Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

[antycbr]

Is that a defence? Sorry but it seems ridiculous to me. These people are vaccinated and have been having daily Covid tests in Japan and 3 tests in Sydney.

The number of olympians coming back to Australia was smaller than those who went. Lots of athletics participants headed on to the European circuit. Makes sense as not much likely to happen here in Australia for a while.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

And there’s no evidence to support that this is occurring. So I have no idea what you’re continuing to carry on about.

There is plenty of evidence of covid-positive people taking the virus from one place to another. The Vic couple who travelled through NSW to Queensland for example. The 'holiday home' is a red herring - we know positive people spread the virus when they are out and about doing things they're not supposed to.

 

[33kft]

the whole concept that this was a ring of steel was actually spin.

Did the ring of steel not refer to the checkpoints on arterials out to regional areas in VIC where you needed to provide a legitimate reason for travel? Is the same in place in NSW?

 

[N860CR]

There is plenty of evidence of covid-positive people taking the virus from one place to another. The Vic couple who travelled through NSW to Queensland for example. The 'holiday home' is a red herring - we know positive people spread the virus when they are out and about doing things they're not supposed to.

So let’s weld everybody’s doors shut? It simply isn’t going to happen. It’s about reasonable restrictions. Preventing people from going to their own properties is not reasonable. Just like the Victorian government not allowing their residents to return to the state for committing the horrific act of going to Sydney (despite the fact that airlines previously flew this every 15 minutes).

We’ve lost all sense of reality because if this virus. But I do accept that some people have become so hysterical they will never see sense.

 

[SydneySwan]

As posted on the state restriction thread, BBC Radio are discussing it right that now.

I imagine the BBC reporters are incredulous.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

So let’s weld everybody’s doors shut? It simply isn’t going to happen. It’s about reasonable restrictions. Preventing people from going to their own properties is not reasonable. Just like the Victorian government not allowing their residents to return to the state for committing the horrific act of going to Sydney (despite the fact that airlines previously flew this every 15 minutes).

We’ve lost all sense of reality because if this virus. But I do accept that some people have become so hysterical they will never see sense.

During a lockdown we are allowed to leave home for five reasons. They have all been permitted so that essential services, medical care and care giving, and employment can take place. Limits have been placed on how far we can travel for some of those services to prevent the spread of the virus if you are unknowingly infected.

There is no need to weld doors shut. There is a need to prevent spread the virus when you have unidentified cases in the community.

Victoria permitted travel to some second residences over the summer holidays for essential work to clear debris in case of bushfires. But going on holiday and all the associated interaction that entails was not permitted.

 

[N860CR]

During a lockdown we are allowed to leave home for five reasons. They have all been permitted so that essential services, medical care and care giving, and employment can take place. Limits have been placed on how far we can travel for some of those services to prevent the spread of the virus if you are unknowingly infected.

There is no need to weld doors shut. There is a need to spread the virus when you have unidentified cases in the community.

Victoria permitted travel to some second residences over the summer holidays for essential work to clear debris in case of bushfires. But going on holiday and all the associated interaction that entails was not permitted.

And who sets these “5 reasons”. It’s about what is and isn’t reasonable. And as we are fast learning in NSW, these restrictions are not even close to reasonable.

 

[burmans]

Did the ring of steel not refer to the checkpoints on arterials out to regional areas in VIC where you needed to provide a legitimate reason for travel? Is the same in place in NSW?

Are there checkpoints on arterial for compliance, yes and there has been for some time.

'Lame excuses won't wash': Police ring of compliance to protect COVID-free areas

The NSW Police Assistant Commissioner says no excuse will wash with officers as they enforce a ring of compliance to try to stop the virus from spreading to COVID-free areas.

www.abc.net.au

But both compliance activities only enforce the rules and both have plenty of exemptions. Is anyone serious suggesting food did not flow between Melbourne and the regions in lockdown. And yet we know that essential services are a potential cause of infection, yet on the other hand they are called essential for a reason.

I agree plenty abuse the rules but let’s not pretend a ring of steel doesn’t have plenty of exemptions and most breakouts are caused by abuse of the rules rather than the rules themselves.

 

[33kft]

let’s not pretend a ring of steel doesn’t have plenty of exemptions and most breakouts are caused by abuse of the rules rather than the rules themselves.

I don't think it was ever suggested that. The mere existence of the checkpoints (the "ring of steel") is what drives compliance for 99% of people and the other 1% were always going to do their thing, regardless. Nobody wants to stop trucks entering or leaving, they want to stop bored chancers from packing the car and heading to the coast with no good reason.

 

[Princess Fiona]

So how did this guy get set free?

Post automatically merged: Aug 11, 2021

As posted on the state restriction thread, BBC Radio are discussing it right that now.

Not all close contacts are admitted. There is a risk assessment process and those unable to self isolate are sent to SHA.
There is no way there would be enough Special Health Accomodation in all of Greater Sydney right now to admit all the close contacts we have. It would run into 10’s of thousands of people based on the number of active cases.

 

[Milboo]

Someone mentioned the single bubble rule is being tweaked - can you share any more info?

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Someone mentioned the single bubble rule is being tweaked - can you share any more info?

I mentioned it after reading the reference to it. Nothing substantive in the article I read, just the reference.

NSW Police lawyers have 48 hours to do their re-write, so I guess it will be revealed then.

 

[Must...Fly!]

Vic didn’t exactly have that option last year

Who cares what happened last year?

They have that option available to them quite literally right now.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

And who sets these “5 reasons”. It’s about what is and isn’t reasonable. And as we are fast learning in NSW, these restrictions are not even close to reasonable.

On that we can agree - the restrictions in NSW are not even close to reasonable... to stop the spread.

In Victoria the five reasons are set by health officials, acting on the advice they have to hand. The police may request additional measures to make sure the directions are enforceable. In NSW I understand economic and business interests may be given significant weight, potentially in conflict with health advice.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Not all close contacts are admitted. There is a risk assessment process and those unable to self isolate are sent to SHA.
There is no way there would be enough Special Health Accomodation in all of Greater Sydney right now to admit all the close contacts we have. It would run into 10’s of thousands of people based on the number of active cases.

In Vic at present with community cases most people serve out their 14 days in their own homes. However there are two reasons why people are entering offsite quarantine (I say offsite as besides HQ other buildings are also being used to relocate people to):

• People who request to quarantine away from their household, typically as they are worried that if they stay that they will infect others in their household.
• People who are positive and where they live would be at significant risk of infecting other people in surrounding households are encouraged to leave to quarantine offsite.
  • ie Apartment buildings. I have not heard of anyone in a house being asked to quarantine elsewhere.
  • Note that in both this and the recent Victorian outbreaks that positive cases have occurred within apartment complexes where there were no known proximity contact other than living I the same building. This may have also occurred in this outbreak too.

No aged care residents have been infected this outbreak, but last outbreak several positive residents were relocated to a private hospital. In addition a resident who was not positive but who required assisted breathing was moved to a hospital as a precaution as it was deemed that if she did become positive that her health could have deteriorated very rapidly. While this was not in the media, my daughter cared for her. The resident was treated as covid-probable which meant treating her as a covid positive patient. She was in a full negative pressure isolation room for 14 days which the patient quite liked. But after than when the patient was moved to a muiti-bed general ward they were less than pleased.

 

[N860CR]

On that we can agree - the restrictions in NSW are not even close to reasonable... to stop the spread.

Ok, so I’ll ask yet again, what do you propose?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Ok, so I’ll ask yet again, what do you propose?

The Vic model (with curfew) could be worth trying for a couple of weeks as a circuit breaker.

 

[N860CR]

The Vic model (with curfew) could be worth trying for a couple of weeks as a circuit breaker.

And yet again, a “solution” that would achieve nothing. You simply have a sadistic desire to punish the people of NSW.

This is a virus that, in the vast majority of cases, people don’t even know they’ve got without being tested. We’re told this “delta” variant is transmitted by “fleeting contact”. It’s time for people like you to accept that it’s here to stay, and the only people who are dying are those who actively chose not to protect themselves. The Ford Territory currently has a significantly higher death rate than this current “outbreak”.

As I’ve said countless times; if you want to “lockdown” then knock yourself out. Nobody is stopping you

 

[lovetravellingoz]

With restrictions, they need to be tailored to the problem at hand and also to the outcome that you wish to achieve. If the problem is growing then stricter measures are required unless you are ok with case numbers growing along with the resultant growth in hospital admissions, ICU and deaths. At present the NSW Government seems to be ok with it growing and putting its faith in that sooner or later that enough people will be vaccinated so that the number of hospitalisations will decline to the extent that restrictions can be eased and then removed.

So restrictions will vary depending on what you are trying to achieve, who is getting infected and also with how the virus is spreading and through what transmission chains.

Each outbreak is different. Some aspects will be in common, but there are always differences too. With the Delta and Kappa outbreaks the virus strain itself has lead to many differences.

For example at the height of the Vic Second Wave construction was closed down completely. In the current Vic outbreak community spread is not rampant and so the restrictions on construction sites are much milder.

Household spread was a major problem in the Victorian Second Wave, and Delta has only made this even more of a threat. Though the rapid use of households restrictions has so far not led to household to household spread spiralling out of control.

Overall in all the recent Victorian Outbreaks the restrictions have not been as restrictive as they were in the height of the Vic Second Wave, but we do not have that rampant spread either. So far touch wood all outbreaks since October last year have been resolved in quite a timely manner in Victoria.

Testing essential workers is not new. In the Vic Second Wave surveillance testing of high risk essential workers where their had been spread was brought in (ie Abattoir workers and distribution workers). Their workplaces and work practices were redesigned and those changes were maintained.


Last outbreak the MCG and AAMI Park Games meant that people who were possibly exposed were spread far and wide. Hence a rapid whole of state lockdown. The current breakdown, after enough time to be confident that there was not spread into regional areas, the regions have been released from lockdown but with strict riles on those from Greater Melbourne not being able to mix into the regions, and vice versa.

The last two outbreaks have shown that spread within apartments buildings is a particular risk, and so particular measures have been developed now to deal with this change in risk.

The speed that the Delta Strain can jump from person to person has also led to changes. ie The Tier 1 Classification is being used much more readily. People now have to more commonly test and quarantine for 14 days. Previously many people just had to isolate till a negative test was obtained. Rapid testing of immediate close contacts is also used to speed up contact tracing efforts as it allows the teams to follow up more rapidly the close contacts of the infected close contacts.


So with the NSW Outbreak it is entirely up to the NSW Government what it does. But at present the situation is continuing to worsen.

Though one good thing is that worsening situation will most probably cause more people in NSW to continue to seek being vaccinated more rapidly, to embrace AZ more and more, and also it will encourage more of the fence-sitters to now get vaccinated than otherwise would have occurred.

 

[N860CR]

So with the NSW Outbreak it is entirely up to the NSW Government what it does. But at present the situation is continuing to worsen.

I’d respectfully disagree. The NSW outbreak has resulted in virtually zero fatalities amongst those who did not have the opportunity to be protected. The actual virus numbers are minuscule. We need to accept that this is a global pandemic. Only finding a few hundred cases out out one hundred thousand tests is an incredible achievement, however the cost to achieve that has been high.