Lisa Wilkinson quizzes Dan Andrews about his plan to provide greater support for mental health as grieving Melbourne residents face prolonged lockdown restrictions
With criticism of the prime minister continuing after the roadmap was announced on Sunday, with even Scott Morrison calling the news “overwhelming”, Lisa Wilkinson has shifted focus to another devastating impact of the pandemic: the well-being of locked down Melbourne residents.
Talking to Mr. Andrews on Sunday ProjectWilkinson asked: “How is the balance between the health risks of COVID and the mental health risks decided. Is there no real risk from the mental health cost of Coronavirus, leaving a much deeper scar for future generations?”
Acknowledging the importance of bolstering mental health support, Andrews said the government is “working to double and double” its efforts.
It was “difficult,” he added, but the government was satisfied with its partnerships in this area.
Melbourne residents, who live under Phase 4 restrictions – some of the toughest in the world – and Victorian territorial residents, under Phase III restrictions, today learned about the government’s long-awaited four-step plan to mitigate “COVID-Safe Safe” .
The model will see Melbourne’s strict lockdown extended for two weeks until September 27, with some restrictions eased from midnight next Sunday.
After the announcement, the federal government announced that it would scrutinize Andrews’ handling of the pandemic, warning that an extension of the lockdown would lead to more job losses.
A joint statement from Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Treasury Secretary Josh Freidenberg and Health Secretary Greg Hunt described the news as “overwhelming,” and said it “will come at an additional economic cost.”
Full details of the roadmap are available here.
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Sam Klensch
Many people have criticized Victorian Prime Minister Daniel Andrews in the last 12 hours.
Among those who championed him was Dr Omar Khorshid, President of the Australian Medical Association.
He accused angry business leaders of ignoring medical evidence, and said the extended lockdown would actually benefit the economy in the long run.
“The Victorian government made the necessary decisions based on sound medical advice, in the interests of the nation’s health and economy,” said Dr. Khorshid.
Victorian government models show what doctors already knew. If restrictions are lifted this week, the state will see a spike in infections again.
Some business leaders fighting against isolation are ignoring medical evidence that easing restrictions too soon threatens a third wave of other infections.
“The decrease in daily casualties in Victoria proves that the current restrictions are working. The extension of these restrictions puts the economy in the best interest of achieving a long-term sustainable recovery.
“Every Australian wants to see Victoria succeed in stopping COVID-19, either for all of our health or for the long-term recovery of our economy.”
Sam Klensch
The government announced that it will pay $ 1.7 billion for priority access to 84.8 million doses of two candidate vaccines for Coronavirus, if they succeed in clinical trials.
The two possible vaccines in question are the one developed by the University of Oxford / AstraZeneca, and the one developed by the University of Queensland / CSL.
The first could be available as soon as January next year, although Prime Minister Scott Morrison is showing some caution.
The Oxford University vaccine is currently in phase 3 trials, and has shown promising results so far. The University of Queensland option is not far from evolutionary and is under preclinical testing.
“Australians will receive the COVID-19 vaccine free of charge in 2021 if the trials prove successful,” Morrison said in a statement.
“By securing production and supply agreements, Australians will be among the first in the world to receive a safe and effective vaccine, if it passes late-stage tests.
“There are no guarantees that these vaccines will prove successful, but the agreement puts Australia at the top of the waiting list if our medical experts give the vaccines the green light.”
Mr Morrison, Health Secretary Greg Hunt and Science Secretary Karen Andrews are expected to formally announce the agreement tomorrow.
Isabella Fowler
Pope Francis called gossip “a plague worse than Covid,” claiming that it harms the church community.
Francis repeated his repeated gossip complaints while addressing a crowd on Saturday, in connection with the ongoing global pandemic.
During his weekly blessing, he said that Satan is the “greatest gossip” that seeks to divide the Catholic Church with his lies.
He said, “Please, brothers and sisters, let’s try not to gossip.”
“Gossip is a worse epidemic than COVID. Even worse. Let’s do the hard work: No gossip!”
His comments followed a biblical passage about the need to correct others in private when they do something wrong, according to Vatican News.
Pope Francis said, “When we see a brother or sister making a mistake or a flaw, the first thing we do is go and tell others about it. We are gossiping.”
Isabella Fowler
The head of the Victoria Chamber of Commerce has described the state’s roadmap to breaking out of coronavirus restrictions as a “way to nowhere”.
Speaking hours after the business plan was unveiled today, Paul Guaira criticized Andrews, saying the model did not do enough to protect the future of the business community.
“We were hoping for a road to recovery. Today we were handed the road nowhere,” he said.
“This is not serving the thousands of companies trying to keep this situation going and trying to keep their doors open.
“We cannot continue to let businesses and jobs collapse in the way of controlling the spread of the virus.”
Mr Guerra said that while there were some promises to the regional Victorian companies to revive, the slow implementation of loosening restrictions in Melbourne “was not good enough”.
He said: “The numbers of viruses required to move from one stage to another are very narrow, and it is difficult to know how many companies will be able to open up anytime soon.”
Isabella Fowler
National health authorities have expressed concern about the extension of Melbourne lockdown measures announced today.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Michael Kidd said Prime Minister Daniel Andrews’ roadmap will be evaluated tonight, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Health Secretary Greg Hunt presenting their thoughts on the timeline tomorrow.
Professor Kidd said: “I express my concern about people living in Melbourne and Victoria who today received the news that the restrictions will be longer than expected.”
“We know that a lot of people will feel anxious about their actions and a lot of people will be concerned about their mental health and well-being and the mental health of their loved ones as restrictions continue.”
He added, “We know that it is necessary to follow each case of COVID-19 every day so that we can prevent further transmission and stop the spread of COVID-19.”
Isabella Fowler
New South Wales Prime Minister Gladys Prejiklian has published the news of her first visit with her parents since the start of the pandemic.
The Prime Minister uploaded a picture of the intimate meeting to Facebook today.
Commented on a picture of the three of them moving away from each other, “The first time I brought my father to my place during COVID.”
Happy Father’s Day to all fathers in NSW!
Isabella Fowler
As criticism of the Prime Minister continues on social media, with many Melbourne residents expressing mourning over the extended lockdown, Lisa Wilkinson questioned Mr. Andrews about the state government’s plan to protect mental health among frustrated Australians.
“How do you decide the balance between the health risks of COVID and the mental health risks, especially with the day being extended by another two weeks? Is there no real risk of the mental health cost of COVID leaving a much deeper scar for generations to come?” Asked Wilkinson.
Andrews said the government was working to “double and double” its efforts to provide greater support.
“There is more to do there, there is no doubt about that,” he said, adding that he was aware that many were experiencing mental health issues for the first time due to the lockdown and stress from the pandemic.
“That’s why we’re watching this situation closely, and listening to those mental health professionals. We have a lot of partnerships and are very happy to work with so many different people, whether it’s Pat McGorry and Origin Youth Mental Health, the federal government, the doctors.
He assured the committee that “the government is aware of the issue,” but added that it was “very difficult.”
A Royal Commission on Mental Health reports early next year.
“We have acknowledged that there are challenges in this system, and many of them have been revealed in recent weeks and months,” he said.
Isabella Fowler
Andrews reiterated that today’s exit strategy has been put in place to ensure Victoria stays that way once Victoria exits lockdown.
“We pretend it is over and it is not,” he said. “He will return and return with revenge.” Sunday project.
“(If we do), 2021 will not be a normal year for Coronavirus. It will be a year in which the lockdown and lockdown will take place, and we have to find the new normal and lock it down for several months.”
Isabella Fowler
Prime Minister Dan Andrews issued an explicit response to questions surrounding a joint statement from Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Treasury Secretary Josh Friedenberg, and Health Secretary Greg Hunt.
The statement described the roadmap as “overwhelming news” and warned that the plan would lead to job losses.
In response to the strongly worded statement, Andrews said, “Well, you need to talk to the prime minister about the words he chooses in the media releases.”
He continued, “I spoke to him this morning before I made these statements. Our partnership is very important, and there is no time for politics in this regard.”
He then added succinctly: “Prime ministers and prime ministers should focus on the job that they are doing and this does not attempt to explain the media releases.”
Isabella Fowler
“There is a very big difference between the experience of New South Wales and Victoria with this virus,” the Prime Minister said after a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office praising the state of New South Wales for tracing contact with it.
“There is a lot of societal mobility here, so our tolerance should be much less.
“Those mysterious cases in which someone got the best of the work we do, we are still unable to figure out how they got it, who got it – meaning that every mysterious case there is at least one other, the person who got it from him, Therefore, our tolerance should be different, and our circumstances are different. Our second wave is completely different from the experience in many other countries. “
While the decision on restrictions and closings is up to the states, the statement released today by the Prime Minister’s Office appears to praise New South Wales’s Prime Minister Gladys Prejiklian’s treatment of the outbreak, in a way that allows businesses and everyday life to continue as a “way forward.”
“As suggested by Professor Tony Blackley, one of the pioneering designers of the Victorian era, it is crucial to enhance contact tracing in Victoria to the highest levels possible,” she said.
“In NSW, this has enabled the Berejiklian government to respond to multiple disease outbreaks while allowing businesses and individuals to go about their daily lives in the CovidSafe manner.
“This is the way forward. Restrictions are not alternatives to strengthening health systems to deal with the virus, especially when community outbreaks are brought under control.”
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