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

[lovetravellingoz]

a rapid test to detect COVID in just a few minutes without a laboratory test which could be a game changer for travelers

You want rapid, go for the 10 second dog test.

'Close to 100% accuracy': Helsinki airport uses sniffer dogs to detect Covid

Researchers running Helsinki pilot scheme say dogs can identify virus in seconds

www.theguardian.com

 

[JohnK]

Some more from around the world.
First having an autoimmune disease increases the risk of Covid.It is thought primarily due to steroi_ usage.Those using biologics or DMARDs as monotherapy have a lower risk of severe Covid.

....

And many might think this is the best news of 2020.

Not great news but somewhat encouraging for me. 2020 is a year to try and forget quickly.

On another note and can't seem to find relevant discussion. My father in law is not in good health and mother in law not coping well. My wife has been wanting to go back to Thailand for an extended period to assist and Thai borders are starting to open again.

I'm guessing with a Spouse visa she is regarded as a resident. There is nothing medically that proves she needs to go back other than compassionate grounds so she would need an exemption to depart Australia?

Off to Thai Embassy on Monday as a starting point.

Oh and they don't miss you in quarantine. The cheapest Bangkok quarantine hotel is 32,000 baht per person and a 4 year old has to pay full rate too. Ouch.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Not great news but somewhat encouraging for me. 2020 is a year to try and forget quickly.

On another note and can't seem to find relevant discussion. My father in law is not in good health and mother in law not coping well. My wife has been wanting to go back to Thailand for an extended period to assist and Thai borders are starting to open again.

I'm guessing with a Spouse visa she is regarded as a resident. There is nothing medically that proves she needs to go back other than compassionate grounds so she would need an exemption to depart Australia?

Off to Thai Embassy on Monday as a starting point.

Oh and they don't miss you in quarantine. The cheapest Bangkok quarantine hotel is 32,000 baht per person and a 4 year old has to pay full rate too. Ouch.

You can leave Australia if you are going to be out of the country for 3 months. Won’t need any medical info just apply for exemption on that basis.

 

[get me outta here]

An outbreak in Switzerland is linked to two yodeling concerts(!). NYTimes

 

[Pushka]

You can leave Australia if you are going to be out of the country for 3 months. Won’t need any medical info just apply for exemption on that basis.

Absolutely true. And if you provide details of housing status (ie intended residential home) etc Approval is likely within 12- 24 hours. Happened with my son who arrived in the UK last Friday. And on his approval email it stated it was approved because he was going to be out of Australia for more than 3 months. No issues at all going through Adelaide Border and Immigration and very quickly through UK immigration on a Youth (working) visa.

 

[JohnK]

You can leave Australia if you are going to be out of the country for 3 months. Won’t need any medical info just apply for exemption on that basis.

Oh that's encouraging to know. I must have missed that in all the websites I visited last night.

I'll send off an email. We've found a decent one-way airfare. I don't want to stuff around with return dates and trying to get refunds.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

We've found a decent one-way airfare. I don't want to stuff around with return dates and trying to get refunds.

It may or may not still be the case, but in the past Thailand may not admit people if they do not have proof of onward travel. It may also depend on what visa one is going to use for entry.

I once as part of a three month trip late in piece decided to add on 2 weeks of island hoping in Thailand to a Middle East trip and had bought a cheap one-way ($1 per person plus taxes (so about $10 each) for a party of 5) from SIN to coughet.

On arriving at the airport terminal initially the airline was not going to check us in as we did not have a ticket out of Thailand. They told us that Thailand required them to not fly in passengers who did not have return travel arrangements. Fortunately we did have our SIN_MEL tickets and so after a lot of discussion they accepted my explanation that we were going to come back to SIN overland and so hence why we had not tickets (As it turned out we loved our island hoping and so ended up flying back).

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Oh that's encouraging to know. I must have missed that in all the websites I visited last night.

I'll send off an email. We've found a decent one-way airfare. I don't want to stuff around with return dates and trying to get refunds.

The official website is here: Leaving Australia | COVID-19 and the border

The relevant section is this:

Australians and permanent residents​

If you are an Australian citizen or a permanent resident you cannot leave Australia due to COVID-19 restrictions unless you have an exemption. You can apply online but you must meet at least one of the following:​

• your travel is as part of the response to the COVID-19 outbreak, including the provision of aid
• your travel is essential for your business/employer
• you are travelling to receive urgent medical treatment that is not available in Australia
• you are travelling outside Australia for three months or longer
• you are travelling on compassionate or humanitarian grounds
• your travel is in the national interest.

Details of supporting documentation and how to apply are on the same page.

I can confirm issues with a one way ticket to Thailand. Was asked by jetstar to provide proof of onward travel out of Thailand. A relevant visa or other permit to stay in Thailand may suffice.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

I’m not sure whether proof of onward travel is required where one is looking after family, presumably Thai citizens - might be a different class of visa/entry permit.

Anyhow, if proof of onward travel is required perhaps a train ticket or fully refundable airline booking (though not recommended in the current climate of actually receiving refunds with some airlines)

 

[drron]

Though mrsJohnK is on a spouse visa in Australia so obviously still has her Thai passport meaning no problems entering Thailand but will have to quarantine.

 

[JohnK]

Details of supporting documentation and how to apply are on the same page.

I can confirm issues with a one way ticket to Thailand. Was asked by jetstar to provide proof of onward travel out of Thailand. A relevant visa or other permit to stay in Thailand may suffice.

That's the website I checked. Still don't know how I missed the part about staying 3 months or longer.

Wife is Thai, daughter born in Thailand and dual citizenship so no issues with onward travel.

Also aware of quarantine and at 60,000+ baht for 2 it is not cheap at all.

No supporting documentation. Not easy to obtain living in a village. We'll have to try without it.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

That's the website I checked. Still don't know how I missed the part about staying 3 months or longer.

Wife is Thai, daughter born in Thailand and dual citizenship so no issues with onward travel.

Also aware of quarantine and at 60,000+ baht for 2 it is not cheap at all.

No supporting documentation. Not easy to obtain living in a village. We'll have to try without it.

I can't see any problems for Mrs JohnK + child travelling. I think people were thinking that if you were also going, the one way ticket might have been an issue.

 

[VPS]

Just be careful now

 

[OZDUCK]

The USA is still continuing to suffer a big rebound in cases. The rate of infection is up 28% in the last 14 days compared to the previous 14 days. Deaths have remained on a plateau but the ICU's in some states are, apparently, close to being overwhelmed. The daily rate is heading towards what was the peak in July/August.

As an example of the rise in cases, North Dakota, with a population of around 762,000 recorded 4,634 new cases in the last 7 days.

Coronavirus in the U.S.: Latest Map and Case Count

A detailed county map shows the extent of the coronavirus outbreak, with tables of the number of cases by county.

www.nytimes.com

 

[lovetravellingoz]

The USA is still continuing to suffer a big rebound in cases. The rate of infection is up 28% in the last 14 days compared to the previous 14 days. Deaths have remained on a plateau but the ICU's in some states are, apparently, close to being overwhelmed. The daily rate is heading towards what was the peak in July/August.

As an example of the rise in cases, North Dakota, with a population of around 762,000 recorded 4,634 new cases in the last 7 days.

Coronavirus in the U.S.: Latest Map and Case Count

A detailed county map shows the extent of the coronavirus outbreak, with tables of the number of cases by county.

www.nytimes.com

Yes very sobering when you read that. New cases per day now at 56,000 cases per day. Australia to date has had 27,000 cases in total ( 354,000 if you adjust for Australia's smaller population). So the USA has had in the last week pro-rata the number of cases that we have had in the whole pandemic).

 

[JohnK]

I can't see any problems for Mrs JohnK + child travelling. I think people were thinking that if you were also going, the one way ticket might have been an issue.

Unfortunately I cannot go anywhere. I won't travel until quarantine restrictions cease at both ends and we return to normal if that ever eventuates.

Checking the website again. Why do they make it so confusing?

 

[dajop]

Yes very sobering when you read that. New cases per day now at 56,000 cases per day. Australia to date has had 27,000 cases in total ( 354,000 if you adjust for Australia's smaller population). So the USA has had in the last week pro-rata the number of cases that we have had in the whole pandemic).

So at an average of 56,000 per day for the previous 7 days, adjusted for population, that's equivalent to an average of 1091 new cases per day in Victoria. The peak 7 day average in Victoria was 533 (and there was only one day where the average over previous 7 days exceeded 500).

 

[Flashback]

Well it's all looking very grim over here in Europe.

Covid-19: Italy tightens rules after coronavirus cases surge

PM Giuseppe Conte targets public gatherings, hospitality and recreation "to avoid a new lockdown".

www.bbc.co.uk

Italy's extending their restrictions, Ireland is set to announce tighter restrictions tomorrow, etc.

Going to be another fun few months.

 

[jeza]

Well it's all looking very grim over here in Europe.

Covid-19: Italy tightens rules after coronavirus cases surge

PM Giuseppe Conte targets public gatherings, hospitality and recreation "to avoid a new lockdown".

www.bbc.co.uk

Italy's extending their restrictions, Ireland is set to announce tighter restrictions tomorrow, etc.

Going to be another fun few months.

This time it appears that a lot of countries that didn't have the earlier wave of cases are now having big increases, particularly in the old Eastern Bloc ie Czechia, Poland, Hungary etc

 

[drron]

And in Sweden despite a high number of cases the death rate has fallen and remaining steady on the 7 day rolling average.
.

And the excess mortality has turned negative.
.

Covid-19 in Sweden - charts and statistics

Current data on Covid-19 focused on information that is interesting from a Swedish perspective

www.covid19insweden.com