A new campaign hopes to raise awareness in Western Queensland about the importance of self-isolating and also keeping communities together in the battle against COVID-19 in the bush.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Western Queensland Primary Health Network responsible for health services across almost a million square kilometres of western Queensland, has launched a campaign entitled "Close the Gate on Coronavirus".
WQPHN CEO Stuart Gordon said the idea came from a common practice.
"Closing a gate is what many property owners do several times a day to keep livestock from running amok, and it's what most town-dwellers do to keep the kids or pets from bolting onto the road," Mr Gordon said.
"It's also a great metaphor for how the bush is reacting to the intrusion of COVID-19 in our daily lives, through the need to self-isolate and maintain hygiene."
Local hospitals, general practices and pharmacies have been the focus of activity in the region since the pandemic first emerged as a threat with hospital fever clinics and GP Respiratory Clinics established.
The WQPHN has distributed Personal Protective Equipment to GPs and Pharmacies across Western Queensland, with close to 20,000 P2 and surgical masks already distributed, and another 20,000 due to be delivered to clinicians in the coming days.
Mr Gordon said there needed to be a community-led response to the virus.
"Rightly, the focus has been on ensuring our clinical providers are ready to meet whatever the virus can throw at them, but it's also vital we rally support from the entire community to keep at-risk people safe, and to give our clinical teams the best shot at COVID-19," he said.
"By closing the gate on coronavirus we're communicating in a very simple, non-aggressive way that for now, we need to keep our boundaries sealed as best we can, and be vigilant about what comes and goes through our gates.
"It's also a message about doing the right thing and respecting others, because we all know that leaving a gate open, especially on a grazing property, can cause havoc and unnecessary anxiety."
Western Queensland has not recorded a positive COVID-19 test, but the region's Indigenous communities are considered a high-risk population.
Gidgee Healing CEO Renee Blackman, head of the region's Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation said initially communities in the North West thought it could never come out here.
"Then it started to become real as the cases crept up the coast and I think that's what started to jog people into action," Ms Blackman said.
"So now I think communities are much more aware of the threat the virus poses and the everyday activity of 'closing the gate' will resonate with our mob as a message about keeping the virus at bay."
While you are here subscribe to our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox at 6am every Friday.
Our COVID-19 news articles relating to public health and safety are free for anyone to access. However, we depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you would like to support our journalists you can subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.