Why Dan needs to be more like Gladys

The stage four lockdown forced millions of people to stay holed up inside their homes 22 hours a day, wear masks indoors and outdoors and be confined to a 5km radius.And in the five day lockdown there were just six cases of community transmission – what a gross over-reaction. But the A-grade master of spin will never concede he has stuffed up, instead he always points the finger elsewhere and blames anyone else that is disposable to save his own skin. Across the border in NSW, Premier Gladys Berejiklian has proven outbreaks can be proportionately managed without unnecessarily impacting the lives of millions of people.If only destructive Dan could take a leaf out of Gladys’s playbook. NSW has quarantined about 125,000 people, while Victoria has done so for just 36,000 people. They have had about 5000 Covid-19 cases, while Victoria has had about 21,000. In NSW there has been 56 Covid-19 deaths, in Victoria 820. And now Victoria has stopped accepting international arrivals indefinitely. Premier Andrews has caused Victorians so much damage – his decisions have not only cost hundreds of lives but cost Victorians and the rest of the country billions of dollars.

Putting fear into citizens is this state government’s modus operandi – the Victorian Government even went as far to describe the UK strain of the virus as one that “is moving at speed”.“The virus is smarter, and faster, and more infectious,” it said in a document released to industry groups. How can the virus suddenly have an IQ?But what the Premier will never do is concede his “Gold Standard” hotel quarantine program has failed yet again. He even blamed the leakage on one poor man in hotel quarantine who was given the green light to use a nebuliser while locked up inside his room. After spending more than a week in NSW – I was lucky enough to be in Sydney when Andrews announced the lockdown and delayed coming home – speaking to many Sydneysiders they cannot fathom what on earth is going on in Victoria.Gladys has got the virus under control, many of her citizens are back living relatively normal lives and the city is moving ahead. Being in Sydney felt like being in another country – the city isn’t back to what it was pre-pandemic but it was certainly buzzing.If only Dan could be more like Gladys. Premier Andrews may think he is invincible in the top job, but time will tell.
sophie.elsworth@news.com.au

@sophieelsworth