Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

[Pushka]

It sounds like NSW will try again for self-regulation/responsibility at end of Feb

First few para

The NSW Tourism Minister says he is confident two of the state’s most annoying rules — bans on singing and dancing — will be gone for good by the end of February.

The restrictions were imposed in December in response to the Omicron wave which mandated masks indoors, imposed two square metre density limits for hospitality venues, and banned singing and dancing at pubs, clubs and music festivals.

They were extended last week until at least February 27.

Speaking at the launch of the 2022 Great Southern Nights festival line-up, Stuart Ayres said he was “pretty confident” the restrictions won’t be extended past that date.

“We think that we’re getting through the worst of Omicron,” he said on Thursday.

“We have to live with Covid, we can’t let this lock us in our homes.”

NSW to ditch two despised Covid restrictions

The NSW Tourism Minister says he is confident two of the state’s most annoying rules — bans on singing and dancing — will be gone for good by the end of February.

www.news.com.au

Has NSW resumed elective surgery? Heard tonight that an SA AFL player flew interstate to have surgery due to elective bans in SA. Doesn't seem right.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Has NSW resumed elective surgery? Heard tonight that an SA AFL player flew interstate to have surgery due to elective bans in SA. Doesn't seem right.

Announced a couple of days ago - 75% capacity of NSW private hospital and 75% capacity of regional and rural NSW public hospitals - starting from 7/2 I believe

 

[Pushka]

Announced a couple of days ago - 75% capacity of NSW private hospital and 75% capacity of regional and rural NSW public hospitals - starting from 7/2 I believe

Interesting. He's already had it. Maybe Qld is still open but I thought Qld Hospitals were only for Queenslanders.

 

[Must...Fly!]

Interesting. He's already had it. Maybe Qld is still open but I thought Qld Hospitals were only for Queenslanders.

If there is any government willing to create an exemption for anything for an AFL player it is Victoria.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Interesting. He's already had it. Maybe Qld is still open but I thought Qld Hospitals were only for Queenslanders.

I thought the current hospital restriction areas are NSW, Vic, Qld, SA and one hospital in ACT. Well they were the only ones I noticed being announced. Drron did mention a level 3 restriction going to Level 2 in Tas but I'm not sure what either level entailed.

 

[drron]

Level 2 means hospitals can restart elective surgery and Outpatient clinics.

 

[Pushka]

If there is any government willing to create an exemption for anything for an AFL player it is Victoria.

Think you might be right then, as no other eastern state has already opened.

 

[jase05]

Think you might be right then, as no other eastern state has already opened.

I presume you are talking about Fantasia?
My understanding is than in SA we were not even allowed to perform procedures that could be done at a day surgery. He only needed his knee cleaned out which is a simple procedure and you are in and out in a matter of hours. He was going to head interstate as some states were allowing it

 

[Pushka]

I presume you are talking about Fantasia?
My understanding is than in SA we were not even allowed to perform procedures that could be done at a day surgery. He only needed his knee cleaned out which is a simple procedure and you are in and out in a matter of hours. He was going to head interstate as some states were allowing it

Charlie Dixon ankle surgery. Fantasia seems like he will have it in SA.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

I presume you are talking about Fantasia?
My understanding is than in SA we were not even allowed to perform procedures that could be done at a day surgery. He only needed his knee cleaned out which is a simple procedure and you are in and out in a matter of hours. He was going to head interstate as some states were allowing it

Yes day surgeries are being done in Vic, or at least some are.

Last week my wife had a colonoscopy to remove a polyp, and the week prior I had a dental implant performed to put the post into the bone.

 

[jase05]

Charlie Dixon ankle surgery. Fantasia seems like he will have it in SA.

Charlie was not meant to have that done until Monday interstate, must have got a earlier appointment

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Charlie Dixon ankle surgery. Fantasia seems like he will have it in SA.

A Google indicates ankle ligament surgery which is normally a day procedure.

 

[Pushka]

A Google indicates ankle ligament surgery which is normally a day procedure.

So day surgery was ok interstate? It was banned here. While I can understand the length of recovery involved for two parties, I heard that a kidney transplant was cancelled because that was considered elective.

 

[burmans]

It sounds like NSW will try again for self-regulation/responsibility at end of Feb

First few para

The NSW Tourism Minister says he is confident two of the state’s most annoying rules — bans on singing and dancing — will be gone for good by the end of February.

The restrictions were imposed in December in response to the Omicron wave which mandated masks indoors, imposed two square metre density limits for hospitality venues, and banned singing and dancing at pubs, clubs and music festivals.

They were extended last week until at least February 27.

Speaking at the launch of the 2022 Great Southern Nights festival line-up, Stuart Ayres said he was “pretty confident” the restrictions won’t be extended past that date.

“We think that we’re getting through the worst of Omicron,” he said on Thursday.

“We have to live with Covid, we can’t let this lock us in our homes.”

NSW to ditch two despised Covid restrictions

The NSW Tourism Minister says he is confident two of the state’s most annoying rules — bans on singing and dancing — will be gone for good by the end of February.

www.news.com.au

Would have thought a Tourism Minister might be more concerned about allowing international tourists back in the country than singing and dancing but guess he hasn’t had to do his job much in the last few years so may have forgotten what’s really important.

 

[antycbr]

Would have thought a Tourism Minister might be more concerned about allowing international tourists back in the country than singing and dancing but guess he hasn’t had to do his job much in the last few years so may have forgotten what’s really important.

It’s important for one reason. Mardi Gras is a week later.

Sydney is hosting WorldPride 2023 and no singing and dancing won’t do much for people considering attending from overseas.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Would have thought a Tourism Minister might be more concerned about allowing international tourists back in the country than singing and dancing but guess he hasn’t had to do his job much in the last few years so may have forgotten what’s really important.

I believe the NSW Tourism Minister has a number of other roles including being also a newly minted NSW Deputy Liberal leader.

 

[N860CR]

I know you keep saying it's nothing more than a mild cold but I have several friends who have been very unwell (one compared it to a very severe flu) and two weeks later are still nowhere near 100% better - and yes triple vaxxed

And I’m not saying that’s not the case. I’m now up to over 20 friends who only knew they “had it” because they got tested. Maybe it’s the difference between the variants? I don’t know. But numbers do not lie, and they’re not providing any support to the theory that this is a serious illness.

 

[JohnM]

WA reports 19 new cases of COVID-19 as virus continues spreads through community​

Around 400 students and dozens of staff at three schools in the state have been forced into isolation for two weeks just days into the new school term.

But despite calls for WA to reduce the isolation period for close contacts in schools to seven days, WA Premier Mark McGowan says the current approach is the right one until case numbers grow more, but could not clarify what number would trigger a change in approach.

Mystery cases in WA continue to climb, with many confirmed cases also active in the community whilst infectious leading experts to suggest the actual spread is possibly far higher than official numbers.

All the coronavirus news you need in the one place — as it happened

Look back at how today unfolded in our live blog.

www.abc.net.au

What is it about WA that we have an (apparently) linear increase in number of cases that's been going on for about a week or more?

When is this thing going to go exponential like (apparently) everywhere else? It's a ridiculously slow burn.

One can only hope that the "infectious leading experts" (whoever the hell they are - but the 20-something wet-behind-the-ears junior reporters that infest the ABC these days ostensibly manage to find plenty of them ) are right.

We need to get this show on the road over here and punch through it.

And - just asking the rhetorical question for a friend: why would you do a (genuine ) QR checkin if you are likely to get ordered into the slammer for two weeks on a remote possibility that you might get a sniffle (that you really want anyway to get your killer T-cells going).

 

[oz_mark]

Let's see what happens next week, when the hard border becomes slightly porous.....

 

[JohnM]

Let's see what happens next week, when the hard border becomes slightly porous.....

Yes - but I’m getting sick of waiting…