MAYORS and MPs from both sides of the river have called on the Victorian and NSW governments to make sure border communities aren’t caught in the crossfire if eased restrictions lead to COVID outbreaks in the regions.
Both states are set to allow visitors from the capital cities to travel to the regions once the states hit the 80 per cent fully vaccinated threshold – which for NSW could be as soon as mid-October – regardless of COVID case numbers.
But the plan has NSW Member for Murray Helen Dalton and Victorian Member for Mildura Ali Cupper, as well as Mildura and Wentworth mayors Jason Modica and Susan Nichols, thoroughly spooked.
“In the next month … we will be opening up to people that are coming into this region, and this will cause – it’s inevitable – a spike in COVID-19, which, for me, is incredibly concerning,” Mrs Dalton said.
“What we want is a staged and very practical form of opening up and we want Gladys Berejiklian to speak to Daniel Andrews, because I would hate to see this region go back into lockdown every time someone coughs, or every time someone sneezes.”
Cr Nichols added: “I’m concerned about people coming out of the cities because each time there’s been a case, it’s been somebody who’s come from somewhere – usually a city area.”
Mrs Dalton and Cr Nichols were concerned about the effect a potential regional NSW outbreak would have on the region’s “underresourced and understaffed” health system, a fear shared by Ms Cupper.
“If the curve is flattened, if the spikes are relatively flat, our health system can cope,” Ms Cupper said.
“If it happens all at once, our health system can’t. If we’re all double vaccinated, it’s like the flu. If we’re not, it’s a whole different story.
“Get double vaccinated. That gives our governments more assurance that they can open up and not overwhelm Mildura Base (Public) Hospital, or hospitals over here on this side of the border, because that’s when the rubber hits the road; where hospitals can’t cope.”
But the key concern of all four elected officials was the worry that a spike in cases could keep border communities divided or cause Victoria to once again slam the border shut.
“We are one community both sides of the river – always has been and always will be,” Mrs Dalton said.
“Unfortunately, it’s taken a fair bit of talk to actually get Daniel Andrews and Gladys Berejiklian to realise that.
“People in Wentworth need to do their business in Mildura and we need to be able to get on with our lives.
“This roadmap into opening up has to be mindful of this border community, both sides, all up and down the river.”
According to Cr Modica, the economic hit from ongoing lockdowns and border closures was having a severe impact on many in Sunraysia.
“This is lockdown seven. People have dipped into their personal savings, they’ve probably dipped into their super and their business savings,” he said.
“What is it going to look like after Christmas, even when we are open, when all these people may still be struggling?”
In Cr Nichols’ experience, that financial hardship had been compacted by border closures complicating access to healthcare and vital emotional and social support, causing many to hit breaking point.
“We have people on our side of the river going under, people in Victoria going under. I’ve seen people in Legacy, widows and aged people, going down, and they’re going down simply because they cannot see people they need to see,” she said.
“It’s absolutely quite shocking.”
The leaders were hopeful a high vaccination rate in the cross-border community would be the key to ensuring people in Sunraysia could get back to “a more normal way of life”, and called on locals to roll up their sleeves.
“We need to open up –we just have to,” Ms Cupper said.
“If you’re vaccinated you’re more safe … that’s what it’s about.”
