Vic lockdown 5.0Vic lockdown 5.0

And here we go again! Victoria is under lockdown 5.0 and it feels like a vicious circle with a never-ending loop in which 6 million Victorians are now stuck, all thanks to some very irresponsible New South Welshmen visiting our state and their licentiously atrocious conduct.

The state has confirmed 10 more local coronavirus cases as it begins its fifth pandemic lockdown. This update includes six previously unreported cases. Victoria’s 36 active virus infections, include only 20 linked to the outbreaks known to have sparked the new lockdown.

That leaves 16 infections which necessitate a lot of sour searching by authorities – politicians of all states and territories – on how to engineer Australia society to live with and in the climate of COVID-19 which does not seem to be going anywhere soon.

No state can afford to go into a perennial cycle of lockdowns and come out at the other end with society rising from the economic ruin of their own making which would take decades to resurrect economic fundamentals providing livelihoods sans state provided (and supported) financial ventilators.

In Victoria, which is in its lockdown 5.0, the only thing all of us have to do – is to go and get vaccinated, and get vaccinated now. That is the only way to avoid any further lockdowns.

Six million Victorians are again under stay-at-home orders, due to the growing COVID outbreak having just come out of its fourth lockdown.

“If we act now – while we’re right on the heels of this outbreak – we can give ourselves every chance of getting ahead of it.

If we wait – we lose that option.

Which is why, on the advice of Acting Chief Health Officer, Victoria will go into lockdown tonight, meaning there are only five reasons to leave home from 11:59pm on Thursday 15 of July 2021”, premier Daniel Andrews said on Thursday, 15 July announcing lockdown 5.0.

The rules that applied then have returned, including a five-kilometre travel limit for exercise and shopping and compulsory mask-wearing indoors and outdoors. The same five reasons to leave home apply again as in lockdown 4.0.

That means you can only leave home:

  1. to get the food and the supplies you need,
  2. for exercise for up to two hours and no more than 5kms from your home,
  3. for care or caregiving,
  4. work or education if you can’t do it from home or
  5. to get vaccinated at the nearest possible location.

 

Unfortunately, the premier Daniel Andrews would not guarantee the lockdown would end after just five days.

“We don’t want this getting away from us and being locked down for months,” he said yesterday announcing the lockdown 5.0.

Economic support:

This time the federal government has announced its COVID-19 Disaster Payment scheme would be available to people who work or live in greater Melbourne, as well as the local government areas of Moorabool Shire, the City of Greater Geelong, Borough of Queenscliffe and the Surf Coast Shire.

People who lose more than 20 hours a week, will get $600 while those who lose between 8 and 20 hours work, will receive $375.

What is different this time is the fact ‘no liquid assets’ test will be applied to the payments.

A key change to the support package this time is that:

  • the income support will be available from the first week of a lockdown; and
  • is determined by hours of work lost, not the length of stay-at-home orders.

In addition, the Victorian government will provide “significant additional economic support to businesses”.

More than 110 sites have been listed as exposure sites across Melbourne and regional Victoria. These include the MCG and several stores at Chadstone shopping centre. Of greater concern to authorities are mystery stranger-to stranger transmission cases at venues delivering thousands of primary and secondary contacts to trace.

See a full list of Victorian exposure sites here

By Singh