The fact is it could happen here, or anywhere else in Australia, very easily. The NSW and the ACT governments have already acknowledged this dark reality on numerous occasions and, to their great credit, are doing their absolute best to learn from what has occurred in Victoria to keep their own citizens safe.

This is why we have already seen discussion of a possible "border bubble" restricting entry to Canberra, why Gladys Berejiklian is urging Sydney-siders to wear masks, why the ACT Chief Health Officer, Kerryn Coleman, wants Canberrans to ensure they have access to masks, soap and hand sanitiser in the event of another lockdown, and why Andrew Barr has warned masks will be made mandatory here if local case numbers increase.

The alternative is a universe of pain. The Stage Four restrictions announced in Victoria over the past few days are virtually unprecedented in this country in peacetime. They have been imposed, as the Premier Daniel Andrews, explained on Monday, because, while the Stage Three restrictions announced just a few weeks ago have worked, they have only managed to cap the rate of infections at between 400 and 500 cases. This just isn't sustainable.

The Victorian authorities have repeatedly stated that if this was allowed to continue it would only be a matter of time before the Victorian health system was overwhelmed. That could result in the horrific scenes witnessed in Europe and America being replicated on Australian shores.

That's why Mr Andrews has locked down his state's economy for at least the next six weeks to bring the rate of infections under control. As he said: "There is no stage five, this has to work". But at what price? Monday's announcements, coming as they did on top of Sunday's curfew bombshell, have thrown hundreds of thousands of Victorians out of work, slashed industrial production, put construction on a "pilot light" setting, and reduced the community to shopping for the bare essentials. It is, as Scott Morrison said late yesterday, "heartbreaking".

The PM, who has pledged Victorian's the nation's wholehearted support, was also right when he said the future of Australia is literally hanging in the balance.

The additional mental health support, the pledge to maintain JobKeeper and JobSeeker at the current level until well after the end of the six week lockdown, to suspend the mutual obligation requirements in Victoria, and to implement a pandemic leave disaster payment that can be accessed by a phone call are all very welcome - and tangible - proofs the national government is in Victoria's corner.

So, where does this leave Canberra and Canberrans? The truth is that paid pandemic leave, masks, a border bubble, and all the other state-sanctioned activities aren't going to keep the Territory safe on their own. The people of this city are still, as they always have been, the first line of defence. It is up to all of us to do our part.

Wear your mask if you can't socially distance, don't wait for it to be made mandatory; socially distance when you can; don't throw house parties; restrict your travel - especially to Sydney and other known hot spots; don't go to work if you aren't well; don't storm the supermarkets - we don't need another run on toilet paper; wash your hands and, obviously, use your commonsense.

And, above all else, spare a thought for our friends and neighbours in Victoria.