The other edge, though – our local government area (LGA, or Shire as they were/are also known) has had eleven cases of COVID-19 since records began, our largest outbreak was four at one time, and the last case reported cleared up almost five weeks ago.
What That Says For The World:
We have around 37,000 people in the district, scattered between a handful of small towns, a few larger with populations greater than 5,000, and farms.
The region is, besides a farming district and foodbasket region, also a holiday destination due to the coastal towns, Phillip Island, and a series of visit-worthy spots.
After restrictions came into force, the number of visitors/tourists slowed to a trickle, and most recently, you may as well say it has stopped. Most of those visitors used to come from Melbourne, which is now under a hard lockdown and curfew.
Yet we still somehow managed eleven cases. Three of those happened within a fortnight of the Premier Andrews announcing the harsher lockdown restrictions for the Melbourne outbreak. Two more a few weeks later.
These were caused by the utter arseholes that thought they’d be privileged inconsiderate bastards and sneak out on the day of the announcement.
Almost half the cases, in other words, would have been avoided if people had actually given a shit for anyone else.
We can be fairly certain when we place the cause of these latest outbreaks as Melbournians, because a) it was our largest number of new cases in a four week period, and that includes as I said right before lockdown began, b) this was the time that several thousand families “suddenly decided to go for a holiday on the coast” c) just look what a total FUBAR they made of the initial outbreak and subsequent obedience to restrictions – Dan Andrews literally had to start enforcing the restrictions with a police and military presence. Not a single fuck was given by the usually much smarter than this Melbournians.
And that’s the fate of ALL the world while leaders continue to rail against the lockdowns and restrictions because it’s “hurting the economy – won’t someone think of the poor economy?” As long as they encourage and incite people to just get out there and get on with it while there’s a reservoir of virus still out there and no proven vaccine, SARS-CoV-2 will continue to flare and break out.
Anyone who thinks quarantine and contact tracing will “control the small outbreaks” are overlooking that this just hasn’t happened anywhere – Small outbreaks become big outbreaks, THEN people become compliant for a few weeks, then people start to rail against the “draconian measures” and you can rinse and repeat that ad nauseam, people will be people, and viruses will be viruses.
And of course, the fact that viruses mutate rapidly means you never know when the One True Virus will arise and start having a serious mortality rate. But you have to know that it WILL happen.