'It just breaks my heart': The Project's Steve Price chokes back tears revealing he may never see his elderly mother again due to COVID-19 crisis
- Steve Price reveals heart-break as he may never see his elderly mum alive again
- 'Many of the things we take for granted may never come back'
- Victoria's State of Disaster stage four lockdowns take a psychological toll
- If you're feeling sad or anxious, call BeyondBlue 24/7 on 1300 224 636
Steve Price looked gutted on The Project as he revealed he has only seen his elderly mother once in 2020 and may never see her again due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The veteran broadcaster told fellow hosts Carrie Bickmore and Waleed Aly on Monday night how his heart was breaking.
'My mother is in her late 80s - I’ve seen her once this year,' he said via video link from Melbourne in a shell-shocked tone.
'Now she’s in the zone where anything could happen and I just feel gutted that I might not - never - physically see her again.
'It’s awful.'
Bickmore tried to console the 65-year-old, telling him to have hope that Victoria would get on top of the coronavirus outbreak, before Aly chimed in.
'There's every chance you'll see your mum in the not-too-distant future,' Aly said.
The Project's Steve Price looked grave and heartbroken (right) on Monday night as he revealed he may never see his elderly mother again. Pictured left: In happy times at a gala event in Sydney in October 2019 with his wife Wendy
The Yarra River, Melbourne, on Monday, looked bleak and deserted under lockdown conditions
Price, however, looked defeated.
'I hope so, because it just breaks my heart,' he said gravely, looking down.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews declared a State of Disaster in Victoria on Sunday, with Melbourne residents subject to a curfew from 8pm to 5am as the state tries to get control of the runaway coronavirus outbreak.
Melbourne residents are unable to leave their home except for essential shopping, exercise, care-giving or essential work.
They are unable to travel more than 5km from their homes and people must work from home if they can, while many businesses such as car washes, personal care salons, engineering firms and some manufacturing must close.
The rest of Victoria is on the less restrictive Stage Three lockdowns.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Monday that workers - both citizens and foreign workers on temporary visas - who had run out of sick leave but were told to self-isolate would be paid $1500 a fortnight to ensure they stayed home.
Earlier, Price revealed how hard Victoria's State of Disaster, declared on Sunday, had hit him, emotionally.
'It feels so much different this time, doesn’t it?' he said.
'I mean I feel really - I feel sad, I feel anxious, I feel sad for all of the businesses that are not going to recover.
'I feel very anxious about the state that I’ve spent much of my life living in, and that many of the things we take for granted may never come back.'
Price said the first round of lockdowns were unique and people didn't know what to expect.
'Now we know what it is going to be like and you can’t see an end. I mean this is the problem - you can’t see an end to this,' he said.
A street art mural in Melbourne's inner city on Monday. The streets are silent
Victoria is Australia's hardest hit state, recording 429 new coronavirus cases on Monday to hit a total of 11,937, of which 6489 are active cases.
New South Wales is also recording a steady number of new cases daily, with 13 on Sunday.
Worldwide the coronavirus pandemic has infected 18.2 million people as of Monday night, with 693,395 deaths.
The USA is the hardest hit country with 4.8 million cases and 158,375 deaths so far - more than were killed in the Vietnam and Korean wars combined.
What will still be open in Melbourne Stage 4
Supermarkets, bottle shops, petrol stations, pharmacies, post offices, banks
Retailers working onsite to fulfill online orders
Hardware, building an garden supplies for trade
Specialist stationery for business use
Motor vehicle parts for emergency repairs, mechanics
Locksmiths, laundry and dry cleaners, maternity supplies
Disability and health services and equipment, mobility devices
Farms and commercial fishing
Vets, pounds and animal shelters
Construction of critical infrastructure and services to support those projects
Supermarkets will stay open
Critical repairs to homes where required for emergency or safety
Cafes and restaurants for takeaway
Media
Critical service call centres
Medicare
Law enforcement and courts for urgent matters
Prisons, facilities for parolees, adult parole board, youth justice facilities
Emergency services
Essential maintenance and manufacturing
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