I do find it hilarious when people from countries that have had literally hundreds of thousands of COVID deaths criticise Australia for the situation we are finding ourselves in now. Yes the lockdowns are strict, but there is a reason why people are putting up with it. Because we know what the alternative is. Australia has had less than 1000 deaths. Canada 26000. Need I go on. The question is how could government put up with such death and despair if restrictions and lockdowns occur anyway due to the strain it eventually causes on the health system.
The thing people forget is that many other western countries have been going through very long lockdowns during a period of time we in Melbourne had many freedoms. I remember being in packed nightclubs at various times throughout the pandemic when many of our friends were in full lockdown with spiralling case numbers. It surprises people how early we go on lockdowns. Yet history has told us this is the only way to stop the delta variant completely… though even I believe it’s become increasingly likely we have seen our last “zero” COVID day in Australia.
I’m in lockdown now in Melbourne and it sucks. But what’s the alternative? Let it go through the community when less than 50% of us have even 1 dose and end up in lockdown in a month anyway? No thanks.
I snorted when I read this. I wish LPSG had a laugh react function.
I can tell from the way you’ve recounted events that you’re partial towards the ruling party of Victoria and that you’ve suffered little-to-no financial consequences of such a pig-headed covid zero approach. I know people that have lost almost everything they’ve worked for, purely because of the actions of the Victorian government.
I highlighted your “freedoms” remark because it’s faulty on 2 accounts:
- Other states were living in relative freedom to the world in 2020, not Victoria. Victoria was virtually in lockdown from July until November because the government screwed up contact tracing and hotel quarantine, tried to blame it on the public, then lied under oath during an inquiry (which they called to construct a facade of accountability, only to continually “not recall” critical decisions that led to the crisis).
- Secondly, constant density limits, masks outdoors (lol, plenty of science behind that one), 5/10/25km distance restrictions, CURFEWS (absolute no science or health advice behind that), inability to cross state borders, and even the threat of lockdown if we got ONE case in the community...that’s not “freedom” at all. That’s just lockdown lite. We had a lockdown in February that wasn’t even needed due to all the contacts already being in isolation. Your views are regressive and out of date.
Back to your first paragraph, you lambast the deaths overseas, yet you make no mention of the lives given up to maintain this idiotic ‘covid zero’ approach. This is, funnily enough, the exact same hole in the government’s logic to keep lockdowns as their primary strategy (and by primary, I mean only). There is absolutely zero consideration to the life years being sacrificed from the end of people’s lives (i.e. years being sacrificed from the individual life expectancy) to maintain this approach. Mental health is shot, after a royal commission found the system to be highly inadequate before covid (thanks Dan for cutting health funding and turning the DHS into a mess). Homeless and poverty will rise, people are stuck in violent situations, people are losing their businesses and their jobs. This all heavily impacts life expectancy, yet the government isn’t even considering it, and neither are you.
Lastly, what is the alternative you ask? We’ve had 18 months to boost the healthcare system to cope with lighter restrictions and a higher case load, but Daniel Andrews and the Victorian Government would rather invest the money in promoting his own social media accounts (incl. buying bots to manufacture support) and internally polling the electorate to see how popular he and his restrictions are. That and blowing out the infrastructure projects by billions and years over completion targets (the projects that he said were “shovel ready lol), but I digress.
Sorry, but your entire comment is varying in its levels of inaccuracy throughout. You’re literally just parroting the lies that the state government has been spewing for the past year. If I was a betting man, I’d think you’re a worker for the public service. Pathetic comment, and I’d implore the overseas readers of this thread to take it with a grain of salt.
(I can also provide sources for everything I’ve said if you’d like me to).
