Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

[jakeseven7]

Great news for NSW, alot of Western Sydney still banned though.

They will have to increase flights again!


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Breaking: Victoria announces easing border restrictions with NSW​

Premier Daniel Andrews says 25 of 35 LGAs in Sydney will move from a red zone to an orange zone from 6:00pm this evening.

This means people in the orange zones can return to Victoria and isolate until they return a negative test which must be completed within 72 hours.

Remaining red zones (no travel) include:

• Blacktown City
• Canada Bay
• Burwood
• Canterbury-Bankstown
• coughberland
• Fairfield City
• Inner West
• Liverpool City
• Parramatta City
• Strathfield

The Blue Mountains and Wollongong will also be downgraded from red to orange.

Border council communities will move to green zones which do not require a test to come home.

'The answer is no': Daniel Andrews' stern rebuke to quarantining Australian Open stars

The Victorian Premier says "the virus doesn't treat you specially, so neither do we", amid claims from some players that they were not made fully aware of quarantine rules ahead of the start of the Australian Open in Melbourne on February 8.

www.abc.net.au

 

[jakeseven7]

Hopefully some good news for NSW / QLD on the Tassie front as well

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Tasmania to announce updated NSW & QLD border restrictions today​

The Tasmanian Government is shortly expected to announce updated restrictions on the Greater Sydney and Greater Brisbane areas.

Tasmania classed Greater Sydney as a medium risk destination late last month due to the northern beaches cluster, while Greater Brisbane was deemed high-risk on January 8 amid concern about the spread of the UK variant detected in hotel quarantine.

Those coming to Tasmania from Greater Sydney or Greater Brisbane are currently required to quarantine for two weeks at a suitable premises.

'The answer is no': Daniel Andrews' stern rebuke to quarantining Australian Open stars

The Victorian Premier says "the virus doesn't treat you specially, so neither do we", amid claims from some players that they were not made fully aware of quarantine rules ahead of the start of the Australian Open in Melbourne on February 8.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Lynda2475]

Funnily enough the biggest breach on NYE in Greater Sydney was in the Western Suburbs (Guilford which surprise surprise is in coughberland LGA) where a illegal fireworks display had 500+ people who had to be moved on by police twice.

There was no dramatic seeding event from NB linked cases on NYE, but entirely possibly that some of the attendees at the Guilford Fireworks breach are now part of the Berala cluster.

That said I agree Raina McIntyre loves to spread fear, and even if Berala cluter did have some spread on NYE it wasnt Melbourne level out of control.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

I would agree with this approach and not just to the COVID vaccine but to all the other vaccines as well. I would only support exemptions for medical reasons.

I’m sure the anti-vaxxers will find an anti-vaxxer doctor to give a medical exemption.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Great news for NSW, alot of Western Sydney still banned though.

They will have to increase flights again!


----

Breaking: Victoria announces easing border restrictions with NSW​

Premier Daniel Andrews says 25 of 35 LGAs in Sydney will move from a red zone to an orange zone from 6:00pm this evening.

This means people in the orange zones can return to Victoria and isolate until they return a negative test which must be completed within 72 hours.

Remaining red zones (no travel) include:

• Blacktown City
• Canada Bay
• Burwood
• Canterbury-Bankstown
• coughberland
• Fairfield City
• Inner West
• Liverpool City
• Parramatta City
• Strathfield

The Blue Mountains and Wollongong will also be downgraded from red to orange.

Border council communities will move to green zones which do not require a test to come home.

'The answer is no': Daniel Andrews' stern rebuke to quarantining Australian Open stars

The Victorian Premier says "the virus doesn't treat you specially, so neither do we", amid claims from some players that they were not made fully aware of quarantine rules ahead of the start of the Australian Open in Melbourne on February 8.

www.abc.net.au

I am hoping that Qld does similar likewise (or even fewer locations) in terms of people from Greater Sydney being able to travel to Qld..

 

[antycbr]

Great news for NSW, alot of Western Sydney still banned though.

They will have to increase flights again!


----

Breaking: Victoria announces easing border restrictions with NSW​

Premier Daniel Andrews says 25 of 35 LGAs in Sydney will move from a red zone to an orange zone from 6:00pm this evening.

This means people in the orange zones can return to Victoria and isolate until they return a negative test which must be completed within 72 hours.

Remaining red zones (no travel) include:

• Blacktown City
• Canada Bay
• Burwood
• Canterbury-Bankstown
• coughberland
• Fairfield City
• Inner West
• Liverpool City
• Parramatta City
• Strathfield

The Blue Mountains and Wollongong will also be downgraded from red to orange.

Border council communities will move to green zones which do not require a test to come home.

'The answer is no': Daniel Andrews' stern rebuke to quarantining Australian Open stars

The Victorian Premier says "the virus doesn't treat you specially, so neither do we", amid claims from some players that they were not made fully aware of quarantine rules ahead of the start of the Australian Open in Melbourne on February 8.

www.abc.net.au

It's a start...

The arbitrariness of these rules does seem odd, that communities such as Griffith which has not had cases are still excluded.

The red-orange zone split is always funny on the ground. In King Street Newtown you can eat in the City of Sydney on the eastern side of the street (e.g. Thai Pothong, an institution on King St), but if you go to the Dendy cinema on the opposite side of the street you are in the Inner West and are verboten.

Dan had to do something about this as the situation with the tennis was fast descending into farce with his residents locked out. Hopefully Gladys will take it for what it is and not return serve...

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Over an hour after DHHS usually release their results, I started wondering if something was up.

Thankfully not.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1350938786365120517

The delay was quite possibly due to having some quarantine staff have their tests redone. Initial positives on re-testing are now negative.

 

[antycbr]

I am hoping that Qld does similar likewise (or even fewer locations) in terms of people from Greater Sydney being able to travel to Qld..

Now if we could get a nationally consistent traffic light system...

 

[jakeseven7]

I am hoping that Qld does similar likewise (or even fewer locations) in terms of people from Greater Sydney being able to travel to Qld..

VIC / TAS / QLD seem to be grouping and making decisions that are eerily similar or at least at the same time...

TAS set to announce today, hopefully QLD not too far behind

 

[moa999]

The red-orange zone split is always funny on the ground.

Any arbitrary line will always seem weird.

 

[antycbr]

I’m sure the anti-vaxxers will find an anti-vaxxer doctor to give a medical exemption.

Hopefully the RACGP and state/commonwealth government health departments can track this and investigate high numbers of exemptions being issued by the same GP. Given the vaccination permit will most likely be electronic this might be easier - remember the National Health Record system?

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Just occurred to me that we've now gone past the incubation period from the New Years Fireworks in Sydney.

“New Year’s Eve is going to be the mother of all super-spreading events because the people who get infected on Christmas Day are going to be at their absolute maximum infectiousness on New Year’s Eve,” said UNSW Professor Raina MacIntyre.

Shortly the Sydney Test Cricket will pass the same barrier... I guess the next superspreading event is Australia Day. We need to schedule some more events to keep our epidemiologists in work... and where are the opinion articles on the Australian Open from Rania et al?

Next thing she'll be having a go at the Sydney Festival...

43 cases in the first two weeks isn’t super spreading but I feel that there has been some spread. Also I thought for NYE they locked up Sydney Harbour foreshore.

Sydney Test was reduced capacity and refused certain postcodes. But given Melbourne Test didn’t spread, I doubt Sydney Test will have spread (transmission).

The religious exemption back in 2020 for an important day of prayer also didn’t result in any reported spread.

 

[Must...Fly!]

Now if we could get a nationally consistent traffic light system...

What we really need is a nationally consistent traffic light system and a nationally consistent approach to quarantine if coming from an area that has jumped up a rung.

For example I live on my own in Melbourne. If I was to come from a "red zone" (let's use the recent Victorian application of the rule in which red means 1 case a day) then I should be able to return to my dwelling and self-isolate for 14 days. Check on me if you like to make sure I'm doing the right thing but not sure I need to be put in to a hotel or otherwise stuck somewhere I do not live at my expense.

But in reality the zones need to be realistic - i.e. <5 cases a day can not be considered a red zone if you want a functioning national economy.

(Of course by nationally consistent I mean nationally excluding WA)

 

[Lynda2475]

Premier Daniel Andrews says 25 of 35 LGAs in Sydney will move from a red zone to an orange zone from 6:00pm this evening.

So looks like Vic copied the NT list.

Still makes absolutely no sense why Canada Bay which has no cases, no exposure sites and high testing rates would be Red.

coughberland is obviously the highest risk given 9 out 12 mystery cases in NSW come form there (the other 3 being from NB).

Fairlfield i assume is only on the list due to low testing and low mask compliance.



Vic clearly arent using Mystery cases as criteria, as NB has had 3 mystery cases recently, although super impressive testing rates.

 

[jakeseven7]

Hopefully the RACGP and state/commonwealth government health departments can track this and investigate high numbers of exemptions being issued by the same GP. Given the vaccination permit will most likely be electronic this might be easier - remember the National Health Record system?

There was a really interesting article on a staggering number of questionable decisions made by doctors in the northern NSW region around this topic of vaccinating...., I think we all know where.... That could become a real covid hotspot in a vaccinated Australia in year or so... Wonder if it will be that popular then with all the movie stars

 

[Lynda2475]

I have no problem if businesses and workplaces want to introduce a proof of vaccine rule in order to be a customer there or work there, I plan to get vaccinated.

But implementation (of the no jab no entry rule) needs to be delayed until the vaccine is actually available to everyone, as with the current priority list, healthy adults under 65 will be waiting several months yet.

Gladys was talking about a digital certificate to be linked to your service NSW account (like linking a license) which I am ok with, because i dont particpate in the myhealth or whatever it was called scheme (i opted out,as there was questionable security).

 

[Pushka]

I have no problem if businesses and workplaces want to introduce a proof of vaccine rule in order to be a customer there or work there, I plan to get vaccinated.

But implementation needs to be delayed until the vaccine is actually available to everyone, as with the current priority list, healthy adults under 65 will be waiting several months yet.

Gladys was talking about a digital certificate to be linked to your service NSW account (like linking a license) which I am ok with, because i dont particpate in the myhealth or whatever it was called scheme (i opted out,as there was questionable security).

I’d hope the delay was more about the logistics of mass distribution to clinics and administration without creating large crowds versus actual availability of the vaccine. They need to start somewhere and need to get that underway as soon as they can.

 

[Lynda2475]

Zero cases in NSW today

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

VIC / TAS / QLD seem to be grouping and making decisions that are eerily similar or at least at the same time...

TAS set to announce today, hopefully QLD not too far behind

My guess is they are following NT lol.

The red LGAs are probably similar to what NT kept.

 

[Lynda2475]

they need to start somewhere and need to get that underway as soon as they can.

I meant delay the implementation of the rule to refuse entry unless you are vaccinated (no jab no entry). If they introduce that rule before most people can get the vaccine they will lose significant business.

If no jab no fly rule came in in say April, then only health care workers and really old people would be able to fly, which would be unfair to healthy people who wont have access to any vaccine that early.