I’ve written several times lately that there are clear signs that Victorian premier Daniel Andrews’ super-secret taxpayer-funded polling of marginal electorates are showing a shift of sentiment on lockdowns. Lo and behold! To the surprise of absolutely no-one, “Dictator Dan” is doing a rapid about-face on lockdowns – even as Victoria’s case numbers continue to surge.
Oh, but it’s “science”, donchaknow.
Five million Melburnians will be freed from a months-long lockdown this week after the Victorian government accelerated the easing of restrictions, citing new modelling which has drastically cut projections for hospitalisations.
In other words, someone has been told to tweak the model until it outputs the new numbers that the premier wants.
Premier Daniel Andrews and state health officials said a surge in Covid-19 vaccinations had allowed the lockdown to end earlier than first announced – it had been initially expected to lift in late October.
“It is really extraordinary how we’re shooting up the global rankings in terms of our vaccination coverage,” Victoria’s chief health officer, Brett Sutton, said.
Oh, really? Victoria’s vaccination coverage sits pretty much square in the middle (not allowing for differences in vaccine protocols between countries). Even Auckland’s doing better than Melbourne.
Make no mistake, this is a 100% political move.
The announcement came a day before NSW further eases remaining health restrictions after vaccination coverage hit 80 per cent.
From Monday, the number of vaccinated adult visitors allowed in a home in NSW will double to 20 and customers will no longer need to be seated in pubs. Masks will no longer have to be worn outdoors or in offices, and face-to-face teaching in schools resumes.
Don’t kid me that “Dictator Dan” isn’t acutely aware that locked-down Victorians are looking north with envious eyes. Australians might be able to be kept in the dark about life returning to normal in far-away Europe, but Melbournians are certainly going to notice when their hated rivals in Sydney are out partying, while they’re still confined to house arrest. The longer Andrews keeps Victoria under lockdown, the stronger the sting of the Freedom Movement.
Besides, there are the damning revelations coming out of two separate corruption inquiries — quick! Gin up a token announcement to distract the proles!
But, will it be too little, too late for the embattled Dictator of Spring Street? The damage of Victorian police brutality being exposed around the world has already been done. The corruption hearings are far from over — and more potentially damaging court actions are still grinding through the system.
Business has certainly had enough of the premier’s shenanigans.
Retail trade will only be permitted outdoors or via click and collect, and gyms will remain closed until the 80 per cent vaccination threshold is reached. Masks will also continue to be compulsory outdoors […]
Opposition Leader Matthew Guy welcomed the easing of some restrictions, but added: “It doesn’t seem consistent to me that you can have 10 people at your house but you can’t have 10 people in a shop.”
The Australian
Even retailers in uber-progressive Chapel Street are fed up.
The Chapel Street Precinct Association’s Matt Lanigan said many of the measures announced on Sunday were “tokenistic at best” […] He said many retailers were “frustrated and angry” about their inability to open and said small businesses in Melbourne had been ignored in the decision-making process.
“To be honest, the language coming out of the government has been disgraceful,” he said.
ABC Australia
Victorians are gluttons for Labor punishment, but 263 days of lockdown may well have burned through all but the most blindly tribal Labor voters’ trust.
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