We need to accept we are in for the long haul here.
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The hopes and dreams that this lockdown, of which Wollongong and Shellharbour are a part, might be a short one disappeared last week.
Now with daily cases cracking the 100 mark, even though a large portion of those are family or close contacts, it also brings the realisation that this lockdown will be with us for some time yet.
With a significant portion of those cases being infectious in the community it can only increase concerns about the further spread of the highly contagious Delta strain of the virus through the NSW community.
The time for complaining about whether Shellharbour and Wollongong should be a part of this Greater Sydney lockdown has well and truly past.
If anything the alert at the Fairy Meadow McDonald's should be further proof of why NSW Health wants our regions to be a part of the lockdown.
Last week the Premier and Chief Health Officer said regions such as Wollongong and Shellharbour, as well as the Blue Mountains and Central Coast, were a part of this because of their proximity to Sydney and density of population.
That makes sense. The last thing we want in our region, our community, is for this strain of the virus to take a hold.
However, equally, the Premier should be able to give us a stronger understanding of how long NSW Health believes we will be in this predicament.
When pressed on the issue of the likely length of the lockdown in Monday's update, the Premier just warned us, again, not to listen to armchair experts and that she would be guided by NSW Health.
Premier, when we have nothing but the predictions of "armchair experts", that opinion fills a void. How about giving the businesses and people of NSW some understanding of exactly what we may be faced with?
Just an idea of the possible timeframes. Something they can work to at the very least. We all get this is going to be a much longer haul than we were first faced with but help us understand how long it may be.
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Julian O'Brien
Editor of the Illawarra Mercury and former editor of The Advocate (North-West Tasmania). Journalism is simply about telling good stories well and we do so now across a broader platform than ever before. Our role as a regional masthead is to not only share the stories our readers care about but to be a passionate torch bearers for community at every opportunity. We are stronger together.
Editor of the Illawarra Mercury and former editor of The Advocate (North-West Tasmania). Journalism is simply about telling good stories well and we do so now across a broader platform than ever before. Our role as a regional masthead is to not only share the stories our readers care about but to be a passionate torch bearers for community at every opportunity. We are stronger together.
