USA confirmed 6.25 million Deaths 188,900 AUS confirmed 25,924 Deaths 663

One hundred and eighty-eight thousand, two hundred and thirty-seven is the difference in lives lost within Australia and USA. Instead of being grateful and appreciative that we as a community, as a country and as a whole have not had to bury and say goodbye to hundreds and thousands of loved ones. Our government has made a lot of bad decisions, as my people have been at the brunt of their desolation for years and corruption is certainly in its midst. The one thing they have done right for its people is trying to save lives from this horrible virus.

Victoria is the most infected state within Australia, having 13,469 confirmed cases and as it saddens us all, 570 people have lost their lives from Covid-19. New York has been affected horrifically by this pandemic with over 440,000 confirmed cases and heartbreakingly thirty-two thousand five hundred and fifty-one people have passed away. We as a community in Victoria don’t have to bury thousands of people, don’t have to say goodbye to hundreds of mothers, brothers, sisters, fathers or people we adore and love. We get to spend a little more time with them, people of New York didn’t have this chance, that we continue to take for granted.

NYC’s rules on their government website: ‘Stay Home if Sick. Unless you are leaving for essential medical care (including testing) or other essential errands, stay home if sick’.

5th of August NYC had 683 new cases and have entered in Phase 4 of lessening restrictions. Phase 1 started on 8th June with 683 new confirmed cases. Phase 1 opened businesses in ‘retail, construction, manufacturing and wholesale trade’. On 22nd June, phase 2 began opening ‘offices, in-store retail, outdoor dining, hair salons and barbershops, real estate, commercial building management, and retail rental, repair and cleaning, vehicle sales, leases, and rentals; with 597 new confirmed cases that day. On July 6th having 588 new confirmed cases that day, NY entered Phase 3 which included ‘personal care services such as tattoo and piercing parlours, appearance enhancement practices, massage therapy practices, spas, cosmetology salons, nail salons, tanning salons, and waxing salons.’

Phase 4 began on July 20th, ‘reopening for low-risk outdoor arts & entertainment, media production, and professional sports competitions with no fans. Confirmed new Covid cases were 855. Their people are still being infected, within each phase it continues to rise and so does the death rate. Seven hundred and fifty people died from Covid between the start of Phase 1 to when Phase 4 began.

753 people gone and at the top of their list is opening business so profit can still be made and our economy survive. Here we are complaining and trying to blame others for the deaths of people affected by Covid. Here we are trying to protest that our rights are being stripped away meanwhile, potentially spreading more of the virus among the community and killing other people’s family members. Clearly these protesters have not lost someone they care for deeply to Covid or had to watch their loved one barely struggle through the virus.

Victoria restrictions as we know:

‘Industries where onsite operations will have to cease for the next 6 weeks include

· retail

· some manufacturing

· administration

These businesses will all need to close by 11:59pm Wednesday 5 August, unless they have specific circumstances that mean they need longer to shut down safely.

The meat industry workforce will be scaled back to two-thirds. This will apply to abattoirs in Melbourne and across the state.

Warehousing and distribution centres in Melbourne will be limited to no more than two-thirds the normal workforce allowed onsite at any one time.

Our construction sector will also move to pilot-light levels. For major construction sites, that means the absolute minimum required for safety – but no more than 25% of the normal workforce onsite. Small-scale construction will be limited to a maximum of 5 people onsite.

Employees working in permitted industries who cannot work from home will be required to have a new ‘Worker Permit’ when travelling to and from work.

Curfews will be in operation from 8pm to 5am every evening. People are only allowed to leave their house for work and essential health, care or safety reasons. Buying food and essentials within a 5km radius from where you live. Only 1 person per household can leave for essential goods, and only once per day. Exercise once a day for up to 1 hour within a 5km radius of your home.

For Regional Victoria and what Melbourne was just restricted by: Phase 3 Restrictions, ‘this means you must stay home except for the following four reasons:

· For food and essential supplies

· For study or work

· For care and healthcare

· And for exercise or outdoor recreation

· When outside your home, you must wear a face covering.

No visitors are allowed at your home, and you are only allowed to gather with one person from outside your household in public’.

Stage 4 took effect on 2nd August 2020 with 641 new confirmed cases and sadly 8 people passed away. We still have our people dying from Covid. Please stop and think of others. The restriction maybe strict but they are for our benefit, they are there to protect us and help us all survive. If they didn’t make it a rule to wear a mask, I probably wouldn’t have because I would have felt embarrassed or cared what people were thinking of me. But now I don’t have to worry, and I can now have a better chance of staying safe and Covid-free. Cases were rising and Daniel Andrews’ office took note and then demanded action. I know it is our first reaction to put the blame on someone especially those who are in mourning and grieving, but we need to acknowledge that our country is surviving, and we are doing the right thing to stop the spread. We haven’t lost a quarter of the population like many other countries are facing.

Instead of phasing into a boost for the economy and a terrible plunder for the people; we have phased into what can only be deemed as protection and care for the community, the people and our country. Protesting and lessening the restrictions too early will only encourage the spread to be more serve and defeat all the progress we have made to beat it. Lives will be saved, and lives have been saved by the restrictions. Let’s keep thinking of others, thinking of our community and our family. Let’s protect them and stay inside. Live with the restrictions for little time longer so we can have zero cases and finally be Covid free and have our feeling of freedom restored the safe and right way. You can do this, and we can do it together as a community.

M.A.M Writer