February 05
When we came out of the three day lockdown in the wider Brisbane area on the 11th of January, 2021 it started a 10 day period of having to wear a mask until 1am Friday 22JAN2021. At work or outside where you couldn’t socially distance. In ride shares, public transport, shopping centres, churches, hospitals and cinemas. Basically if it was public and indoors you had to wear it.
On the 21st of January as I walked around Toowong Village, every proprietor and customer had a mask on.
The next day on the 22nd, I was still wearing a mask and I was not alone but plenty of people were not.
I still did though.
Over the next couple of weeks I worked from home and seldom went anywhere.
On Friday the 5th of February I wore my mask walking from my car to the office. Took it off at my desk. Put it back on as I left to get my morning coffee. When I got to Toowong village just two weeks after the mask mandate had ended and we had been told to keep one on our person at all times.
There was no one but me wearing a mask.
It is weird wearing a mask when no one else it.
Why should I care if others aren’t doing it?
But at some point throughout the day my mask went in my pocket and didn’t come back out again.
On the 5th of February there five known active cases in Queensland.
In Western Australia after reporting no new cases in the community that day, the lockdown in Perth, Peel and the South West region would end as scheduled at 6pm.
Travel in and out of Perth and Peel would remain restricted allowed for reasons such as work or compassionate grounds.
This and other restrictions would remain in place until Sunday February 14.
You could have a gathering of 20 people in your home, hospitality, retail, fitness venues and weddings were capped at 150 people.
A 20-person gathering limit will apply in homes, while hospitality, entertainment, retail and fitness venues and weddings will have their capacity capped at 150 people until February 14.
Nightclubs and casinos were still shut and bars only had seating service.
School would resume Monday.
Masks remained mandatory too
Health Minister Roger Cook had some advice about the way people interpreted the rules of mask wearing.
There elements of the community and the media cough Sky News dickheads cough who had been critical of the WA’s snap lockdown following one case of the UK strain in the community.
There had been no new cases reported, 189 of the 191 close contacts of the guard had now tested negative. Two tests were pending.
McGowan’s Health Minister Roger Cook backed up his leader.
Similar to the Queenland lockdown earlier in January, Western Australia was following a similar model of a snap lockdown to lower potential in the community while contract tracing was carriod out.
Followed by some restrictions and mandatory mask wearing for the following fornight approximately which covered an incubation period.
There were plenty of examples thorughout the world that showed incubation could offer beyond the two weeks and that restrictions in place could not stop spread but from a numbers game the health authorities in these states had decided it was an effective way to manage the risk and the results had been good.
Nonetheless Cook did point out that risk was still there particularly during this fortnight and that the state remained in the danger zone.
Mr McGowan said 189 of the 191 close contacts of the security guard had now tested negative.
Test results for the other two are still pending.
Premier Mark McGowan seemed happy saying, “Our contact tracing system has worked effectively and our surge capacity in our testing has worked magnificently well.”
Those wanting to travel out of and into those regions can only do so for essential reasons, such as work or on compassionate grounds, and they would have to wear a a mask and apply for a G2G pass.
McGowan was unapologetic about the the unpredictable nature of lockdowns saying, “We are dealing with these dangerous, virulent, strains of the virus that are mutating and seem to be highly transmissible.“
However the government was offerring $500 offset to power bills to small businesses as part of $43 million dollar package.
The Opposition Leader Zak Kirkup thought $10,000 in support would be more appropriate.
Australian Hotels Association (AHA) WA chief executive Bradley Woods estimated over $100 million in revenu has been lost due to the five day lockdown.
Western Australia Health Minister Roger Cook declared that hotel quarantine security guards would not be able to work other days while doing that role.
The plan to increase WA’s intake of returned overseas travellers would be delayed until the end of February.
Western Australia Police Commissioner Chris Dawson was full of praise for the community too.
-Lloyd Marken
Back to the Drawing Board Productions 
Looks like they did a great job, helped no doubt by a lot of public compliance. By contrast, we had anti-mask/anti-lockdown street protests in most major cities.
Best wishes, Pete.
Oh we’ve got plenty of those people here too Pete. A few protests have made the news along with several rebels filming with their phones saying you can’t do this. One brat filmed a cop the other day. In the old days that would have been an arm lock and at least one day in a holding cell. Lots of individuals worried about themselves than other people. Which I guess to your point, most people have come to the party and things have gone well but I still think we can do better. I imagine its the same in the UK but sadly the stakes there are so much higher so its pretty rough to see people not wanting to do their part and think of others. Hopefully things are only getting better. I found the news clip the other day of the UK widow Gordon Bonner that made me sad back in January. Best wishes Pete.