Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

[justinbrett]

What actually was said, and by whom?

Do you have a link or quote?

Yep:
Victoria

timestamp 40:30

Queensland

Qld premier lashes Commonwealth over regional quarantine

Queensland’s Premier has launched another scathing attack on the commonwealth over its handling of hotel quarantine for Australians returning home.

www.news.com.au

“Even NSW thinks regional quarantine is needed,” she said.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Yep:
Victoria

timestamp 40:30

Queensland

Qld premier lashes Commonwealth over regional quarantine

Queensland’s Premier has launched another scathing attack on the commonwealth over its handling of hotel quarantine for Australians returning home.

www.news.com.au

“Even NSW thinks regional quarantine is needed,” she said.

Thankyou.

Well Merlino was clearly incorrect then.

 

[justinbrett]

Thankyou.

Well Merlino was clearly incorrect then.

To be fair the NSW treasurer put out some mixed messages, Gladys since set the record straight

Treasurers should stick to paying the bills...

 

[dajop]

Putting regional Victoria into lockdown (unnecessarily) triggered a message to other states that Vic considered it a hotspot / area of concern and therefore restrictions were mirrored interstate.

The more nuanced approach was starting to gain momentum, until it regressed with this latest statewide lockdown.

One can argue with the benefit of hindsight that it wasn't necessary, nor were the Queensland or WA lockdowns. But hindsight is a wonderful beast. But they were locked down out of an abundance of caution due to known cases visiting some areas of regional Victoria, and probably moreso to disincentivise Melburnians from fleeing to the country.

I think the challenge for everyone - and the politicians in particular - is that not locking down is a greater risk than locking down. You get lucky, people credit you with a fine decision. You get unlucky - and the stigma of not acting fast and not avoiding an outbreak is going to last a lot longer than the memory of a one week lockdown.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

To be fair the NSW treasurer put out some mixed messages, Gladys since set the record straight

Treasurers should stick to paying the bills...

Yes there were media reports yesterday indicating two different views , ie that want/did not want. But after reading several it was clear the NSW only were interested in it if The Feds built, ran and paid for everything. The agreement in Vic being Feds pay to build it, but Vic pays to operate it.

 

[justinbrett]

Yes there were media reports yesterday indicating two different views , ie that want/did not want. But after reading several it was clear the NSW only were interested in it if The Feds built, ran and paid for everything. The agreement in Vic being Feds pay to build it, but Vic pays to operate it.

And I think the real NSW view/hope is that quarantine won't be required by the end of the year once most people are vaccinated. So bit of a waste of money building these facilities.

Would be good if they designed them for another purpose - like emergency housing for DV / single pensioners etc. Even university accommodation. But building them just for quarantine is a bit of a waste of money IMO (at least the VIC proposal looks nice - the QLD proposal was horrid)

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

One can argue with the benefit of hindsight that it wasn't necessary, nor were the Queensland or WA lockdowns. But hindsight is a wonderful beast. But they were locked down out of an abundance of caution due to known cases visiting some areas of regional Victoria, and probably moreso to disincentivise Melburnians from fleeing to the country.

I think the challenge for everyone - and the politicians in particular - is that not locking down is a greater risk than locking down. You get lucky, people credit you with a fine decision. You get unlucky - and the stigma of not acting fast and not avoiding an outbreak is going to last a lot longer than the memory of a one week lockdown.

I guess its too hard to do a lockdown/movement rule - if you were in the lockdown zone during the period of spread, you have to follow those rules eventhough you are now outside that zone. I think NZ have done it intra-jurisdiction and NSW does a version of it when dealing with interstate lockdowns.

 

[justinbrett]

I think the challenge for everyone - and the politicians in particular - is that not locking down is a greater risk than locking down. You get lucky, people credit you with a fine decision. You get unlucky - and the stigma of not acting fast and not avoiding an outbreak is going to last a lot longer than the memory of a one week lockdown.

That's discounting the damage lockdowns actually do.

There's no telling what permanent damage has been done to Melbourne over the last 12 months.

Like many fellow NSWelshmen I've never been subject to a lockdown apart from the initial federal lockdown. I'm actually starting to think at the end of this I won't be able to relate with much of the world that has had to endure these lockdowns which I'm sure they will carry as scars for the rest of their lives.

Lockdowns don't have to be the only tool in the toolbox.

 

[Lynda2475]

Would be good if they designed them for another purpose - like emergency housing for DV / single pensioners etc. Even university accommodation.

The problem is if you use them for other purposes then the next pandemic arises you need to re-home all those students/DV victims etc.

Perhaps if they were nice enough to use for school camps or corporate retreats then that might work, as it would inconvenience future bookings if cancelled but wouldn't end up leaving students or DV people homeless.

 

[jb747]

As someone living in the regions, and right next door to the NSW border, knee jerk regional lockdowns are doing vast harm, for zero benefit. I think a story about a boy and a wolf is appropriate. NSW also laid the boot in by having a quasi border closure, extending the Melbourne restrictions to the border regions. I’d expect the residents of Mildura would be pretty ready to secede to either NSW or SA by now. No cases, ever. 500 kms from anywhere. Perhaps the aim is to ensure that no regional business gets more of a chance to survive than those in the city. Or perhaps the real reason is that the police will no longer enforce a ring of steel (or whatever).

 

[justinbrett]

The problem is if you use them for other purposes then the next pandemic arises you need to re-home all those students/DV victims etc.

We managed over 100 years last time, I'm hope I'm not around for another.

Perhaps if they were nice enough to use for school camps or corporate retreats then that might work, as it would inconvenience future bookings if cancelled but wouldn't end up leaving students or DV people homeless.

Hotel Re-accommodation!

 

[drron]

Putting regional Victoria into lockdown (unnecessarily) triggered a message to other states that Vic considered it a hotspot / area of concern and therefore restrictions were mirrored interstate.

Sometimes other states jump the gun and declare on their own, but for the last few months if a state self declares a hotspot as Queensland, WA and now Victoria have done - the other states follow suit.

History has shown that both WA and Queensland wait between 14-28 days of a declaration being lifted to allow green travel. Other states generally faster, but it can vary, NT typically the fastest. This is why you need to make declarations/restrictions targeted to actual areas of concern and not statewide.

Had Vic not lumped Regional Vic in with Metropolitan Melbourne, you can bet that the interstate restrictions would have not applied to Regional Victoria, only Melbourne metro. This is what happened with the Brisbane and Perth declarations, other states didn't put restrictions on travelers from Broome or Cairns for example.

The more nuanced approach was starting to gain momentum, until it regressed with this latest statewide lockdown.

Not quite true.WA made us stay out of their State for 14 days after flying out of MCY when the Brisbane 3 day lockdown occurred.I have since met a colleague who was working in Mt.Isa and WA wouldn't let him into his next job in Broome until he had 14 days out of QLD.He was flying ISA-TSV-DRW-BME. Quite a long way away from the Brisbane exposure sites.

 

[hydrabyss]

And I think the real NSW view/hope is that quarantine won't be required by the end of the year once most people are vaccinated. So bit of a waste of money building these facilities.

Would be good if they designed them for another purpose - like emergency housing for DV / single pensioners etc. Even university accommodation. But building them just for quarantine is a bit of a waste of money IMO (at least the VIC proposal looks nice - the QLD proposal was horrid)

They could build them next to an airport then after they have finished using them for quarantine they could turn them into hotels.

 

[Pushka]

We managed over 100 years last time, I'm hope I'm not around for another.



Hotel Re-accommodation!

I remember the Swine Flu Pandemic in maybe 2009?

 

[Lynda2475]

They could build them next to an airport then after they have finished using them for quarantine they could turn them into hotels.

Not reallt viable for SYD, maybe at the new airport if it ever gets built.

 

[dajop]

I remember the Swine Flu Pandemic in maybe 2009?

And of course SARS 2003.

There's plenty of potential for pandemics, unfortunately this time the virus was both contagious and somewhat deadly. One hopes this combination is but a once in a lifetime event. But the (2019) level of global connectedness, the (2019) level of affordability of air travel makes everything so much easier for a virus to quickly spread. In fiscal 2002/3 there were 8.1m arrivals into Australia, in 2018/19 21.1m.

Another one to compare it to MERS, terribly deadly but hardly contagious.

 

[Hvr]

I remember the Swine Flu Pandemic in maybe 2009?

I also remember, I was infected and officially diagnosed. It took me at least six months to fully recover.

 

[justinbrett]

I remember the Swine Flu Pandemic in maybe 2009?

And I don’t remember putting people in HQ!

 

[dajop]

I remember the Swine Flu Pandemic in maybe 2009?

Interesting read below. A big difference seems to be the R0

H1N1 Influenza vs. COVID-19 Comparison: Similarities & Differences

We’ve experienced two different pandemics in the 21st century: the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic and the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn about their similarities and differences.

www.healthline.com

 

[Pushka]

And I don’t remember putting people in HQ!

Well, when we went to Bali we were screened for temperature and many people were marched away......My nephew developed it as did sons then girlfriend. Seemed to attack the younger people not older ones which suggests we had been exposed earlier to a similar virus and developed immunity.