by Elodie Jakes

Domicron:

A BRIEF HISTORY OF GOVERNMENT BACKFLIPS. Written by Elodie Jakes

If there’s one thing an Aussie politician loves doing in this pandemic, it’s a backflip. A backflip can be defined as a sudden change of policy, usually made after assuring the public that this policy was the right one. Written below is a small chronology of all the policy changes the state of NSW has had to endure and decode in the past two months, looking specifically at the confusing variability of isolation periods, mask mandates and RAT tests.

1. ISOLATION PERIODS: SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 14 DAYS AND A LUNCH BREAK

17th of December 2021

As Omicron first starts to rise, the NSW government announces that confirmed cases must isolate for 14 days, after which the patient would still need to be "cleared by a medical practitioner or registered nurse" before they could leave.

This is the first policy given to NSW in response to the Omicron outbreak and, on the whole, it is pretty good. Fourteen days is the timeframe we've been given throughout the whole pandemic. It is medically approved and appears to put safety first.

A slightly strange addition to the fourteen days isolation is the need for “assessment and clearance” by a medical practitioner, most likely a local GP. On the outside this decision seems sound, aligning with standard health advice. However, the policy is implemented with no prior warning or consultation with the medical industry. A letter signed by NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant was quickly sent to GP’s, stating “we now face a significant challenge with rapidly increasing COVID-19 case numbers related to circulation of the Omicron variant”. Chant went on to comment on the suddenness of this policy, questioning the pressure it would put on the already strained health industry.

“We were told the week before Christmas, when already many staff are already on leave, with no planning and no protocols in place,” she says.

Instead of instating a clear, state-wide policy, NSW Premier Dominic Perrotett insisted on giving already struggling GPs the personal responsibility of monitoring a pandemic. Despite backlash from the medical industry, NSW Health insisted on going ahead with this protocol.

24th of December 2021

As case numbers begin to climb, the isolation period suddenly changes from 14 to 10 days.

Although the shorter isolation period is informed by updating health advice, many Australians feel blindsided by the sudden change in time frame. On top of this, Perrotett and Minister for Health Brad Hazzard completely backflip on the

need for "medical clearance for de-isolation" and instead allow patients to leave isolation as soon as they hit day 10. With all the twists and turns, many Australians begin to wonder to what extent the "official health advice" was being influenced by political or economic pressures. Many question whether the government's desire for people to not spend too much time off work could see medical experts pushed into recommending iso periods that prioritised economic productivity over health and safety.

30th of December 2021

The official isolation period is shortened again to just seven days.

This change seems to mark a shift in the way politicians are treating Omicron - it is not only a health crisis but a tremendous burden to the workforce. During the press conference where the change is announced, Scott Morrison states that "we need rules for the Omicron variant so we can keep our economy working, we can keep people in jobs, we can keep Australia open". The backflips in health policies continue to leave Australians confused and uncertain. The fact that isolation periods went from 14 to 7 days in just over two weeks is due, in part, to updating health advice. However, the constant readjustment of rules also seems symptomatic of a government that consistently waits until an issue becomes completely out of control before deciding to tackle it.

An interesting inclusion in the new seven day quarantine is that the patient must also produce a negative RAT on their sixth day of isolation before leaving.

The new rule is inherently flawed. Australia is experiencing a RAT shortage, making them extremely hard to come by and extremely overpriced. Making them a requirement for leaving iso is downright inequitable. Despite these flaws, the RAT rule did seem more in line with the advice from medical experts; the point of isolation, after all, is to ensure that positive cases are not in the community while infectious.

31st of December 2021

The day after Scott Morrision announces that a negative RAT would be required for leaving isolation, he backtracks, announcing that a positive case can now leave on day seven no matter what. This is probably the quickest backflip we've seen from the Prime Minister. With the two announcements occurring within twenty-four hours of each other, this backflip encompasses incredible efficiency and "Cirque-du-de-Soleil" level technique. While Morrison is praised for the equitability of taking away this requirement, many Aussies are left wishing the federal Government could make informed, measured policy decisions that do not have to be changed week-to-week or even day-to-day.

20th of January 2022

There have been talks in the Federal Government about shortening the isolation period to only five days.

The decision is still up in the air, but what is clear is that it is completely against health advice. Recent studies show that “30% of cases are still infectious on day five.” With such high numbers already, this could be devastating to the Australian population. The constant shortening of isolation periods seems dangerous and unfounded.

At this rate, the next announcement from NSW Health will state that the new official isolation period will entail just a smoke break and a panadol.

2. "MASK ON, FUCK IT MASK OFF,” (JOKES, PLEASE PUT YOUR MASKS BACK ON)

December 15th 2021 19th of December 2021

Due to the Delta outbreak, Australians have been mandated to wear masks in all indoor venues since the middle of 2021. This changes in December, as newly inducted NSW Premier Dominic Perrotett announces that "masks are now only required on public transport, planes and airports, and for unvaccinated front-of-house hospitality staff".

Despite the decline in Delta, the new Omicron variant means that, in the week of this announcement, COVID cases reach a ten-week-high. The day the mask mandate is lifted sees 804 new cases alone.

Sydney-based GP and epidemiologist Susie Yullie says, "in my opinion, this decision was not really in line with health advice".

If Omicron is already known as highly transmissible and exponentially rising, why does Perrotett insist on no longer mandating masks, one of the easiest ways to lower transmission? It certainly isn’t for the economy, because Aussies were already going to pubs and shops while masks were still required. This decision, more than any other throughout, seems purely based-off ego. Against health advice, Perrotett wants to go through on his promise to lift mask mandates, probably in the hope that it would win over the people of NSW as their new Premier.

In what has since become an absolute classic, Australians are given two completely contrasting messages about masks within the same announcement. In the same press conference, where Perrotett tells Aussies to take off their masks, Chief Health Minister Kerry Chant "strongly recommends that people continue to wear their mask in high-risk settings.” Even Scott Morrison says that “mask-wearing in indoor spaces is of course highly recommended” and “whether it’s mandatory or not, that’s what we should be doing”. But if it's what we should be doing, then why not mandate it? This announcement was meant to provide a moment of clarity for the people of NSW. Instead it leaves many feeling more confused and unsafe than ever before. A few days after lifting the mask mandate, NSW hits an incredible 2,500 new COVID cases. Instead of reassessing his prior decision, Perrotett doubles down on not enforcing masks.

When questioned on the potential dangers of lifting the mask mandate, Perrotett says, "it is the time for personal responsibility for our state. We are treating the people of our state like adults". Instead of providing the state with clear rules to follow, the Premier leaves it up to individuals to decide whether they should wear masks.

“This is all about taking personal responsibility. And the people of NSW are doing just that. The government can’t do everything. It’s over to the people of our state,” he says.

24th of December 2021

Just before Christmas, Perrotett joins ScoMo's Olympian-quality backflip by completely reinstating the mask mandate he brushed aside just a few days ago.

In another display of too-little-too-late, Perrotett concedes that he brought back the mask mandate due to testing centres being completely overwhelmed:

"I do know there has been a fair bit of frustration out there. Many people are waiting hours in queues, particularly as we come into Christmas,” the Premier says, "and we’re doing everything we can to alleviate that pressure".

This recent announcement also sees Perrotett backtrack on his "personal responsibility" mantra. But it is too late to take it back now. Even within that one week where masks weren't mandated, Omicron has grown completely out of control. This crucial mistake made against health advice launched Australia and it's struggling health sector into a crisis.

3. THE RAT RACE

September 2021

In a meeting with the Federal Government, Vice President of the Australian Medical Association Chris Moy insists that a national rollout strategy for free RATs is essential to managing future outbreaks.

“I asked the question of them because I knew what was happening in other countries,” said Moy, months later.

“We needed to get a lot of them [RATs], and we needed a really clear strategy to transition, it was so bloody obvious”.

27th of December 2021

As Omicron cases surge, there is great uncertainty about the availability of RATs. This anxiety is seemingly eased by NSW Health announcing that “The NSW Government will procure Rapid-Antigen Test kits and make them available for free to people across the State, to give additional options to people and allow those who need to get a PCR test to do so”. This announcement gives Australians peace of mind that testing would be highly available and fully subsidised.

30th of December 2021

Following a national cabinet meeting, ScoMo completely backflips on his earlier promise to make RATs free for everyone. Instead of providing the tests, Australians will now have to pay for this new essential item entirely out of pocket. Mr Morrison justifies this by claiming that "this is what the private market is for". In a time where many Australians are crying for help, the Prime Minister seems to turn his back on them:

"We're now at a stage of the pandemic where you can't just make everything free, because when someone tells you they want to make something free, someone's always going to pay for it , and it’s going to be you.”

The Prime Minister claims that this decision was made due to "concerns" from suppliers that making rapid tests free would be unsustainable. Mr Morrison assures us that not subsidising the tests was necessary under "advice from private industry". Dean Whiting, the chief executive of Australia’s largest RAT supplier, states that “it doesn’t matter to us whether they’re free, subsidised or some other thing”. Whiting has actually advocated for making rapidantigen tests free to improve accessibility,

"In a sense, I don’t think we really care if they are free or not in terms of supply of the tests, as long as there is a clear position from governments on the role of the tests. The industry doesn’t have a position because we sell to the government for market price.” he says.

So if there weren't actually "concerns" from the private market about making RATs free, then who is Scott Morrison doing it for?

15th of December 2022

Australia faces a national RAT shortage. Despite being warned of this crisis as early as September, ScoMo failed to act at an appropriate time. In the months before the national shortage, the Prime Minister was hesitant to make deals with Australian suppliers. In this time, the US Government swooped in to make an 8.5 million test contract with Queensland-based RAT manufacturer, Elume. The contract means Elume can't provide tests to Australians until mid-2022, and is part of the reason why anyone in America right now can get a rapid test completely for free(!). So while Aussies scramble around different sold-out chemists trying to purchase an insanely priced and highly limited test, Americans get to enjoy the wide availability of RATs made in our own backyard. By not working with Australian suppliers, it seems like ScoMo has botched the RAT race in almost exactly the same way he botched the vaccine rollout; a strange pattern of acting on things only after they become a national crisis.

In a pure sense, Australians are just confused. We get told one thing by health experts and an opposite thing by our politicians, sometimes in the same press conference. The constant backflips and twists of policy have left many Aussies feeling unsure and unsafe. We want to trust our representatives, but it’s hard when we’re busy watching them extinguish fires they helped start.