Sunraysia families urged not to relocate children

SUNRAYSIA families have been urged against relocating their Melbourne-based children back home during the coronavirus pandemic.

Medical authorities this week said the less movement of Victorian residents around the state, including from metropolitan to regional areas, the less likelihood the spread of infection.

The rural doctors said rural communities were in the best position to slow down the spread of infection.

“In some ways rural communities are the best protected,” Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) president Dr John Hall said.

“There are simply less people gathering, travelling and visiting, and from fewer places, than in the cities.

“When it comes to social distancing, the key way of slowing the spread of coronavirus, it is just easier for us due to our space and lower population numbers.”

• COVID-19 in Sunraysia: What you need to know
• Full Sunraysia coronavirus coverage
• HAVE YOUR SAY ON THIS STORY: Send a letter to the editor

Melbourne and Adelaide are the most popular destinations for university study for Sunraysia students, largely due to accessibility to their home town.

Dr Hall said one of the important control measures for COVID-19 was to reduce travel.

“If you can work from home, do so – if you were planning on catching up with friends – FaceTime them instead.

“There are far worse things than being contained at home for a period of time … and one of those is having severe complications from coronavirus.”