Today marks 6 months since the Prime Minister moved ahead of the World Health Organisation, and the majority of other countries, to declare the coronavirus a pandemic.
At the time, Australia thought the WHO was moving too gradually. Scott Morrison wanted to reveal he was ahead of the video game and prepared to handle this quickly spreading out virus.
On that day in late February, there were currently 22 verified COVID-19 cases in Australia, mainly individuals who had come directly from Wuhan.
As he made the pandemic declaration, Morrison announced he was also initiating the Coronavirus Emergency Situation Reaction Strategy, a 56- page document he held happily aloft and described as “really comprehensive”.
The idea was to instil confidence in an anxious community. It was still OK to go to the footy or consume at the local Chinese restaurant, the Prime Minister ensured us. The government had a strategy.
Forewarned but not forearmed on aged care
Looking back, it’s easy with the benefit of hindsight to poke holes in the document for the problems it failed to predict in this pandemic, but it definitely didn’t miss one significant area of danger: aged care. In the “high intensity” situation, the strategy alerts aged care centers would be “stretched to capability”.
It spoke specifically of the need for “surge staffing” and offered an assurance that “preparation will consider what is needed to safeguard the most susceptible members of our neighborhoods … such as the aged care sector”.
Most significantly, page 17 of the file made it clear that while the states and areas would be accountable for public health and health centers, “the Australian Government will be accountable for domestic aged care facilities”.
The federal government’s own “Emergency situation Reaction Plan” could not have been clearer about where duty lay for this susceptible sector as the pandemic arrived.
The PM has struggled to accept a share of obligation
6 months on, more than 260 senior Australians in property aged care have unfortunately lost their lives to COVID-19 There is no doubt a number of these deaths would not have happened without the prevalent community transmission in Victoria, yet the Prime Minister has actually struggled to accept even a share of the obligation.
He’s said sorry for “the days where expectations are not fulfilled”, however that’s as far as the concessions go. The ABC’s Michael Rowland put it to him straight on Wednesday that aged care “is a federal duty”. In action, Morrison would only accept that “we regulate aged care”.
On Friday, the Aged Care Minister went further. During an agonizing appearance prior to a Senate committee in which he couldn’t remember the number of COVID deaths in aged care, nor the number of active cases, Richard Colbeck eventually conceded that “in some situations we haven’t got it ideal and we apologise for that”.
And that brings us to state borders
As Colbeck gave his proof on Friday, federal and state leaders were grappling with a problem the “Emergency Reaction Strategy” absolutely didn’t anticipate 6 months earlier: state border closures.
The actions of some Premiers and Chief Ministers to entirely wall-off their jurisdictions has annoyed the federal government and company community from the get go. Households separated by distance have actually likewise felt the discomfort.
Nonetheless, the border closures have actually been hugely popular and the Prime Minister has long considering that pulled back from any battle to require a re-opening.
The limits to his authority on this have been well and really exposed. Morrison has, nevertheless, maintained pressure for a minimum of some transparency around these state choices and on Friday he scored a win.
The leaders agreed their combined panel of top medicos, the AHPPC, will decide when to state a particular region has actually become a coronavirus “hot spot”. This need to in theory mean independent experts and now making these contentious choices and may at least put some pressure on the Premiers to justify any decisions to deny entry to those from a “COVID-free” area.
There have actually been some heart-breaking cases over the previous week of parents being not able to cross a border to access cancer treatment for a young kid, or others unable to see a dying loved one. Farmers in locations without any coronavirus, have actually been unable to move stock, feed and equipment. The Premiers needed to give some ground.
Six months into this pandemic, some of the essentials on border crossings and aged care readiness are still being exercised.
Offered we may be dealing with this virus for a minimum of another six months prior to a vaccine hopefully comes along, it’s much better late than never ever.
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