Bass Coast Health CEO Jan Child with Bass MP Jordan Crugnale.
YOU’VE probably heard the rumours too.
That people who’ve subsequently tested positive for coronavirus have been here.
These rumours, some with specific business names attached, tracing movements, have even been quite detailed.
But so far, none have been confirmed either by the business premises named, their staff members or the peak local health service, Bass Coast Health.
So, any claims to the contrary at this stage are not only unhelpful but also damaging.
Yes, the community has a right to know, but they have the right to know the information from a reputable source.
Earlier this week the Sentinel-Times put one of these rumours to Bass Coast Health CEO, Jan Child.
Ms Child said she could neither confirm or deny the claims but stressed that with the number of people moving in and out of the area over the school holidays, “there is a strong likelihood of us having positive cases in our catchment now and into the future”.
So, take it as read, there are likely to be positive cases in both South Gippsland and Bass Coast and we should be taking all precautions: washing hands, maintaining social distance at all times, coughing or sneezing into our elbow, getting tested or seeking medical intervention with even mild ‘flu-like’ symptoms and yes, it’s probably time for masks… you know the drill.
Here’s what Ms Child had to say earlier in the week:
“BCH will not always know of every positive case and if we did, we would not be able to confirm it due to privacy, but I can tell you generally, given the high rates of community transmission, the very infectious nature of this virus, the high level of complacency by many people in our community who are not doing the right thing with distancing and hygiene, the potential for people to be asymptomatic and not even know they are spreading it, and the number of people who move in and out of our catchment, there is a strong likelihood of us having positive cases in our catchment now and into the future,” Ms Child said.
“We are at a very concerning crossroads. How we fare will absolutely be determined by how we all behave locally, no matter who we are or where we normally live.”
So, the message is, it’s probably here, thankfully in low numbers at this stage, but we need to act accordingly.
I think we all sense that the above story is a politically correct smoke screen and reading between the lines is the skill you require here.
I’m not going to confirm or deny that we allegedly do have cases that were tested positive here at our testing sites (how could we not with the recent holiday onslaught we found ourselves living within.) So how is it helpful to have a hush hush approach when honestly might be a whole lot more proactive in perhaps stopping virus complacency in its tracks.
While my teen loves to tell me ‘see we have no cases mum so chill out’ from what she reads today and ‘ I’m going out because we don’t have it here’, I am even more angry at self interpretation reporting as she comes and goes and puts me at constant risk. Reading ‘this is just a rumor’ once again gave her the golden ticket to put not only herself at risk but me at risk when she returns home while I stay strictly self isolated. We are all having trouble keeping our youth in check so not to bring home the virus to their older parents some of which have a chronic illness.
The politically correct privacy policy should be null and void when it comes to pandemic cases being made public, names aren’t ever part of it but numbers certainly should be whether their home address is in Bass Coast or not, the fact is the virus has been in Bass Coast, that’s the ultimate crux of the problem…. isn’t it?
We all need to be told the truth so that we respond and act accordingly. For those who believe the virus is a conspiracy, this might just startle them into behaving with some community responsibility if truths are stated now that its been on our doorstep although perhaps since sent packing back to Metro Melbourne after the fact.
Honestly is the best policy in these circumstances and transparency gains invaluable trust, we haven’t got energy for riddles right now, so lets always go for the honest angle in the media, you never know, precise truth without room for self interpretation might save someones life!
Be kind, be patient, follow direction, stay safe and be grateful for our front line and essential workers.