Observations from a NSW visitor to Adelaide: The SA COVID-19 restrictions are less strict in some areas, more strict in others, when compared to NSW's. But people in Adelaide have well and truly decided that they're COVID-free, and don't take any of it seriously at all. /1

Things like crowding around counters in shops instead of queueing with distance; Invading personal space in waiting areas; Complete lack of cough etiquette. I haven't seen behavior like that in Sydney for months, long enough that it's alien and jarringly unwelcome. /2

It's all very well while they have no cases, but everywhere in the country is going to have breakouts. If the population isn't behaving defensively, it'll rip through them like nobody's business before they realize what's happening, and be worse than it needs to be. /3

tl;dr: Adelaide seems to have the complacency everyone was afraid Sydney would develop before Melbourne blew up and got everyone's attention. /4

Having said all that, given that my own state seems to have crushed community transmission to undetectable levels for weeks now, maybe this is how the whole country is moving. It'll be great if it is. But it does seem like at least a little bit of defensiveness is warranted. /end