Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Yes and the Indians are hoping the Brisbane test will go ahead in Sydney as well as they have a terrible record at the Gabba. This may happen if Dr Young persists with too onerous restrictions on the test teams to enter QLD.

Haha I think there are now no Qlders in the Test team. Lol

Edit: Qld CHO takes into account the economic benefits and AFL for a few months should be better than cricket for a week.

 

[MelMel]

The only checks that were done were that we had to hold our Victorian drivers licence level with our face and say we hadn’t been in Sydney in the last 14 days upon disembarkation. QLD Police and AFP personnel at the exit. No pass, no details taken. The only way they would have known was from flight manifests.

 

[Port Power]

The only checks that were done were that we had to hold our Victorian drivers licence level with our face and say we hadn’t been in Sydney in the last 14 days upon disembarkation. QLD Police and AFP personnel at the exit. No pass, no details taken. The only way they would have known was from flight manifests.

I guess there was no other way, then. Trying to match up departures would be a nightmare though, hence the direct contact.

 

[SydneySwan]

I guess there was no other way, then. Trying to match up departures would be a nightmare though, hence the direct contact.

I remember in 1984 getting a letter from US officialdom at my home in the UK telling me I had overstayed my visa and if I had left the US could I please prove it by attending the US embassy in London. I had been in the UK for about 5 months by then.

 

[Lynda2475]

At the start of NSW NB outbreak ScoMo stated NSW eligible for emmergency payments if need to isolate awaiting a test or because deemed a close contact, the same payments they gave to Melburnians last year. So zero excuse for going to work when you shouldnt.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Yes, the thought of betting is totally obscene and wrong at multiple levels. However poor decision making, and those profiting from political driven border lockdowns is also wrong, but also predictable when agreed hotspot definitions go out the door. So we sanitize this as risk management - say How to Use a Risk Assessment Matrix [with Template].
Likelihood IS Likely. Perhaps I am wrong and 3 Billion is a cheap price to delay early and immediate vaccinations, given qualitative and quantitative workings are NOT/Never made public with a name attached and the press has stopped asking for them. If the breakout is contained to say 170 positives, then the delay may be as little as 1.7 deaths if 1:100.
I congratulate the contact tracers on this one - they have gone above and beyond, and hopefully nipped it. I speculate Australia Days and the upcoming long weekends will allow more public stupidity, so I think the phrase overdeliver needs to be changed to emergency approved.

*shrugs shoulders* It is very dangerous, for Australians. Not for Israelis, Americans, Europeans or British. But it is for us. We dunno know 'why', he didn't say. All we know is that anyone who suggests early roll out is naive.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

At the start of NSW NB outbreak ScoMo stated NSW eligible for emmergency payments if need to isolate awaiting a test or because deemed a close contact, the same payments they gave to Melburnians last year. So zero excuse for going to work when you shouldnt.

Do you mean this conditional scheme that has been available throughout Australia for some time for some workers who meet the requirements for it, or a new measure?:




The additional $450 Coronavirus (COVID-19) Test Isolation Payment was I understand funded by the Vic Gov.

Details at Department of Health and Human Services Victoria | $450 Coronavirus (COVID-19) Test Isolation Payment

 

[nutwood]

I remember in 1984 getting a letter from US officialdom at my home in the UK telling me I had overstayed my visa and if I had left the US could I please prove it by attending the US embassy in London. I had been in the UK for about 5 months by then.

Did you attend the embassy?

 

[SydneySwan]

Did you attend the embassy?

No. I phoned them and told them what flight I had left on. I got the impression the staff in the UK were a bit pi.... off with dealing with these situations. They said the airline staff were not very diligent in making sure all the departure papers were given to the US Govt. There was no outward US immigration at the time. When I next visited the US in 1987 I had a new passport and this issue was not raised.

 

[drron]

The Commonwealth has put out a plan for dealing with outbreaks.The major point was the definition of a hotspot.Only WA wouldn't accept the definition.
The first officially declared hotspot was the Northern beaches and it is still the only one.The 2 Territories and 2 states pretty well did things according to plan by insisting on hotel quarantine or banning just those from the Northern Beaches.They had some extra restrictions for those from the Greater Sydney area but allowed most of regional NSW free access.
The State that needs congratulating is actually QLD.Their approach has been so much better than the earlier behaviour over borders.Now if they could only put a little more compassion into their exemptions.
Tasmania is the other State that has to a large extent based it's reaction on the hotspot definition.
WA,SA,Vic and NSW have not reacted according to the plan.
NSW because according to the plan once a hotspot is declared that area should be locked down.The northern part of the northern beaches should be the easiest part of Sydney to shut down.
SA gets a little credit for having a 100 Km zone including Broken hill and Wentworth where free access is still allowed.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Add Boost Juice at Chadstone 29/12 6-11pm

Full list: More Melbourne locations exposed to coronavirus

Two Boost Juice kiosks at a major Melbourne shopping centre have been shut after a worker tested positive for coronavirus.

www.news.com.au

 

[Flying mermaid]

I’m beginning to think the border closures are very much about the economy within each state. If you look at how badly Melbourne economy suffered during the long lockdown, you can understand why Premiers are trigger happy with borders, sacrificing the economic benefits of cross border movement for the sake of preserving locally focussed retail and hospitality and other types of businesses severely impacted by lockdowns or even without lockdowns the “stay away” mentality engendered by clusters.

With Victoria, the supposedly much improved contact tracing and ring fencing of cases is only undergoing its first real pressure test. When it was last called upon, the lockdown measures were very much still in place, at least in Metro Melbourne.

I’ve said it before, really need alignment on how individual hotspots are managed and to prevent movement out of the hotspot and then the enforced boundary is the hotspot not the entire state. Furthermore, capital city to capital city movement seems to be the biggest risk not capital city to country (even at the height of the Vic second wave the regional clusters seemed to be shutdown relatively quickly - even in Geelong, with 250,000 population).

But we’re all just armchair commentators. One things for certain I’m glad I’m not in state government - damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Meanwhile the most of rest of the world is merrily getting along with more open borders much higher infection rates - but not necessarily any better economic performance.

Most of the graphs I have seen has said the countries that have controlled the virus vigorously via lockdowns etc are having a much better economic outcome than those who have done half hearted control measures and tried to keep their economies open

 

[Lynda2475]

Dr Ron i know you feel NB lockdown wasnt up to Tas standards but to say NB wasnt locked down is incorrect, and NNB remains locked down via public health orders until 9th Jan.

By imposing a hard border to whole of NSW WA, SA and Vic are not remotely following guidelines. Regional towns w I th zero cases are being treated same as NB, its a joke.

And Tas by saying all of greater Sydney need to iso for 14 days has effectively made it impossible to go there - its sneaky too, as if they declare it a hotspot people have full protections for refunds, but making it medium means harder to get money back (friend is battling this atm, as Tas hotel says she can still come, and just stay in room for whole visit - talk about cough).

 

[Lynda2475]

Do you mean this conditional scheme that has been available throughout Australia for some time for some workers who meet the requirements for it, or a new measure?

Thats it, qualification pretty straight forward once you have received a health order to test or isolate. If you are working illegally well that is another matter.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Testing in Vic today on the whole is coping a lot better with demand at present compared to the last two days. Only one location is currently listed as being over-capacity. Max wait time is presently 2 hours. This morning longer wait times were being shown at some sites.

Testing locations temporarily unavailable​

Monash Health - Carroll Lane, Dandenong - Drive Through (Over capacity - no further accepted).

There are quite a number of locations at under30 minutes. ie Roxbough Park 15 minutes and Tullamarine 10 minutes.

Testing site wait times​

The following drive-through testing sites currently have estimated wait times of over 30 minutes:

Alfred Health - The Alfred Hospital (120 minutes), Western Health - Sunbury Respiratory Clinic (120 minutes), Springers Leisure Centre (120 minutes), Victoria University (St Albans Campus) (120 minutes), Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital (120 minutes), Darebin Arts Centre (100 minutes), IPC Health - Deer Park (90 minutes), Monash Health - Casey Fields (Cranbourne) (90 minutes), Chadstone - Golfers Drive (90 minutes), Banyule Community Health - Greensborough (90 minutes), Wyndham City Council Civic Centre (90 minutes), Swinburne University (Wantirna) (75 minutes), Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre ( MSAC ) (60 minutes), DPV Health - Schrotters Road, Mernda - Drive Through (60 minutes), Monash Health - Clayton Road (50 minutes), IPC Health - Wootten Road Reserve (45 minutes), Sandringham Hospital (45 minutes), Shorten Reserve Car Park (40 minutes), Monash Health - Don Tatnell Leisure Centre (Parkdale) (40 minutes), Peninsula Health - Mobile Service - Rye Civic Hall (35 minutes), Western Health - Melbourne Showgrounds (drive through) (30 minutes), Western Health - Melbourne Showgrounds (walk in) (30 minutes), IPC Health - West Sunshine Community Centre - Drive through (30 minutes), IPC Health - West Sunshine Community Centre - Walk Through (30 minutes), Wantirna Trash and Treasure Market (Wantirna) (30 minutes).

Health.vic

At the Department of Health, we're focused on supporting Victorians to be as healthy as they can by delivering a world-class health system that focuses on improving patient outcomes and experiences.

www.dhhs.vic.gov.au

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Add Boost Juice at Chadstone 29/12 6-11pm

Full list: More Melbourne locations exposed to coronavirus

Two Boost Juice kiosks at a major Melbourne shopping centre have been shut after a worker tested positive for coronavirus.

www.news.com.au

Yes it is one of a number of exposure sites not far from me. The Chadstone Testing site where I got tested on the 28th is also quite close (under a km) from the Shopping Centre. It used to be at the centre but they moved it into the multilevel carpark for Holmesglen TAFE.

 

[jakeseven7]

Alert issued for 63 Sydney suburbs after new virus fragments found in sewage​

Dozens of Sydney suburbs have been put on alert after sewage surveillance detected signs of the virus in the Liverpool and Glenfield areas.

Thousands of residents have now been urged to monitor for symptoms.

NSW Health issued an alert highlighting that virus fragments were detected at the two treatment plants in Sydney’s southwest.

“NSW Health is concerned there could be other active cases in the local community in people who have not been tested and who might incorrectly assume their symptoms are just a cold,” the department said.

Virus alert for 63 Sydney suburbs

Dozens of Sydney suburbs have been put on alert after sewage surveillance detected signs of the virus in the Liverpool and Glenfield areas.

www.news.com.au

 

[MooTime]

View attachment 237131Flew MEL-CNS on 26/12 and flew back on 30/12. If they know I flew up surely they would know I came back?

We're in Coolangatta, along with many others we've spoken to from Mel. Arrived 1st Jan (tested in melb 31st, no symptoms, tested cos of the local cases)
The very few close by covid test places need GP referral.
Reason why we & others stay at cooly is to avoid the tacky central GC / surfers area & the 5min taxi from airport to hotel with a better beach to boot.
Call us selfish or whatever, but we don't plan to catch a $70 taxi to GC hospital to spend multiple hours in a line then $70 return & a day lost. If had symptoms would be another matter, we'd be 1st in line.
Tweed hospital 10 mins away, but can't get back into Qld then, silly situation, Qld really should have more GP-less covid testing clinics in the popular GC vicinity over this busy time.

Also front page of today's paper is a Melbourne group enjoying GC beaches.
Says it all, qld tourism couldn't survive this busy period without Syd & Mel so they've held off closing border with Vic &/or forcing those Vic's to self isolate.
28 days transmission free I thought was the catch cry, hour many days Mel have WITH covid locally transmitted cases??
Politics at play imo.

Also no g-pass, permit nothing on arriving & was nearly 2 weeks after covid appearing in Mel.

 

[drron]

Dr Ron i know you feel NB lockdown wasnt up to Tas standards but to say NB wasnt locked down is incorrect, and NNB remains locked down via public health orders until 9th Jan.

By imposing a hard border to whole of NSW WA, SA and Vic are not remotely following guidelines. Regional towns w I th zero cases are being treated same as NB, its a joke.

And Tas by saying all of greater Sydney need to iso for 14 days has effectively made it impossible to go there - its sneaky too, as if they declare it a hotspot people have full protections for refunds, but making it medium means harder to get money back (friend is battling this atm, as Tas hotel says she can still come, and just stay in room for whole visit - talk about cough).

Not jus by NW Tas standards but SA standards as well.The plan calls for a hard lockdown and that didn't happen on the northern beaches.All reports I have seen that the checks in and out of the area were random and haphazard.Confirmed also by reports on here of people being able to drive in and out of the area without being checked.
In NW Tasmania it wasn't good when the area was locked down on April 13th.On april 27th it was the last day with multiple cases and restrictions were eased.In the next week just 4 cases and no more after that.
SA in 2 days the back was broken.In retrospect they were too hard but due to having been lied to by a case.But better to be too hard than too soft.

As to economics what has really helped Australia is the closing of our National border.There are literally millions of active cases outside Australia with very few inside Australia.
The countries that have survived best economically are generally those that closed their external borders early not those that have gone into a hard lockdown.

 

[jakeseven7]

Yes, just like the soccer did twice last week

Yes and the Indians are hoping the Brisbane test will go ahead in Sydney as well as they have a terrible record at the Gabba. This may happen if Dr Young persists with too onerous restrictions on the test teams to enter QLD.

Well clearly they are having second thoughts about the crowds.... crowd capacity has just been cut again to only 10,000 spectators now allowed to attend.

——

The Test will be re-ticketed, meaning people who bought tickets under the original 50 per cent crowd restrictions will be refunded.

SCG Test crowds reduced to 25 per cent of ground capacity

Officials respond to concerns about risks of COVID-19 spread at the SCG Test by reducing crowd numbers to a maximum of a quarter of the ground's capacity.

www.abc.net.au