Déjà vu in Melbourne? Please let it not escalate.

[countessalmirena]

We don't know yet exactly what sort of lockdown it will be.

We don't know yet exactly how severe it will be, what things will be further restricted.

We don't know yet exactly how long the lockdown will be imposed.

But we know that there will be a lockdown.

I'm so disheartened by the fact that this was preventable. What possessed case number 5 (the case who contracted COVID-19 from the Wollert cluster (via a missing link, probably?) to ignore his symptoms for more than 4 days? What possessed him to go out and about while symptomatic? Was he wearing a mask? (I'll take a wild stab at it and say no, he probably wasn't.) Was he socially distancing? (Clearly not.)

Taken in conjunction with the general complacency and vaccine reluctance, the discarding of masks in public transport, the lack of enforcement (with police chiefs being - in my view - a bit ridiculous in scoffing at the task of enforcing health directives), the surging together of people  much closer than 1.5 metres when we know - surely we call know! - that this pandemic is far from over, and the number of people who are shaking hands and kissing and hugging... it's making my heart sink like a concrete boot.

I skipped wearing a mask twice recently, I admit. I had it with me, but I popped into the bank and thought it would be a good idea not to obscure my face for security reasons. I also went to a supermarket for one item, late at night just before it closed. It was not wise. Oh! And one more time... at the Melbourne Recital Centre while enjoying a fabulous concert. Every other time, yes, I've masked up. But now I feel foolish, and I won't be making any exceptions.

Stupid-decision-making people could be walking around in any part of Melbourne or indeed Victoria, refusing to be tested, brushing off their symptoms, scoffing at the notion of wearing a mask or sanitising their hands.

And more political point-scoring is being launched as well. I've no patience for it; we need to be working together to resolve these problems, and stamp out this outbreak. Ironically it is because we as a country have been doing so well that the complacent behaviour has crept back.

Fellow Melbournians and Victorians, we just have to be strong, and let's do our best to reiterate that the hygiene behaviours (    and unfortunately now (probably) as well) MUST be followed until Australia has achieved herd immunity - and even after that, we should at the very least maintain hand hygiene and cough etiquette.

Let's try to lead the world into effective long-term behaviour change.

And God help us all as we enter into whatever lockdown hell lies before us. *virtual hug* - because that's the only sort I can give you.

[rogespeed]

I read about that - not sure why is not a crime , unless there are other hidden factors 

[rogespeed]

Life goes on - just seems people are more territorial , more reactionary to the sight of a person not of their kind  , with an observed  increased propensity of those sharing the road to drive in convoy and on ones rear bumper .... 

[springyzone]

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@domino-710 wrote:

Some woman - drove from Vic on June 1 - travelled NSW into Qld - for 5 days - positive.

Oh boy.

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That is so annoying. We were in lockdown then, what was the woman thinking of?

These people should face a hefty fine. She could (theoretically, if things went wrong) later have been responsible for spreading the thing through 3 states & costing the communities billions of dollars. Do these people have even half a working brain?

And it is like I said earlier, half the people who come down with covid seem to have been here, there and everywhere.

[countessalmirena]

4 new cases in Melbourne today... all from the same family in Reservoir. It's not yet known which strain / variant they have, and it seems that there is a missing link... but I'm waiting anxiously on this and have put out a VITM (Variant Information Text Message) request.

Just to clarify: I have invented that acronym this minute. It's not an official thing. I am genuinely awaiting information, though.

An UPDATE re tomorrow's restrictions:

All Melbournians will have to wear a mask outdoors. There's no relaxing of the mask-wearing rules at all, given the latest cases, including the Melton couple (the woman and man who left during VIC lockdown) who tested positive to COVID-19 in QLD. They may be connected to the City of Whittlesea outbreak; genome testing is underway.

We are not out of danger at this stage. The easing of restrictions is very measured and I think that, as tough as it is, opening up further at this point would be a mistake.

However, at least we can travel 25 km. I can shout at a further distance from home - I can make it quite a high operatic Tosca-like scream, in fact, without disturbing my neighbours.

[imastawka]

Bluddy cases are getting way too close to me for my liking.

If this keeps up, Countess, you'll hear me screaming all the way over to your place.  

[countessalmirena]

It will be a duet, imastawka... Make sure you have a tuning fork so that we can ensure it's a perfect third.

[eol-products]

There was a covid positive traveller sometime ago who went camping out western nsw and luckily nothing came of it and fingers crossed this will be no different. 

[springyzone]

This is just musing, but I recall a few days ago, dear Gladys Berejiklian had a bit of a sideways swipe at Melb/Vic when she said she didn't support state wide lockdowns and didn't need them as she had full confidence in her contract tracing staff.

That's fair enough in its way, but last year, cases in melb were escalating out of control and isolating Melb from the rest of Vic and the rest of Aust really was the best way to go.

And with the present case of the woman and her husband who went off to Qld. It is being investigated and I saw people in NSW on the news, people in some of the towns she passed through, saying they were 'not happy'.

But realistically, had we not had the lockdown throughout Melbourne, it is perfectly possible this woman would not then have been breaking any rules at all, she and her husband may have been perfectly entitled to go where they pleased.

As it is, it seems they broke the regulations and it is possible they could face charges. But it goes to show why wider lockdowns are sometimes useful. It shows just how far a couple of loose cannons could potentially spread the virus.

[domino-710]

Realistically Springy - they broke the rules.

[springyzone]

It certainly seems as if they did. I haven't heard they had a permit.

All I was meaning to point out is had we had no general lockdown, as some say should have been the case, then there may not have been any rules to be broken and that scenario can get a bit risky. At least, at the moment, we have minimal movement between homes and between areas because most people follow the rules.