Lockdown Statewide Unjustifiable
Western Victoria MP Bev McArthur used a constituency question in Parliament yesterday to ask the Minister for Health about why the Victorian Government has not implemented lockdowns by local government area, as opposed to statewide restrictions.
Mrs McArthur noted, “For the past 5 days, the half a million constituents in the 24 local government municipalities in my electorate have been locked down.”
“This is despite, not a single case of coronavirus ever appearing in any of these areas.”
“There were only 13 active cases outside of hotel quarantine in metro Melbourne which the figures showed were in just 6 Local Government areas.”
“It is completely absurd, that people in Nhill, Horsham and Portland, to name a few, were locked down despite no active cases being within more than 200 kilometres.”
Mrs McArthur suggested that that the Victorian Government should have followed the example set by the New South Wales Government, who responded to the Northern Beaches cluster with targeted lockdowns.
She asked, “Minister, why does the Government not follow the NSW successful lead which restricts movement by distinct local government area, thereby avoiding statewide pain and suffering, especially for country Victoria?”
19 February 2021