A figure of speech uttered last week by those apparently in the know, not epidemiologists by the way, was "stop playing politics", which is actually an idiom.
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An idiom is a group of individual words that, together, create a meaning of their own. Two of the most heard examples are: "By the skin of your teeth" and "Put your foot in your mouth", among many others.
The Cambridge English Dictionary states that the idiom, "play politics" is: "to use a situation or the relationships between people for your own advantage".
The Tasmanian Labor opposition and the Tasmanian Greens were accused of playing politics, apparently using the COVID-19 pandemic and the rapid spread of the Omicron variant to benefit their cause.
Leave it out! Use idioms to press your case, but do not take us for idiots. The Tasmanian public is thankful that politicians are asking questions and holding the state and federal governments to account.
We have stakeholders in empty bars telling us not to overreact as restaurants close due to a lack of staff.
There are cafes and eateries resorting to takeaway service because they dare not risk exposure.
Thankfully, the Premier has chosen to be more circumspect, prefacing most sentences with, "I don't wish to sugar coat it".
Some services including antenatal classes are all put on hold as an already overworked hospital system which, coupled with our ageing and vulnerable population, is struggling to cope. Jury trials are no longer an option, and festivals across Tasmania are being cancelled.
Further, you can access a COVID-19 test at a drive-through service on a Tuesday and not find out your results until Friday, meaning that you can wait four days to "officially" inform your close contacts.
This is through no fault of our dedicated public servants and community service providers, but it does put at risk the mantra shared ad nauseum, "we planned for this'', or "our plan is working".
Fortunately, RAT is now replacing PCR testing but leaving leaders scrambling to develop a plan in response.
And if we hear one more, "we have provided more freedoms" or the "economy is back to life", we should stop listening, because the truth is business takings are down across Tasmania and families are suffering anxiety because the assertive language has significantly relaxed with the spread of the variant dramatically increasing since the border reopened on December 15.
No matter the reassurances from leaders, we will put our families first and make decisions based on keeping them safe.
We have been told for two years of the dangers associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and most community members have done exactly what they were told.
As a result, we reaped the benefits and thanked the Premier in spades.
Additionally, it should be remembered that Tasmanians kept the economy ticking over when our borders were shut, and I have never seen our local establishments and our people "more buoyant". And while we may have lost the interstate and international tourists, we were the beneficiary of locals who regularly travel off island, remaining at home and falling in love with our state again and again. In fact, it was the Prime Minister who was "playing politics" last week.
It could be said these are unusual times when Serbian tennis champion and nine-time Australian Open winner, Novak Djokovic, is in the same hotel as genuine refugees. The most important aspect about the Djokovic saga is not about him, rather, it is refugees like Mehdi Ali appearing on Channel Ten's The Project, who has been in detention for nine years, bringing a level of understanding to the average punter who fell for the Prime Minister's, "I stopped the boats" cruelty and histrionics.
To be clear, I do not care for Novak Djokovic, because along with the Aussie contingent, I have always been a Federer and Nadal fan. Although the fact that he allegedly arrived with the wrong visa after gaining a medical exemption from an independent and "blind" medical panel, unaware of the applicant's personal details, will do nothing to increase his non-European fan base in Australia.
Nonetheless, Djokovic will be sent home if his Federal Court appeal is unsuccessful, but the question must be asked why Tennis Australia and Australian Border Force were not in concert when they knew he was en route, and an exemption had been provided?
That fact is, when the border reopened to Tasmania on December 15, we were not ready. We required more testing sites in regional areas, free tests and ample supply, far shorter lines at testing sites, and a willingness to admit that unintentional mistakes were - and continue to be - made.
The Premier has done a terrific job during the past two years, leading in complex times, and guiding us through uncharted territory. We listened and heeded public health advice, but now this is different and many of us with money to spend have reacted by isolating in our home or caravan, having supplies delivered via "click and collect" or by making fleeting trips to the shops.
And with Omicron cases on the daily increase and the Ashes Test Match headed for Hobart later this week we can only hope that it does not become a "political football ..."
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