‘It breaks my heart’: Steve Price fears he may never see elderly mum again

As Victoria battles rising cases of Covid-19 and other states are poised for potential outbreaks, many Australians are still struggling with the reality of being unable to see or spend time with their loved ones in person. This is particularly tough for those with elderly parents, who are most at risk of Covid-19 and The Project’s Steve Price opened up on this issue on Monday night’s show.

The 65-year-old broadcaster made a heartbreaking confession on the Channel Ten program last night, as he admitted he is scared that he might never physically see his mother, who is in her 80s, alive ever again due to the ongoing pandemic.

“My mother’s in her late 80s,” he told his fellow panellists. “I’ve seen her once this year. She’s in the zone where anything could happen. I just feel gutted that I might never physically see her again. It’s awful. It’s awful.”

Steve’s co-stars, including Carrie Bickmore and Waleed Aly, were quick to console him, with Bickmore telling him to look forward to seeing his mum again and “not to think like that”.

Aly, 41, said: “There’s every chance you’ll see your mum in the not-too-distant future.” To which Price replied: “‘I hope so, because it just breaks my heart.”

Price also discussed the new stage four restrictions in Melbourne, admitting that things “feel different” the second time around. He added: “It feels so much different this time, doesn’t it. I feel sad, I feel anxious. I feel sad for all of the businesses that aren’t going to recover.

“I feel very anxious for the state that I’ve spent much of my life living in, that many of the things we take for granted may never come back. The first time around it was sort of unique; we didn’t really know what it was going to be like. Now we know what it’s going to be like, and you can’t see an end.”

Premier Daniel Andrews announced the state’s new restrictions on Sunday afternoon as he declared a ‘state of disaster’, following confirmation that the state had recorded 671 new cases of Covid-19. Addressing the media, the Victorian leader confirmed that Melbourne will have to adhere to harsher restrictions from 6pm Sunday, including a nightly curfew and stricter guidelines around shopping. These new restrictions are expected to be in place until at least September 13, 2020.

From 6pm on Sunday, only one member of a household can visit a shop, and the store must be within 5km of their home. In addition, a curfew is being introduced between 8pm and 5am daily. The only reason residents can now leave home between those times is to give care, receive care or go to work. Residents will also be limited to one hour of exercise per day.

Regional Victoria will also face increased restrictions from Wednesday (Aug 5), with all areas entering stage three lockdown. Andrews said: “That’s stay at home, except for the four reasons to leaving. That will mean restaurants, cafes, bars, gyms, a whole range of other settings will need to close from midnight next Wednesday.”