Coronavirus (COVID-19) Respiratory illness - Effect on Travel

[Pushka]

You won't see me shedding a tear for them.

I consider that the fees they pay subsides the costs to Australian students.

 

[Sabot]

I consider that the fees they pay subsides the costs to Australian students.

But they're not, the Australian taxpayer subsidizes domestic students through Commonwealth supported places (CSP) and the HELP program.

 

[Melburnian1]

One aspect of the two week ban is that Oz citizens and permanent residents who return from mainland China are being asked to 'self isolate' for two weeks.

This will have ramifications for businessmen and women who return from that large nation.

I hope government agencies and private enterprise companies are responsible and ensure that their staff and contractors who arrive back here do that. I assume there are no penalties at law if people do not (although in a worst case a traveller could infect business colleagues or others with whom he/she mixed.)

'Self isolate' is a new term but sounds like almost 'under house arrest' (without the formality.) Does it mean no trips to the supermarket, Post Office, chemist, 7/11 and no travelling even in a sole occupant vehicle, let alone public transport?

Will lots of airlines that have multiple daily trips immediately reduce frequencies (for two weeks) into and out of Australia? On lots of nonstop flights (say CAN to SYD) surely at least 70 per cent of passengers must be foreigners who lack residency or citizenship in Australia. They can't travel for two weeks, at a minimum.

 

[p--and--t]

One aspect of the two week ban is that Oz citizens and permanent residents who return from mainland China are being asked to 'self isolate' for two weeks.
......................
'Self isolate' is a new term but sounds like almost 'under house arrest' (without the formality.) Does it mean no trips to the supermarket, Post Office, chemist, 7/11 and no travelling even in a sole occupant vehicle, let alone public transport?

Good questions to get a proper answer from an informed source.

I have always assumed it means you stay home and don't leave the house unless its to go to hospital in an emergency

 

[get me outta here]

Not true that NZ is doing nothing. All arriving people travelling from China are in isolation for 14 days.

ScoMo's being responsible in trying to limit our exposure to this virus. One can't use the term 'eliminate' given that an Oz citizen/permanent (Australian) resident who returned from mainland China, or anywhere else, may 'have it.'

Things may change but Jacinda Ardern in NZ has yet to announce a similar ban on arrivals from mainland China. That its inbound tourism (not just from mainland China) is about double the percentage of GDP of Australia's (around six pc for NZ v roughly three per cent for Oz) doesn't excuse her lack of action.

Not disagreeing with you that such decisions make economic growth difficult, because it tends to 'compound' (negatively, as consumer sentiment declines and hence spending) but a 'recession' is defined as 'two quarters of negative growth' IIRC so whether or not that occurs may be some time down the track.

 

[drron]

Luckily 2019 n-COV don't turn infected people into walking zombies (currently)
Come to think of it I have not come across religious zealots proclaiming the end of the world. As far as I know bushfires, n-COV and climate change is not part of the 7 signs of the "second coming"/end of the world.

Like i said Bunnings have the 3M P2/N95 masks which are also good for the bushfires.

Though there are already some claiming that this outbreak is another consequence of climate change because warmer days means the bats are active for a longer period per year.Only 1 problem with that theory.It is winter in Wuhan and january's max temperatures were mostly <10C.

 

[get me outta here]

And, in NZ the reports are that the local Chinese community is fundraising to put together support packs for Chinese students in isolation.
(Is there at least one thread we can forget the climate change comments).

 

[get me outta here]

@Admin has decreed no climate change discussion.

Though there are already some claiming that this outbreak is another consequence of climate change because warmer days means the bats are active for a longer period per year.Only 1 problem with that theory.It is winter in Wuhan and january's max temperatures were mostly <10C.

 

[DC3]

And two in South Australia, somewhere. Isolated at home, having recently travelled from Wuhan.

 

[Quickstatus]

Government probably should have had better emergency stocks.
I wonder if there is some mechanism by which the Government can force vendors to ration certain items like they do during wartime?

The AusGov has 12 million in emergency stock.
It’s the same one that is used in bushfires

 

[Pushka]

But they're not, the Australian taxpayer subsidizes domestic students through Commonwealth supported places (CSP) and the HELP program.

Thats true - the tax payer subsidises students as well. But the cost of that would be much much higher without the international students.

Post automatically merged: Feb 1, 2020

One aspect of the two week ban is that Oz citizens and permanent residents who return from mainland China are being asked to 'self isolate' for two weeks.

This will have ramifications for businessmen and women who return from that large nation.

I hope government agencies and private enterprise companies are responsible and ensure that their staff and contractors who arrive back here do that. I assume there are no penalties at law if people do not (although in a worst case a traveller could infect business colleagues or others with whom he/she mixed.)

'Self isolate' is a new term but sounds like almost 'under house arrest' (without the formality.) Does it mean no trips to the supermarket, Post Office, chemist, 7/11 and no travelling even in a sole occupant vehicle, let alone public transport?

Will lots of airlines that have multiple daily trips immediately reduce frequencies (for two weeks) into and out of Australia? On lots of nonstop flights (say CAN to SYD) surely at least 70 per cent of passengers must be foreigners who lack residency or citizenship in Australia. They can't travel for two weeks, at a minimum.

Yes. It means you don’t go out in public. But let’s inject reality. People won’t. Period.

 

[Pushka]

And two in South Australia, somewhere. Isolated at home, having recently travelled from Wuhan.

This is kinda funny. Last week I had to collect a parcel from our house we sold last year. A young couple and her parents moved in. Her parents arrived into Australia a few days ago. I had to knock on the door and her father answered. He spoke no English. I spoke no Mandarin or Cantonese <shrugs shoulders>. When we heard this on the TV tonight i did wonder ....

 

[Quickstatus]

The PHEIC declaration is really to assist Indonesia and other lesser prepared countries deal with this. Reports are Indonesia are still unable to test for the specific virus.

 

[DC3]

... When we heard this on the TV tonight i did wonder ....

Bingo!

 

[PineappleSkip]

PHEIC declaration?

 

[Quickstatus]

PHEIC = Public health emergency of international importance.
(The official WHO global emergency declaration)
WHO competes with AFF in the obscurity of its acronyms.
.........
If there is a backlog of testing - which I suspect is what happening in China, it is possible that the infected cases will rise but the % mortality will fall as a result

 

[Saab34]

I guess the biggest unknown at the moment is how far this has spread, we will probably know in a few weeks. First two weeks have no symptoms. Reports are stating to surface showing the trajectory if the spread continues.

Coronavirus Model Predicts 183 Million Infections Before the End of February

If infection rate follows current trend and virus isn't contained.

summit.news

 

[Quickstatus]

Predictions like this are very easy - just extrapolate the curve. Not necessarily based on any science. They don’t explain why these diseases have a peak.

 

[tgh]

We are dropping behind the log curve posted at #230 by Teammongo , but is this a function of Chinese misinformation ? …how can we know?
My Lancet opinion piece link earlier also proposed that the real figures were much worse than the official numbers.
Time will tell

 

[Quickstatus]

The real numbers likely higher due to a backlog of testing IMO. But as a consequence % mortality will be lower