Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

[Pushka]

Bizarre.

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Post automatically merged: May 28, 2021

Compulsory in every venue or shop in SA. Small chocolate shop in the Adelaide Hills was checked by the police a couple of weeks ago and fined $5000 because they weren't enforcing check in. Cops came back a couple of hours later and found another person not checked in so got another $5k fine.

Melbas?

 

[dajop]

There was never going to be 100% take-up of the Bluetooth tracking covid safe app. Singapore has been more successful as you basically now need the tracking app to enter most buildings/shops etc.

Yes, never was going tot be 100%, but IMHO the government should have acted early to put the QR code functionality into it too, instead of the hodgepodge of solutions across the uncommonwealth. Nothing is perfect, but all the steps hopefully add up to a better ability to manage things than just relying on contract tracing interviews alone.

 

[bcworld]

I happily installed the COVIDSafe app. Then in Dec 2020 they released the second major version v2.0. It started to consume 50% of my battery every day. The Google Play store was full of reviews pointing out the same which were all completely ignored. The FAQ on their website continued to claim some tiny % battery use everyday. After being a defender of the principle of the app I found myself having to uninstall it. Not much use having a COVIDSafe app when my battery is at 0%!

 

[Lynda2475]

Maybe all the QR coding would be less important if the government had driven improvements to and the wider adoption of the Covid Safe App, not perfect but another chink in the armour. By way of reference the equivalent app the CovidSafe here in Singapore, on my phone shows the number of "bluetooth exchanges" every day. Before we had our "semi lockdown" I was averaging 2400 such exchanges a day, now down to 870 a day on average.

Covid safe was a dud here, doubt anyone still has it on their phone. Up until end of last year it only found a miniscule number of extra contacts (only 17) whereas the QR codes have been successfully used to contact large number of people very quickly.

COVIDSafe app detected just 17 contacts after millions spent

www.9news.com.au

The CovidSafe app was a battery killer a big reason why most people disabled it.

Whereas, QR has been shown to work, the state gov apps can send mass sms to everyone who was at a venue quickly.

In NSW it is mandatory for customers of the following businesses to check in using the Service NSW app, these business can be fined if QR codes are readily accessible:

• Amusement centres
• Aquariums
• Business premises that are used for auction houses, other than clearing houses
• Business premises that are used for nail salons, beauty salons, hairdressing salons, waxing salons, tanning salons, spas, tattoo parlours and massage parlours
• Crematoria
• Drive-in cinemas
• Entertainment facilities
• Hospitality venues:
  • Casinos
  • Food and drink premises, other than food courts – only for a person entering the premises to consume food or drink on the premises and persons who are staff and contractors
  • Micro-breweries, small distilleries holding a drink on-premises authorisation under the Liquor Act 2007 and cellar door premises – only for a person entering the premises to consume food or drink on the premises and persons who are staff and contractors
  • Pubs, small bars and registered clubs – for persons entering the premises, but not if the person is entering the premises solely for the purpose of collecting food or drink to consume off the premises
• Function centres
• Funeral homes
• Information and education facilities (other than libraries)
• Nightclubs
• Party buses
• Properties operated by the National Trust or the Historic Houses Trust
• Public swimming pools
• Recreation facilities (indoor)
• Recreation facilities (major)
• Sex on premises venues, being restricted premises where sex between patrons is permitted on the premises
• Sex services premises
• Strip clubs
• Vessels used for hosting functions or for commercial tours
• Zoological parks and reptile parks

Events​

• COVID-19 safe outdoor public gathering
• Controlled outdoor public gatherings
• Corporate events
• Funerals and memorial services and gathering after funerals and memorial services
• Wedding services and gatherings after wedding services

Electronic recording of entry is not mandatory for persons entering premises to attend a significant event (such as a wedding or funeral) at a place of public worship or entering premises for a religious service.

COVID-19 business resources

Help for businesses and workers, including COVID-19 Safety Plans and guidance to stay safe now that restrictions in NSW have eased.

www.nsw.gov.au

The main gas are churches and supermarkets - a problem given they have been infection points. hat said a lot of supermakrets do have codes even though they arent required to.

 

[Must...Fly!]

I happily installed the COVIDSafe app. Then in Dec 2020 they released the second major version v2.0. It started to consume 50% of my battery every day. The Google Play store was full of reviews pointing out the same which were all completely ignored. The FAQ on their website continued to claim some tiny % battery use everyday. After being a defender of the principle of the app I found myself having to uninstall it. Not much use having a COVIDSafe app when my battery is at 0%!

Yeah I had that issue as well. It seemed to fix itself with the next update after that.

 

[dajop]

Of course COVIDsafe it was a dud, there didn't seem to be a plan beyond get it launched. But could have implemented a national QR code system linked to the app or even not linked - separately to another app. Maybe if there was nationally linked programs via consistent QR code , border closures could be more finessed.

 

[RooFlyer]

Covid safe was a dud here, doubt anyone still has it on their phone. Up until end of last year it only found a miniscule number of extra contacts (only 17) whereas the QR codes have been successfully used to contact large number of people very quickly.

Of course COVIDsafe it was a dud, there didn't seem to be a plan beyond get it launched. But could have implemented a national QR code system linked to the app or even not linked - separately to another app. Maybe if there was nationally linked programs via consistent QR code , border closures could be more finessed.

Unfortunately the non-use covidsafe app became a political statement, with a self fulfilling attitude of "its a failure for the federal government because people don't use it (and BTW I'm not using it) " It was never designed to be a complete solution, but as an aid to manual contact tracing.

I had it installed, and left it there, but was surprised recently when I checked on it that it had ceased functioning after a year and I had to re-permission it, or something.

In theory the passive Covidsafe app should be a better solution than the need to actively use QR code. The latter has found a lot of contacts, but as has been noted here and elsewhere, its use is patchy and in many critical cases, it hasn't been used. But as with the covidsafe app, QR codes were never designed to be a complete solution, but a help to contact tracing. If QR codes had been designed or mandated by the federal govt, I suspect their use, and the reaction to their lack of complete usefulness to trace contacts, would be very different

 

[VPS]

Bizarre.

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Melbas?

Red Cacao | Chocolatier of the Adelaide Hills | Stirling in Stirling. I find it bizarre that if they were fined once then you would be super vigilant when anyone else walked in

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

I’m guessing they weren’t symptomatic if they were getting a flu jab

...

A Melbourne vaccine centre has joined the list of Tier 1 exposure sites in the state, after an infectious person attended the venue last Saturday.

According to Victoria Health, the case attended Preston City Hall to get a flu jab on May 22 between 9:30am and 11am.

Anyone who visited the Gower St venue at these times has been urged to contact the health department, and get tested immediately before isolating for 14 days, regardless of result.

 

[bcworld]

Unfortunately the non-use covidsafe app became a political statement, with a self fulfilling attitude of "its a failure for the federal government because people don't use it (and BTW I'm not using it) " It was never designed to be a complete solution, but as an aid to manual contact tracing.

There were certainly a circular element to its failure. I had a friend who continually refused to install it because the government was out to get him or something along those lines. Then it was a dud because it didn't find anyone. I recall from Melbourne's 2nd wave that of 20,000 cases something like 8% were running the COVIDSafe app. I dont think it could ever be expected to do much at that level.

 

[drron]

But it has worked in the UKand helped with contact tracing.Why didn't they try to improve it?

U.K. Study Shows Power of Digital Contact Tracing for COVID-19

There’s been much interest in using digital technology to help contain the spread of COVID-19 in our communities. The idea is to make available opt-in smart phone apps that create a log of other ap…

directorsblog.nih.gov

 

[dajop]

But it has worked in the UKand helped with contact tracing.Why didn't they try to improve it?

U.K. Study Shows Power of Digital Contact Tracing for COVID-19

There’s been much interest in using digital technology to help contain the spread of COVID-19 in our communities. The idea is to make available opt-in smart phone apps that create a log of other ap…

directorsblog.nih.gov

Complacency ? Or just a sign of modern democratic governance, make a big fuss, get the PR and move on to the next thing?

 

[dajop]

There were certainly a circular element to its failure. I had a friend who continually refused to install it because the government was out to get him or something along those lines.

No doubt posted on facebook using a mobile phone

 

[Lynda2475]

Covid safe was poorly designed, it may not have impacted phone performance on some models but it absolutely killed others.

At first my Dad did the right thing and turned on Covidsafe every time he left the house, but after a couple of months he was asking me to buy him a new phone as it was going from 100% charged to 0% in a matter of 3 or 4 hours. Seemed strange to me, so after checking battery usage, I uninstalled Covid Safe for a week and all of a sudden his phone was back to needing to be charged every 2-3 days.

With each update we reinstalled and tried again, each time it killed his phone, so it was taken off again. I didnt feel safe with him being out with a flat mobile, so we decided to abandon Covid Safe altogether and rely on the QR codes once the state based app was mandated. The rule in our family is if a venue doesnt have QR they dont get our business.

If CovidSafe app ditched the bluetooth drain and instead became a national QR app then we would use it again. Until then, we download the state app for wherever we happen to be, maintain physical distance from strangers and by end of July whole family will be fully vaccinated (parents and BIL by early June, my sister and I in July unless we can move up our Pfizer appointments).

 

[jase05]

The Vic Park Covid testing station in Adelaide is operating 24hrs until June 1st for those who are still wanting to be tested

 

[jb747]

Covidsafe was dead to me as soon as they said they were not going to use the Apple API. That pretty much guaranteed it wouldn’t work, and also said to me that they were not serious about it. You’re dead right about the need for a national QR app, but of course that won’t happen.

 

[TheRealTMA]

Covidsafe was dead to me as soon as they said they were not going to use the Apple API. That pretty much guaranteed it wouldn’t work, and also said to me that they were not serious about it. You’re dead right about the need for a national QR app, but of course that won’t happen.

Yes how unfathomable. The Feds wasted some $15 million on an app that all the IT experts told them could not and would not work. What is their game? Just spin and smoke and mirrors and “Jedi mind tricks”? Why can’t they actually do anything to help the population for the pandemic ? They still seem to be head in the sand wrt aerosol transmission (re 18 seconds transmission in HTQ in Adelaide), vaccine role out, vaccination of aged and disability and health care workers? Are they seriously trying to prove that the federal PS bureaucracy is incompetent as the Heath minister on with Leigh Sales on 7:30 last night?

 

[henrus]

The Vic Park Covid testing station in Adelaide is operating 24hrs until June 1st for those who are still wanting to be tested

Crazy that Adelaide has 24 hours testing but Melbourne doesn't.

 

[Pushka]

Crazy that Adelaide has 24 hours testing but Melbourne doesn't.

Today is the very first day of 24 hour testing and just at one place. I smell an SA lockdown if we get just one positive case.

 

[suze2000]

Crazy that Adelaide has 24 hours testing but Melbourne doesn't.

Trust me, the testing labs are running 24/7.

It may be that because of the lockdowns last year that there are far more testing sites in Melbs (list here Department of Health and Human Services Victoria | COVID-19 testing sites) and they do not see the need to keep any open 24/7. In fact, I'd honestly be surprised if anyone was turned away from getting swabbed this evening because the testing site closed. A quick scroll seems to indicate that the public hospital sites have extended opening hours ATM.