Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie spoke with Member for Katherine Jo Hersey for an update on what's going in Katherine today, and whether they're set to come out of lockdown

Transcript

Katie spoke with Member for Katherine Jo Hersey for an update on what's going in Katherine today, and whether they're set to come out of lockdown · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Joining me live on the line right now from Catherine,
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  Speaker 1: the local member for Catherine, Joe Hersey. Good morning to you, Joe, Good.
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  Speaker 2: Morning Katie, and good morning listeners.
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  Speaker 1: Joe. How are things tracking in Catherine this morning.
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  Speaker 2: Well, it's been a big weekend. I just would just
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  Speaker 2: like to do a big shout out to all the
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  Speaker 2: people doing the testing and obviously doing the results in Darwen.
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  Speaker 2: They are obviously very busy doing a great job. And
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  Speaker 2: I mean my husband got his test result last night
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  Speaker 2: at ten thirty, so they are obviously working around the clock.
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  Speaker 2: And just to clear up a bit of confusion for
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  Speaker 2: people in Catherine today, all testing sites are open. I've
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  Speaker 2: just gone past all of them. Joels Street is not
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  Speaker 2: so busy, Katherine Eath is very busy, and the drive
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  Speaker 2: in one at the hospital is also open the pandemic clinic,
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  Speaker 2: but you do actually need an appointment. The appointment is
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  Speaker 2: just about getting numbers and your details before you get
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  Speaker 2: there to make it a little bit easier for the
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  Speaker 2: staff there. Yea, it's not about you know, it's not
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  Speaker 2: a time thing. You just go there and line up.
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  Speaker 2: But Catherine East is very busy today.
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  Speaker 1: Well that is good to hear and Joe, I understand
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  Speaker 1: that one of the wastewater areas has still provided positive
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  Speaker 1: results to COVID. That was as of yesterday. Is that
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  Speaker 1: your understanding?
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  Speaker 2: That is my understanding, Katie. I'm waiting for Misterphiles to
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  Speaker 2: give me an update today. Yesterday the community got a
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  Speaker 2: text message to say, if you're in that Catherine Ease
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  Speaker 2: area or industrial area, to go and get a test.
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  Speaker 2: The change in that was if you're an essential worker,
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  Speaker 2: you would have been able to go back to work.
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  Speaker 2: But if you're in that Catherine Ee Therey, you get
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  Speaker 2: a test and you isolate until you get those results.
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  Speaker 2: And that's obviously because you know the wastewater is positive
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  Speaker 2: and they want people to isolate and stay at home.
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  Speaker 2: I need it to spread any further.
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  Speaker 1: No, that's exactly right. What is the sense this morning
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  Speaker 1: from business operators and from everybody and Catherine at this point?
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  Speaker 1: Are you all sort of hoping that this lockdown is
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  Speaker 1: going to end soon or is everybody pretty mindful of
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  Speaker 1: the fact that there could still potentially be cases in
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  Speaker 1: the community.
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  Speaker 2: I yes, thanks, Katie. I did just do a bit
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  Speaker 2: of a ring around this morning, knowing I was going
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  Speaker 2: to talk to you, and there is a little bit
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  Speaker 2: of anxiety with businesses. Some business are hoping we will
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  Speaker 2: come out. After talking to Minister Files over the weekend,
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  Speaker 2: I must say I was feeling a little bit positive
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  Speaker 2: until we got the cases from Binjari, and she was
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  Speaker 2: even feeling a bit positive herself. But that Binjari sort
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  Speaker 2: of put us back. And I'm pretty sure we will
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  Speaker 2: stay in lockdown. As I said, I'm waiting to hear
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  Speaker 2: that for maybe another twenty four or forty eight hours.
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  Speaker 2: As the Minister said, lockdowns are meant to be short
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  Speaker 2: and sharp, but obviously we don't want to come out
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  Speaker 2: of a lockdown and people moving around if there is
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  Speaker 2: still transmission in the community, which the Wastewater is telling
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  Speaker 2: them that that is the case. So everyone just needs
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  Speaker 2: the hold type. I've had messages of you know, am
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  Speaker 2: I an essential business or not? You know, people are
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  Speaker 2: board at home and they want to do things with
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  Speaker 2: click and collect from some businesses. But unless you are essential,
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  Speaker 2: and unless you are operating or going an essential worker
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  Speaker 2: that he is going to do an essential service, you
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  Speaker 2: are not essential. So we just have to deal with
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  Speaker 2: it for the time being.
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  Speaker 1: And Joe, we caught up with the Federal Health Minister
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  Speaker 1: Greg Hunt a bit earlier this morning and spoke about
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  Speaker 1: the ADF personnel obviously being deployed in the territory. He
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  Speaker 1: said that there is well sixty five that have been
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  Speaker 1: sent out obviously to respond to what's going on at
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  Speaker 1: the moment, forty of those in the Catherine area, twenty
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  Speaker 1: five of those to help transport and with also that
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  Speaker 1: COVID testing. Are you seeing those personnel around Catherine at
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  Speaker 1: the moment.
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  Speaker 2: I haven't personally seen them, Katie, but I want to
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  Speaker 2: thank the federal government for allowing these personnel to come
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  Speaker 2: in and help with the situation. I think we definitely
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  Speaker 2: need more boots on the ground for testing and that
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  Speaker 2: will certainly alleviate some of the problems, some of the
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  Speaker 2: exhaustion from people working around the clock, and I think
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  Speaker 2: that is a good thing. You know, it is my
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  Speaker 2: understanding that the vaccination rate at Binjari is under twenty
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  Speaker 2: five percent. I would urge everyone to go and get
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  Speaker 2: a vaccination, and you know, I know that the chos
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  Speaker 2: are working out there closely with Binjari and Rock Hole
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  Speaker 2: and doing the best they can. But there has been
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  Speaker 2: a little bit of I suppose of people not wanting
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  Speaker 2: to get the vaccination for religious beliefs and whatever. And
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  Speaker 2: I think we saw the other day, you know a
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  Speaker 2: few people getting vaccinated and out of Binjari when they
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  Speaker 2: were doing the math testing out there, and I think
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  Speaker 2: that's a good thing. And over the coming weeks while
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  Speaker 2: they've been while they are in lockdown, then hopefully they
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  Speaker 2: will go back and revisit and vaccinate more people out there.
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  Speaker 1: Well, so you've heard that it is under twenty five
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  Speaker 1: percent in Binjari. Is that first or second dose?
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  Speaker 2: I'm not actually sure. I have Yeah, I'm not sure
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  Speaker 2: on whether that's first or second dose, but I have
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  Speaker 2: heard that that is you know, that is my understanding.
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  Speaker 1: Well, we'll keep an eye on that. I know that
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  Speaker 1: the federal health Minister had said that obviously they want
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  Speaker 1: to make sure that all of those community members are
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  Speaker 1: indeed vaccinated. I know that. Yeah, I know that. It's
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  Speaker 1: it's a tough one when people have got their reasons
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  Speaker 1: why they feel as though there's scared or not wanting
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  Speaker 1: to get it done. But I would always say speak
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  Speaker 1: to speak to your medical professionals when it comes to
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  Speaker 1: making that decision.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, And Katie, you know, over the last you know,
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  Speaker 2: eighteen months or so, the NT government maybe has been
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  Speaker 2: needing to work with the federal government to roll this
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  Speaker 2: out a bit better and find out what is going on.
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  Speaker 2: The archos are doing the best that they can, and
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  Speaker 2: everyone is working hard at getting people vaccinated, but you know,
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  Speaker 2: maybe the education needs to be a little better and
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  Speaker 2: the communication between people needs to be better. So also,
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  Speaker 2: I mean, just this morning, I read something about the
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  Speaker 2: defense people that were here. They said, I've seen that
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  Speaker 2: they've been holding them down and vaccinating them. This is
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  Speaker 2: absolute rubbish and for people to be putting this stuff
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  Speaker 2: up on Facebook, it is not helpful. I urge people
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  Speaker 2: to stop that rubbish. It is not doing anyone in
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  Speaker 2: the community any good, and it is false information. I
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  Speaker 2: don't know why those people would just come out with
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  Speaker 2: absolute rubbish like that.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, Joe, I agree with you. You know I get sent
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  Speaker 1: messages to that effect as well, and you think it's
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  Speaker 1: not true, Like you know, it's not true. No one
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  Speaker 1: is able to hold people down and vaccinate them. It
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  Speaker 1: has to be something that they're you know, whether you
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  Speaker 1: want to do it or not, that you approve it happening, Joe,
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  Speaker 1: I do want to ask you before.
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  Speaker 2: Really it has to be you know, by consent.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I do want to ask before I let you
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  Speaker 1: go this morning. You know, how have you had much
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  Speaker 1: of an opportunity? Does Binjari and rock Hole fall under
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  Speaker 1: your electric Joe or is.
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  Speaker 2: It a bit further out? Yes, they do. And just
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  Speaker 2: an answer to a I think somebody said before, why
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  Speaker 2: are they remote? The whole of Catherine is actually classed
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  Speaker 2: as remote and then obviously you get a lot further
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  Speaker 2: out and they're very remote. But we and Catherine, even
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  Speaker 2: though we're only two and a half hours from Darwin,
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  Speaker 2: we are classed as remote. So that's why Binjari and
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  Speaker 2: rock Roll are classed as remote. But also just on
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  Speaker 2: that Katie there, they are Kailano has been working with
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  Speaker 2: Whirling to get their members vaccinated and tested, as well
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  Speaker 2: as obviously the World pre camp are as well.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, well done to all of those different groups. Obviously
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  Speaker 1: trying to do their best to support those in the
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  Speaker 1: communities as well. I understand it. Masks have been sent
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  Speaker 1: out and I understand as well, you know, free of
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  Speaker 1: charge from some local businesses too. And I think that
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  Speaker 1: what we're seeing is a lot of our wonderful territories
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  Speaker 1: coming together really trying to help each other out.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, that's that's correct. I think it is great.
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  Speaker 2: You know, I've been in contact with the CEO at
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  Speaker 2: Kilano and you know, yesterday I was talking to Worly
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  Speaker 2: and I think everyone is working together for the best
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  Speaker 2: outcome for the community and it's just a matter of
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  Speaker 2: time and you know, making sure that everyone in the
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  Speaker 2: hard lockdown areas stays there until we get the results
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  Speaker 2: and until we can get back open and the sooner.
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  Speaker 2: People do the right thing and that means not you know,
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  Speaker 2: taking the police resources off, you know, the job at
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  Speaker 2: hand and unnecessarily going out to situations. We all just
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  Speaker 2: need to do the right thing and stay at home
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  Speaker 2: and only leave your home for those five reasons.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Joe Hersey, the Member for Catherine, we really appreciate
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  Speaker 1: your time this morning. We are expecting to hear that
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  Speaker 1: press conference from the chief and it's just after eleven
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  Speaker 1: o'clock this morning, so we'll make sure that we bring
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  Speaker 1: it to our listeners live, whether you're in Catherine or
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  Speaker 1: no matter where you are. Joe, thanks so much for
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  Speaker 1: having a chat with us again today.
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  Speaker 2: No worries, Thanks Katie, and thank you so much.