Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

[HappyFlyerFamily]

An interesting article on what it’s like to be declared a NSW Phase 2 venue (which I felt is a bit harsh if they only had a visitor, no confirmed transmission at the site and no employees that tested positive)

Joseph was just about to open his restaurant when a phone call left him shaking

Joseph Bekele was just about to open the doors for a busy night at his Ethiopian restaurant in Sydney's inner west when the phone rang. He says the call ended up costing him $35,000.

www.abc.net.au

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Lots of other information in the linked article, but to note Thai Rock Wetherill Park has been linked to Crossroads....if the journalism is on point.


Its sister restaurant, the Thai Rock at Wetherill Park, has been linked to more than 100 coronavirus cases.

That cluster was linked to The Crossroads Hotel cluster, which has been associated with more than 50 cases and which are believed to have originated with an infected person from Victoria.

Virus cluster fears at elite Sydney school

EXCLUSIVE

www.news.com.au

 

[antycbr]

Pensions continue to be paid, welfare the same.

That’s the fundamental issue. The Federal Government is footing the bill for this through Jobkeeper and Jobseeker. States need to be held accountable financially for their decisions to keep borders closed unnecessarily for populist reasons.

 

[Melburnian1]

That’s the fundamental issue. The Federal Government is footing the bill for this through Jobkeeper and Jobseeker. States need to be held accountable financially for their decisions to keep borders closed unnecessarily for populist reasons.

The difficulty is that the Federal Government lacks the constitutional power to "force" States to open their borders.

Mr Morrison would unfairly be tagged as the "bad guy" if he for instance - not his style - threatened to withhold some Commonwealth payments to a state.

I hate to think how much tourism and to some extent restaurants businesses in Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania must be suffering. Q and T may be worst affected. No interstate visitors and none from o/s.

Western Australia too, but maybe not as much as it has all those cashed-up miners who want to play during some weeks off.

 

[antycbr]

The difficulty is that the Federal Government lacks the constitutional power to "force" States to open their borders.

Mr Morrison would unfairly be tagged as the "bad guy" if he for instance - not his style - threatened to withhold some Commonwealth payments to a state.

I hate to think how much tourism and to some extent restaurants businesses in Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania must be suffering. Q and T may be worst affected. No interstate visitors and none from o/s.

Western Australia too, but maybe not as much as it has all those cashed-up miners who want to play during some weeks off.

Conversely, It’s arguable that states do not have the constitutional power under s.92 to close the borders. We need that test case.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Conversely, It’s arguable that states do not have the constitutional power under s.92 to close the borders. We need that test case.

We know that states do have the right to close borders. There doesn't seem to be much debate around that. The issue is the time they can continue to keep them closed, if the imminent threat appears to have passed.

 

[jakeseven7]

The difficulty is that the Federal Government lacks the constitutional power to "force" States to open their borders.

Mr Morrison would unfairly be tagged as the "bad guy" if he for instance - not his style - threatened to withhold some Commonwealth payments to a state.

I hate to think how much tourism and to some extent restaurants businesses in Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania must be suffering. Q and T may be worst affected. No interstate visitors and none from o/s.

Western Australia too, but maybe not as much as it has all those cashed-up miners who want to play during some weeks off.

We have close links into WA tourism, they are absolutely and utterly devastated by the border closures and the most vocal body in asking for more rational conversations with the premier (has proven impossible as they are unfortunately in election mode as well).

 

[antycbr]

We have close links into WA tourism, they are absolutely and utterly devastated by the border closures and the most vocal body in asking for more rational conversations with the premier (has proven impossible as they are unfortunately in election mode as well).

WA is in March 2021 - that’s 7 months from now. Someone is always in election mode in Australia so perhaps we should just call it quits on the Commonwealth.

 

[jase05]

Some things SA is doing very well. Some things - truly bewildering. Other things - just plain wrong.

Yeah I think we are doing ok overall. Obviously a few things need to be changed such as letting SA residents return home.
Obviously we are a small tourist destination compared to others so we haven’t been affected by it as much and many folk in the restaurant industry that I know are doing well since restrictions were eased. I think we have the capacity to recover quicker than others but it’s still going to be a tough ride for many

 

[Lynda2475]

note Thai Rock Wetherill Park has been linked to Crossroads..

This isn't at all surprising and was my assumption all along. Casula isn't that far from Wetherill Park - very likely someone who dined or worked at Crossroads, either also dined at Thai Rock or shopped at Stocklands Mall where is is located or mixed in same social circles. If that transport worker (and patient zero for the other Vic linked cases) had stayed in Melbourne, NSW would probably not be considered at all newsworthy.

Mr Morrison would unfairly be tagged as the "bad guy" if he for instance - not his style - threatened to withhold some Commonwealth payments to a state.

Well federal tourism minister said he will cut tourism subsidies if states keep borders closed unreasonably. To my mind closing a border when there was a handful of cases was unreasonable, for the short period NSW/QLD border reopened there was not a single case of a NSW resident bringing Covid-19 to QLD - their only cases were from returning Queenslanders. Limiting access to remote indigenous communities and aged care facilities which are highly vulnerable is fare, stopping NSW residents from going to Gold Coast or Cairns once there are a handful of cases each week would seem to not be reasonable, giving we will be living with Covid for the foreseeable future.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Another health alert....courtesy of ABC Covid live blog (via Twitter)


COVID alert issued for Brisbane cafe, flight to Sydney


If the above tweet isn't loading for you, here's what it says:

A coronavirus public health alert has been issued for Virgin flight VA962 from Brisbane to Sydney on Monday 17 August and anyone who dined at The Jam Pantry cafe at Greenslopes on Sunday 16 August. A woman who returned to Japan, after being in Brisbane, has tested positive.


so does that mean, they got it in Brisbane, before flying to Sydney, then Japan?!?!

edit: found a link COVID-19 health alert issued for Virgin flight and Brisbane cafe

 

[Lynda2475]

so does that mean, they got it in Brisbane, before flying to Sydney, then Japan?!?!

It does read that way, if they think she got it whilst transiting Sydney, why issue warning for Brisbane?

 

[Hillbilly64]

Another health alert....courtesy of ABC Covid live blog (via Twitter)


COVID alert issued for Brisbane cafe, flight to Sydney


If the above tweet isn't loading for you, here's what it says:

A coronavirus public health alert has been issued for Virgin flight VA962 from Brisbane to Sydney on Monday 17 August and anyone who dined at The Jam Pantry cafe at Greenslopes on Sunday 16 August. A woman who returned to Japan, after being in Brisbane, has tested positive.


so does that mean, they got it in Brisbane, before flying to Sydney, then Japan?!?!

edit: found a link COVID-19 health alert issued for Virgin flight and Brisbane cafe

From QLD health facebook:

Flew in from Japan mid july and did two weeks quarantine in Sydney. Tested negative and was allowed into Qld go return to her "normal life" (?????) As she had already quarantined in Sydney. Spent 2weeks ish in QLD then
Returned to Japan via Sydney where tested positive on arrival?

Raises a lot of questions ...

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

A different linking This time of Thai Rock Wetherill Park to Thai Rock Potts Point....again if journalists are on point.

Two of Sydney's COVID-19 outbreaks – located more than 34 kilometres apart – have been linked to form a "supercluster".

The clusters, stemming from the respective Thai Rock Restaurants in Potts Point and Wetherill Park, are in fact genomically linked, an analysis by NSW Health has found.
The cases at the venues share a close genomic fingerprint, fusing the two clusters which account for a combined 153 coronavirus infections.
NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant indicated she suspected a link between the two clusters several weeks ago, but was waiting on the results of the genomic sequencing to confirm.
It’s unknown how the virus spread from the Wetherill Park venue to Potts Point, with NSW Health telling the Sydney Morning Herald in a statement it’s “under investigation”.
The cluster is NSW’s largest since the state entered its “second wave”, first identified when a staff member and diner tested positive for the virus.
“While it is unlikely that the staff member was infected at the restaurant the source of her infection remains unknown,” NSW Health’s surveillance report said.
“No additional cases were identified in restaurant attendees and the quarantine period for those who attended the restaurant at a time when a case was known to be infectious ended on 26 July.”

NSW labels six more 'hotspots'

NSW Health has put another six areas under "increased surveillance", calling on thousands of people to get tested for coronavirus.

www.news.com.au

 

[Must...Fly!]

From QLD health facebook:

Flew in from Japan mid july and did two weeks quarantine in Sydney. Tested negative and was allowed into Qld go return to her "normal life" (?????) As she had already quarantined in Sydney. Spent 2weeks ish in QLD then
Returned to Japan via Sydney where tested positive on arrival?

Raises a lot of questions ...

Odd. Diplomat?

 

[dajop]

The clusters, stemming from the respective Thai Rock Restaurants in Potts Point and Wetherill Park, are in fact genomically linked, an analysis by NSW Health has found.

Who would have thought, two restaurants with the same name and presumably same owner (in fact the only two restaurants by that name in Sydney) would be linked? It's good to have the confirmation, but it's almost impossible to conceive that they wouldn't be linked.

 

[SydneySwan]

Odd. Diplomat?

Doubt it - they would have been exempt from quarantine.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

If someone finds a cluster map /relevant info on the NSW Health website please post the link.

Statement to journalists that we can’t see don’t fill me greatly with confidence.

apparently SMH journalists got a confirmation of the two Thai Rocks being linked.

the article linking Thai Rock Wetherill Park to Crossroads is a bit more vague.

 

[Lynda2475]

If true I'm sure it will be covered by Dr CHant in tomorrow's press conference, she is pretty good at sharing info once confirmed. I find her messaging is always pretty clear.

 

[jakeseven7]

Yeah I think we are doing ok overall. Obviously a few things need to be changed such as letting SA residents return home.
Obviously we are a small tourist destination compared to others so we haven’t been affected by it as much and many folk in the restaurant industry that I know are doing well since restrictions were eased. I think we have the capacity to recover quicker than others but it’s still going to be a tough ride for many

With respect that’s great for some restaurants... but hotels and accom and anyone associated has been devastated in SA too, particularly in the CBD. We work with them all.