But, people will die! And those you Sir, would willingly bury in mass graves? Don't particularly want to die prematurely!

I get that you don't give a shite for that demographic!? It's more important to you that you get out and walk the dog? And have face to face conversations with the lady on the tram or train or on the beach?

As someone who was crippled in an industrial accident over 35 years ago. I have been isolated for 20 of those years! And therefore have no sympathy for your position.

For you, Sir and others who share your view? I say, suck it up princess there are worse things than being stuck at home bitching about how tough you, Sir, are doing it!?

If you need to have a go at someone for this outcome? Have a go at Morrison and the coalition. Who have stubbornly resisted rolling out, island quarantine! Properly managed island quarantine would have kept this pandemic out of mainland Australia and would have meant, we would not need to shut down or destroy some livelihoods!

It has been said the cost of each covid infection has cost the taxpayer 25 million per covid!

That's wrong. 25 million per case is the cost of the most rank incompetence and complacency at the helm!

As for a bill of rights? I agree is way overdue, but like island quarantine, stubbornly resisted by the, so-called ruling class! Who would die in a ditch before allowing it to pass into law!
Alan B.

Well here's an ugly truth you need to wake up to.
Victorians are still in lockdown, because Victorians are still spreading covid.
Do you get that, moron?

"This is why Dan Andrews is now conditioning Victorians to living with Covid – he has no political choice."

No, he had no choice because you horrible Victorians wouldn't listen and keep spreading it.

I bet if Scomo came out tomorrow and said "Well, looks like we've got no choice, we're going to have to cleanse Victoria by fire", and ordered the RAAF Super Hornets loaded with napalm to start dropping on you lot, you'd quickly learn he's not messing around and obey the restrictions and stop spreading it.

I wonder how many lives would be saved then?

You want the 'Let's infect everyone' model.
Are you trying to deliberately murder my parents?
- Well I don't care what you want, just keep your filthy delta out of my state.

And stop complaining about a situation you created for yourselves.
Do something about it, or shut up.

Alan B and Armchair, give me a break! You two want me to hide under my bed and do as some two bob fascists want? We are fast approaching many thousands of protesters on the streets of Melbourne, more than Vicpol can handle. I have seen Vicpol ten handed all with guns, batons and tear gas but nary a brain or any guts between them. Last big demo against vaccs and they shepherded the protest without trying to stop it. They them ambushed the stragglers going home, typical! no brains, no guts.
You two can slide under your respective beds, sucking your thumbs and cry yourselves to sleep!
Covid will make monkeys of all our politicians and go through the population and a few old people will die, sad but there you are. Stop saying we deserve this nonsense or that we agree with it, I don't!

Well I didn't vote Dan or Gladys in, you lot did.
And I didn't spread Covid around, you lot did.

I just want the people of NSW and Victoria to stop spreading Covid.
It's really simple, but you lot don't care anymore.

You're going to destroy the entire country, including my state, friends, family, and somehow you want my sympathy?

You lot selfishly put your own interests first and didn't obey restrictions or care how it might affect others that got us to this point, now both southern leaders throw their hands in the air, and decide 'Let's all just live with Covid now instead'
Even ScoMo as well.

If that's the position then what was the point of ANY OF US TRYING TO DO THE RIGHT THING?
All the people who did the wrong thing, are spitting in the faces of those who did the right thing, and are now saying 'enjoy'.

Do you really expect me to put your best interests ahead of my own and the other people I care about?

Do you want me to say "I'm sorry for being selfish JBowyer, I don't mind if my friends and family and entire state is turned into a pile of crap like yours, go ahead do whatever you like just as long as your happy?"

When delta does get into my state, you can bet you southerners will be universally hated for the next decade.

Be angry at Scomo, be angry at Dan or Gladys, be angry at your fellow state citizens, but don't be angry at me, I'm entitled to have an opinion, and you southern lot wishing to export your hellhole deserves every bit of criticism.

When it comes to covid, sharing is definitely not caring.

And don't be thinking of packing the car to move up here the first chance you get, we don't want you that's why we lock you out.
You lot made your bed now sleep in it.

Hi Mirko, Great opening up of the issue. I would also add that, due to the overall effects of climate change we need to get used to having ICU's overwhelmed and people, mostly older but even children, dying. We need to develop both a compassion and a resilience for this as a society. The current approach that has people angry with each other will only worsen the nos of deaths going forward. The challenge I put to all people, are you putting in the effort to being able to work with everyone else when the time comes to solving the disruption to your community? Or will you just continue to harp from the sidelines at other people until the stress of your negligence leads to violence and retributions? BTW California (40million people) opened up when its vaccination rate was 23% and it had enough vaccine for everyone and they had enough hospital beds for predicted illness rates. The vaccination rate is now 67% and rising. Given agency back to people works.

I think it is certain that the delta COVID variant will get into all States of Australia, sooner rather than later. I am not wanting that, but I think given the way delta spreads it will eventually breach all borders. Then QLD and WA in particular will have to bring in local restrictions, and they may have to open their borders. On the upside, this would give a huge boost to their local tourism businesses which depend heavily on Victorians and NSWegians.

I agree with most of the main article, and I think the majority of Melburnians would also. Premier Andrews might get a shock at the 2022 State election given the amount of pent-up anger amongst his generally obedient flock.

We are obviously going to have to open our state boarders sometime, although right now, with big spikes in southeastern states, may not be quite the time.

Regardless, modern city populations can not survive with out vast quantities of food & materials traveling around the country. We have already seen just a few truck drivers have brought infection with them. It is not their fault, they are currently tested every 3 or 4 days, [can't remember which], but as we refuse to use the instant result test at the border, we are going to get it from transport sooner or later.

It would be nice if we were allowed to use Ivermectin as a treatment or prophylactic, it would make a lot of us feel better, even if it did nothing.

Anyhow the protesters have won, the "leaders" have gone to water remarkably quickly, so with the southern states opening up despite their huge spike, we are about to actually learn how much real use these vaccines are if any. It will be interesting what the next move will be if they prove no better here than in Israel.

Worse still Morrison is waffling on about international boarders. Open them, & infections will be in the tens of thousands, not just a thousand or so a day.

Time to put your affairs in order as they say.

Politicians and all their bluster and nonsense are now seeing cases rise in Victoria. They now threaten construction workers rather than accept the blame for their own hubris and stupidity. They are picking a fight with the wrong people, the Unions will soon yank Danny Dim Sim's chain.
Let covid roll on and no one will get it twice so the more that get it the less it can affect us.
You scaredy cats can stay under your beds and I can live with just another virus. I might die but and you can have a laugh at my expense. I would rather be dead than living in this absolute ship show that is Victoria.

Probably not quite right JBowyer.

As we have seen for years, we need a new vaccine every year for the flu every year. Even if you have had it a few times, your natural immunity is no use against the latest mutation of the virus. Covid 19 is probably similar.

I think the information is saying that Corona mutates every 4-5 months at least double the rate of the flu. There are a few variables to consider- Speed of transmission, mutation rate, effectiveness of treatment, mortality rate, etc. There have been several strains mostly from offshore- Alpha, Beta, Delta, Lambda, Mu since Feb 2020. Lambda hit Australia's shores in July 2021. This seems to suggest that Australia's national quarantine is lacking. The new strains seem to develop in places such as South America and India where there are large dense populations with poor health systems. I'm not sure what Sweden's national border policies are- but apparently they have not engaged in internal lock downs.

I can't see us ever coming out of rolling lockdowns without a different approach- there will always be new mutations- unless we can bring transmission rate down- from what I understand this hasn't been affected significantly by vaccinations.

I think those in power don't know what to do- as John Galt says- get out of the way.

Hasbeen I checked with my seven siblings all of us lived through the 1957 and 1968 flu pandemics. I found one Brother, my Sister and my Mother all contracted the flu. My brother in his Army camp in 1957 and My Mother (Who subsequently died a year after)and Sister in 1968. Nothing scientific in this but I read when the great flu of 1919 hit people who caught flu the year before never got it either.
Nothing on this from all our grossly overpaid specialist medico's on this though, almost like they did not want to tell us what is known? Interesting that they seem to revel in shut downs and the destruction of business whilst on full pay.
The fear level now is beyond stupid. Last year I remember three deaths being of people over 100 years old in aged care, I mean really, calm down, we are all going to die eventually except that greedy baldy la la Bezos lol.

There are a lot of scared people- fanned by the institutions- this is a recipe for some interesting public executions. It'll be a spectacle of self conflagration. I prefer to tie myself to the mast and weather the storm. Fight through the ambush. Like our proud ancestors. Facing our fears

It's interesting that Israel is getting infections despite high vax rates- from memory Israel also has a high guest worker population from Gaza- maybe this needs to be reconsidered.