We need leaders to show responsibility

On 17 January 2022, over 1.8 million Australians have infected Covid-19 and 718,052 are still active with 5044 hospitalized and 2699 deaths. More than that, close contacts of the infected are also isolated for 7 days and as a result, more than 1 million Australians are in isolation at home.

Small business owners especially those from the hospitality industries complained that even though the government had not imposed a lockdown, a self-imposed lockdown by workers and customers practically means that more and more hospitality businesses will be closing in the coming weeks. Lots of unused food be disposed of because restaurants were forced to shut down for insufficient workers. Many complained that 1/3 to half of the employees in a restaurant may not come to work on any day. Small businesses cannot simply operate in such this way.

There is simply no way for the restaurateurs or café owners to know whether their staff can come to work on any day, nor any bookings are taken. Close to a hundred thousand people are infected every day and their families put into isolation with RAT tests not available to make sure that people can work safely have pressured small business owners to close without any hope to resume anytime.

Australia is in trouble but the government is not helping.

RATs are not available probably until February. The government is not giving out financial support to small businesses owners. The workers are a bit better that then can apply for disaster relief grants if they cannot get paid by their employers.

The only solution for the society to run smoothly is either to lockdown the society again, or for the government to immediately provide free RATs to the people and change the isolation rules to allow RAT negative people to work instead of letting millions of healthy people be kept at home.

It is time for the leaders to take up responsibility instead to make everybody be in a scared and tense mode.

Raymond Chow

Publisher, BlessingCALD