Australian state border restrictions

Prof Spurrier explained it all quite well I thought. Reviewing the demographics of who was testing positive determined that the vast majority were simply locals spreading it and who'd never been interstate. Interstate arrivals accounted for a small percentage and overseas arrivals barely registered. Given the awful queues their regime of test test test created, they then wanted to prioritise symptomatic people be tested and not the mass screening that was happening.

Wow so intelligent. This could not have been worked out before they created so much drama? Honestly, some of the people in these roles just blow my mind.

In actual fact their border testing policy has probably spread the virus faster and further. Thats the real risk.
 
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Prof Spurrier explained it all quite well I thought. Reviewing the demographics of who was testing positive determined that the vast majority were simply locals spreading it and who'd never been interstate. Interstate arrivals accounted for a small percentage and overseas arrivals barely registered. Given the awful queues their regime of test test test created, they then wanted to prioritise symptomatic people be tested and not the mass screening that was happening.
It seems a fair decision now there is data from consecutive days that they have tried to contact trace. Scientists/public health would work on evidence, not on presumption.

SA being the first jurisdiction to open up to NSW Vic and ACT had to carry that burden
 
Eased Quarantine requirements for close contacts in Queensland being brought forward to tomorrow morning.

7 day quarantine for vaccinated close contacts, masks strongly 'recommended' for days 8 to 14.

 
Hopefully for triple vaxed it will "ease" to 0 days quarantine.
 
Hopefully for triple vaxed it will "ease" to 0 days quarantine.
But you can still carry the virus. If this was WA, they'd lock you up for 28 days, two full replication cycles, you know, just to be sure.................................................

Got my third yesterday, feeling a bit blah.
 
But you can still carry the virus. If this was WA, they'd lock you up for 28 days, two full replication cycles, you know, just to be sure.................................................

Got my third yesterday, feeling a bit blah.
Indeed, even if borders there do open on Feb 5 I am going to be rather nervous in visiting due to the potential for this exact scenario. I expect there are more than a few people who have been scared in to cancelling trips because of the reaction of QLD/TAS in particular.

Have booked in J over (now 737 not A330...grr) and thinking of downgrading to save the points. But then I think, well, if I am in J then there's a roughly 35% less chance of being a close contact based on numbers alone.
 
Have booked in J over (now 737 not A330...grr) and thinking of downgrading to save the points. But then I think, well, if I am in J then there's a roughly 35% less chance of being a close contact based on numbers alone.

Unless they take the tassie approach and make whole flights close contacts, then it matters not where you sit.
 
It's all a moot point anyway as I think there is now zero chance McGowan opens the border in WA on February 5
 
I can’t keep up with this testing. So no day 1 and 5 for SA, but does that mean you still need one 72 hours before departure? So they’re basically flicking the responsibility to another state?
 
So they’re basically flicking the responsibility to another state?

Yep

Will still be huge queues in NSW, Vic and ACT for anyone needing to travel to Tas, Qld, SA or the NT. WA remains a complete no go.
 
I can’t keep up with this testing. So no day 1 and 5 for SA, but does that mean you still need one 72 hours before departure? So they’re basically flicking the responsibility to another state?
You always needed a negative test before departure, but they wanted you to have one on arrival and on day 5 as well.
 
You always needed a negative test before departure, but they wanted you to have one on arrival and on day 5 as well.

Fixes half the problem I guess. Testing in Sydney is near impossible at the moment. Just heard my local is closing again due to “the heat”. Wait has been about 2 hours all day apparently.
 
It's all a moot point anyway as I think there is now zero chance McGowan opens the border in WA on February 5

While he did give himself an escape hatch, everything that has happened so far would seem to have been reasonably forseeable. So not sure the 'unforseen' argument would hold up, just yet.
 
Fixes half the problem I guess. Testing in Sydney is near impossible at the moment. Just heard my local is closing again due to “the heat”. Wait has been about 2 hours all day apparently.
The wait in SA has been around 8 hours.
 
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While he did give himself an escape hatch, everything that has happened so far would seem to have been reasonably forseeable. So not sure the 'unforseen' argument would hold up, just yet.
Has has spent the last 2 years instilling the fear of God about covid in to his entire electorate.

Seeing record numbers in their thousands in the other states will lead him to a "cautious delay in reopening while the booster program effectiveness is fully considered"

And he will continue to keep delaying until such time as covid enters through other means and then the game is away, it's done we may as well open now, and he gets off the hook.
 
Prof Spurrier explained it all quite well I thought. Reviewing the demographics of who was testing positive determined that the vast majority were simply locals spreading it and who'd never been interstate. Interstate arrivals accounted for a small percentage and overseas arrivals barely registered...
So why not abolish the 72 hour test as well? Is the argument that COVID is worse when you get it interstate? [rhetorical questions, no justification needed unless your name is Prof Spurious]

They appear to be formalising Qld's informal position. Clog up the other state's resources and not your own.

Cheers skip
 
So why not abolish the 72 hour test as well? Is the argument that COVID is worse when you get it interstate? [rhetorical questions, no justification needed unless your name is Prof Spurious]

They appear to be formalising Qld's informal position. Clog up the other state's resources and not your own.

Cheers skip

Sadly, that’s what this has been from day 1. It’s all been someone else’s fault and it gets “imported” and we should “keep people out”.

The same reason there’s all this carry on about flights with “positive cases” but nothing about a train or bus with the same.
 
I had no issues booking my booster at Olympic Park (the main NSW vax hub), plenty of availability (even same day within 2 hours). All the pharmacies in my local area have boards out the front advertising booster availability, no idea about GPs as I havent considered that channel, they have enough work to do treating actual sick people.
Good for you. But we are in different states, after all, and I'm in what's called 'the regions'.

Using the Victorian booking system, I am unable to book a booster, other than in Melbourne. I expect it's simply IT, but there has been plenty of time for IT glitches to be a thing of the past.

If we want people to do this, then the IT side of if should be smooth and simple.

Oh, and ringing up to make a booking....which is what the less computer savvy are going to do. It simply put me into a loop from which there was never an option to make a booking. As I recall this was also what was happening six months ago. Presumably if you suddenly forget to how to speak English you might get somewhere, but I didn't test that.
Testing is an issue I agree, but access to vaccinations is not a problem, if you are over 12 and aren't vaccinated by now you aren't trying.
I don't think you've tried to book a booster using the Victorian government system.

Thankfully, the Federal version works.
 
So why not abolish the 72 hour test as well? Is the argument that COVID is worse when you get it interstate? [rhetorical questions, no justification needed unless your name is Prof Spurious]

They appear to be formalising Qld's informal position. Clog up the other state's resources and not your own.

Cheers skip
I hope National Cabinet ends this practice, or at least switches to the rapid test.
 
And being reported that Dan & Dom are pitching to change the definition of fully vaxed to 3 doses, and bring boosters forward to 4 months.

Whilst SA, Tas and Qld want to talk closing borders again.
What good is there in getting the booster if all it does is make your COVID symptoms go away thereby making it easier to spread? Unless the strategy is of course to let 'er rip to get herd immunity with no one really getting sick.
The other inconsistency (everyone on a flight is sometimes a close contact) has claimed more victims.
If I was on a flight that had a close contact and was forced to quarantine, I would leave my room every 6 hours to get a COVID test. If they're really serious about this virus, maybe I should be testing every 6 hours then. You never know! 😂
Perhaps if he has a cough he should go use the testing service.

Asking Vic for help isn't going to work, they have their own problems.

Once again, we need to stop testing people who are not sick. Perhaps if the swabs were anally administered then this would have already happened, as this is a right pain in the a**!
The main concern though is if they're not sick they can still transmit COVID to someone who may very well get sick. A big issue is that governments keep using the tin standard (e.g., PCR tests) that are slow, expensive and likely contribute greatly to the spread of COVID by forcing people to queue in line shoulder to shoulder for hours on end to get a test. We have better technology out there that will tell you if you're infectious with COVID, namely lateral flow (e.g. rapid antigen) tests. In such a system, you could imagine during check-in you're administered a lateral flow test and wait 15 minutes for the results. If all is good you're cleared to fly. This would also be better from the standpoint of the government since they are getting results as they travel not from 3 days prior at which point they may have caught COVID in the interim.
Maybe McGowan wasn't far off with his panic and pandemonium commentary

However it's got nothing to do with the presence of COVID and everything to do with poor leadership and incredibly poor governance.
Indeed the rules keep changing left and right - is it any wonder why the Australian travel and tourism market is still in the coughter? No one wants to put down thousands of dollars on a vacation only to get a worthless voucher for their troubles! People want vacations not vouchers!
Goneski

"As of Tuesday 21 December, vaccinated people who have arrived into South Australia from Victoria, NSW or ACT are no longer required to have a COVID-19 test upon arrival or on day 6.

They must still receive a negative COVID-19 test result in the 72 hours prior to arrival in SA.

People who have any of the symptoms below, even if mild, should get tested for COVID-19 as soon as symptoms appear:
• fever or chills
• cough
• loss of taste or smell
• sore throat
• tiredness (fatigue)
• runny or blocked nose
• shortness of breath (difficulty breathing)
• nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea
• headache
• muscle or joint pain
• loss of appetite"
Great to see SA is using symptoms of COVID that aren't present in Delta or Omicron (e.g., nausea, vomiting, sore throat, fever or chills, cough). Meanwhile those of us with seasonal allergies have runny and blocked nose all the time. Are they really expecting us to test every single day? Don't get me wrong, I do a rapid antigen test every week just as a safety measure but this is getting a bit overkill.

-RooFlyer88
 

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