Predictions of when international flights may resume/bans lifted

[Flashback]

The OP is presumably referring to the 800 odd deaths from nursing homes last year in Victoria. Most notably of course these happened prior to any vaccines being available.

Exactly, so it's like comparing apples with oranges.......

I have emailed both my Fed Rep and Sen Birmingham as SA rep. First email back was they wanted my address to confirm "he is acting in the best interests of South Australians" . Duly provided that then wrote another email. Blah blah here's our plan moving forward. Next time I sent an email to local radio station who was about to interview Birmingham. They read it to him on air and asked him to respond. Yeah. But More blah. But you never know, small steps.

If they're anything like the ones in the UK, they're as useless as t*ts on a bull.

 

[jakeseven7]

I have emailed both my Fed Rep and Sen Birmingham as SA rep. First email back was they wanted my address to confirm "he is acting in the best interests of South Australians" . Duly provided that then wrote another email. Blah blah here's our plan moving forward. Next time I sent an email to local radio station who was about to interview Birmingham. They read it to him on air and asked him to respond. Yeah. But More blah. But you never know, small steps.

Regardless of the response you get (blah waffle lie) trust me they are listening they are not idiots and they know there is a massive growing resentment. So good on you.

 

[Pushka]

The stupids on the radio station I listen to, and likely representative of Joe Public, just said that anyone can leave Australia, it's just hard to get back again. And the commentator who said that is quite well educated. We have no chance if people don't truly understand what the Federal Government is doing here.

 

[Flashback]

The stupids on the radio station I listen to, and likely representative of Joe Public, just said that anyone can leave Australia, it's just hard to get back again. And the commentator who said that is quite well educated. We have no chance of people don't truly understand what the Federal Government is doing here.

Don't worry, I've heard some doozies over here in the UK ..... but choose not to correct people, as I'd rather not get beaten up again.

 

[Pushka]

Regardless of the response you get (blah waffle lie) trust me they are listening they are not idiots and they know there is a massive growing resentment. So good on you.

I did mention and he would know from the suburb, that likely I had helped him get his seat but that vote would not go his away again, post vaccination. Likely he's there for another term though.

 

[Batterytraveller]

I can tell you that some of us in Victoria are still very unhappy with the state government's zero-COVID policy. If we are to open up to resuming some international travel we need to abandon the mad zero-COVID policy.

It’s not a COVID-zero policy though. It’s a keep a lid on it till everyone has had a chance to get vaccinated. Dan’s already said he’s not going to wait for the hesitant and the knuckledragging anti-vaxxers.

I feel like we are in the home straight now, 6 months too late, but we’re getting there. All that’s missing, now that everyone over 18 can get a jab is a massive public information campaign, incentives, mandates and a target. OK so not the home straight, but final bend maybe?

 

[moa999]

Home quarantine poses minimal risk to the community

If they aren't going to do home quarantine then they should build Howard Springs like facilities as a matter of urgency in a few months,

Home quarantine is low risk... If people do the right thing.
But as we've seen time and time again in this pandemic (limo driver, removalists, people escaping hotel q, breaching stay at home orders) you can't rely on that.
And while a fully vaccinated person is at low risk of hospitalisation.
At least with Delta it appears they are just as likely to catch it and be infective before the antibodies can work.
All it takes is a friendly neighbour or parent/grandparent dropping off food.

Having seen some videos of the Olympic athletes at Howard Springs, I'm not sure how much safer it is than hotel rooms.
Shared balconies with simply a line in between.
Seemingly a shared laundry facility that they were able to access.
And all the staff risks.
We might spend lots of $s constructing these things and still find the virus transmits.

They also become less relevant in a scenario where at least one state possibly never gets back to zero

 

[Flashback]

It’s not a COVID-zero policy though. It’s a keep a lid on it till everyone has had a chance to get vaccinated. Dan’s already said he’s not going to wait for the hesitant and the knuckledragging anti-vaxxers.

I feel like we are in the home straight now, 6 months too late, but we’re getting there. All that’s missing, now that everyone over 18 can get a jab is a massive public information campaign, incentives, mandates and a target. OK so not the home straight, but final bend maybe?

I'm sorry to break it to you, but you're not even close.......

 

[bcworld]

If you read my post I criticised locking down an entire state over 1 or 2 cases in the state. The Armidale LGA is not the whole state of NSW. You cited an example that supports my point. We need proportionate responses not blunt response that unfairly put people in lockdown who shouldn't be.

I guess it's a matter of debate whether the whack-a-mole approach has worked well in NSW.

The lockdown decisions are no doubt based on what might be happening that is not known about rather than what is confirmed. Last time you complained about the same thing and yet the spread was to outside greater Melbourne, Geelong & the Bellarine, Gippsland, Mildura and Phillip Island. Is it reasonable to assume if those areas had not been locked down there would've been greater spread in those areas? In this case there seems to be at least 2 mystery chains of transmission...the same is possible again. I am fairly sure if the lockdown drags on and the regions look 'good', they would get released before Melbourne.

On whether the general public gets the wrong idea about ease of leaving Australia...perhaps they read articles like this:

 

[I love to travel]

I did mention and he would know from the suburb, that likely I had helped him get his seat but that vote would not go his away again, post vaccination. Likely he's there for another term though.

The thing is you can replace your Premier and CHO but the Department of Health staff won't change. That culture and opinions which drives the CHO advise won't change.

 

[Pushka]

The thing is you can replace your Premier and CHO but the Department of Health staff won't change. That culture and opinions which drives the CHO advise won't change.

Yes that is true. But the Premier seems to have handed over everything to them, somehow I don't think a more directive powerful leader would have done quite the same - Dan and Gladys come to mind, then there's that WA guy. But these are local not international.

On a more positive note have just heard from a friend they've been granted an exemption to see his fiancee in Asia. I'm really surprised. He hasn't sold anything here, plans to return etc etc but just maybe things are being done quietly in the background with no fanfare.

 

[moa999]

That culture and opinions which drives the CHO advise won't change.

While I somewhat agree. Think it also depends on the objectives set for the CHO by the Government.

Imagine instead of Covid, we were putting the CHO in charge of transport, looking at the roadtoll.
- Qld. We need zero deaths. Get us to zero.
- NSW. We want to reduce the roadtoll, but you've also got to consider the economy and secondary impacts of your decisions.

Very different outcomes.

And yes, Qld'rs would have a statewide speed limit of 10.

 

[Jousams]

I very rarely contact politicians, but I emailed my local Federal MP (Lib) some months ago and pointed out that the only important thing they had to do this year was to get everyone vaccinated and that, given the cost of lockdowns, no cost should be spared in obtaining necessary supplies by any means necessary. I went on to say that she will be last on my ballot forever if the original schedule of allowing international travel by October is missed. I wish everyone else would contact their local MP with the same message.

I think I might do the same.

 

[Pushka]

I think I might do the same.

Do it.

 

[moa999]

the only important thing they had to do this year was to get everyone vaccinated and that, given the cost of lockdowns, no cost should be spared in obtaining necessary

But isn't thats what happening.

The reality is the world doesn't have enough vaccines, and WHO has been fairly clear in trying to stop vaccine hogging and overbidding, albeit that has still been occuring.

Unfortunately Australia ordered 50m doses of AZ, which would have been more than enough for every adult.. and only 10m of Pfizer as an alternate. And this would have all been on (at the time, the best) health advice, not Scomo's dartboard.
And then we had the EU blocking AZ deliveries, and the US did the same with Pfizer.

By the time the AZ issues came out the queue was pretty long for alternatives.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Yes that is true. But the Premier seems to have handed over everything to them, somehow I don't think a more directive powerful leader would have done quite the same - Dan and Gladys come to mind, then there's that WA guy. But these are local not international.

Isn't that how it should be (CHOs driving the policy)? I look at NSW where they say they also talk to business and take into account commercial and economic drivers, and their credibility seems in trouble.

 

[Flashback]

What the public don't realise, is that the economy is slowly going to cough. Iron ore output is down because ........... train drivers can't get into WA to drive the trains. I know they think they're sitting pretty in Utopia, but gee, they couldn't be further from the truth.

I should have added: this is while people say ..... yeah ..... we're good .... no worries, mate!

 

[Pushka]

Isn't that how it should be (CHOs driving the policy)? I look at NSW where they say they also talk to business and take into account commercial and economic drivers, and their credibility seems in trouble.

Our CHO has stated that after the pandemic has passed, she wants to continue using the QR check in, as a permanent thing. That gives you an idea of how much she wants to control us. Puts people into med hotels (the same that overseas people go into) and won't let them isolate at home, simply because in a restaurant they were regarded as close contacts because someone positive dined there at the same time.

 

[jakeseven7]

Our CHO has stated that after the pandemic has passed, she wants to continue using the QR check in, as a permanent thing.

LOL yea right mate she’s had one too many blow waves - it’s pierced her brain! No one is going to accept that.

 

[Flashback]

LOL yea right mate she’s had one too many blow waves - it’s pierced her brain! No one is going to accept that.

If it wasn't over 0.05 though.....