Predictions of when international flights may resume/bans lifted

[blackcat20]

Getting to be at home? At the moment, that's no different to here in terms of the restrictions if you are fully vaccinated - except that you are in a hotel. I know which I would prefer.

Home is fine, but the constant checking and threat of big fines. Even two weeks at home is overkill really.

 

[openseat]

Home is fine, but the constant checking and threat of big fines. Even two weeks at home is overkill really.

The Stasi like comparisons that some have made are really becoming apt. Who would have thought when the Berlin Wall fell that we'd be living under these sorts of controls?

 

[JB expat]

Sounds like an over the top reaction to vaccinated people returning negative results. What's the point of being vaccinated?

While I don’t disagree re: over the top, I’d still take that over what we have - at least they can leave the country and don’t have to quarantine in a hotel. It is probably easier to admin one size fits all rather than have different rules depending on the risk of the place(s) Canadians visited which also assumes accurate disclosure. I’d take a baby step such as this though if it opened Aussie international borders.

 

[Batterytraveller]

I would be absolutely fine with quarantine at home, even with checks. It might finally convince me to buy an espresso machine and stop pouring quite so much money into the cafe down the road.

At home I have enough space to exercise, I can cook my own food, get whatever I need delivered and the internet is decent.

It would obviously be more annoying than just being able to come home and go about my business, but if that’s what it takes, I’ll do it.

(Although I will reference previous comments about the issue with multi unit buildings with enclosed common spaces and lifts)

 

[Pushka]

I would be absolutely fine with quarantine at home, even with checks. It might finally convince me to buy an espresso machine and stop pouring quite so much money into the cafe down the road.

At home I have enough space to exercise, I can cook my own food, get whatever I need delivered and the internet is decent.

It would obviously be more annoying than just being able to come home and go about my business, but if that’s what it takes, I’ll do it.

(Although I will reference previous comments about the issue with multi unit buildings with enclosed common spaces and lifts)

We live in an apartment block so likely we would go down to our place on the river if we are ever allowed out of our cells.

 

[RAM]

So Australians living overseas are second class citizens then?

No, just all the non-Australian citizens & non-permanent residents who have been arriving (between 10,000 to 17,000/month including on holiday visas).

Entry into Australia should not be decided on who pays the most as the Australian Govt process is currently, and will remain so. The latest changes mean that the proportion of non-Australian citizens or non-permanent residents is only going to increase. One-way 1st class from the UK was going for GBP 7,000+ last night.

The information on international arrivals will no longer be available as for some reason the ABS will no longer publish the figures covering from June 30th, 2021.

NZ operate a managed quarantine system that is, well, actually managed and not a free-for-all like the Australian version.

Anyone can fly to NZ but only if they have already booked a place in the Quarantine hotels. The booking of those rooms is managed by the NZ Govt and has a priority order with NZ citizens & PRs getting preference over everybody else including skilled visa holders etc. The last time I looked there was still no waiting list of NZ citizens nor PRs stranded outside NZ.

I don't think there has been since May 2020, possibly earlier.

For some reason the Australian Govt does not want to resolve this issue.

 

[Flashback]

Interesting email from our friends in Toronto who travelled to the US for the winter.

We returned to Toronto in May from our place in Florida where we were fully vaccinated with Pfizer.

In spite of being fully vaccinated and after 3 negative Covid tests, we had to remain in quarantine for 14 days. Once we got home we couldn’t even go down the hall to take out the trash. We were warned that any violation of the quarantine rules could result in a 1 million dollar fine and 6 months in jail!

As part of Canadian rules, we had to check in daily on line to report our health condition. During the 2 weeks in quarantine, we received 4 or 5 phone calls at home to be interviewed by someone from the health department and we even had a personal visit to our apt. from a health department rep. just to make sure we were home and being compliant. Thank God for the caring support of our good friends and neighbours who made sure that we had groceries and made themselves available to give support in any way possible."

Soon they are off to Mexico. They plan to go to Ohio for their Thanksgiving. Given that Canada was in a bad place not that long ago, their recovery is miles ahead of where we are. They were fully vaccinated ages ago in the US.

They could have stopped in Buffalo NY and then driven across the border into Canada (short drive to Toronto), it would have saved them having to quarantine.

I would be absolutely fine with quarantine at home, even with checks. It might finally convince me to buy an espresso machine and stop pouring quite so much money into the cafe down the road.

At home I have enough space to exercise, I can cook my own food, get whatever I need delivered and the internet is decent.

It would obviously be more annoying than just being able to come home and go about my business, but if that’s what it takes, I’ll do it.

(Although I will reference previous comments about the issue with multi unit buildings with enclosed common spaces and lifts)

I read all these comments re: home quarantine with slight amusement. I'm sitting here on Day 2 out of 10 of my self-isolation having returned from an amber list country. That reminds me, best get my PCR test done. I could have done it any time between day 0 and day 2 but I wanted to wait till today to gauge processing times, based on it going in the providers drop box on a Saturday.

 

[RAM]

Agreed. I think people respond so much better when there is a clear framework and goal to work towards. Right now we are "planning to have a plan and we are not exactly sure what the trigger points of the plan should be, let us pontificate some more and naval gaze and we will come back to you with a number".

Army saying (used to be?) pounded into peoples' heads:

Proper Planning Prevents P... Poor Performance

Argument for National Service requirement for future politicians?

Not having definitive dates or targets makes it much harder to miss them.

Mea Culpa: I was wrong, I thought 'vulnerable Australians' back by Christmas meant Christmas 2021. Seems he meant Christmas 2022.

Sure making Krisflyer points more of an issue.

 

[Jacques Vert]

Mea Culpa: I was wrong, I thought 'vulnerable Australians' back by Christmas meant Christmas 2021. Seems he meant Christmas 2022.

He originally said Christmas 2020. And I doubt they'll all be back by Christmas 2022.

 

[Lynda2475]

So news is reporting that Stage 2 of the Prime Minister's plan not likely to commence before early 2022.

So basically no incentive for people to get vaccinated now because no benefit even domestically before next year.

And no gurantee of no domestic border closures before Phase 3 which ABC news just predicted is July 2022 a whole year away.

We should be able to do much better than this, benefits for the fully vaccinated need to come forward much faster.

 

[mviy]

My hopes of post-election the timetable being accelerated are reducing fast. I am concerned that going slow on reopening the borders will be too big a part of both sides campaigns to see some sanity return quickly after the election.

 

[dajop]

I still don't understand the wait to Phase 3 for travel bubbles. What is the point of them, if you have to wait until the time that international travel restrictions on the vaccinated are lifted? Why flipping well bother at all?

IMHO, they always have been and always will be just hot air, something for a politician to talk about every 3 months to make it look like they're doing something.

 

[Lynda2475]

post-election the timetable being accelerated

Given the election is unlikley to be before May 2022, that accelration will be a maximum of 1 month.

Post automatically merged: Jul 3, 2021

I still don't understand the wait to Phase 3 for travel bubbles. What is the point of them, if you have to wait until the time that international travel restrictions on the vaccinated are lifted? Why flipping well bother at all?

Exactly but its telling that some states obviously wouldnt agree to travel bubbles beyond NZ. We know who the xenophobic Premiers are.

 

[mviy]

The international borders are a federal responsibility. They should be telling the states this is what is going to happen not bending over backwards to try and please them.

 

[Mtchrs]

The international borders are a federal responsibility. They should be telling the states this is what is going to happen not bending over backwards to try and please them.

The States have been taking the highest risk whilst the Feds grant thousands of unnecessary exemptions, so It’s right for the states to be calling the shots in this instance. The feds can utilise existing commonwealth facilities or build more Howard Springs they want higher caps.
Yes, I won’t be going OS for a lot longer than initially planned and that frustrates me, but every failure, whether it be hotel breaches, internal borders and failure to procure supply is solely on Scott Morrison.

 

[mviy]

They should be granting more exemptions. I was denied an exemption and then read in the media others were allowed to travel for much the same reason. The inconsistency is what is the most infuriating thing.

 

[Mtchrs]

They should be granting more exemptions. I was denied an exemption and then read in the media others were allowed to travel for much the same reason. The inconsistency is what is the most infuriating thing.

The jurisdiction who is granting exemptions should be responsible for all quarantine, but that’s not happening and you can see the states have become frustrated with the process. Hotel quarantine was supposed to be temporary but 18 months later the Feds still see a way to pass off their responsibilities.

 

[mviy]

We should have moved to home quarantine for vaccinated travellers months ago. That’s the solution to the quarantine problem but the states are not willing to agree to it. The government should be forcing them to agree to it.

 

[Lynda2475]

The States have been taking the highest risk whilst the Feds grant thousands of unnecessary exemptions, so It’s right for the states to be calling the shots in this instance.

But looking at the latest breaches they have nothing to do with arrival quotas.

1. The limo driver who started Bondi Cluster was transporting freight air crew, we need to be able to receive air freight, so reducing quota does nothing to address this. The fix is to stop using private car servcies for transporting air crew and use dedicated state run vehicles with vacicnated drivers as they do for passenger arrivals.

2. The mining cluster was started because Qld Health put a low risk domestic traveller into a leaky hotel with overseas arrivals. The domestic traveller should never have been required to go into HQ. Reducing arrivals doent address this.

3. The Qld hospital cluster started because they allowed non vaccinated person to work next to the covid ward. Again reducing arrivals does nothing to address this.

4. The community spread has been made worse by selfish people going to work with symptoms and not getting tested early enough.

It is not right for some states to force other states to also reduce their quotas.

 

[Mtchrs]

We should have moved to home quarantine for vaccinated travellers months ago. That’s the solution to the quarantine problem but the states are not willing to agree to it. The government should be forcing them to agree to it.

The Feds want higher caps, they need skilled migrants and students to return so I reckon home quarantine and stage 2 will be sooner than later, the Feds are the ones who will decide that and not the states. I have two OS trips booked in the next 12 months, the first is doubtful but I’m hopeful for May 2022 when home quarantine will be the normal for vaccinated.