BORDER BACKLASH: 9News reporter JerrieDemasi writes about why the state's border changes have so many Australians reeling. READ THE PIECE: 9News
Yet this is where I find myself after taking to Twitter to express my heartbreak at the prospect of missing my sister's wedding due to the McGowan Government's border opening backflip.Here are some of my favourite responses:"I'd rather miss a wedding than die."
The February 5 re-opening date was never about "letting it rip". It was dubbed the "Safe Transition Plan" because public health measures were to be re-introduced. So it was stunning to hear Mark McGowan — after spending weeks assuring the public that these health measures work — try to convince us of the opposite on Thursday.
The Premier said "the east" is clocking 5000 hospitalisations every day. Incorrect. I believe he was referring to a total of 5000 people in hospital. Perhaps South Australia is a better comparison. Health measures like mask wearing, social distancing and vaccinations have been in place since the border opened, and the state is recording between 3000-4000 cases per day with 298 people currently in hospital, 33 in ICU and 64 total deaths.Selling it that way corrodes trust in whatever opening plan lies in our future.
The government has had two years to fix this. It is clear to me now, that even when the February 5 date was set, our hospitals were never going to be ready.