Melbourne will reportedly head into a seven day hard lockdown this evening – the fourth lockdown since the COVID pandemic began.
Senior cabinet ministers met late into last night and will reportedly announce the lockdown late this morning following a final meeting between key Victorian Government cabinet ministers. Another 12 new cases were recorded overnight taking the total to 26 cases.
The news that Melbourne could be plunged into its nation-leading fourth hard lockdown raises immediate comparisons with New South Wales, which has managed to successfully manage multiple virus outbreaks without lockdowns, while also taking in the majority of international arrivals.
Something is clearly awry with the Victorian Government’s COVID management, given its repeated failures.
This time around, the problem appears to be with contact tracing. Victorian health authorities listed the wrong supermarket – Woolworths Epping instead of Woolworths Epping North – as an exposure site that patient zero had visited.
Yesterday, I received a notification via social media that Coles Tooronga (near where I live) was an exposure site. Yet as of 7am this morning, this was not yet updated on the Victorian Government’s official webpage – an issue picked up by the ABC:
Lazy Victorian Government!
Seriously, the Victorian Government has been had 15 months to get its processes right and has experienced more outbreaks than any other jurisdiction. It should be battle hardened and have the best COVID management systems in the nation.
The Government’s repeated failures are inexcusable and continue to punish weary residents.
