12476489-SN03-21
JANUARY 12, 2021 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
A year to never forget YEAR IN REVIEW ... STORY OF THE YEAR 2020 was a year like no other. It’s the year that “staying apart, kept us together”, that words like ‘rona’, ‘iso’ and ‘lockdown’ found their way into everyday language, strangers fought over toilet paper in supermarket aisles and we were shut off not only from the world, but our families, our friends, our neighbours. The coronavirus pandemic dominated headlines as it swept across the world, both dividing and uniting us. It has brought with it undeniable hardship and heartbreak, social and economical ramifications that will be felt for years to come. It has also highlighted our fighting spirit, our compassion and an inspiring ability to adapt. Australia’s first confirmed case of coronavirus was identified in Victoria on January 25, 2020. At it’s peak, Victoria had 7000 active cases. We look back on how COVID-19 unfolded across the northern and western suburbs. By March 17, Brimbank was a city on high alert as fears of a COVID-19 outbreak grew. Major events were cancelled, schools braced for shutdowns, supermarket shelves lay empty and specialist teams were set up at the Sunshine Hospital to deal with a possible outbreak. The state government took the unprecedented step of declaring a state of emergency for the next four weeks. Brimbank council scrapped a number of events, including a citizenship ceremony scheduled for March 18. On March 24, schools closed and all pubs, clubs, casinos, cinemas, gyms and places of worship shut as the state battled the pandemic. The state government announced that essential services would continue to operate. While major supermarket shelves lay empty, so to did many restaurants and cafes. Sunshine Business Association president Carson Luk implored the community to support each other. “You can feel the impact just walking down Hampshire Road … there’s not as many people out and about,” Mr Luk said. “Traders are very, very worried.
The COVID-19 team at Sunshine Hospital. (Jason South/The Age)
On March 31, Brimbank council considered rate relief measures for residents impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic as pressure mounted on the local economy, with more businesses forced to close and the public urged to stay home. By April, Western Health looked to urgently expand its Intensive Care Units as it prepared for a possible COVID-19 outbreak. Western Health executive director of operations Natasha Toohey said preparations were being made for the worst case scenario. The number of active cases in Brimbank rose to 23 as the state government ushered in stage three lockdown measures. In May, Brimbank had the highest number of active COVID-19 cases in the state with 58 confirmed. The number of cases skyrocketed following an outbreak at the Brooklyn-based Cedar Meats abattoir. Seventy-six cases were linked to the factory, including one staff
member at Sunshine Hospital. Three McDonald’s restaurants in Brimbank were among 12 across Melbourne’s north-west to be shut down for deep cleaning following a truck driver testing positive to COVID-19. Restaurants at Taylors Lakes, Calder Highway northbound/outbound and southbound/ inbound were closed. Keilor Downs, Sunshine West and Albanvale were identified by the government as areas with growing outbreaks. In early July, police flooded Brimbank postcodes as officers set up checkpoints to ensure people had a valid reason for leaving closed suburbs. On July 21, wearing a face mask was deemed mandatory. By August 4, Brimbank and metropolitan Melbourne was in hard lockdown. On September 15, Brimbank council called on state and federal governments to step up
support for Brimbank’s COVID-19 recovery plan in the light of extended restrictions. Mayor Georgina Papafotiou said Brimbank was one of the two hardest hit areas in the state. In October, it was announced that aged care workers in Brimbank’s two worst affected facilities would be COVID tested fortnightly to fight any further outbreaks. Outbreaks at Cumberland Manor Aged Care in Sunshine North, linked to 124 cases, and Kalyna Aged Care in Delahey, linked to 109 cases, slowed. On October 13, the western suburbs reached a positive milestone but new infections persisted. On October 20, metropolitan Melbourne took more steps towards freedom with social gathering numbers increased and more businesses allowed to open. On December 8, mask rules were relaxed and Victoria looked cautiously toward a COVIDSafe summer.
12473232-FA03-21