Good news, for all of you horned-up and lonely NSW residents: it certainly looks like you can visit your partner’s place under the state’s tough new coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown measures.
In a frankly surprising press conference this morning, NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller was asked if the new public health order, which could see punters fined $11,000 and chucked in prison for leaving the house without a valid excuse, made exceptions for seeing a romantic partner who lives at another residence.
The new rules don’t explicitly allow it, but there is a clause allowing folks to travel for the administration of care. That works in your favour, apparently.
“I would put that under care, absolutely, right?” Commissioner Fuller said. “Mental health, we get it, that’s under care. Absolutely under care.”
While seeing your boo / baby / beloved is apparently okay, he was clear that you shouldn’t take that as an invitation to bring the whole gang with you.
“We need to look after each other, but don’t take the whole family with you… We’ve got to care for each other at the same time, too,” he said.
Above all else, you’ve still been advised to cut your interpersonal interactions as much as possible to stem the COVID-19 infection rate through the community.
Today’s update on that whole situation comes amid a bubbling cauldron of uncertainty around the regulations, and similar guidelines which have been installed nationwide.
Around the same time Commissioner Fuller suggested NSW Police would use their discretion not to ticket folks heading out to see their other half, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews effectively ruled it out across the border.
“Ultimately, visiting friends, doing the things you might like to do, is that worth a life? Almost certainly the answer is no,” he said.
Essentially, if it “isn’t work, it isn’t care-giving, it isn’t medical care, that’s not shopping for the things you need when you need them, it does not comply with the rules, so people should not do that,” he said.
We’ll keep you posted if, and when, all of this shit changes. Again.
