‘Take a look at your own backyard before criticising others.’ It’s an old saying and a lesson recently learnt by political commentator and Republican DeAnna Lorraine after she recently passed judgement on Melbourne’s recent COVID-19 lockdown via Twitter.
Yesterday, Lorraine shared the BBC’s article on Melbourne’s second lockdown with the caption, “This is literally Prison. Total enslavement.”
“Australians aren’t allowed to even leave their own homes for 6 plus weeks? Police put a “ring of steel” around the city, with “checkpoints anytime anywhere” to enforce the measures. SICK. Fight this people!” she added.
DeAnna Lorraine was probably expecting a few retweets at the least, but instead, was met by some very polite Australians letting her know the reality of the situation.
One user responded to Lorraine’s tweet, “I live in Melbourne. People are able to work, exercise, attain medical care/supplied and shop for groceries. The “ring of steel” you mention is to try and protect the regional areas that have not been affected to the extent Melbourne is.”
Another added, “Get your facts straight DeAnna. I’m in the lockdown zone but I am able to move about for exercise, buying necessities, medical and care. We take this pandemic seriously, unlike your mad President who has presided over multiple uncontrolled outbreaks.”
Even feminist social commentator Jane Caro weighed in, calling Lorraine’s tweet about the Melbourne lockdown “literally imbecilic.”
Speaking of people putting their foot in it, hear about Ken and Karen below:
“Death is a much worse prison (lasts forever, my dear) and our death rate is so much lower than yours it’d be laughable if it wasn’t so tragic – for you and your crumbling country,” she tweeted. “The rest of the world looks at the US in open-mouthed horror.”
Caro, and others who responded to DeAnna Lorraine’s tweet, have a point. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States now has over 3.2M confirmed cases of COVID-19 and over 130,000 deaths as a result of the virus.
In fact, a new chart from the New York Times shows that coronavirus outbreaks in three US states – Arizona, Florida and South Carolina – have surpassed totals of new cases from entire nations.
Perhaps DeAnna Lorraine should run her eyes over the chart before having her say on the lockdown measures Melbourne is taking to stay safe.
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