Stage 4 Lockdown

How seriously are Victorians taking the Stage 4 lockdown?

Below is a photo that I shot a couple of weeks ago at the shops. I was there to go into the supermarket to buy some essentials. Clearly many were milling around waiting for coffee despite the Stage 3 lockdown put in place to control the COVID-19 pandemic.

I looked at this scene and didn’t think it boded well.

What worried me was that some people didn’t seem to be getting the message – stay at home unless it’s essential to go out. The four officially sanctioned reasons to leave the house during Stage 3 were:

• To exercise
• To work
• To do essential shopping
• To provide care

Going to the coffee shop wasn’t illegal per se, but was it a good idea?

In light of alarmingly high rates of community transmission of COVID-19 throughout Melbourne, we moved to Stage 4 restrictions on 2 August 2020. Now, the only sanctioned reasons to leave the house are:

• To exercise (for only 1 hour a day with one other person)
• Permitted work
• To shop for food or other essential items

So what did I see when I had to call-in to the supermarket this morning?

Almost the same scene as greeted me under Stage 3! Oh I can hear the howls of protest now – coffee is food – an indeed it is. But is it “essential”? No.

I am alarmed but also saddened. How many people need to die before it is taken seriously? More, it seems.

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