Most people are frustrated with COVID lockdowns. As news outlets publish stories of cities and countries coming out of lockdown in Canada, the USA and Europe, people rightly wonder when our continuing cycle of lockdowns and border closures will end.

As demonstrated by our past success, Victorians are pretty good, and very successful, at doing lockdowns right. But they’re not fun for anyone. It can be helpful to remind ourselves about why we are restricted.

Health authorities in Australia have determined that until we catch up with vaccination rates overseas, the safest way forward is to continue restrictions – including in regional Victoria. A graphic published in The Age illustrates how widely distributed current primary close contacts are in regional Victoria. The postcodes indicated in black have at least one household in isolation because of a primary close contact with a known case.

 

Postcodes with people in isolation because of Tier-1 contacts. (Source: The Age, July 21, 2021)

 

Clearly there are people in isolation in the 3460 and 3461 postcodes and in all of the postcodes surrounding Daylesford and Hepburn. Our community owes it’s gratitude to those who, through no fault, were exposed to the virus and are now doing the right thing to keep the rest of us safe.

High vaccination numbers are enabling health authorities overseas to recommend that restrictions can be safely lifted. Not so in Australia where supply and distribution failures of vaccines has crippled the rollout.

Victorians are urged to continue their safe behaviours:

  • Keep an eye on the updated list of exposure sites. The number of sites continues to grow.
  • Even though we’re in lockdown and you’re probably not leaving your house more than once a day, make sure you check in to each venue you visit – even if you’re only there for a few minutes.
  • Finally, if you’re eligible for a vaccine please go and get it.

And if you read this far, Congratulations. People are sick of reading about COVID. The news is dominated by stories about new confirmed cases, new exposure sites and federal political leaders trying to shift blame. In The Wombat Post, our story last week on the snap lockdown in Victoria attracted fewer hits than any other story we published last week!