General Discussion/Q&A on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

[boomy]

Melbourne this afternoon, lots of cancelled flights and a bit of a ghost town.
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The lounge is also pretty empty
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It was super busy when I was there around 1pm today.
Not in the J lounge but outside in the terminal, it seemed like people trying to make a run for it before majority of Dom flights are being canceled.

 

[boomy]

I’ve uploaded a speech by the SIN PM few days ago, here’s another example of a sane leader (foreign minister) talking about how their country is combating COVID-19:

 

[Flashback]

Mrs FB has just been to the shops. She said restriction of 1 per person on ... what? Everything is gone

 

[jase05]

The French have strict new rules to combat the virus

‘We Are at War’: France Just Went Into Coronavirus Lockdown

The strict new rules will be enforced by 100,000 police officers, who are handing out fines to people who leave the house without a valid excuse.

www.vice.com

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Courtesy of onemileatatime here's a good summary - as of today - for all airline, hotel and government/country travel bans, cancellations and rebooking policies: Coronavirus Travel Policies & Advisories | One Mile at a Time

 

[desafinado74]

I would like to nominate Sofitel Darling Harbour Sydney with a

for not allowing me to cancel, and not offering to postpone my non refundable booking for May.

I am a big fan of Accor and i am extremely disappointed over this inflexibility. After this virus crisis is over, i am going to book most of my stays with Hilton, Marriott or IHG .

By the way, has anyone tried disputing a non refundable booking with their credit card company ?

 

[Flashback]

I would like to nominate Sofitel Darling Harbour Sydney with a

for not allowing me to cancel, and not offering to postpone my non refundable booking for May.

I am a big fan of Accor and i am extremely disappointed over this inflexibility. After this virus crisis is over, i am going to book most of my stays with Hilton, Marriott or IHG .

By the way, has anyone tried disputing a non refundable booking with their credit card company ?

You wouldn't have a leg to stand on. That's what travel insurance is for.

Accor's stance is as follows currently:
Guests who booked a non-flexible rate with Accor prior to March 16th, 2020, and are scheduled to arrive prior to April 30, 2020, may modify their reservation for future travel through December 31, 2020 without penalty by contacting the hotel directly.
Guests traveling to OR from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and South Korea through March 31, 2020 will be able to change or cancel a valid booking. Guests traveling to Italy through April 3, 2020 will be able to change or cancel a valid booking. Guests traveling from Italy and who booked travel prior to March 9, 2020 for stays through April 3, 2020 may postpone their travel through December 31, 2020.

If you don't have travel insurance to cancel it, just wait it out. As soon as travel bans continue to extend, they'll likely extend the flexibility to May also.

 

[Flashback]

For those of you UK based, that do consulting/contracting (probably very few, I know!) possibly something good to have come out of this?

IR35 reforms to be delayed for a year due to coronavirus

Controversial IR35 tax reforms will be pushed back by one year from their April 2020 rollout date, less than a week after being confirmed in the Budget.

www.cityam.com

Parliamentlive.tv 18:50

 

[pauly7]

Friend just advised me his kinda step daughter arrived 19hrs ago from the US, and there she is, at the beach with friends, having lunch with friends, clubbing.

So this self isolation doesn't work

Kinda give the police a heads up and she should get a friendly reminder.

Incredibly selfish behaviour.

 

[luxury-lizard]

Totally agree - someone needs to report these people - heavy fines can be imposed. Normally I would never dob-in someone for a minor offence but this could be a matter of life and death.

 

[Pushka]

If you absolutely know this to be true then you must contact the police @Denali or more likely, there is a dedicated telephone number. This is a total finger up to Australia's efforts to control this situation and if those friends kids go back to school etc, Shopping centres, visit their grandparents - well, we know the possible outcome. And US seems to be a strong center of infections in Australia.

And this is so sad. Should be such a joyous time reduced to this.

 

[Denali]

Kinda give the police a heads up and she should get a friendly reminder.

Incredibly selfish behaviour.

Who do you call? 000? My Facebook friends ex kinda step daughter is enjoying herself around Melb when she should be staying indoors?

 

[boomy]

Who do you call? 000? My Facebook friends ex kinda step daughter is enjoying herself around Melb when she should be staying indoors?

Some countries introduced dedicated phone number for this. Hopefully Australia will do the same soon.

 

[get me outta here]

Being shut in with the kids:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10156980911655404

 

[blackcat20]

Who do you call? 000? My Facebook friends ex kinda step daughter is enjoying herself around Melb when she should be staying indoors?

There should be a non-emergency police number you can call.

 

[get me outta here]

There is a crime stoppers number who could advise 1800 333 000.

 

[Pushka]

Oh good. My chances of this catching virus seem to improve all the time. Immune compromised. Hypertension. Older age group. And now - even the wrong blood Type! well, according to news.com.au

Coronavirus: People with Type A blood face heightened risk of infection

A new study out of China has suggested people with a certain blood type may be more susceptible to the coronavirus.

www.news.com.au

 

[Denali]

Oh good. My chances of this catching virus seem to improve all the time. Immune compromised. Hypertension. Older age group. And now - even the wrong blood Type! well, according to news.com.au

Coronavirus: People with Type A blood face heightened risk of infection

A new study out of China has suggested people with a certain blood type may be more susceptible to the coronavirus.

www.news.com.au

Im Bneg but hubby is ABneg.

 

[luxury-lizard]

We've just returned home last night after 4 days in Cape Town - Ponant cancelled our cruise with 2 days notice - so we pulled the pin on all post-cruise travel and booked the next flight home - I'll save the long version of this for a more appropriate thread.

We are covered by 2 TI policies - will report back once we fully investigate what if anything they will cover - we did check before we travelled if we were covered for Covid-19 related issues but you really only know once you make the claim. (All travel was booked 6-18 months ago)

 

[drron]

At the moment the health care system can cope with 30% of care workers at home. In three weeks, when they will be forced to close the schools anyway, it won't be able to.

I don't know why people think it won't go down here exactly like it has everywhere else. It will get steadily worse and worse until the government is forced to lock down anyway, only then they'll have hundreds of deaths a day instead of one or two.

Though it may not be going to get worse and worse.This from singapore-
"
A team of Singapore-based scientists has uncovered the first glimmer of hope that the COVID-19 virus could be mutating into a less virulent strain after discovering key protein suspected to affect the virus’s transmission and severity has disappeared in some patients.
In an academic paper, still under peer review but provided to The Australian, the Duke National University of Singapore team reported the protein “deletion” discovered in eight Singapore patients between February 9 and March 2 was consistent with those found at the tail end of the 2003 SARS outbreak, and could signal a weakening of the disease.

Duke NUS team leader Wang Linfa, an Australian virologist who sequenced and named Australia’s bat-borne Hendra horse virus, said the discovery was significant because “it’s important for the world to know that, just like SARS and MERS, (COVID-19) can change”.

NoCookies | The Australian

www.theaustralian.com.au

I got the article by googling the headline.

And Singapore despite having the best record of slowing the virus spread has not shut down their schools-

Education Minister Explains Why Schools Are Not Closed Yet Despite COVID-19 Outbreak

It's not an easy decision. If schools are closed, people in Singapore might fly to Mars to hoard daily essentials seh.

goodyfeed.com

As the Minister said in that article closing schools would create more panic and likely more panic buying.
The problem is our population are a lot less regimented than Singapores.They will take advice re hand washing etc.Too many Australians dont so contribute to the spread of the virus.
If schools and Unis close are the students going to self isolate?I wouldn't bet on it.