Just keep calm and carry on

THERE’S an old saying: a secret that two people know isn’t a secret. Judging by the supermarket mayhem from Sandy Bay to Cygnet early Friday afternoon, the government’s decision to call a lockdown was known to a lot more than two people.

That’s Tasmania. We’re a close-knit mob, we talk.

I remember leaving Parliament House with a big scoop a couple of years back. Three people knew. It was out – and posted on Twitter – by the time I’d crossed the park.

Some government workers were informed in advance of Friday’s lockdown decision – and told to keep it a secret.

By noon Friday, the panic buying had begun. Reports were coming in: Coles at Kingston, the IGA at Cygnet, the bottle-o at Margate.

A normal Friday turned into Christmas trade in the space of half an hour.

The red mist descended and suddenly people were panic buying toilet paper again.

We are 20 months into this pandemic. We’ve seen the lessons again and again from our compatriots interstate.

But who really needs a 24pack of toilet paper for three days at home?

There was a frenzied air about Hobart on Friday. Cars were streaming from the city, shopkeepers looking strained, workers heading for the exits.

We made it through 2020, we can make it until Monday night. The supermarkets will stay open. None of us will miss a feed, or even a beer.

The rules are pretty simple: stay home unless it’s for one of the five essential reasons.

We’ve all been tested and jabbed.

A lone d...head has landed us in this jam, it’s now up to the rest to lead the way out.

It’s time to keep calm and carry on.