Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

[drron]

The use of private security wasn't the cause of the people dying in the aged care homes.
The aged care homes are responsible for hygiene and proper supply and use of PPE by their staff, as well as sufficient and appropriate cleaning. If this had been done, it is likely the disease would not have entered the homes.

The Federal Government, which is in charge of regulating them appears to have abrogated their responsibility to ensure compliance with basic standards of care to the residents of these homes.

Unfortunately if the hotel quarantine had worked -and the inquiry has said it didn't- then the virus wouldn't have got into Aged Care facilities.And the Commonwealth did offer ADF support.
But I agree that this wasn't the major, though a necessary, cause of the Victorian outbreak.The major cause of the outbreak was the failure of Victoria's contact tracing system.Again the Commonwealth had offered a modern take on contact tracing back in March but were ignored.And Victoria had form.Their contract tracing was overwhelmed in the 2009 swine flu pandemic-the only State that had this happen.

And finally HVR unfortunately for you the Victorian authorities did accept that health in Aged Care facilities was their responsibility back in May.I have shown you this evidence before.

Victorian health authorities ramp up measures to prevent Newmarch House repeat

Four Melbourne nursing homes remain in lockdown as authorities work to prevent a repeat of the deadly Newmarch House cluster in NSW.

www.theage.com.au

"Victoria's Deputy Chief Health Officer Annaliese van Diemen said much had been learnt from watching the deadly outbreak at Newmarch House unfold.
"In Victoria, we consider a single case in a nursing home an outbreak," Dr van Diemen said. "We decided quite early on we didn't want to wait for a second case."

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Indeed. At Mrs SS prompting I had been busy planning / booking a road trip along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria for first week of Feb. Ever cautious I had only made fully refundable bookings which of course I have now cancelled. We are now planning a trip around Western NSW instead. Fortunately NSW is quite a big state so plenty of places we haven't been to yet.

Feb? I reckon that you would have been good to go. I have full confidence that NSW will have it under control in a week or so.

I went down mainly the Otways 2 weeks ago for 5 days.. There had been a a bit of rain and the waterfalls were in full roar, the bushwalking magnificent...and oh yes the coast road a great drive too .

It was certainly a great escape from the 5km limit.

 

[DC3]

Things are pretty good in QLD. I’d much rather be here than in NSW.

 

[SydneySwan]

Feb? I reckon that you would have been good to go. I have full confidence that NSW will have it under control in a week or so.

I went down mainly the Otways 2 weeks ago for 5 days.. There had been a a bit of rain and the waterfalls were in full roar, the bushwalking magnificent...and oh yes the coast road a great drive too .

It was certainly a great escape from the 5km limit.

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Like you I am optimistic that we could have travelled as planned but Mrs SS prefers more certainty ...... although of course there is no such thing at the moment!

 

[Pushka]

Things are pretty good in QLD. I’d much rather be here than in NSW.

I don't think that is a fair comment given everything NSW has done getting all Australians home.

 

[james4321]

This is like football teams. Australian against Australian. Could all states do better? Yes! Should people be turned away from testing anywhere in Australia? No! Should hotel quarantine be stricter for crew and passengers, yes! Should we learn from each other to improve? Yes!

The AHPPC works much better than national cabinet.

failing that, the ignore button works just as well.

Thanks - good suggestion

 

[N860CR]

Things are pretty good in QLD. I’d much rather be here than in NSW.

Things are pretty good here in NSW as well. And having returned from Queensland yesterday, I feel much safer here in a state with decent testing and tracing mechanisms in place. This will be long forgotten in NSW shortly. A breakout in QLD... that’d hurt.

 

[DC3]

I don't think that is a fair comment given everything NSW has done getting all Australians home.

Oh, come on now.

Edit: It’s just a view/opinion, as are plenty of posts on here.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

This is like football teams. Australian against Australian. Could all states do better? Yes! Should people be turned away from testing anywhere in Australia? No! Should hotel quarantine be stricter for crew and passengers, yes! Should we learn from each other to improve? Yes!

The AHPPC works much better than national cabinet.

failing that, the ignore button works just as well.

Yes AHPPC works better than National Cabinet but AHPPC has dropped the ball in a couple of instances - eg masks (long delay before adopted as part of coughnal and well after stockpiles were restored), supporting/requiring PPE in hospital and aged settings, supporting/requiring mandatory tests at international border scenarios, improving quarantine/isolation of international flight crew.

 

[RooFlyer]

The issue of private security (ie no police or military presence) may not have been the sole cause of the outbreak, but the fact that no one can be held accountable for solely using private security is still a very poor outcome for those who lost loved ones in that outbreak. In fact it stinks!

The Inquiry was - or should be just the preliminary. The main event should be the WorkSave Victoria investigation, and resulting prosecutions for industrial manslaughter on a massive scale (if such be found). The Government and its Ministers and Officers are not immune from this process.

The question is - will WorkSave Victoria do what it would do if, say a private company caused the escape of a poison into the water system that resulted in over 800 deaths. What are the odds of WorkSafe proceeding, I wonder?

The use of private security wasn't the cause of the people dying in the aged care homes.
The aged care homes are responsible for hygiene and proper supply and use of PPE by their staff, as well as sufficient and appropriate cleaning. If this had been done, it is likely the disease would not have entered the homes.

The Federal Government, which is in charge of regulating them appears to have abrogated their responsibility to ensure compliance with basic standards of care to the residents of these homes.

Oh, not that old canard again. I think its been demolished (again) up-thread.

 

[Pushka]

Oh, come on now.

Edit: It’s just a view/opinion, as are plenty of posts on here.

In “non Covid pre Christmas uncertainty’ I’d laugh and we can all laugh on Wednesday if things improve. Just not yet. Ok? I just know how I’d be feeling right now.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

About 7 places outside Northern Beaches added, all up to 17/12. The only venue outside Northern Beaches after 17/12 is the Turramurra salon for dates up to 18/12

 

[jase05]

Christmas may be back on. SA has just changed the rules and are now allowing domestic transits of up to 2hrs at SYD provided you stay masked the whole time (not sure how this is policed)
If you are coming from regional NSW you now must be tested on days 1,5 and 12 but no need to self isolate whilst awaiting results.

Have also updated International quarantine procedures aswell and those completing their 14 days mandatory quarantine in Sydney will not be required to quarantine again in Adelaide provided they go directly to the airport and wear a mark the whole time also with a 2hr limit at SYD

 

[Must...Fly!]

Christmas may be back on. SA has just changed the rules and are now allowing domestic transits of up to 2hrs at SYD provided you stay masked the whole time (not sure how this is policed)
If you are coming from regional NSW you now must be tested on days 1,5 and 12 but no need to self isolate whilst awaiting results.

Have also updated International quarantine procedures aswell and those completing their 14 days mandatory quarantine in Sydney will not be required to quarantine again in Adelaide provided they go directly to the airport and wear a mark the whole time also with a 2hr limit at SYD

You wouldn't want to be stuck with a delay! But good to see some reasonable flexibility come in to this, in line with the actual danger...

 

[antycbr]

Christmas may be back on. SA has just changed the rules and are now allowing domestic transits of up to 2hrs at SYD provided you stay masked the whole time (not sure how this is policed)
If you are coming from regional NSW you now must be tested on days 1,5 and 12 but no need to self isolate whilst awaiting results.

Have also updated International quarantine procedures aswell and those completing their 14 days mandatory quarantine in Sydney will not be required to quarantine again in Adelaide provided they go directly to the airport and wear a mark the whole time also with a 2hr limit at SYD

Just don’t expect those on the ground responsible for enforcing the rules to actually know them. Evidence a plane full of people forced into quarantine and turned back at the border in direct contravention of SAs published rules.

 

[dajop]

OK, lot of criticism about different premiers "slamming the borders" shut, but the brutal truth is there is a significant minority of the Australian population who just don't give a damn about the virus, or if they do, they don't give a damn about anyone else. Saturday, my first day of "freedom" in Australia since well early July when Victoria started going into lockdown #2 (I left MEL mid August to return to Singapore, coming back into quarantine in Sydney earlier this month).

1) Flying from Sydney to Melbourne on VA, Mask wearing compulsory. Person sitting one row ahead, but opposite was asked by FA if he had a mask, he said yes. FA, replied "Well put on then". A few minutes later overheard him talking to person sitting next to him ... even though from Sydney he just wrote on the permit form he was from "Green Zone" not the "Orange Zone", as he knew they wouldn't check. He was clearly from a demographic I understand figured heavily in Melbourne's second wave.

2) Mid evening caught up for a coffee. I've been programmed to check-in and check-out everywhere I go in SIngapore, restaurants, shops, shopping centres, even shops within shopping centres (a second layer of check-in), operating a national standard scheme for check-in/check-out using QR code, identity card or government provided fob (particularly useful for elderly). No one enforcing in Melbourne, and the QR code was so faded it was difficult to use, and no ability to check-out. Had to enter details, in Singapore when entering places, all driven by what is saved, and you don't even need to stop walking at most places, just scan the code and you are checked in. It is also built into the continually evolving "Trace Together" App (the basis of the COVID-SAFE app).

3) Later that evening, shopping in Highpoint. I did a count, only 1/3 people were actually wearing masks. Vast majority of non-compliers were also those in the demographic that I understand figured heavily in Melbourne's second wave. I will say, as Woolworths was closed had to go back next morning, and mask compliance in the centre was more like 80-85% in the morning.

IMHO think the border closures are a price we have to pay for not having some form of national track and trace, check-in type system + the absence of national identity system that could be linked to that. Ironically closures are a price of freedom.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Christmas may be back on. SA has just changed the rules and are now allowing domestic transits of up to 2hrs at SYD provided you stay masked the whole time (not sure how this is policed)
If you are coming from regional NSW you now must be tested on days 1,5 and 12 but no need to self isolate whilst awaiting results.

Have also updated International quarantine procedures aswell and those completing their 14 days mandatory quarantine in Sydney will not be required to quarantine again in Adelaide provided they go directly to the airport and wear a mark the whole time also with a 2hr limit at SYD

Good outcome.

Though I’m not sure how practical is checking in and take off for flight within 2 hours of leaving quarantine hotel?!?! Probably a case of needing an exemption/extension to about 4 hours.

Domestic hopefully is not a practical issue in most situations.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Just don’t expect those on the ground responsible for enforcing the rules to actually know them. Evidence a plane full of people forced into quarantine and turned back at the border in direct contravention of SAs published rules.

They have apologized for last night’s error and there is a separate process for some turned at the road/land border to get exemption to enter (I think situation is if didn’t stop in Sydney )

 

[jase05]

Good outcome.

Though I’m not sure how practical is checking in and take off for flight within 2 hours of leaving quarantine hotel?!?! Probably a case of needing an exemption/extension to about 4 hours.

Domestic hopefully is not a practical issue in most situations.

Allowed 2hrs at SYD airport. That doesn’t include travel time to airport

Post automatically merged: Dec 21, 2020

Just don’t expect those on the ground responsible for enforcing the rules to actually know them. Evidence a plane full of people forced into quarantine and turned back at the border in direct contravention of SAs published rules.

The Commissioner admitted they had got it wrong and they are in the process of some sort of exemption for those that were turned around at the road border as long as they haven’t returned to SYD. Also offering compensation on a case by case basis

 

[DC3]

In “non Covid pre Christmas uncertainty’ I’d laugh and we can all laugh on Wednesday if things improve. Just not yet. Ok? I just know how I’d be feeling right now.

Well, if I may ask, where would you rather be? SA or NSW? There’s no blame or finger pointing here among us AFFers.

No pressure.