Predictions of when international flights may resume/bans lifted

[auriga]

Australia's neighbours in the Asia-Pacific region are not opening up.
It seems to be the countries which copped it worse (US, Europe), they are the ones keen on opening up.

 

[dajop]

Australia's neighbours in the Asia-Pacific region are not opening up.

Some are, slowly and cautiously. Singapore is now open to tourists - who have a negative COVID test on arrival - from New Zealand and Brunei! Although Brunei citizens cannot depart Brunei, and whilst NZ'ers can they face the hefty quarantine fee on return.

But there is some common sense coming into it for travellers from other countries too - if someone is arriving from Australia (excluding Vic) into Singapore (who has the right to be in Singapore long term), they can self isolate at home, with tracing device, for just 7 days now, provided they test negative after those 7 days. Frankly Melbourne could take in returning residents/citizens from a small group of countries (eg. NZ, Taiwan), with a test on arrival, without any significant incremental risk to Victorians. Surely good data exists by now, as to the proportion of travellers from specific countries that are bringing the virus in with them.

 

[Pushka]

Australia's neighbours in the Asia-Pacific region are not opening up.
It seems to be the countries which copped it worse (US, Europe), they are the ones keen on opening up.

Nothing to lose I guess.

 

[moa999]

This is a major reason why the Feds are reluctant to give us a timetable as to when specific routes may 'open up'

Unless we declare a region safe (eg. NZ) then I think it will be no tourism travel until we have a vaccine and it's been rolled out to a decent proportion of the population.

Even if Victoria goes back to taking quarantine guests you are talking maybe 1000ppl Australia wide daily with the current restrictions.

We've made our choice on quarantine (which imho was the correct one), and you have to stick to it until you get a vaccine, or like SARS the virus dies out.

 

[freebo]

Once we have a proven reliable vaccine (hopefully starting to roll out in 6ish months) presumably there will be a "vaccine passport" allowing those who have been vaccinated to travel across most borders with no quarantine.

 

[rikkitikkitavi]

I also agree, until Australia agrees on an acceptable sugar pill vaccine there will be quarantine for incoming passengers, hopefully end of the year the govmenet will open up flights, but this will likely rely on Victoria copying the NSW hotel system successfully to manage the volume. Also might see people from less risky countries being allowed to self quarantine with frequent video calls from tracers like in Singapore.

 

[aggie57]

Australia's neighbours in the Asia-Pacific region are not opening up.

China is starting to re-open it's borders, resident visa holders from 36 European countries and 13 Asian countries as of August 27th. Restrictions still apply of course, like 14-day quarantine, but the point is steps are being made.

 

[RAM]

I also agree, until Australia agrees on an acceptable sugar pill vaccine there will be quarantine for incoming passengers, hopefully end of the year the govmenet will open up flights, but this will likely rely on Victoria copying the NSW hotel system successfully to manage the volume. Also might see people from less risky countries being allowed to self quarantine with frequent video calls from tracers like in Singapore.

Hope Vic does not copy the NSW hotel system too closely.

Revealed over the weekend that NSW:

• has had double the number of hotel security guards caught & fired since March 28th. Most from being reported by other guards, hotel staff +/or people quarantined - none detected by either the police nor army.
• not had any quality control system in place for checking on security guards, hotel staff nor hotel cleanliness.
• is thinking about setting up a committee (after 5 months! I kid you not) to look into quality control.
• despite having police on-site - they have not been instructed to ensure any procedures are being followed - remember the case back in April where a woman walked out of the hotel at Wynyard 'for exercise' & was only discovered to be missing when someone (a friend of hers) panicked when the phone in her quarantine room went unanswered for a few hours.

It is only pure chance, really, that NSW has not experienced a Melbourne style outbreak. After all 90% of the Victorian cases trace back to the room where a family's (2 parents & 2 children) room had faeces & urine spread throughout it. It was only finally detected due to complaints about a foul smell.

The now declared patient zero, was the night manager who got called to that room to accompany the Dept of Health personnel called in to dis-infect the room.

Sure glad that family arrived in Melbourne not Sydney (sorry Victorians but NIMBY here!).

 

[freebo]

After all 90% of the Victorian cases trace back to the room where a family's (2 parents & 2 children) room had faeces & urine spread throughout it. It was only finally detected due to complaints about a foul smell.

*Shakes head*

Can't get my head around how grubby these folk could be, the book should be thrown at them.

 

[RAM]

*Shakes head*

Can't get my head around how grubby these folk could be, the book should be thrown at them.

Not trying to be racist at all but they may never have had a functioning toilet before. Given where flights landing in Melbourne (mostly came from) - it is quite likely they were from the sub-continent & could well be close-relatives of an Australian permanent resident - so foreign nationals.

On the sub-continent flushing toilets are not something that every village have unfortunately, certainly not in every dwelling.

It could have just been another unfortunate assumption, after all everyone knows how to use a flushing toilet (just like everyone knows how to use a bidet ). Quite possible they did not speak english at all. So locked in their room with all sorts of new things....

 

[freebo]

It could have just been another unfortunate assumption

you're a nicer person than me...

 

[dajop]

*Shakes head*

Can't get my head around how grubby these folk could be, the book should be thrown at them.

Perhaps someone in the room had been violently ill. The initial report was that the bedroom had been soiled.. When people are ill (and given that the family is considered to be the source of the infection, there's every chance that at least one person in the family was ill), then it's not only possible, but likely that soiling of the room (linen, towels, even chair) is an outcome.

When I was ill with amoebic dyssentry a few years back. I could have easily soiled the bedroom I was in, and indeed would have if I hadn't been admitted to hospital and given adult diapers

 

[Pushka]

Not trying to be racist at all but they may never have had a functioning toilet before. Given where flights landing in Melbourne (mostly came from) - it is quite likely they were from the sub-continent & could well be close-relatives of an Australian permanent resident - so foreign nationals.

On the sub-continent flushing toilets are not something that every village have unfortunately, certainly not in every dwelling.

It could have just been another unfortunate assumption, after all everyone knows how to use a flushing toilet (just like everyone knows how to use a bidet ). Quite possible they did not speak english at all. So locked in their room with all sorts of new things....

I understand your point but I dont think it is of any relevance in this particular situation. And I did see a great number of WASP's in the groups of every day travellers who had been trapped.

For the family concerned, there was mention that the children were emotionally distressed. Whatever I think about that and the relevance, i highly doubt the incidence described above had anything to do with any particular racial group or country of origin

 

[Townsend]

We have come to accept the fact that we will probably never return to the USA,
However only partially related to Covid.I worry a bit more about the breakdown in law and order.I just don't see it settling soon.

But the major reason we have already been to all 50 States-and that means sleeping in all 50 States.On top of that Covid is going to take out 2 years of what we hoped was going to be busy travelling years in 2020/21.Possibly only another 2 years left after that so we have a lot of other things we would like to do that we haven't yet done.

My retirement plan has always been December 2021/January 2022.See no reason to change that as I hit 75 in December 2021.

I wish I felt like that as I am hanging out to go to the USA early next year. Skiing in Colorado is something that we love doing, and we usually have a road trip as well.No desire to live there but we love visiting!

 

[trippin_the_rift]

I think borders will open up sooner rather than later.
Let's look at things differently for a second. What if the 'vaccine', was simply an informed public?

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/129997656131613081

 

[Flashback]

I think borders will open up sooner rather than later.
Let's look at things differently for a second. What if the 'vaccine', was simply an informed public?
...

Not with the kind of people the VIC old bill refers to still being in existence though.....

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1299252395466080256

 

[aggie57]

Not with the kind of people the VIC old bill refers to still being in existence though.....

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1299252395466080256

Good response to the endless conspiracy theorists coming out of the woodwork these days. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Flashback]

Good response to the endless conspiracy theorists coming out of the woodwork these days. Thanks for sharing.

You're more than welcome

 

[serfty]

I think borders will open up sooner rather than later.
Let's look at things differently for a second. What if the 'vaccine', was simply an informed public?
<tin foil hat stuff>

I seriously believe that twitter link is to a load of TinFoilHat codswallop.

It surprises me you would propagate such rubbish.

 

[PineappleSkip]

I took it as light relief, not to be taken seriously. Trippin_The_rift doesn't strike me as a tinfoil hat type.

Cheers skip