Predictions of when international flights may resume/bans lifted

[MEL_Traveller]

Can we open borders to let us fully vaccinated out, with home quarantine on return, but lock out all incoming tourists (only letting return fully vaccinated Aussies back in?). I suppose the government can do what they like, having said ZERO benefit in letting us out to spend our money oversea's, and HUGE benefit i letting oversea's tourists in.

Entirely possible and easy to do, just don't issue visas.

Never mind those pesky foreigners who are already fully vaccinated ....

I guess friends and family would be a potential for home quarantine... but wholescale tourism would still have the issue with HQ caps.

 

[Flashback]

Just another set of challenges to have to think about........

Home Affairs slows 'pace' on passenger declarations, visas platform

Takes greater care to bake in health data capabilities.

www.itnews.com.au

 

[Seat0B]

Don't forget there's Aussies (who are not resident) who haven't seen their family for years, who are fully vaccinated, who would also like to be able to nip back home with 'home quarantine'; but just can't see that happening in the Communist state of Australia. Look after our resident citizens only, the rest be damned...

Well and they are not even looking after all of the resident citizens, as I noted yesterday.

And to all who sent me hugs and care, thanks so much, it does help a lot to be able to vent to a group who get what I mean. I feel better today, and sending my thoughts and support to those in Victoria going into another lock down. Crazy times for us all. All affected in different ways. All craving time with our families and dear friends, and none of us doing too well with uncertainties etc.

Even if it was a long way in the future, I know I would do better with a definite aim point for when borders can open for family reunion.

 

[hb13]

Well and they are not even looking after all of the resident citizens, as I noted yesterday.

And to all who sent me hugs and care, thanks so much, it does help a lot to be able to vent to a group who get what I mean. I feel better today, and sending my thoughts and support to those in Victoria going into another lock down. Crazy times for us all. All affected in different ways. All craving time with our families and dear friends, and none of us doing too well with uncertainties etc.

Even if it was a long way in the future, I know I would do better with a definite aim point for when borders can open for family reunion.

My family is all based in Victoria, so I hope everyone there is doing well. I just hope this increases the urgency for all Australians to rush out and get vaccinated.

Covid-0 doesn't work. Because you have a few cases and lockdowns happen. That policy will literally kill the economy. Vaccines are the answer because that way, when you get cases, you hope that they can cause minimal harm.

I hope everyone goes out and gets a vaccine asap.

 

[burmans]

Heard the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce guy on the radio today and had to agree. He suggested it was simple

- accelerate the vaccine rollout
- get a better quarantine system

He made the point this is all not new, we have been talking about this for months, just get on with delivering it. Hard to disagree, forget the Politics just do it! Won’t happen of course, for some the politics is all.

 

[jakeseven7]

Heard the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce guy on the radio today and had to agree. He suggested it was simple

- accelerate the vaccine rollout
- get a better quarantine system

He made the point this is all not new, we have been talking about this for months, just get on with delivering it. Hard to disagree, forget the Politics just do it! Won’t happen of course, for some the politics is all.

Ironically the latest outbreak has accelerated the vaccine rollout

 

[SydneySwan]

Ironically the latest outbreak has accelerated the vaccine rollout

Just part of Baldrick's 'cunning plan'.

 

[Pom-DownUnder]

Using hotels which were never designed to insulate one room from another just so you can stand over it with a gun.

person in room 7 infects person in room 8. If both of those people were able to home quarantine they would be tens of miles from one another.

system has not changed much since they first brought it in.

hopefully no deaths in VIC but some squeezing to encourage the rest of AU to roll the sleeve up and let us join the rest of the opening world

 

[Batterytraveller]

Covid-0 doesn't work. Because you have a few cases and lockdowns happen. That policy will literally kill the economy.

That’s not even remotely true, in spite of the lockdowns the Australian economy is doing pretty well. OK I wouldn’t want to own a Melbourne CBD cafe and there are some massive looking structural issues that have nothing to do with COVID, but lockdowns and border closures have kept most of the economy going.

 

[hb13]

That’s not even remotely true, in spite of the lockdowns the Australian economy is doing pretty well. OK I wouldn’t want to own a Melbourne CBD cafe and there are some massive looking structural issues that have nothing to do with COVID, but lockdowns and border closures have kept most of the economy going.

This is false and actually a pretty selfish view. The economy is doing ok for some people, but for thousands reliant on travel, they've lost jobs and livelihoods.

Secondly, is there Covid-0 in Australia? Because last time I checked, there is a week-long lockdown in Melbourne. There was a cluster in Sydney in December. A few weeks ago, Perth went into a 3-day lockdown because of 2 cases.

Clearly if you think the economy is going to be ok, you've got no clue. Having a Covid-0 policy is not sustainable, by anyone's measure. Doctors, scientists, economists all agree that vaccines are crucial because Covid-0 simply doesn't work and is not sustainable.

 

[SydneySwan]

Doctors, scientists, economists all agree that vaccines are crucial because Covid-0 simply doesn't work and is not sustainable.

Unfortunately many of our pollies believe that Covid-0 is sustainable because it keeps them in power. Ultimately they have more power than any doctor, scientist or economist.

 

[oznflfan]

Unfortunately many of our pollies believe that Covid-0 is sustainable because it keeps them in power. Ultimately they have more power than any doctor, scientist or economist.

And speaking on our favourite topic of international borders opening, Sportsbet have now moved lowest odds back from Oct/Nov 21 to May 22 for next federal election. Issue with that is the Prime Minister wants to avoid the subject of opening borders so he gets elected. He will open them up after election of course, but going by Budget and Home Affairs Minister, I will be booking QFF flight to London on 1/7/2022, doesn't give me a lot of time for them to win May 22 election (presumptive), wait a few weeks then do his 'risks have changed' speech and open borders for vaccinated Australian's with (hopefully minimal) home quarantine. Home quarantine will disappear probably 6 months later of course.

 

[hb13]

Unfortunately many of our pollies believe that Covid-0 is sustainable because it keeps them in power. Ultimately they have more power than any doctor, scientist or economist.

Yeh exactly. And the media love to help the pollies scare people into believing a single case will bring on the end of the world.

And then you have people believing Covid-0 is possible, when it clearly is not, unless you shut the borders altogether and not allow a single ship/plane in or out of the country - and I mean even for trade or goods to be brought into the country.

 

[Batterytraveller]

Clearly if you think the economy is going to be ok, you've got no clue. Having a Covid-0 policy is not sustainable, by anyone's measure. Doctors, scientists, economists all agree that vaccines are crucial because Covid-0 simply doesn't work and is not sustainable.

That's not what I said but maybe I could have been clearer. We need to vax and open up as quickly as possible. That said the Australian economy has had a far better time of it (on the macro level) than many if not most economies in the rest of the world. Yes on the micro level there are people who have had livelihoods destroyed by COVID but is you look at how badly the UK is doing economically, how bad the US was doing even earlier this year and how badly Japan is doing right now; I'd pick the Covid-0 short term strategy every time; reducing or eliminating excess death over money, every single time. And on aggregate we did well economically as well.

Covid-0 was a good short term strategy but a poor long term one. We saved a lot of lives when there was little effective treatment and no vaccines. Now it's time to vax and open up.

 

[oznflfan]

That's not what I said but maybe I could have been clearer. We need to vax and open up as quickly as possible. That said the Australian economy has had a far better time of it (on the macro level) than many if not most economies in the rest of the world. Yes on the micro level there are people who have had livelihoods destroyed by COVID but is you look at how badly the UK is doing economically, how bad the US was doing even earlier this year and how badly Japan is doing right now; I'd pick the Covid-0 short term strategy every time; reducing or eliminating excess death over money, every single time. And on aggregate we did well economically as well.

Covid-0 was a good short term strategy but a poor long term one. We saved a lot of lives when there was little effective treatment and no vaccines. Now it's time to vax and open up.

Leaving COVID ZERO as is for next 18 months we may be the COVID infection basketcase of the world (ala India) AND in quasi depression from this.

 

[OATEK]

Leaving COVID ZERO as is for next 18 months we may be the COVID infection basketcase of the world (ala India) AND in quasi depression from this.

Lots of "may be" - my crystal ball says the biggest threat economically is still China.

But socially, keeping Australians locked up will eventually bite the pollies on the proverbial, and the sooner the better.

 

[JohnM]

Yeh exactly. And the media love to help the pollies scare people into believing a single case will bring on the end of the world.

And headlines like this can hardly help in vaccine take-up...

 

[OZDUCK]

And headlines like this can hardly help in vaccine take-up...

View attachment 249037

Especially when the sub-headline is misleading, as even the full story said that she was tested for blood clotting at the time of admission and it was not present. The clotting was discovered 3 days later after she had more symptoms - so they did not miss the blood clots when she first presented.

 

[JohnM]

Especially when the sub-headline is misleading, as even the full story said that she was tested for blood clotting at the time of admission and it was not present. The clotting was discovered 3 days later after she had more symptoms - so they did not miss the blood clots when she first presented.

They are still playing ghouls to the recent Children's Hospital death...

Anyway, back to topic.

 

[Flashback]

That's not what I said but maybe I could have been clearer. We need to vax and open up as quickly as possible. That said the Australian economy has had a far better time of it (on the macro level) than many if not most economies in the rest of the world. Yes on the micro level there are people who have had livelihoods destroyed by COVID but is you look at how badly the UK is doing economically, how bad the US was doing even earlier this year and how badly Japan is doing right now; I'd pick the Covid-0 short term strategy every time; reducing or eliminating excess death over money, every single time. And on aggregate we did well economically as well.

Covid-0 was a good short term strategy but a poor long term one. We saved a lot of lives when there was little effective treatment and no vaccines. Now it's time to vax and open up.

But would the Australian economy by so 'healthy' if the Iron Ore price wasn't seeing the highs it was right now?

I bet sentiment would be different and they'd be keener to open up and get tourism etc. going again if natural resources prices fell through the floor.

Are you happy paying much higher prices for your local holidays? I wouldn't be. YMMV.