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JANUARY 12, 2021 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
A year to never forget YEAR IN REVIEW ... STORY OF THE YEAR 2020 was a year like no other. It’s the year that “staying apart, kept us together”, that words such as ‘rona’, ‘iso’ and ‘lockdown’ found their way into everyday language, strangers fought over toilet paper in supermarket aisles and we were shut off not only from the world, but our families, our friends, our neighbours. The coronavirus pandemic dominated headlines as it swept across the world, both dividing and uniting us. It has brought with it undeniable hardship and heartbreak, social and economical ramifications that will be felt for years to come. But it has also highlighted our fighting spirit, our compassion and an inspiring ability to adapt. Australia’s first confirmed case of coronavirus was identified in Victoria on January 25, 2020. At it’s peak, Victoria had 7000 active cases. We look back on how COVID-19 unfolded across the northern and western suburbs. On March 10 Northern Health had contingency plans in place to ensure it could continue to provide “safe care” to the community in the event of a local coronavirus outbreak. Northern Health chief medical officer, Dr John Ferguson confirmed there had been no cases of COVID-19 identified at the health service, which operates the Northern and Broadmeadows hospitals and the Bundoora and Craigieburn centres. “Northern Health … is closely monitoring the situation and providing regular updates for staff and the community,” he said. By March 24, schools closed and all pubs, clubs, casinos, cinemas, gyms and places of worship shut as the state battled the pandemic. The state government announced that essential services would continue to operate, including banks, supermarkets and chemists. Council-run events, libraries, community houses and theatre shows were suspended across Whittlesea and Hume. A fever clinic to screen for potential COVID-19 cases opened at Northern Hospital. On April 7, hundreds of Hume council
A COVID-19 testing clinic. (Damjan Janevski) 210340_01
employees were stood down as the pandemic continued to impact council services. Council chief executive Domenic Isola confirmed to Star Weekly that 300 casual staff were temporarily stood down. Mr Isola said it was a “difficult decision”, which was the result of state and federal government restrictions. “The coronavirus is having a devastating impact on our community, and Hume City Council as an organisation is not immune,” he said. Also in April, Whittlesea council announced that residents could apply for payment plans, and in serious cases, defer their rates payments under the council’s COVID-19 Financial Hardship Policy. The council also tripled the number of business mentoring sessions on offer to help local businesses navigate the pandemic, and provided $50,000 to Whittlesea
Community Connections to support its work. Council administrator Lydia Wilson said the plan was the first stage of support for residents and businesses. In June, after more than two months of closures forced by the pandemic, some libraries, leisure centres and community centres reopened to the public and dining-in was back on the menu. The joy was short-lived. On June 16 parts of the northern and western suburbs were labeled as hot spots for ‘low level’ community transmission of COVID-19. The number of cases in parts of Hume continued to worry health officials throughout July. The state’s chief health officer Brett Sutton warned of an “uptick” in cases despite the suburbs being under lockdown for two weeks. Hume led the state’s coronavirus count,
recording 398 cases. On July 28 as the state battled a second wave, three residents at Arcare Aged Care in Craigieburn died and two others were hospitalised with a coronavirus outbreak spreading to 45 people. On August 25 an outbreak at Epping Gardens aged care had grown to 210 cases as families launched a class action against the home. Premier Daniel Andrews announced at least another two weeks of lockdown from September 13 as part of a “steady and safe” plan toward “COVID normal”. Meanwhile, Whittlesea council announced an additional $800,000 in pandemic relief measures. In September, metropolitan Melbourne prepared to take its first step on the state’s reopening roadmap.
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