Thread by @DrEricLevi

Back in July, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia had over 700 positive cases a day.

In the last 16 consecutive days we have had zero cases. The job is not done but we’re looking at a COVID normal summer and Christmas.

How did this state of 6.5million people do it? 1/

The choice wasn’t economy vs health. Health is the economy. The economy is health. Without health, there is no economy.

Our experience (along with New Zealand, Vietnam, Thailand, Hong Kong, Cuba, Korea, Japan etc) shows that it can be done. 2/

Our interventions were in multiple levels. Not one single intervention that was definitive. Public health is a package.

Draconian is an emotive and misused term. A choice to act for the goodwill of the community is not draconian. It is life-saving and future-proofing. 3/

It’s not all of Australia. The outbreak occurred in metropolitan Melbourne.

It’s not the weather (it was winter when the outbreak happened in July-September, around 10 degrees Celsius, dark & wet).

It’s not lack of density. (It’s a metropolitan city, apartments etc) 4/

We entered into various stages of lockdown over months and we emerged in a staged fashion.

Our Premier @DanielAndrewsMP stood up every single morning for 120 days straight to face the media, flanked by @VictorianCHO or other key staff members. 5/

At its peak, we did these:

Universal Masks
Work and study from home
Schools open for vulnerable situations
Essential services open
5km bubble
8pm to 5am curfew
1hr outside home for exercise, supplies, medical care & essentials. 6/

These were enforceable. Fines for those who broke the rules.

But also, financial support available for those quarantined for tests or who tested positive. JobSeeker & JobKeeper support.

Were there opposition? Absolutely. Protests happened. Letters written. Etc. 7/

But the vast majority actually supported the lockdown. Polls showed that people agreed to the harsh restrictions. Strong community solidarity. Strong leadership.

Many mistakes committed: quarantine breaches, aged care homes, health care worker infection, etc 8/

In the midst of the lockdown, lots of creative solutions born out of human resiliece:

Online learning. Online cooking & gym classes. Deliveries. Online support networks. Telehealth. Online concerts. Libraries calling up their members and sending books. Cafes giving out food. 9/

Hospitals reduced their activities to build capacity. Ventilation systems reviewed. Teams reshuffled.

PPE. Well let’s just say that PPE was a big topic that caused a huge upset. 4000 infected health care workers. We learned a lot. 10/

Were there oppositions? Absolutely.
Were there disagreements? Of course.

Some thought protocols were delayed. Others thought the lockdowns was harsh.

It was not the perfect response. But today we’re open. Economy is reborn. Melbourne again. Community spirits is high. 11/

It was harsh, but I learned a lot about human resilience in the face of crisis. I learned about crisis leadership. I learned about community values.

I also learned that it could be done. When one listens to science, the results will speak for itself. Fin/