, with the potential to be more deadly lethal than COVID-19 itself.

After months of living with spectre of a global pandemic, there is another C-word which threatens to undo all the good work — complacency.

With our borders about to reopen to “safe” states and territories it’s worth looking back at the time when Tasmania recorded its first case of COVID on March 2.

It seems like a lifetime ago. Back then there were 30 recorded cases across Australia and 90,000 across the world.

The death rates in Europe were relatively low with 52 deaths in Italy, three in France and 39 in the UK. The US had just three and New York had recorded its first case.

Back then many of us were frightened. It was clear a wave was coming and local cases began to rise.

On March 21 we effectively shut our borders with at 14-day quarantine required for anyone without an exemption.

We listened carefully to health advice, we socially distanced, practised good hygiene and many began to work from home.

Fast forward 235 days and Tassie is in good shape. We haven’t had a COVID case for 73 days and the economy is picking up.

But just has those big circles on the shop floors are becoming faded and a little unstuck, our COVID manners are getting a little shabby.

You don’t have to go far to see how relaxed we have become.

Social distancing is lax, hand sanitiser seems optional and testing numbers are dropping off. There is even talk among some that the crisis is over, and we can get back to living a normal life.

But the danger is larger than ever.

Yesterday there were 296,886 new cases across the world as the global death toll topped 1.1 million. The US recorded more than 60,500 new cases, Europe is again out of control.

But we can learn from the world’s experience. In Asia they are largely still open and keeping the pandemic at bay.

China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong, combined, have been recording fewer than 1000 cases a day since September.

The reason? They are following the rules, have aggressive contact-tracing efforts and quarantine programs to isolate those infected.

Let’s not forget what got us to where we are. There have been many sacrifices — missed funerals, cancelled weddings, business closures and more.

As borders open and more people move within Australia, there will be more cases in the state. We know what we have to do: keep our social distance in public; wash our hands; cough and sneeze into our elbows; get tested when we feel sick; fill out tracking details when we go out. We need to do this over and over until they become good habits. That way we can remain open.

That way we can remain safe.