What a wild, wayward week this has turned out to be!
This time last week - while on the usual Wednesday deadline - we were madly scrambling to figure out how the sudden COVID-19 outbreak-induced 'circuit breaker' restrictions would affect our readership and travel plans for markets and stories, only to thankfully have them all hastily clarified and eased just days later.
The drastic decision by state government threw our poor primary industries into a spin, with important feature markets and harvest ready to go.
It would be great if the government could take these recent experiences on board for next time, and just reiterate from the outset that agriculture and its related industries remain exempt from lockdown restrictions, as farmers need to continue getting on with the very vital work they do, but obviously in a COVID-safe way.
There could also be some reconsideration about the need for a state-wide lockdown. To impact the entire state over a city-based outbreak seemed a bit harsh.
Regional communities keep getting dealt the rough end of the stick, with drought leading into bushfires and then restrictions from the first COVID-19 outbreak, let alone having to suffer through another lockdown caused by an outbreak so distant to them.
It is also tough to see cross-border communities remain in no man's land with the government still unable to provide residents with certainty about when their lives can return to normal.
Unfortunately Stock Journal has also had ongoing repercussions from the restrictions imposed from the most recent outbreak.
The Stock Journal team would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience this necessary change might cause and thank you for your patience and understanding.
You can always stay up-to-date with all the latest SA and national rural news via our website stockjournal.com.au or on our Facebook page.
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