Last weekend we watched Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews arrogantly boast about the state’s supposed “best” hotel quarantine system, which he claimed was of a “higher standard” that other states:
“I am very confident we have a system that is worthy of being copied by others. It’s not about boasting, it’s a fact… If it were anything other than one of the best systems … then I doubt very much any first ministers across the country would have agreed to copy it.”
Now the leakages from Andrews’ “best” hotel quarantine system has thrown the whole of Victoria into another hard Stage 4 lockdown.
The lockdown will begin at midnight tonight and run until 11:59pm on Wednesday (if we are lucky).
Just like last year, there will only be four reasons Victorians can leave home:
- essential supplies
- care and caregiving;
- exercise; and
- essential work.
Exercise and shopping will be limited to 5 kilometers from one’s home. And masks must be worn everywhere in Victoria other than in your private residence, with no visitors allowed to anyone’s home.
Public gatherings are obviously also not permitted.
Now compare the pair:
- NSW has taken around 60% of Australia’s international arrivals (~130,000) and has managed virus outbreaks without city or statewide lockdowns.
- VIC has taken only a small fraction of Australia’s international arrivals (and zero between July and December last year), has experienced several major quarantine breaches, and has locked down Victoria and/or Melbourne for months on end.
Enough said.
