Why regional Victorians can’t invite their mates home, but can go to the pub
Those living in regional Victoria have been left feeling confused after Premier Dan Andrews announced that pubs will remain open, yet gatherings at homes are banned.
Mr Andrews said this decision was guided by data.
As of 11.59pm on Monday 3 August, the residents of six Victorian regional councils will no longer be permitted to have guests in their homes.
These six areas include Colac-Otway Shire, Greater Geelong, the Surf Coast, Moorabool, Golden Plains, and the Borough of Queenscliffe council areas.
However, even though residents are not allowed to have visitors in their homes, they are permitted to go to the local pub for a meal.
Mr Andrews said data suggests the second biggest source of community transmission was happening inside people’s homes.
“We have seen a number of cases where families are giving it to each other — visitors in your home,” he said.
The numbers occurring in workplaces are still higher than those from people’s homes, but home transmission was still a concern for contact tracers.
The Premier stated the government would be “solely focused on large, high risk workplaces” if there weren’t many cases of in-home transmission.
“When the advice comes in and says there is community transmission down in that corridor, there are household chains of transmission as well … this is exactly the right step to take. Again I go back to the counterintuitive point of the pub and your mate’s place, and when you think about it, and this is what the public health team have done, thought deeply and looked at the data in really fine, fine detail, they are controlled environments,” Andrews said.
“Having friends over to your house is not a controlled environment. It is not a criticism, it is just one of those facts of life I think that people let their guard down a bit and we finish up with people infecting others.”
Mr Andrew is looking overseas to places like Oregon for a model to copy in Victoria.
“If you are seated you do not need to have a mask on,” he said. “But if you are not seated, then you have your mask on,” claiming that this method has worked in other areas.
Wearing face masks is now mandatory across all of regional Victoria.
Irit Jackson, 3rd August 2020
