
For the 13.5 million Australians currently in lockdown 16 months into a pandemic, it's easy to grumble and complain and focus on the injustices while case numbers remain relatively low; losses to the economy, to our social lives, to small business.
But as Victorian nurse Merowyn Olaver reminds us, without lockdowns, our hospitals would very quickly fill up and they simply wouldn't have enough room for us all.
"There is a lot of talk about the incredible stress on small businesses at the moment, particularly sole traders and the hospitality industry. I have nothing but empathy for them - you don’t deserve the financial losses and DO deserve the support of the Federal Government. That aside though, again, there is a huge focus on these groups. I’m asking you now, to perhaps think of the nurses, for a moment," the 40-year-old wrote on Instagram.
"There are calls to have the virus 'run it’s course' and open up, [that] 'lockdown isn’t viable'. Lockdown is not the best choice, but at the moment, coupled with vaccinations - it is our only choice. The Federal Government hasn’t pushed for rapid testing, vaccinations haven’t been rolled out quickly the past 12 months and aren’t available to all. Lockdown is our first and really only defence (until more are vaccinated), at this stage. Mental health is a huge issue now, resources are increasingly stretched, imagine coupling that with daily death tolls in the hundreds? These services can’t cope now," she continued.
As Merowyn explained to Mamamia, she understands the pain of small business owners in particular right now - some of the hardest hit by lengthy lockdowns.
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