WALEED ALY:
Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd, is [indistinct]. He's not a leak though. We'll get to the footy shortly Michael. But first the testing – 10,000 Victorians have refused testing. What can you do about that?
MICHAEL KIDD:
Well I think we have to look at this in context because in Australia we've had so far over 2.6 million tests which have been carried out, but 10,000 people refusing testing is concerning. I think we need to understand why. And it may well be that people are not 100 per cent sure about why they are being tested, what they are exactly being tested for, what are the consequences of having a test, and how long will it take for them to get results. There may be many reasons why people are saying no at this time.
SUSIE YOUSSEF:
Michael, we've heard some of the issues that Victoria has had with hotel quarantine. Are we less likely to see these spikes in states that are doing things a little bit differently?
MICHAEL KIDD:
Well I think what we have to look at with hotel quarantine of course is the majority of returning Australians are coming back from overseas and have been placed in hotel quarantine and been in either Melbourne or Sydney. And what we have seen is breaches occurring in two of the hotels, but it has been very effective. We've had over 60,000 Australian whose have been able to return home to their families with the two weeks of quarantine. We have had over 400 people who were diagnosed while in quarantine. We've prevented those people from going out into community and risking further transmission, so he it has been a very important component to our national response.
JOEL CREASEY:
Michael it has been a bloody tough week for those who have been forced back into lockdown. Psychologically, how much harder is it a second time?
MICHAEL KIDD:
Look, we are very concerned about the 300,000 people who yesterday found themselves back in lockdown for another four weeks. Many will be feeling angry and frustrated and some will be feeling quite despondent and perhaps even depressed, and it is really important that people think back to what we did the first time we were in lockdown. Each of us developed our own ways of coping with being in lockdown. Each of us had our own routine which we do each day to retain a sense of control. But for people who are feeling very distressed, please, please, reach out to Beyond Blue, to Lifeline, to the other resources or reach out to your GP. Finally, to those in lockdown, please know the rest of Australia is behind you. This period of lockdown that people are having to go through now is not only to protect them and their loved ones, but to protect everyone in the country.
JOEL CREASEY:
On that, Michael, another thing that might irritate people and exhaust people – look, footy is great and all, we totally get that. But giving clubs an interstate hall pass, it's a pretty blatant double standard, isn't it?
MICHAEL KIDD:
No, I don't think it's a hall pass or a double standard. People have to travel to other states but they have to meet the restrictions of other states, and in many states, people going from Victoria will be required to be in two weeks of quarantine once they arrive.
WALEED ALY:
Michael, good to speak to you again. Thanks very much.
MICHAEL KIDD:
Thanks, all, bye.
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