But, more peculiarly, for the political right masks have become a cultural war rather than a matter of effectiveness. Stephen Reicher, a psychology professor at the University of St Andrews, writing in The Guardian, argues that some who have a certain view of the world see masks as “a powerful symbol of control: they are muzzles.” What these people reject “is less the mask and more the political and scientific establishment that proposes it.”
Given current public opinion, the obligation to wear a mask will remain limited. But given its place in the anti-COVID toolbox, it would be helpful for politicians to remember to lead the way when necessary.
We have reached a pandemic benchmark and the coming weeks present a major challenge for political leaders. The community has gone from COVID. But COVID has not moved from the community. He has gone inside.
A mental recovery is needed. But this is hampered because many in the public and the political class are unwilling to accept that we have not “advanced” to “live with COVID” in a safe way. To the extent that we are “living with COVID” we are accepting a crisis in the hospital system and a level of deaths that, if it had occurred in 2021, would have generated a massive reaction.
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The previous wisdom was that when the population was highly vaccinated, the situation would be under control. But it hasn’t worked that way.
Vaccination is limiting the severity of the disease for most; reduces deaths in relative terms.
But it has not been successful against transmission, meaning the virus is spreading like wildfire (currently hundreds of thousands of people have it). In absolute numbers, a lot of people are getting pretty sick and there will be a good amount of “long COVID”.
The Albanian government has launched initiatives, including a campaign to call for reinforcements and actions against antivirals. But it’s like chasing a fast-footed tiger.
And the government has refused to extend the emergency payment for workers forced to stay home, or free RATs for concession card holders. The budget is cited. But we can imagine what Labor would say if it were still in opposition. There is some commotion in the Labor ranks, with NSW opposition leader Chris Minns and Federal MP Mike Freelander (a doctor) saying the emergency payment should be reinstated.
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The new situation has wreaked havoc with what in 2020 was that (mostly) very welcome line of politicians who “follow the advice of experts”.
It has been a roller coaster for experts. Praised and supported initially, they were later met with harsher times. They argued among themselves. They were dragged into politics and demonized by critics who thought politicians listened to them too much.
We are now seeing politicians reclaim their agency, as demonstrated by the experience of the Victorian health officer. More problematically, politicians, including Federal Health Minister Mark Butler, are making it clear that experts must operate in the real world from where we stand with the opinion of the community.
While this seems sensible on one level, things get complicated. When we receive advice from “experts”, do we assume that it is not adulterated or a kind of shandy, containing some “real world” lemonade?
There is also some counterintuitive action at the “expert” level. With a large number of deaths in nursing homes, NSW Health Director Kerry Chant signed a public health order this week that visitors to these facilities are no longer required to be vaccinated. This is in line with the situation in Victoria and Queensland, but the timing seemed strange.
NSW Health Director Dr Kerry Chant made changes to the mandates of senior care centers. Credit: Photo by Louise Kennerley SMH
It came when Australia’s Main Health Protection Committee (AHPPC), made up of federal and state directors, recalled last week “individuals, employers and governments” their shared responsibility to minimize the impact of COVID.
The question is whether political leaders have the will or ability to inject new urgency and power into the fight against VOCID, given that the only practical weapon in this time of pandemic fatigue is “light-touch” ammunition.
Brendan Crabb, director of the Burnet Institute, who is highly critical of how the pandemic has been let slip, says leaders and health ministers nationally and statewide should admit this year’s mistakes.
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“For the last six months we’ve only tried to protect the elderly and the immunocompromised,” he says. “We didn’t address the transmission.”
Any kind of mea culpa may not be so difficult at the federal level, where the new government may blame the former, but it is another issue in Victoria and NSW, where governments are facing elections soon.
Beyond that, Crabb argues essentially for more energy to be put into the fight against transmission. He notes that the Biden administration is intensifying its efforts and the exhortation of the AHPPC.
Companies don’t like to focus too much on COVID, even though fast transmission does it immense damage. Even if we are far beyond confinements and (especially) beyond mandates, companies fear the impact, for example, of Victorian councils this week for people to work from home. But Crabb argues that companies should be in favor of a series of these less drastic measures to try to keep transmissions low, because they suffer from high infection rates.
Crabb says “bringing the community together” is crucial. “Part of that, of proving you’re serious, is not leaving anyone behind.” He says putting on high-quality masks, RATs and support for isolation “is not only essential if interventions are to be implemented, but is proof of the government’s seriousness.
“COVID is one of the biggest problems the country is facing right now, but the country doesn’t know it.”
To raise that awareness, Albanese, who has accepted a national cabinet meeting Monday on COVID, will have to personally be much more central in messaging.
Michelle Grattan is a professor at the University of Canberra. This article first appeared in The Conversation.