Barilaro reflects on COVID-19 policy ‘mistakes’

NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro has conceded his administration "could" have mandated the limousine driver at the centre of the latest COVID-19 outbreak to wear a mask. Mr Barilaro told Sky News Australia host Kieran Gilbert the NSW government would learn from "every mistake" made during the pandemic. "In hindsight there’s a lot of things we could have done differently, we could have managed Ruby Princess differently, we could have mandated the mask on that limousine driver," he said. "The reality is, I’m not going to blame the feds, there's been no playbook or rulebook over the past 18 months on how to manage this global pandemic. "We’ve done well, sometimes by luck and chance but every mistake you learn from." Mr Barilaro also told Sky News he was proud of the NSW government's "reputation" of keeping businesses open but argued the two- week sharp lockdown was the best decision for this outbreak. Millions of people in Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Central Coast have since been forced into a two-week lockdown. Residents are only allowed to leave home to shop for essential items, exercise, medical care or for compassionate reasons until July 9. The lockdown was imposed because health authorities believe the Delta variant of the virus has been spreading at a rate which is too fast to contain.

from Breaking National News and Australian News | Daily Telegraph https://ift.tt/3vZMfUX