Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

[HappyFlyerFamily]

And finally the patience has worn thin:

“ Mr Barilaro said NSW could consider sending travellers to quarantine in other cities. “We’ll have plenty of notice, we’ll know who’s coming in and we could organise a commercial or charter flight,” Mr Barilaro said. “They don’t want to pay but they want to lecture us … they’re not the ones carrying the heavy burden.”

NoCookies | The Australian

www.theaustralian.com.au

Hmmm cost to NSW of commercial/charter flight v costs outside of paid mandatory hotel (ie associated costs).....not sure about that suggestion.

 

[antycbr]

Hmmm cost to NSW of commercial/charter flight v costs outside of paid mandatory hotel (ie associated costs).....not sure about that suggestion.

It’s now a matter of principle for the government, the cost of this lockdown is much higher than a few charters. A point needs to be made to the other states and it needs to be reinforced. Anger inside NSW at this issue is getting a lot louder.

Plus there’s probably a lot of spare QF and VA capacity with Sydney to the rest of the country closed.

 

[Flying mermaid]

I would dearly love to prise #1 son and family out of Covid riddled Sfo and home to safe sensible au…., but they have their life there and being all growed up they make their choices and suffer or enjoy the consequences...

Yes same with son in San Francisco, he is being careful but it is just so worrying.

I thought we would get Dr FM safely home soon, but it’s looking very problematic and I hope this doesn’t cause her to lose her dream job in Brisbane. One good thing is she is likely to get vaccinated in January as she is NHS.

 

[SydneySwan]

Hmmm cost to NSW of commercial/charter flight v costs outside of paid mandatory hotel (ie associated costs).....not sure about that suggestion.

NSW has had a hard time to get other states to pay for their citizens when HQ was not being charged for and this is still not resolved. Since NSW has been charging passengers directly there has been a high rate of non-payment to the point where NSW is now using debt collectors. The number of passengers claiming hardship is very high and NSW rather than their resident state is generally left to pick up the tab.

 

[Flying mermaid]

If Dr FM still keen to fly back, there are probably other options - just need to investigate (different entry/transit rules of each relevant country) and have some luck getting a spare seat

Yes I have just been looking at Middle East - they are still running UK flights but I don’t know for how long - over 40 countries have banned UK now,,,,

 

[antycbr]

NSW has had a hard time to get other states to pay for their citizens when HQ was not being charged for and this is still not resolved. Since NSW has been charging passengers directly there has been a high rate of non-payment to the point where NSW is now using debt collectors. The number of passengers claiming hardship is very high and NSW rather than their resident state is generally left to pick up the tab.

Let’s have a NSW passenger movement charge of $3000... Or we can get Transurban to put a toll gantry on the way out of the airport...

NSW has more options to recover payment for their own citizens as the Revenue Office can cancel drivers licenses. For other states not so much. I think the state has had enough.

 

[Pushka]

If Dr FM still keen to fly back, there are probably other options - just need to investigate (different entry/transit rules of each relevant country) and have some luck getting a spare seat

Qatar via Doha? JAL? Likely with Qatar she would need a negative test in writing a couple of days before flying. They seem to have maintained flights through affected countries before. But with the certificate.

 

[Lynda2475]

NSW ought to bill the other states and then their Premiers can chase their own residents for the debts. And any non permanent residents arriving should have to pre-pay before boarding any inbound flight. Alternatively ScoMo should pay NSW by docking gst payments to other states.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Qatar via Doha? JAL? Likely with Qatar she would need a negative test in writing a couple of days before flying. They seem to have maintained flights through affected countries before. But with the certificate.

I think JAL / Japan has ruled out transits from UK . I’m not sure about Cathay CX/HK (edit: or either Korean airline/Korea)

 

[jakeseven7]

NSW ought to bill the other states and then their Premiers can chase their own residents for the debts. And any non permanent residents arriving should have to pre-pay before boarding any inbound flight. Alternatively ScoMo should pay NSW by docking gst payments to other states.

They’ve tried that (billing other states).

Feds won’t touch GST but it’s funny to consider.

Apparently not many people are paying...

 

[james4321]

NSW has had a hard time to get other states to pay for their citizens when HQ was not being charged for and this is still not resolved. Since NSW has been charging passengers directly there has been a high rate of non-payment to the point where NSW is now using debt collectors. The number of passengers claiming hardship is very high and NSW rather than their resident state is generally left to pick up the tab.

re the bolded part: Aren't they made to pay upfront? Maybe using a Credit Card? Surely they don't just "check out" and get sent a bill with a request to pay later?

 

[dajop]

NSW ought to bill the other states and then their Premiers can chase their own residents for the debts. And any non permanent residents arriving should have to pre-pay before boarding any inbound flight. Alternatively ScoMo should pay NSW by docking gst payments to other states.

What about federal government paying it? How 'bout we get back to the concept that we are Australians first and foremost?

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

What about federal government paying it? How 'bout we get back to the concept that we are Australians first and foremost?

Or another idea, use the Federal Government ‘debt collection’ system (ATO, Centrelink) - yes it might not work for overseas celebrities or family of citizens/permanent residents

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Orange added to hotspot list as Western Sydney residents told to isolate​

An alert has been issued 280km away from Sydney’s outbreak with people who attended a particular shopping centre urged to get tested.

Sydney’s virus outbreak has spread 280km to the city of Orange, in the state's central west, which has been added as a COVID-19 hotspot.

A close contact who caught the virus from an infected health worker based in western Sydney travelled through the area on Saturday, health authorities confirmed on Tuesday afternoon.

This person attended the city’s public hospital, Orange Health Service, and NSW Health said all close contacts had now been identified, were self-isolating and had returned negative results after being tested.

However anyone who attended Orange Central Square Shopping Centre on Summer Street on Saturday between 4.05 and 4.15pm is considered “a casual contact who should monitor for symptoms and get tested immediately”.

“The person did not enter any stores or come into close contact with any individual during this time period,” NSW Health said.

NSW recorded nine new positive cases, seven of those linked to the northern beaches cluster.

The eighth case was the healthcare worker who is being investigated by contact tracers, with the source so far unknown, while the ninth case was their close contact who travelled through Orange.

The new results linked to western Sydney have sparked an urgent health alert in Blacktown.

Sydney COVID cluster grows 280km into regional NSW

Sydney’s virus outbreak has spread 280km to the city of Orange, in the state's central west, which has been added as a COVID-19 hotspot.

www.news.com.au

 

[dajop]

Edit: and the previous point suggested a national track and trace + check in + national ID could fix border closure issues.

It might help though move acceptable borders from state border to "hotspot" borders. Even if the hotspot is still "Greater City" area. I think the big problem with hotspots is that state governments, rightly, don't trust people to tell them the truth (about being in a hotspot) so they just ban the whole state. Which is quite ridiculous - Broken Hill residents (to take an extreme example) live further from the northern beaches of Sydney than 90% of Victorians and almost 75% of Queenslanders. , and probably have more exposure to an Adelaide outbreak than a Sydney one, although granted there probably is exposure via health workers coming from Sydney.

 

[antycbr]

re the bolded part: Aren't they made to pay upfront? Maybe using a Credit Card? Surely they don't just "check out" and get sent a bill with a request to pay later?

They have 30 days to pay on invoice.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

They have 30 days to pay on invoice.

- as the saying goes all’s fair in love and war.

Post automatically merged: Dec 22, 2020

It might help though move acceptable borders from state border to "hotspot" borders. Even if the hotspot is still "Greater City" area. I think the big problem with hotspots is that state governments, rightly, don't trust people to tell them the truth (about being in a hotspot) so they just ban the whole state. Which is quite ridiculous - Broken Hill residents (to take an extreme example) live further from the northern beaches of Sydney than 90% of Victorians and almost 75% of Queenslanders. , and probably have more exposure to an Adelaide outbreak than a Sydney one, although granted there probably is exposure via health workers coming from Sydney.

We need those sniffer dogs....

 

[lovetravellingoz]

MERRY XMAS- Covid 19 style....

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1340895946255679488

 

[benjy]

for those arriving into VIC or QLD from another state other than NSW, are you subject to NSW arrival questioning and border pass checks, or being treated like a normal domestic passenger?

 

[Flying mermaid]

Qatar via Doha? JAL? Likely with Qatar she would need a negative test in writing a couple of days before flying. They seem to have maintained flights through affected countries before. But with the certificate.

There are definitely flights via Dubai and Doha at the moment. She has a little time up her sleeve as this might get sorted and her flight isn’t cancelled yet. Her friend’s flight on Monday was cancelled. WHO are saying this really isn’t that bad a variant - everyone got hysterical because the UK government was saying it was - an excuse for their own incompetence in allowing cases to rise so much