Despite Mallee’s consistently low case numbers and lack of community transmission, restrictions have been imposed on regional areas due to opaque “health advice”.
The advice has never been clarified to the public, resulting in the State Government not being held to account for their decisions. I am still waiting to see scientific evidence that the supports the need to lock down all of regional Victoria.
I have repeatedly called for a targeted approach to managing COVID-19, not the one-size-fits-all model imposed by the State Government. The fact that our reopening was dependent on case numbers in Geelong or Mallacoota is devoid of logic.
Targeting hot spots by location, along with effective testing and local tracing hubs will provide better outcomes in the long term and allow for the state’s recovery. A doctor in Mildura told me in March that tracing should be managed at a local level. Instead, it was centralised in Melbourne and we have seen how badly that has played out.
Restrictions have inflicted a heavy toll on Mallee communities and it will take years to recover. In response to an email I sent this week, I have received over 700 personal stories of how restrictions have affected the lives of residents. I have read and responded to each of the heartbreaking stories about divided families, broken businesses, social isolation, missed funerals and mental anguish.
These are real people with real stories. Kaye, of Mildura, has heart and lung issues and needs a lung transplant. She has repeatedly been denied a permit to attend regular appointments at the Royal Adelaide Hospital due to border closures.
Gary is suffering serious health issues and has told his friends and family in Queensland that he may not be alive to see them before the borders reopen.
I am fighting daily to assist in getting permits for people with legitimate reasons to enter South Australia, which have proven notoriously difficult to obtain.
For a region with zero active COVID-19 cases, this is unacceptable.
