This is supported by pollsters who report that statewide discussion groups show no willingness to accept restrictions on COVID-19, even in some of the most pandemic-affected suburbs, such as Meadow Heights north of Melbourne.
Social media can tell a different story. Also those who call lines of conversation and write in newspapers to demand a stricter approach. But pollsters and politicians believe (or expect) that the number of people in favor of mask mandates or other restrictions will be negligible.
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The government’s decision to encourage the use of masks indoors and in crowded environments is also motivated by the belief that mandates would be widely ignored. Ministers point to the low number of passengers wearing masks on the city’s public transport network where there is still a mandate, as proof that the rules no longer work.
In many ways, the government is also a victim of its own success. As the virus spreads and more vaccinated people suffer only minor symptoms, the fear factor decreases making the rules harder to justify.
Undoubtedly, the reintroduction of restrictions to 19 weeks from election day would also have electoral ramifications, especially in the outer suburban areas where Labor could find themselves in conflict.
Internally, Labor MPs believe the government can ignore calls from what it sees as a small part of the community to reintroduce the rules because the opposition offers no alternative.
There is a very real risk that the latest wave, which is causing an increase in Victoria COVID hospital admissions, will aggravate the problems affecting the state health system, but this is also a risk that workers are willing to to assume.
Victorian Prime Minister Daniel Andrews made a virtue of listening to health advice. Credit: Getty Images
Ministers insist that while the strange state of Victoria’s hospital system exposes the government to considerable risks, it is a struggle it is willing to take on, given that health has traditionally been a safe ground for workers. They will argue that according to the Coalition’s approach, the number of cases would have been higher and the conditions worse.
The Andrews government prides itself on its strict compliance with health advice, but is confident that this political withdrawal will not leave it more vulnerable to electoral defeat.
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