YOUR SAY: Border Mail letters to the editor

Businesses employ people, support local not for profit groups and provide the community with goods and services.

More than ever, our local businesses need your support, on both sides of the river.

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The most important way you can support them is by adhering to public health guidelines. Prevention is better than cure with COVID-19.

There is danger of more lock-downs being imposed if there are more positive tests to this monster.

Anecdotally, many local businesses will never re-open if there is a second lockdown.

This may be your favourite cafe, or any other business.

Once was hard, twice will be the finish.

Business gone, jobs gone, empty buildings. Is that the Albury-Wodonga that any of us want to be a part of?

You can help stop new restrictions by playing your part. If you see family or friends breaching the current rules, call them out or even report them to authorities.

If you see a business breaching the rules, report them too.

Everybody else needs you to. Not only for public health purposes, but also for the sake of our local economy and the businesses who are doing the right thing and their team members.

Secondly, support local and shop local.

Your dollar stays local and multiplies itself. We are all in this together. That is community.

Please actively play your part.

There is a saying in the military: "No plan survives the first contact with the enemy".

It's a reminder for soldiers of the need to be dynamic and flexible, to understand the commander's intent and be able to respond to support the end goal.

Our fight against the coronavirus could be seen as a war against an invisible enemy.

Our enemy moves swiftly and silently, then pops up and spreads.

Its nature makes it extremely difficult to plan for every eventuality, and so we must have a list of options and actions in mind so that we can respond in the most effective manner.

I have been nothing but impressed by our nation's leaders, having been thrown into such difficult times.

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They have acted with unity and decisiveness, compassion and empathy to deliver, so far, outstanding outcomes.

They have made the hard decisions knowing the frustration and hardship it would create but have worked to support the hardest hit as best they can.

With the closure of our state border, it is impossible to ignore the flow of frustrations and criticism aimed at some of our leaders.

It's important to remember that this decision was made jointly by the premiers of NSW and Victoria along with our prime minister.

There are clear problems for us, it will be challenging.

But any reasonable action to contain and suppress this virus is going to involve inconvenience and cost.

People have spoken of "ring-fencing" Melbourne, but can you imagine the policing resources required?

NSW has kindly offered to take on this burden for Victoria, leaving our resources free to control a serious outbreak.

It also frees up leadership to focus on the suppression task at hand.

I encourage my Border neighbours to take a breath, understand the intent, understand you might be frustrated, that it might be an inconvenience, that it might cost your business.

But we must support each other and our leaders to achieve the end goal.