Yeah, having slept on it we’ve decided not to go. Kids are gutted, but we felt it was the right/responsible thing to do. Hopefully we’ll get to rearrange it for next year.
We in the State of Victoria pop 6.6m have been in lockdown bar a short period of time in June and July since April under a state of emergency and then a state of disaster.
The only trips outside allowed up until last Sunday was for food for medical reasons 1 hour walk and for workers chosen by the government as necessary to keep food distribution and transport of essential items operating.
We had a 5km limit of travel and police would fine you 5k and if necessary arrest you in your own home if you were found to break the rules.
All retail , hospitality closed still with a 14 day moving average of 6.4 cases in Melbourne now down from 500 some 3 months ago.
Because the Government ( a left wing socialist one ) through incompetence , lack of respect for individuality and individual freedoms the virus resulted in the deaths of 800 people to date with and or from the virus ( 680 in nursing homes prematurely dead by an average of 3.5 years ) with around 25,000 recorded active cases to date.
They failed to protect the elderly and vulnerable and had no effective contact tracing program in place yet despite this and a lack of trust in the individual and health personnel and ludicrous border closures that have no rationale to them at all we have lost over 300,000 jobs many of them that will never return even if an effective vaccine eventuated and over 70,000 small to medium sized businesses trashed a large proportion of which are gone for good.
Many never on social welfare will be on welfare for many years to come.
Compare that to Taiwan and you can see why Melbournian's on mass want democracy , rule of law , separation of powers and as we once knew it to return and that will only start if the Governor sacks the State Government which under our constitution they have the power to do.
if you live in England don't bother coming to Melbourne for business or a holiday or visit relatives or friends for the next 2 years assuming you can enter because you will need to quarantine for 14 days minimum and then walk through a ghost town.
How so much power can be invested in one pathetic excuse of a health official defies belief but its happened and Stockholm syndrome is yet to vanish amongst the majority of the population still.
Welcome to the new world of China Syndrome.