Our first sip of freedom

TASMANIAN businesses received a muchneeded boost yesterday when they learned the next set of COVID-19 restrictions would be eased early, ahead of the long weekend.

During the summer holidays, as we all went about our daily lives, long days at the shack, Sunday afternoons at wineries or beer gardens, Saturday afternoon pamper sessions or camping with the family in Tasmania’s national parks — it would have been impossible to fathom how our lives would change when coronavirus hit.

As the borders closed, gatherings were limited and businesses were put into hibernation; our freedoms were stripped away in what felt like the blink of an eye.

To their credit, our leaders took a no-nonsense approach. They were steadfast in making decisions, quick to open the purse strings to protect our people from hardship, and even opposition parties are to be credited for, in the main, parking their politics and allowing the tough calls to be made.

Sadly, 13 Tasmanians still lost their lives. We have the worst mortality rate in the country due to our vulnerable population, and the outcomes could have been much worse.

To our credit, we listened to our leaders and took our role in protecting our fellow Tasmanians and stopping the spread very seriously.

WE’VE GONE THROUGH A LOT TO GET TO THIS POINT AND IT’S A MOMENT IN TIME WE DESERVE TO ENJOY

We homeschooled our kids, shuttered our businesses or adapted the way we got the job done; we looked out for our neighbours and we lit up the night to show our support for frontline workers.

We allowed our personal liberties to be eroded because we chose to put the collective good above our own freedoms. Recent polling shows that 45 per cent of Tasmanians surveyed had downloaded the COVIDSafe app to allow contact tracing to occur should there be an outbreak.

As of yesterday, we had enjoyed 17 consecutive days without a new case of coronavirus detected. Only four Tasmanian cases were still active — two of which were in hospital. The government had conducted 31,671 tests in the state.

We smashed the curve and, as a result, people started to see their lives return to normal.

Stage one of the recovery period saw children return to play parks, libraries reopened and some signs of life return to football fields and local eateries.

From 3pm on Friday, there will be a further easing of measures as pubs, restaurants, gyms, campgrounds and accommodation providers are allowed to open again. There are still restrictions over the number of people that can gather, which will no doubt cause headaches for some businesses, but it’s a muchneeded step in the right direction.

This is a big step for our state. The economic impact of our hibernation will no doubt sting for a long time to come. And there is undoubtedly a long road ahead. Until we have a vaccine, there will be outbreaks and we must be prepared.

But, for this weekend, it’s about enjoying that first sip of frothy freedom or a trip back to the family shack. We’ve gone through a lot to get to this point and it’s a moment in time we deserve to enjoy.

Well done Tasmania.

Responsibility for all editorial comment is taken by the Editor, Jenna Cairney, Level 1, 2 Salamanca Square, Hobart, TAS, 7000