Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

[RooFlyer]

It has now come to light that the 53-year-old was a German-Australian dual citizen accompanied by her German-born 15-year-old son. If she is indeed a dual citizen then she would understand English.

You could easily be a dual citizen and only have the foreign language, no English but I agree that seems unlikely in this case.

I still think the likely explanation was the pair believed they would quarantine in Melbourne (having bought through tickets etc) and for whatever reason weren't disabused of that notion and then met mutual confusion at Sydney airport and slipped away from the usual queue at SYD thinking "this isn't for us". Apparently the police drove them to SYD domestic! Holes in the Swiss (or German) cheese type of thing.

I go along with nutwood - a choice between a conspiracy and a stuff-up in this case - go with the stuff up.

 

[Lynda2475]

but not stood down

Why not? In any corporate enviorment if you created this much media attention and disrupted this many peoples live from not fulfilling your duties as required, you would have those duties removed from you, be moved to a non public facing role and have to redo any compliance training before being returned to the role you screwed up on probation. In fact in some roles Ive had mistakes bringing the company into disrepute is immediate grounds for dismissal.

 

[jakeseven7]

No new locally community transmission for NSW.....

So we all await WA's border announcement in a few hours.....

 

[dajop]

Meanwhile, on the theme of recalcitrant travellers, over here in hotel quarantine in Sydney, some dude on the bus from the airport, who was sitting in front us, travelling from UK, apparently only had is mask over his chin on the bus journey. We didn't realise until he got off and the women sitting diagonally behind us mentioned "thank god he's off, he didn't have his mask on and he's coming from further away (than Singapore)"

Furthermore, this morning, surprise surprise, same person could be heard (at door of room next door), he refused to have covid test, as apparently the laws says you only are required to take one on Day 10. They're going to move him to a hot hotel now it would seem.

This is what I hate about this stupid one size fits all quarantine program, NZ'ers get to come from their negligible COVID environment on NZ only flights and avoid quarantine, we come from our negligible COVID environment and have to mix with all comers. Although at least on the plane, I managed to snag a seat with 8 rows (>6m) separating me from the nearest other person ...

 

[Pushka]

Why not? In any corporate enviorment if you created this much media attention and disrupted this many peoples live from not fulfilling your duties as required, you would have those duties removed from you, be moved to a non public facing role and have to redo any compliance training before being returned to the role you screwed up on probation. In fact in some roles Ive had mistakes bringing the company into disrepute is immediate grounds for dismissal.

He isn’t in a corporate environment though but the public sector. His Union would be ready to defend at all costs. He made a mistake. A big one. But clearly the training didn’t cover all bases.

 

[Lynda2475]

a choice between a conspiracy and a stuff-up in this case - go with the stuff up.

I'll agree with a police stuff but not a mistake on the travellers part, I suspect a severe entitlement attitude on their part and deliberate misrepresentation re exemption to get out of the incovenience of quarantine.

 

[Lynda2475]

He isn’t in a corporate environment though but the public sector. His Union would be ready to defend at all costs. He made a mistake. A big one. But clearly the training didn’t cover all bases.

Police should be held to same high standard.

Personally i dont see that the union would ahve a leg to stand on, he/she has proven not fit for duty at the airport, they need to redeply him/her to other duties surely there is some paperwork that needs doing in a station or at head office until he/she has been retrianed and proven he/she can execute duties correctly.

I said stand down, not stand down without pay or fire him.

 

[drron]

Why not? In any corporate enviorment if you created this much media attention and disrupted this many peoples live from not fulfilling your duties as required, you would have those duties removed from you, be moved to a non public facing role and have to redo any compliance training before being returned to the role you screwed up on probation. In fact in some roles Ive had mistakes bringing the company into disrepute is immediate grounds for dismissal.

well the policeman responsible was only on his second shift at the airport.If anyone should be stood down it is whoever made the decision to allow an officer to work alone on their first few shifts in such a situation.

One report I saw had this quote from George Bernard Shaw which is appropriate in this situation and has been throughout the pandemic.
"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place".

 

[jase05]

It has now come to light that the 53-year-old was a German-Australian dual citizen accompanied by her German-born 15-year-old son. If she is indeed a dual citizen then she would understand English.

Interesting, I had not heard that

 

[jakeseven7]

 

[Pushka]

Police should be held to same high standard.

Personally i dont see that the union would ahve a leg to stand on, he/she has proven not fit for duty at the airport, they need to redeply him/her to other duties surely there is some paperwork that needs doing in a station or at head office until he/she has been retrianed and proven he/she can execute duties correctly.

I said stand down, not stand down without pay or fire him.

Ok. But you then did raise the dismissal thing. He needs further training and likely all front line crew need to learn to deal with possibly very fatigued and stressed and likely angry passengers some of whom won’t like the rules and try to break them.

So it seems they had already made it to the car park.
“It is understood a security guard at a Melbourne Airport car park overheard a conversation involving the pair and was able to escalate it up the chain of command.”

 

[jakeseven7]

Good timing for SA to have no cases today, with both WA and QLD announcing their fate today....

 

[dajop]

well the policeman responsible was only on his second shift at the airport.If anyone should be stood down it is whoever made the decision to allow an officer to work alone on their first few shifts in such a situation.

One report I saw had this quote from George Bernard Shaw which is appropriate in this situation and has been throughout the pandemic.
"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place".

I would be surprised if the officer was working alone. We arrived 2 hrs after the said ANA flight, and there were at least 3 NSW police working at the exit of the terminal and also counted 2 black clothed police (presumably Feds?), but maybe it was shift change.

 

[RooFlyer]

We can only hope that the Tasmanian police etc are learning from all the hard-won lessons from interstate and there aren’t the same stuff ups with our first overseas arrival quarantine batch!!

As I mentioned above, any part time workers ( there is some private security) are having their pay topped up to full time and there will be a bonus ( I assume if no problems), but the workers cannot be mandated not to take other work.

Also, all arriving pax had to have a negative test before they were allowed to board the plane, as well as the usual tests while in quarantine. I’m not sure what the testing regime is for quarantine workers.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Yes. But all go straight into quarantine of type, usually the hotels, and not on what is effectively a form of public transport now most borders are open.

I still struggle that someone had the wherewithal ( delete - dual National now) to book a flight with ANA which had only just opened up a week or so ago, book a domestic ticket, negotiate Japanese airport, be told to get in a bus for hotel quarantine by health but show a police officer their boarding pass that got them out of their directed queue then on to a flight. Claiming confusion.

I think Australia could capitalise on the movie industry now so I’m pleased that is happening.

I was replying to the statement of why non Australians being allowed in ahead of Australians and pointing out it is not an isolated case by any means.

 

[Katie]

I have several German-Australian dual citizen friends some the same age as the women (all born in germany and moved to australia as adults, then secured citzenshop) and all can speak and understand English very wel. As Pushka says anyone under 55 in Germany would have leant English at school, and anyone who previously lived in Australia liong enough to qualify for citizenship would have a decent understanding, even if their spoekn English was basic.

Maybe under 45, but not under 55 for the former East.
Reunification was only in 1990, and I'm not sure how quickly the schools in the former East would have moved from Russian being the preferred (only?) foreign/second language to study to offering English, Spanish, French, etc. So anyone out of school for 25-30 years in the East may not have much English knowledge.

 

[Lynda2475]

A good free to read artcile about quarantine exemptions in Aus:

Who is exempt from hotel quarantine after entering Australia?

The case of two people incorrectly allowed to avoid hotel quarantine after flying into Sydney has put the spotlight back on quarantine exemptions. Here is a rundown on who can enter Australia by air or sea and be exempt.

www.abc.net.au

 

[nutwood]

We can only hope that the Tasmanian police etc are learning from all the hard-won lessons from interstate and there aren’t the same stuff ups with our first overseas arrival quarantine batch!!

As I mentioned above, any part time workers ( there is some private security) are having their pay topped up to full time and there will be a bonus ( I assume if no problems), but the workers cannot be mandated not to take other work.

Also, all arriving pax had to have a negative test before they were allowed to board the plane, as well as the usual tests while in quarantine. I’m not sure what the testing regime is for quarantine workers.

Interesting that they can't be prevented from taking other work. I thought employment contracts could cover that.
Obvious solution, if pay is being topped up to full time, expect full time work. I'm sure there's some rocks to paint white somewhere!

 

[justinbrett]

WA is opening to NSW tomorrow as planned

 

[jakeseven7]

WA to open to South Australia on Friday but with 14 day quarantine because of the quote ‘massive outbreak’