JANUARY 13, 2021 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
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A year never to 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. But 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.
of launching an Emergency Relief Fund to help pay for new equipment and a wellbeing program for frontline staff. Also in April, Maribyrnong council chief executive Stephen Wall defended the council’s decision to terminate rather than stand down 150 casual employees who were ineligible for the JobKeeper scheme. In May, a virus outbreak at Cedar Meat’s processing facility in Brooklyn became one of the state’s biggest clusters, prompting an investigation by WorkSafe. Ten drive-through coronavirus testing sites opened in major shopping outlets across Melbourne, including Bunnings West Footscray and Highpoint shopping centre amid a state government push to test up to 100,000 people within a fortnight. By June 3, dining out was back on the menu
as Victoria began to reopen after more than two months of lockdown. Playgrounds, skate parks and outdoor gym equipment also re-opened. But the joy was short-lived. On July 1, three schools in Maribyrnong, Footscray and Altona Meadows were among several hit by the second wave of coronavirus sweeping the state. Meanwhile thousands of Maidstone residents were COVID-19 tested in a blitz on the suburb after it was identified as one of Melbourne’s 10 coronavirus hotspots. The following week, stage three lockdown was reintroduced. In July, Maribyrnong councillors voted to freeze property rates at existing levels. Meanwhile, Hobsons Bay’s four main trader associations said COVID-19 had many businesses “on their knees”. On August 5, concerns were raised that thousands of jobs could be permanently lost in Maribyrnong and Hobsons Bay after the state
government introduced stage four restrictions. Almost a dozen people died and hundreds of cases were recorded by August 19 as infections spread through aged care homes. Seven people died at the Doutta Galla Yarraville Village aged care facility, while a further four people died at Doutta Galla’s Footscray Aged Care Home. In September, falling case numbers gave Victoria some hope. Despite some easing of restrictions throughout October, the road out was ‘paused’ on October 27 while the state waited on test results. Hobsons Bay council announced plans to create European-style dining plazas to extend outdoor trading areas in preparation for restrictions easing. On November 10, the ‘ring of steel’ which had divided metropolital Melbourne and regional Victoria came down.
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On March 4, as Australia recorded its first death from COVID-19, Altona North GP Mukesh Haikerwal warned GPs were not equipped to deal with a potential outbreak of coronavirus. Dr Haikerwal said aside from some masks from the federal government, doctors had received little support for dealing with the disease. By March 18, inner-west residents were banding together in response to the growing coronavirus threat amid mass closures, event cancellations and unprecedented new laws. Many residents stepped up to help the elderly and others in need amid service closures and supermarket shortages. On April 1, Western Health put out an urgent call for new nurses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and announced that visitors would no longer be admitted to Footscray Hospital’s intensive care unit. The health service established a dedicated Respiratory Assessment Clinic at Sunshine Hospital and took the extraordinary step
Western Health established a dedicated Respiratory Assessment Clinic at Sunshine Hospital. (The Age)