The Project hosts make grim 2021 Christmas lockdown prediction

Hosts of The Project had a fairly sad discussion on Tuesday night about what Christmas will potentially look like this year.

Unfortunately, Waleed Aly and Peter Helliar both predicted that NSW and Victoria will still be in lockdown by December 25.

The conversation began when Carrie Bickmore said she was fascinated to see how the road to reopening Australian borders will play out, with each state taking a different approach.

While Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is focused on reducing case numbers, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian is hoping that the increasing rate of vaccinations will help ease lockdown.

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“Do you think that we will be vastly in a different spot by Christmas than we are now? Do you think Australia will be open to itself?” guest panellist Georgie Tunny asked.

While Carrie sighed “God I hope so”, Waleed took a more realistic approach: “I can’t imagine.”

“Not before Christmas, no,” Peter remarked. “I’m fascinated. If Victoria goes to press these numbers down low, do they open the border to NSW - if it stays around where it is now - before Christmas?

“Do you think Victorians will be happy to open the border? I think that they will eventually,” he added.

The grim prediction comes not long after host Lisa Wilkinson called for Gladys Berejiklian to “step aside” late last month when NSW reached what was then a milestone record of COVID-19 cases at 681.

“I think I speak on behalf of just about everybody that is watching these press conferences at 11am every day - they are almost unwatchable,” the journalist said on The Project.

“The whole state needs a complete reset and if Gladys Berejiklian isn’t up to the job, then she needs to step aside and make room for somebody who is.

“Because she’s stuffed this.”

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