Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

[dajop]

A better view is to track total cases that resulted from each breach - the Vic 2nd Wave was 1000s whereas the others have been a handful at best.

Looking at the list it seems Victoria very much "took one for the team", and the whole country learnt from the experience.

Whilst all the noise was about "who made the decision" (to employ private security), with the benefit of hindsight, the genomic tracing linked most cases back to the single family in the Rydges, and a much smaller number to the two outbreaks from the Stamford, the escapes then weren't that much different to subsequent escapes. Just that everyone had learnt a lot from what happened in Vic. Brett Sutton admitted that they didn't pick up on the second wave, because they thought it was the tale end of the first wave, couple that with lack of testing and monitoring of staff, poor PPE practices and the ontact tracing deficiencies we all know what happened.

By contrast here in Singapore, I can't recall a case of hotel quarantine worker contracting the virus, even though there are more passengers (up to 7000 a week) and more positive cases in HQ. There was one documented cluster, proven via genomics of transmission within a hotel. Also several cases of transmission at the airport (including one this week to immigration worker), but not HQ workers. I think there a lot less staff involved, and also maybe given the tropical climate and constant need for cooling, ventilation management much better in most hotels here.

 

[jase05]

This is nonsense. Paul Reiffel is an umpire. There is no way he would be able to afford that. The players in the IPL are well paid but not the umpires. Because of COVID all the top Australian umpires are earning much less than usual because of reduced opportunities to umpire overseas.

Yep, Reiffel would be on just over $3k per game he umpires and then at the completion of the IPL season he gets about a $10k bonus. They have all accomodation paid for as well as flights and transport. Only a fraction of what the players earn

 

[SydneySwan]

As a family man I'd expect his remuneration to be higher than normal due to Covid risk for him to take up the offer but certainly nowhere near the level of players. Several zeroes short. But I reckon @TheRealTMA was only thinking of the players.

I am afraid your expectations are not correct. Paul Reiffel would have had a choice between umpiring IPL and finding work outside cricket. Even the very top umpires don’t make a lot and they can be away from home 200+ days a year.

I am a cricket umpire in NSW. I ‘stand’ around 40 days a year. The pay is so low that the ATO regard it as a hobby and don’t tax me. Fortunately I don’t regard it as my occupation nor do I depend on the income. The top umpires are considered as professionals and the ATO tax them like any other job.

 

[Pushka]

I am afraid your expectations are not correct. Paul Reiffel would have had a choice between umpiring IPL and finding work outside cricket. Even the very top umpires don’t make a lot and they can be away from home 200+ days a year.

I am a cricket umpire in NSW. I ‘stand’ around 40 days a year. The pay is so low that the ATO regard it as a hobby and don’t tax me. Fortunately I don’t regard it as my occupation nor do I depend on the income. The top umpires are considered as professionals and the ATO tax them like any other job.

While Reiffel got caught up in the conversation he isn't the primary "target" of the comment. He is currently safe in their bubble which was my main point and it was a player who made the comment about CA funding a charter.

How many matches would he be umpiring during the tournament? $2000 a match, for two or three matches a week might be lucrative if he then also gets sponsorship. On the other hand Covid has forced many to seek alternative careers. Cricketers, until Packer times, were always required to have a separate career because cricket at first class level never paid the bills.

 

[TheRealTMA]

This is nonsense. Paul Reiffel is an umpire. There is no way he would be able to afford that. The players in the IPL are well paid but not the umpires. Because of COVID all the top Australian umpires are earning much less than usual because of reduced opportunities to umpire overseas.

Test umpires salary in advance of $250K. IPL 120k all expenses paid.

 

[Lynda2475]

Traveller who accidentally breached green zone at Brisbane airport tests positive to COVID-19

A traveller who unwittingly entered a common area of the Brisbane International Airport yesterday after arriving on a flight from Papua New Guinea tests positive to coronavirus. The airport has been declared a "venue of concern".

www.abc.net.au

 

[MooTime]

I visited 3 QF lounges yesterday.
Mel & GC & just scan mobile BP.
Syd J Lounge required QR scan & links to NSW Service app.

seems a state thing, not QF overall.

wouldn't they know all visitors by scanning BP on their system? Why double up?

 

[hydrabyss]

Traveller who accidentally breached green zone at Brisbane airport tests positive to COVID-19

A traveller who unwittingly entered a common area of the Brisbane International Airport yesterday after arriving on a flight from Papua New Guinea tests positive to coronavirus. The airport has been declared a "venue of concern".

www.abc.net.au

So what will be the outcome for this. 3 day lockdown, all those who had been in the airport have to go and get a test which will be useless as it takes time to become positive.

 

[hydrabyss]

I visited 3 QF lounges yesterday.
Mel & GC & just scan mobile BP.
Syd J Lounge required QR scan & links to NSW Service app.

seems a state thing, not QF overall.

wouldn't they know all visitors by scanning BP on their system? Why double up?

Yes but I think it makes contact tracers job easier as it is in their system and does not require them to contact a third party for the information.

 

[Lynda2475]

Well all those travelling on the 3 NZ flights (as the exposure was in the international departures area) have likley been forced in 14 days ISO since arriving in NZ.

Yesterday they were admitting it was a staff error, but today trying to make it sound like its the passengers fault.

You have to ask why green flights and Hot flights are being collocated - should be at completely different ends of the airport, if not completely different terminals.

 

[33kft]

I can't imagine this bodes well for future bubble arrangements, unless we can show we have made some significant changes to our handling and separation of Green zone passengers

 

[henrus]

Put simply Brisbane airport needs to either stop taking red zone flights or stop taking green zone flights. Having flown through a few days ago (luckily Tuesday) over to NZ it's glaringly obvious that they shouldn't handle both at the same time.

I've used my paint skills to show which areas are red and which are green.

Upstairs on Level 4 most of the floor is green except the end few rows and one of the escalators down which are red. The blue line represents the "barrier"

On Level 3 the "Red Zone" continues through the end of security and separate end of smart gates but that's where it seemingly ended. There weren't any red zone departures at the time I was there but I assume once people pass through passport control they'd then have to escort them to the red zone (either using back corridors or through the middle of duty-free).



Now the following photo (stolen from the ABC) shows just the extent of these magical COVID blocking barriers (they use the same barriers through the entire terminal that I've drawn as blue above. They aren't that high and if you're tall enough you can basically peer over the top:

It's just crazy that someone could be sitting at one of those tables having a meal from the coffee shop meanwhile someone a few meters behind on the other side of the barrier can be coming up the escalator off a red zone flight.

South East QLD has three airports all within about 200km's of each other that are capable of handling international flights. The Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast airports don't accept red zone flights so why not push more of the green zone flights towards these airports if Brisbane airport is handling red zone passengers and Brisbane airport can handle green zone flights but only when there are no other red zone flights around.

Now I can already hear people saying... "well that's inconvenient... I'd have to travel to the Sunshine Coast or Gold Coast to go to NZ". I appreciate that however, I'd argue it's even more inconvenient if you're forced to self-isolate or in the case of yesterday's incident now considered being at a "venue of concern".

 

[Lynda2475]

The Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast airports don't accept red zone flights so why not push more of the green zone flights towards these airports if Brisbane airport is handling red zone passengers and Brisbane airport can handle green zone flights but only when there are no other red zone flights around.

Sounds entirely sensible, and there is PT readily available from Gold Coast to Brisbane.

 

[Must...Fly!]

WA Premier defends strict lockdown by comparing it to NSW model

 

[drron]

I would say Tasmania has a better record than WA this year and for the last 9 months.
Today I arrived in Launcestion and had no problems despite having been in WA for 4 days in the last 14.I answered the questions truthfully to get my Tassie permit.The guy said where did you go in WA so I replied a cruise around the Abrolhos islands then flew home from Geraldation transiting Perth airport.He said-on your way.
Tassie only has a problem if you have visited any of the notified hot spots-basically anywhere a covid positive person has been.
Now if Premier Mark had the same attitude we would have stayed another 7 days in WA spending money.

And what's the bet that after reviewing HQ he will tell the Commonwealth we are staying at the reduced numbers of OS arrivals.

 

[dajop]

Stop the press. Australia now at huge risk because someone travelling from the Covid hotspot of the Cook Islands skipped quarantine ...

Air New Zealand passenger from Cook Islands skips quarantine, lands at Perth

A plane lands in Perth from Auckland carrying a Cook Islands traveller who did not quarantine for two weeks before entering New Zealand.

www.abc.net.au

Oh dear, Covid has raged so much there that over the last 14 months since the pandemic started it has recorded a massive number of ..... zero cases.

 

[jakeseven7]

Stop the press. Australia now at huge risk because someone travelling from the Covid hotspot of the Cook Islands skipped quarantine ...

Air New Zealand passenger from Cook Islands skips quarantine, lands at Perth

A plane lands in Perth from Auckland carrying a Cook Islands traveller who did not quarantine for two weeks before entering New Zealand.

www.abc.net.au

Oh dear, Covid has raged so much there that over the last 14 months since the pandemic started it has recorded a massive number of ..... zero cases.

Let me process this using WA logic... one moment please..... PRESS CONFERENCE, BLAME EVERYONE BUT US, LOCKDOWN!!!

 

[Pushka]

Let me process this using WA logic... one moment please..... PRESS CONFERENCE, BLAME EVERYONE BUT US, LOCKDOWN!!!

And of course, Murphy's law has them landing in WA of all places.

 

[jakeseven7]

And of course, Murphy's law has them landing in WA of all places.

Well thankfully it occurred just at Friday happy hour time so we can all be sufficiently sedated before we have to hear the crazy WA ‘leaders’ talk rubbish on the news.

 

[Lynda2475]

WA Premier defends strict lockdown by comparing it to NSW model

Dunno where he gets his facts but the restrictions on movements of people in the Northern Beaches did not remotely approach 3 months! It was 3 weeks and affected 250k people, which is 1/10th of the people affected by the 3 day lockdowns in greater Perth.

The only restriction that went for 3 months inside NSW following NB outbreak was the need to wear a mask on PT - I seriously doubt that mask wearing resulted in significant economic loss he is claiming.

Most of the economic damage was actually caused by other states (WA at the forefront) unnecessarily over reacting and closing their borders to the whole state of NSW as a result, instead of properly using the hotspot definitions which should have only prevented those from NB and anyone who had visited an exposure site.

I caught part of the presser last night and he said something along the lines of NSW keeps opening then having to lock down like London, I gagged. As this isn't true at all. There was the initial lockdown in March 2020 (which was pretty much national) and then two hotspot focussed movement restrictions firstly in NB for 3 weeks over xmas and then the Northern Rivers for 3 days (due to Brisbane hens night).

He fails to acknowledge the only reason WA economy is doing better than most is due to mining, the WA tourism is suffering just as much (if not more than) those in other states - as they have locked out domestic travelers for more of the last year than anywhere else in Aus. he also never mentioned how much WA lost because NSW residents cancelled xmas travel plans to WA (this wont have been immaterial).