
On Saturday, after 120 consecutive days of press conferences, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews will be taking a day off. He'll be temporarily handing the reigns to Health Minister Martin Foley to address the media and the state for the first time since July.
That's four months. Over 17 weeks spent speaking to a swarm of journalists desperate for news to feed back to the 6.3 million Victorians whose livelihoods rely on what comes out of his mouth. The press conferences often stretch out to longer than 90 minutes, and have dictated the mood of the day for Andrews' state.
How many new cases? Deaths? Is the lockdown working? How do we get past this?
But his exhaustion is palpable. Back in August, emergency physician Stephen Parnis wrote, "The Premier looks knackered.
"I'm grateful for his dedication, but if I had a colleague in emergency who worked so many days in a row, I'd order them home for their health, safety & performance. Nobody should criticise him having a day off."
The Premier looks knackered. I'm grateful for his dedication, but if I had a colleague in emergency who worked so many days in a row, I'd order them home for their health, safety & performance. Nobody should criticise him having a day off. #springst #auspol pic.twitter.com/T7SLu4Pav6
— Stephen Parnis (@SParnis) August 14, 2020
Regardless of politics, Andrews' work ethic during this period has been exceptional.
He's been the face of Victoria's struggle, but at the end of the day, he's still been going home to a family in lockdown.
Two birthdays and working from home: Inside the Andrews house.
Daniel Andrews has been married to wife Catherine for more than two decades, with the couple sharing three children together, Noah, 18, Grace, 16, and Joseph, 12.
They met when she was 24 and he was 26 at Monash University’s Catholic on-campus accommodation and married in 1998.
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