COMMENT
The most recent lockdown in Victoria may have lasted five days, but the impacts will be long-lasting across our regional communities.
When Daniel Andrews announced late on Friday – ahead of the busy Valentine’s Day weekend – that the coronavirus had again leaked out of government-run hotel quarantine, it sent businesses and community groups into a spiral of costly cancellations.
In my home town of Swan Hill, alone, the cost to the community was estimated at more than $2.5 million – after lockdown forced the cancellation of the annual Victorian Country Week Tennis Tournament that brings hundreds of people into town.
The snap lockdown led to a surge in requests for mental health support.
Lifeline received its third-highest number of…
