Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

[RooFlyer]

Hmmmm....so if only 1 flight left (not per week, ever) for the Pacific workers then not sure such a great deal for Tas

I’m sorry that I can’t post the text of what’s being reported, but I think you are misunderstanding what’s going to happen. Number of flights is a bit redundant.

Over the next six months, Tasmania, instead of taking up to 330 repatriation people, from all around the world, including virus hotspots, is instead going to take about 1500 seasonal workers, mainly from the Pacific, a very low risk region. We’re had two such flights before and it’s worked well, and the community supports it.

Victoria is going to take our repatriation quota, and its attendant risk. And after the seasonal workers have done their hotel quarantine, part or fully paid by the farming community, they will fly off to Victoria.

As I said, great outcome for Tasmania: low risk, little cost and increased employment opportunities.

Edit Tasmania will contribute to Victorian costs of hotel quarantine for the erstwhile ‘Tasmanian’ repatrees.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Paranoia at its best. the whole of sydney covid situation is will under control. the system has shown it works time and time again.

apart from one uncontrolled outbreak, due to lax HQ, rest of them have been quickly controlled by all states concerned.

we must stop this fear mongering and knee jerk reactions, that result in states locking out their own residents.

Yes from October on after the two ring method was adopted, as well as enhanced contact tracing etc every cluster in Victoria (Kilmore, Shepparton, Uniting Aged Care Preston, North-metro Community <which was the several EPIC Clusters> SE Community, Box Hill Hospital#2 and Black Rock) has been ceased within one to two weeks of the first positive test result having been identified.

So personally I believe that the restrictions on travel into Victoria from NSW could have been less. But equally I do not believe that there should not have been any.

 

[Pushka]

indeed!!

I am sick of premiers spouting "keeping queenslanders / victorians / west australians safe". how about everyone concentrates on keeping "all australians safe"

Maybe because Premiers have no control over Australia, just their own state.

 

[Lynda2475]

Until it 'doesn't' work. The virus has escaped HQ in NSW. Perhaps lucky the outbreak didn't reach aged or residential care? That could have easily happened before contact tracing even got off the ground.

It isnt all luck, contract tracing very good in NSW from the start and wide spread use of QR codes means when an exposure site is identified they can contact attendees very quickly, test and isolate them. NSW helath updates website as soon as a venue is identified, its transparent and timely.

When Victoria reintroduced community cases to NSW via Crossroads several months ago, one of the people who caught Covid was a worker at a aged care facility in Ashfield. But because of issues at New March back in April, new procedures were already in place re better PPE and procedures. The facility immediately triggered their Covid plan, closing itself to visitors and testing all staff and residents and sending anyone who worked a shift wit the person home for 2 weeks. Guess wahta ? Not a single other worker or residnet at that Aged Care Facilty got covid, the same coudlnt be said for the 100s of staff and residents who caught and spread Covid in Victoria at the same time.

When NB broke they restricted visitors to aged care (now remobed) and again no cases got in. In fact, none of the local clusters since July have made their way into Aged Care in NSW. There have been some exposures in medical centres and hopsitals but agaiin these were contained really quickly.

There is simply no evidence that NSW Health cant effectively manage exposures and clusters to stop them from spiralling out of control.

The recents cases havent resulted in mass hopsitalisatoions (only 3 people admitted, none in ICU - the recent ICU case was a returned traeller), no deaths. The one death in the last few 5 months was an elderly person who had caught covid back in March, recovered but then succumbed to effects.

 

[jakeseven7]

Just need Qld to follow.

Any views jakeseven7 on when Qld may join the club? I have quite a number of Sydney clients who are eager to join me in Qld in Feb, but cannot yet. My WA clients have given up.

QLD will announce next week for sure an easing back of restrictions to NSW (as long as Sydney doesn't cough up any more cases fingers crossed). They've said they will update us on Jan 27.

They will have to break the old 'cannot ever be broken 28 day rule' though to achieve this which will be a bitter pill for a couple of people to swallow, will be enjoyable to watch.....

We are in the same boat with our HQ in Brisbane, temporarily being a leper city was not fun. Thankfully I was already out before the borders slammed shut to us. We have been moving meetings to Melbourne actually and feeling positive WA will open to VIC in the next couple of weeks again hopefully in time for a convention we have there...

 

[MEL_Traveller]

1. nothing lucky about it, it was well managed.
2. Again it didn't

going by your logic, let's close all borders permanently till covid is completely eradicated all over the world.

It was well managed after the fact it was known to be in the community. before then it could have got into a vulnerable population

It doesn't mean we have to close borders until covid is eradicated. We're hoping the vaccine will reduce severity, so even if covid is out there, it won't have catastrophic outcomes.

There is simply no evidence that NSW Health cant effectively manage exposures and clusters to stop them from spiralling out of control.

And unfortunately there is no evidence that any state can guarantee a leak from HQ or another cluster won't find its way into a vulnerable population

 

[Pushka]

It was well managed after the fact it was known to be in the community. before then it could have got into a vulnerable population

But that’s the only way to manage it surely? It has to be in the community before there is anything to manage.

I’m not affiliated with NSW and when Ruby P happened I was extremely frustrated but the facts are that NSW have been challenged and have dealt with it with the least possible disruption while still dealing with the lions share of repatriated Aussies.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

It isnt all luck, contract tracing very good in NSW from the start and wide spread use of QR codes means when an exposure site is identified they can contact attendees very quickly, test and isolate them. NSW helath updates website as soon as a venue is identified, its transparent and timely.

When Victoria reintroduced community cases to NSW via Crossroads several months ago, one of the people who caught Covid was a worker at a aged care facility in Ashfield. But because of issues at New March back in April, new procedures were already in place re better PPE and procedures. The facility immediately triggered their Covid plan, closing itself to visitors and testing all staff and residents and sending anyone who worked a shift wit the person home for 2 weeks. Guess wahta ? Not a single other worker or residnet at that Aged Care Facilty got covid, the same coudlnt be said for the 100s of staff and residents who caught and spread Covid in Victoria at the same time.

When NB broke they restricted visitors to aged care (now remobed) and again no cases got in. In fact, none of the local clusters since July have made their way into Aged Care in NSW. There have been some exposures in medical centres and hopsitals but agaiin these were contained really quickly.

There is simply no evidence that NSW Health cant effectively manage exposures and clusters to stop them from spiralling out of control.

The recents cases havent resulted in mass hopsitalisatoions (only 3 people admitted, none in ICU - the recent ICU case was a returned traeller), no deaths. The one death in the last few 5 months was an elderly person who had caught covid back in March, recovered but then succumbed to effects.

Bold part is not always true. Have had 2 different friends go to different public venues where they were identified via QR but the public was later informed of the venue about 3 days later (maybe one was 2 days later and the other 3). So it’s quite possible where QR wasn’t as widespread, public don’t know about venues for 2-3 days.

 

[somebol]

Maybe because Premiers have no control over Australia, just their own state.

Wasn’t that the point of a national cabinet

 

[Pushka]

Wasn’t that the point of a national cabinet

Different issue. One Constitutional and the other more like a Planning Committee but not legally binding on state issues.

 

[drron]

The repatriation flights to Tasmania are in addition to the seasonal workers that arrive in Tasmania.Back in November the Tasmanian Premier negotiated with the PM to have 700 seasonal workers arrive in December/January.

Season workers deal signed by Tasmania to fly in 700 workers from Pacific Islands to pick fruit – Ethnic Council of Shepparton and District

ethniccouncilshepparton.com.au

The first flight from Timor Leste arrived on 2/12/20.There was another 150 that arrived recently from Tonga.The aim was to have 700 by the end of January.

http://www.premier.tas.gov.au/site_resources_2015/additional_releases/our_plan_to_create_job_opportunities_for_all_tasmanians/bright_future_ahead_for_young_tasmanian_filmmakers/tasmanias_seasonal_workforce_to_be_bolstered_with_appropriate_safeguards

This recent announcement is in addition to the 700 that have already arrived.
So Tasmania has been ahead of the game.

And as to the 450 on Repatriation flights that is 450 more than the number of OS arrivals directly into Hobart in 2019.

 

[Flashback]

Unsubscribing from this thread, it seems no one else shares the same view regarding all the off topic posts that should be split into separate threads such as quarantine, state borders, etc. as that post was deleted so I'll just remove myself instead. Hooroo.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

But that’s the only way to manage it surely? It has to be in the community before there is anything to manage.

That's my point! But by then - two or three days later - it could be too late to stop it getting in to a vulnerable community. (I suppose you could to try and limit any spread to one person, but I think the cost of that risk reduction would be way too high.)

 

[Pushka]

That's my point! But by then - two or three days later - it could be too late to stop it getting in to a vulnerable community. (I suppose you could to try and limit any spread to one person, but I think the cost of that risk reduction would be way too high.)

But That's exactly what happened in SA. Spread from quarantine cleaner to elderly mother, her husband, presumably over 7 day period, to other family members who were by then in close contact quarantine, the Pizza guy, resulting in second tier lockdown or testing (moi included) and a couple in Uni, but a fast State lock down and massive testing stopped the spread within a month. This is what NSW have been doing but on a wider geographical scale. It works.

 

[dajop]

Mods can we parse off this interstate rivalry into a separate thread? It’s getting repetitive and tedious.

I am not sure if any particularly new arguments about the blocking of interstate or hotspot travel (or not)., or the relative merits of state government responses have been added in the last month, just the same old stuff again and again.

I like the thread for its discussion of the spread and even factual discussion of border restrictions but just going over the same opinions again and again on NSW vs VIC, NSW vs QLD, WA vs all, etc is tedious at best and defacto political at worst.

 

[Must...Fly!]

Mr McGowan must have found his CHO's cell (sorry, office) as NSW and QLD will be deemed low risk from tonight.

Which means you can enter WA with 14 days quarantine.

So the detail had something even more bizarre

"WA’s Chief Health Officer Andy Robertson has advised that “given the unique situation” in Queensland, the Sunshine State could transition to “very low risk” from February 1.

A State Government media release said this transition would be confirmed closer to the date, subjected to updated health advice."

How is any individual or business meant to plan around this?

It's literally roulette.

 

[jakeseven7]

So the detail had something even more bizarre

"WA’s Chief Health Officer Andy Robertson has advised that “given the unique situation” in Queensland, the Sunshine State could transition to “very low risk” from February 1.

A State Government media release said this transition would be confirmed closer to the date, subjected to updated health advice."

How is any individual or business meant to plan around this?

It's literally roulette.

A very ‘unique’ roulette perhaps? Oh dear.

Arguably WA should be fully open to both VIC and QLD right now.

And no business can plan around it. Part of the reason we shut our Perth office and consolidated into Melbourne ops to ride out the pandemic.

 

[Port Power]

Unsubscribing from this thread, it seems no one else shares the same view regarding all the off topic posts that should be split into separate threads such as quarantine, state borders, etc. as that post was deleted so I'll just remove myself instead. Hooroo.

I have some sympathy for you. There is repetition about border closures and some distinct State bias by at least one AFFer, but it does all relate to “the spread of the virus in Australia”. Perhaps it has moved from “Australian reports of the virus spread”, if you take that to mean just new reports of new virus outbreaks. Spread and containment measures are both valid, I think.

Skip reading the posts you don’t think are informative. But there is some really good information in there too.

 

[dajop]

Unsubscribing from this thread, it seems no one else shares the same view regarding all the off topic posts that should be split into separate threads such as quarantine, state borders, etc. as that post was deleted so I'll just remove myself instead. Hooroo.

Didn't read your message before I posted something similar an hour and half after your post (sorry it's that sort of thread ) so do agree with you.

 

[jakeseven7]

Shedding shedding (hopefully)

——

Virus detected in Qld wastewater​

Coronavirus fragments have been detected at four separate sewage sites in Queensland.

Dr Jeannette Young, Queensland’s Chief Health Officer said in a statement last night the viral fragments were found at Mackay South, Goodna, Wacol and Carole Park.


Dr Young urged anyone who felt unwell in those areas to get a test and isolate.

“If there is a case we are not yet aware of, it is critical we detect it through our testing mechanisms as quickly as possible to contain any potential spread.”

Blow to Aussies as mutant threat revealed

Australia will force returned travellers infected with a mutant strain of COVID-19 into an extended period of quarantine.

www.news.com.au