Predictions of when international flights may resume/bans lifted

[oznflfan]

My new favourite Immunologist, NOT:



for much of 2022 – even with the majority of us vaccinated – mask-wearing and social distancing will still be required by all us to avoid lockdowns and to protect the unvaccinated. Surely Australians would not accept the appalling proposition that we and our government have no duty of care to those who refuse vaccination.

 

[Seat0B]

I think UAE has already moved to the amber list...EK has a CRAZY ad out to celebrate this fact.

Wish this would help Seat Son, but nope, we are so special here.

 

[Seat0B]

Just to get back on topic, I agree that international borders needed to open as soon as safely possible. I can’t see a road to there other than lockdowns until the (not yet) agreed vaccination levels are attained. I definitely have a vested interest in free international travel as soon as possible as there are some people I’d like to say farewell to in person.

My heart breaks for you @nickykim

 

[sjk]

OK so not the home straight, but final bend maybe?

Yes, you’re all being driven round it.

 

[Seat0B]

Home quarantine poses minimal risk to the community. If I am at home and somehow have contracted the virus I'm not going to infect the people at the local shops because I'm not close enough to their location to do so. People who have the virus caught locally are trusted to quarantine at home, but people who have flown in from overseas have tested negative and are fully vaccinated are placed in hotel quarantine for 2 weeks where they may actually catch the virus.

I am 100% with you on this one @mviy and have been saying so since last year on many threads here. Honestly, it’s just ridiculous and some what hypocritical the way people from overseas are treated. Again as I’ve said before, if I caught COVID in hotel quarantine, I would be suing the ars# off the various government organisations responsible for that particular debacle. Plus, allowing home quarantine for vaccinated people would free up spots in hotel quarantine for those who aren’t vaccinated. This provides a further benefit to getting vaccinated - cheaper and nicer quarantine, outside caps. I really don’t see why this is so hard to approve other than outright bloody-mindednes.

 

[Seat0B]

Again, the only proposal you make is relating to home quarantine...which is fair enough in this thread. As we know, the Hume cluster last time was result of a breach of home quarantine so as I say...there are issues.

And how many clusters have been related to breaches of hotel quarantine? If I recall correctly, a very significant proportion. So really it’s hard to say that home quarantine is any worse than the hotel variant. And I don’t advocate for either/or here. We need both types, plus purpose built facilities - just with a much more intelligent approach to how we use them, and who has to serve what type of quarantine. Our current approach is lazy and not working at any level. Hotel variant constantly seeds into the community, discriminatory policy allows COVID infected domestically to quarantine at home, but those from overseas to be forced into high risk, high cost hotel quarantine, unfair caps on arrivals, etc etc. Honestly, it’s an episode of Hollow Men or Utopia - only it’s not very funny when it’s your a actual life that is affected by these bumbling decisions.

 

[Seat0B]

Re lockdown, forget about Vic...it is national policy now. The Armidale LGA in NSW is now locked down over 2 cases.

But at least it’s only the Armidale LGA, not the whole of NSW including LGAs that are hundreds of kilometres away. Qld also appears to be experimenting with locking down affected areas/LGAs only. Whereas other states, including Vic, lock down the whole state. And they also lock out their residents who had the temerity to visit another state (SA, WA, Vic). And some lock out people from areas where there are no current COVID outbreaks at all (eg SA and Vic lock out ACT). Nope it’s not really a national policy - just a bunch of conflicting local ones.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

But at least it’s only the Armidale LGA, not the whole of NSW including LGAs that are hundreds of kilometres away. Qld also appears to be experimenting with locking down affected areas/LGAs only. Whereas other states, including Vic, lock down the whole state. And they also lock out their residents who had the temerity to visit another state (SA, WA, Vic). And some lock out people from areas where there are no current COVID outbreaks at all (eg SA and Vic lock out ACT). Nope it’s not really a national policy - just a bunch of conflicting local ones.

You obviously missed the warning in Tamworth.....its getting closer to being quite often out of Sydney

 

[JB expat]

My new favourite Immunologist, NOT:

View attachment 254958

for much of 2022 – even with the majority of us vaccinated – mask-wearing and social distancing will still be required by all us to avoid lockdowns and to protect the unvaccinated. Surely Australians would not accept the appalling proposition that we and our government have no duty of care to those who refuse vaccination.

I have no concerns about not protecting the unvaccinated where they decided to remain unvaccinated for reasons other than age and/or valid medical advice. They should not take up hospital beds beyond an allocated amount so that those with medical emergencies and elective procedures can be treated. At some point, personally responsibility needs to be acknowledged. I am totally willing to do what is necessary to protect children and those who for valid reasons cannot be vaccinated - which is why the unvaccinated by choice need not just sticks but tree trunks.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

I have no concerns about not protecting the unvaccinated where they decided to remain unvaccinated for reasons other than age and/or valid medical advice. They should not take up hospital beds beyond an allocated amount so that those with medical emergencies and elective procedures can be treated. At some point, personally responsibility needs to be acknowledged. I am totally willing to do what is necessary to protect children and those who for valid reasons cannot be vaccinated - which is why the unvaccinated by choice need not just sticks but tree trunks.

Well how about the approximate 3 million children ineligible and not soon to be eligible children......still a watching brief on that segment of society. How do you protect unvaccinated children but not other unvaccinated people???

 

[JB expat]

Well how about the approximate 3 million children ineligible and not soon to be eligible children......still a watching brief on that segment of society. How do you protect unvaccinated children but not other unvaccinated people???

Limit what the unvaccinated people can do - I don't want them working in schools, I don't want them treating my children (doctors, dentists, etc.). I have 2 children who are currently too young to be vaccinated - this is a large part of why I feel so strongly about harsh measures for the unvaccinated by choice. Keep the unvaccinated by choice at home - they should only be allowed take away, not allowed to attend indoor public spaces, for indoor private events they should be forbidden from attending anything with more than 50 people. There are so many ways. This is a public health emergency - to not get vaccinated for any reason but for being too young or too truly risky from a medical perspective means a choice not to participate in society. That's my perspective.

 

[N860CR]

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

No. It’s not some kind of competition.

The key point is that, due to vaccination and a general improvement in treatments, we are not seeing mass casualties. This means we can change our approach.

 

[oznflfan]

No. It’s not some kind of competition.

The key point is that, due to vaccination and a general improvement in treatments, we are not seeing mass casualties. This means we can change our approach.

And for the next 9 months will be three steps forward, two steps back.

 

[N860CR]

Keep the unvaccinated by choice at home - they should only be allowed take away, not allowed to attend indoor public spaces, for indoor private events they should be forbidden from attending anything with more than 50 people

Yes, definitely. The rest of us have been doing this for the better part of 18 months now. It may not be "fair", but life isn't always fair. Now is the time to significantly soften restrictions for the vaccinated. I have some faith that the NSW government will do this in a few weeks.

 

[dajop]

Different day. Same arguments by same posters.

Our current approach is lazy and not working at any level. Hotel variant constantly seeds into the community, discriminatory policy allows COVID infected domestically to quarantine at home, but those from overseas to be forced into high risk, high cost hotel quarantine, unfair caps on arrivals, etc etc. Honestly, it’s an episode of Hollow Men or Utopia - only it’s not very funny when it’s your a actual life that is affected by these bumbling decisions.

Right now, for those whose end destination is Sydney (and not interstate) travellers arriving from overseas with pre-departure test, could be put into HQ for 2-3 days and tested on Day 2 with negatives sent home, and the risk would be negligible compared to domestically infected.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Yes, definitely. The rest of us have been doing this for the better part of 18 months now. It may not be "fair", but life isn't always fair. Now is the time to significantly soften restrictions for the vaccinated. I have some faith that the NSW government will do this in a few weeks.

They can do what they like! I suspect they won't be able to travel any further than NSW borders So it won't help those with family interstate.

 

[N860CR]

They can do what they like! I suspect they won't be able to travel any further than NSW borders So it won't help those with family interstate.

That ship has sailed. NSW is not getting to Covid Zero, and nor should it. It’s up to the other states to catch up now.

 

[Jousams]

The other thing that doesn’t make sense in New South Wales as why are we even have hotel quarantine anymore when we have 300 reported new Cases in the community each day (and some more that aren’t being recorded)…

It’s time to let er rip Gladys

 

[jrfsp]

That ship has sailed. NSW is not getting to Covid Zero, and nor should it. It’s up to the other states to catch up now.

The issue will be states that have zero covid / restrictions. Even at 70/80% vaccination the govs own modelling says that "baseline restrictions" will be required. "Contact tracing/ isolation, Social distancing, capacity limits, etc"

For many places in the country that is more restrictive than what's currently in place. Why would they open to have restrictions implemented.

 

[Princess Fiona]

The other thing that doesn’t make sense in New South Wales as why are we even have hotel quarantine anymore when we have 300 reported new Cases in the community each day (and some more that aren’t being recorded)…

It’s time to let er rip Gladys

Need more people vaccinated before that.

As to the question of NSW going it alone it seems that we will be.
I feel sorry for those with families interstate that they won’t see anytime soon but for those of us with parents overseas it has been years not weeks or months.
We need to get our vaccinations up and start living with this even if that means we are closed off from the rest of Australia until they catch up.

Covid zero might have been aspirational pre Delta but now it’s a Unicorn farting glitter.