Tuesday, 17 March 2020

COVID-19

Mr RICHARDSON (Mordialloc) (14:01): The outbreak of coronavirus COVID-19 sees us in unprecedented times, requiring extraordinary actions by governments and our communities to keep us safe. In dealing with COVID-19 we need to do everything we can to reduce the rate of infection and the expansion of this deadly disease. We need to act on the best advice of chief health officers here in Victoria and indeed nationally and all work together to protect our communities. As we have seen across the world, this matters in saving lives.

However, we also need to pause for a moment and reflect on how we can support each other as a community and those that are most vulnerable and less fortunate. From checking in on our elderly neighbours to taking what is necessary from the shops—not panic buying, which we have witnessed across communities. Following from the love, support and compassion that we saw in dealing with the bushfire crisis across Victoria, we need that beautiful Victorian community spirit again. We are on this journey together. Let us pitch in together, following the advice of medical experts, including what staple foods we need and non-perishable items we need to have to hand, and the practices of social distancing and the range of measures that might be announced in times to come.

Across the Mordialloc electorate and my electorate office we will keep operating, even if it is going online for a period of time. And we are always here to support one another, our beautiful community, even if it is just for a chat and some advice at these difficult times, because as Victorians, and indeed as Australians, we are stronger when we work together and we will always pitch in together to get through times of crisis and in times of need.