Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

[dajop]

Shame that they hadn't been more vigilant before school holidays started, and when it became first known that the quarantine issues were awful. Vic families travelling have likely spread the joy around in the last week. It was posted here multiple times weeks ago that this was a risk time and that may have come home to roost.

One last hope is that the demographic travelling to/holidaying in regional areas is different to the demographic which has seen the biggest problem with the spread of the virus. A small hope anyway.

 

[jakeseven7]

One last hope is that the demographic travelling to/holidaying in regional areas is different to the demographic which has seen the biggest problem with the spread of the virus. A small hope anyway.

There were reports of large families travelling to Sydney, so lets see if Sydney's testing picks anything up.... Fingers crossed!

 

[Pushka]

Unfortunately, we all seem to be following the data.

But the key health officials seem reactive (eg its over 20 now let’s lock down PoStcodes, it’s over 150 now lets lockdown Melbourne, it’s now 1:100 let’s hard lockdown the towers).

a different type of reactive is a few on AFF, arguably proactive (eg oh that’s a bit unexpected, likely to be more unexpected Numbers since the breach in hotel quarantine identified over a week ago, where could it have gone in a week of no tracking - oh all of Melbourne, oh it’s coming to school hol, better stop them going now).

edit: in summary politicians/health Officials can’t justify a Widespread lockdown without actual numberS (as opposed to people looking from outside) in case their prediction is wrong.

In a world of Covid we are constantly being told it’s about balancing risks and prevention. In reality for politicians that means any preventive strategy - like closing borders - can be justified. It’s why SA refused to open their (soft) borders until 20th July because that was the first day back at school for SA. And they were closed in mid March without the hard evidence at the time. There does not need to be any proof when that decision is made as it’s based on Health Policy. Whether we agree with it or not is irrelevant.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Victoria’s number today is 134

11 from known outbreaks
123 under investigation.

to date 75 in the towers

 

[Pushka]

I’m revising my thoughts about the sporting hubs for in particular AFL players from Victoria. I didn’t see great issues in leaving families when the restrictions in Victoria were easing so that families and friends grandparents could visit, for new mums. But now that support has been withdrawn (again) and they simply don’t know when their partners are going to be able to return. At least 6 weeks. I don’t think that is tenable for young families who aren’t allowed extra support emotional and physical.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Nt closed border to Victoria.

i think NT chief minister says it reasonably suscinctly

"They are shut indefinitely.

"There are three key reasons.

"First — the escalating cases in Melbourne.

"Second — the extending community transmission.

"And third — the unacceptable risk of spread to regional areas. Yesterday's 191 cases in Victoria was the highest daily number since this crisis began.

"More than 150 of those cases are still under investigation which means the source of the infection is yet to be explained.

"They don't know where it is coming from. Although the outbreaks are in certain suburbs of Melbourne, they are spread across the metropolitan area making them more difficult to contain."

...courtesy of ABC Covid live blog

 

[Lynda2475]

I can't find it now but I did see a table of international arrivals and SA was at the bottom. I am sure the hotels in Adelaide will welcome the extra business

This 3 weeks old now: Three months ago it was unthinkable. Now 60,000 Australians have undergone forced quarantine but has charts showing only ACT took less international arrivals than SA.


As of Monday, police were managing 19 hotels across Sydney with 5671 people in mandatory quarantine. The state’s health department has an additional 597 people in six hotels. Since March 29, there have been 33,956 people in mandatory hotel quarantine across NSW - that is over 50% of total international arrivals.

 

[Lynda2475]

Personally Im quiet annoyed at all the travel exemptions for AFL, A League, NRL players - sport is not an essential service, and footy players are NOT the most upstanding of citizens - they have already broken regulations earlier in the pandemic Given the Vic situatioin, its time to cancel the AFL for this year. not import covid into other states. I think the special treatment contributes to the attitude of some in the community that think this isnt so serious, as footy players (who have close contact, disgusting habits of spitting and blowing noses onto the field ) can play, as if somehow being an athlete gives you special protections.

But now that support has been withdrawn (again) and they simply don’t know when their partners are going to be able to return. At least 6 weeks. I don’t think that is tenable for young families who aren’t allowed extra support emotional and physical.

This would be the case for many families, not just footy players - any family where one parent is a FIFO or working interstate without the ability for weekend flights to visit. I could be being unkind, but i dont imagine your avg footy player does that much to help around the house anyway.

 

[DC3]

.... i dont imagine your avg footy player does that much to help around the house anyway.

Yes. What a classic.

I realise that this was not the main point that you were making, but I got a good laugh from it.

 

[Pushka]

This would be the case for many families, not just footy players - any family where one parent is a FIFO or working interstate without the ability for weekend flights to visit. I could be being unkind, but i dont imagine your avg footy player does that much to help around the house anyway.

Sure that’s true. But I always had full sympathy for those eg FIFO families. My point was that I didn’t have any sympathy for AFL players having a sook prior to the clamp down. And now I’ve changed.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Nsw Premier asking border towns not to go further to Other parts of NSW.

eg Albury should not go to say Wagga Wagga And vice versa

flagging that further formal restrictions might be introduced.

 

[Lynda2475]

Nsw Premier asking border towns not to go further to Other parts of NSW.

Makes sense, as those living in border towns will be crossing back and forth constantly ebcause of the way the services (hospitals etc) tend to be only on one side of the Murray.

A friend living in Albury said it would make more sense for all the border towns to be considered part of Vic, and for the border controls to be put inside NSW a few kms outside of the border town (i.e. Outside Albury on NSW side) - as tis has less impact to local economies but still stop Vic getting into NSW proper.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

one official nsw case that’s not quarantine in south west Sydney, still tracing Source.

But one vic case in nsw which was incorrectly diagnosed. Got a negative result and travelled to Merimbula, and then told it was positive....now isolating (at merimbula).

 

[Gremlin]

If it is 3 months, the number of failed businesses will be horrific.

Isn't this exactly as advertised when we went for a suppression strategy and not elimination? The upfront economic cost is not as severe with a suppression strategy and, if everything goes to plan, the end outcome is rosier. But if things don't go to plan, then the cost to impacted businesses will be disastrous. With a much longer tail to navigate before economic recovery.

 

[dajop]

Personally Im quiet annoyed at all the travel exemptions for AFL, A League, NRL players - sport is not an essential service, and footy players are the most upstanding of citizens - they have already broekn regulations earlier in the pandemic Given the Vic situatioin, its time to cancel the AFL for this year. not import covid into other states.

In two minds about this. Yes, it is not an essential service, and yes players can be tools at time (being polite here). It also sends the wrong signal.

But on the flipside, AFL is a part of the fabric of Melbourne in winter, and you have millions of Melburnians largely cooped up at home, so having something to look forward to and watch/get involved in is probably an important tool in the keeping people at home armory.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

I note that the apartment tower cluster is now up to 75 cases (and it will be higher as many are still to be tested).

By way of context, if the whole of Victoria had the same case rate there would currently be 158,750 new cases.

For both the health of those in the towers as well as the general population outside of them one can really see why the hard lockdown was needed.

 

[jase05]

Personally Im quiet annoyed at all the travel exemptions for AFL, A League, NRL players - sport is not an essential service, and footy players are NOT the most upstanding of citizens - they have already broken regulations earlier in the pandemic Given the Vic situatioin, its time to cancel the AFL for this year. not import covid into other states. I think the special treatment contributes to the attitude of some in the community that think this isnt so serious, as footy players (who have close contact, disgusting habits of spitting and blowing noses onto the field ) can play, as if somehow being an athlete gives you special protections.

To be fair though the AFL players are all tested multiple times weekly and are under far harsher restrictions then the general public currently. With the right protocols around the players there are effectively already in a bubble so should be safe and that was why the government gave them permission to play

 

[lovetravellingoz]

It was definitely happening in Queensland as Tom Hanks and wife were initially isolated in hospital and then allowed out to isolate in a hotel. I remember him twittering that they were well but it was just the procedure that everyone initially isolated in a hospital.

I am not saying that everyone in Qld was not hospitalised back then, but the symptoms of the two Hanks were such that as I understand things they would have been hospitalised at any time during the pandemic.

“We felt rotten,” Hanks said. “I had body aches — crippling, cracking body aches. ... The Australian officials put us in the hospital, and they kept very strict attention on our fevers, because if they had spiked, we were going to be in trouble; our lungs, because if they had filled up or scarred we were going to be in trouble; and the levels of our oxygen.”

 

[Pushka]

Isn't this exactly as advertised when we went for a suppression strategy and not elimination? The upfront economic cost is not as severe with a suppression strategy and, if everything goes to plan, the end outcome is rosier. But if things don't go to plan, then the cost to impacted businesses will be disastrous. With a much longer tail to navigate before economic recovery.

I think we are still going for suppression but the extent and speed of the Vic situation caused a rethink. In SA because of crowding on Saturday, bars and nightclubs got closed again today. Good move. Assaults etc increased significantly on that night.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

To be fair though the AFL players are all tested multiple times weekly and are under far harsher restrictions then the general public currently. With the right protocols around the players there are effectively already in a bubble so should be safe and that was why the government gave them permission to play

I was thinking that was the case for AFL but I’m not sure if I was getting confused with NRL. Not sure whether AFL got to the stage of bubbles and frequent testing. Know nothing of A-League protocols, and of other Australian/NZ professional sports.