IF there are zero confirmed active coronavirus cases for another month in country regions like Sunraysia, then the Victorian Government should look to open them up.
And by open up, I mean allowing more than 10 to 20 people to sit down for a steak or some smashed avocado on toast at our cafes and restaurants.
That means allowing kids to go for a swing at the park.
That means opening up community football and netball so crowds can attend.
Social distancing measures need to be in place, but where better to trial such exit strategies than in country regions that have been largely free of COVID-19 cases for an extended period?
While Melbourne may still have active cases and clusters, it’s already been well over a month since Mildura or Swan Hill recorded a new coronavirus case. Other country regions are the same.
It’s not to say we are immune to the bug, far from it, but the number zero is a healthy starting point.
Earlier this week, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews extended our state of emergency until the end of May, removing only a few minor restrictions.
In his press conference, Mr Andrews used the phrase “safe, cautious and appropriate” over and over. It was clearly the message his PR team wanted him to hammer home.
But how many months of zero active cases do country regions need before they are safe enough to go about their daily business, albeit in a cautious manner? Is it one? Two? Six? A year? Or until a vaccine is found?
This week, Member for Northern Victoria Tim Quilty said the State Government’s “draconian” coronavirus restrictions were designed to keep Melbourne cases in check.
And he said regional Victoria was suffering the social and economic pain of those city-centric measures despite being largely free of COVID-19 cases.
He is not the only federal, state or local politician starting to make noise about this issue.
In Mildura, the suggestion to start treating metro and regional Victoria differently in terms of restrictions was first raised early last month.
Mildura councillor Glenn Milne said that with such low numbers of confirmed cases in isolated regions such as Sunraysia and Swan Hill, governments could trial their exit strategies from strict restrictions in the bush.
Cr Milne was ridiculed at the time for his suggestion, but does it not have some merit?
Couldn’t the government ensure its tracing and testing was set up for a trial in a country region and monitor what happens and act promptly if a breakout occurs?
We need to let the pulse of communities start to beat again by opening up country footy venues for matches with crowds. Set social distancing restrictions that we have all become accustomed to. Patrons will have no issue standing 1.5 metres apart in the canteen lines, just like hundreds of people do at supermarkets every day.
They won’t shake hands or hug each other in the line at the bar. People have become respectful of each other’s space now. It has quickly become the new normal. If people have to pay with cards, not cash, so be it.
The same rules could be applied at cafes, restaurants and even pubs. Set restrictions and trust in the common sense of patrons to follow them in these times.
The danger, of course, is that regional areas may not be as well equipped to handle an outbreak if it does occur.
As Mildura doctor John Dyson-Berry said this week: “It could blow up very quickly.”
“We haven’t got much COVID-19 in this country but it’s so infectious that you don’t need much,” he said.
The local GP encouraged local people to help negotiate a way through the virus by signing up to the Australian Government’s COVIDSafe app.
Doctors and health officials have led the way in this crisis and we do need to continue to monitor their advice.
But the damage to our economic and mental health must be proportionate to the dangers of the virus.
Australians are now well-versed in social distancing practices, we have bought the time to be better prepared and educated in the way we interact. Our regional hospitals and health services are also far better prepared than they were a few months ago.
Melbourne may still have active cases, but Victoria is much bigger than Melbourne.
So, hundreds of kilometres away in regions like Sunraysia, where there have been zero cases for some time now, are we really in the same state of emergency?
