Beoz

One million Pfizer doses arriving tonight. Half of those directed to hotspots in Sydney for 20-39 year olds.

I do agree Ozzie. Sydney will be the first to open, even though we are shutting tonight from midnight tonight. It's amazing what a good outbreak does to the vaccine numbers. Sydney will emerge from a few weeks of proper lockdown ready to roll all vaxxed up. Melbourne will follow and I reckon Dan will be heavily pushing it. Vaccine numbers could be a bit better out of Victoria though.

God knows what happens with Western Australia and Eastern Australia (New Zealand). I wouldn't want the task of re-educating their populations that it's OK to live with the virus.

On a side note, I notice Covid barely features on the BBC news these days.

old.sparkles

I thought NSW was already in lockdown from last night?

Beoz

The rest of NSW went into lockdown 5pm last night. Sydney had its rules changed, fines increased, etc from midnight tonight.

It hasn't really been policed until now and no one really cares any more. So they are getting heavy.

So tomorrow you won't be able to sun bake on the beach, just run on it.

I am not aware of anyone catching Covid sun baking on a beach. There was a few cases of some people partying on a beach, hugging, kissing etc, but sun baking?

Anyhow is what it is, I am not really sure what the target is here now. Zeros is long gone, are we just playing a holding game until enough are vaxxed? Who knows, no one really knows.

ozzieeagle

We'll realise about WA and Qld if New Zealand actually does open fully before them.

My UK forums are more anxious about the Climate than Covid now. Wonder how long it will take WA and Qld to follow that trend.

old.sparkles

I would think it's all aimed at limiting numbers until you can get enough people vaxxed. Looking at the numbers, there are over 300 in hospital now with COVID in NSW of which 64 are in ICU.

scrubbedexpat098

Anti vaxxers are rife in WA, intelligent people I thought better of. One said to me that vulnerable people should stay clear of the rest of society so we can all go our merry way. Personally, if you don't want the vaccine and you don't trust the medical profession to protect you, then stick to your guns and don't trust them to treat you. Save those hospital beds for more deserving people.

Beoz

McGowen came on today and said they will pursue a zero covid strategy even after 80% vaxxed. That's a big call. That means shutting the WA borders when Australia opens its international borders

Beoz

Yeah she said something along those lines in the presser today.

The tricky part is that could be 2 months away, and there are very few untracked cases in the east and its out of control in the west which is interesting because it looks like delta can be controlled with a lockdown light, if it's in the right demographics. If it gets into the wrong demographics, then we don't even know if even hard lockdown can control it.

I guess we have 2 months to find out what type of lockdown you need to apply to what demographics.

tum

Those are very big pants to wear, admirable that she wants to keep everybody safe, but sounds like Utopia to me, or living under a Dome. I wouldn’t want to be a politician stating something like that. But that’s probably why I am not in politics as well ;-). Two months away from 80% jabbed, wow!!! For us specifically that would mean that finally it will be achievable to move back to Australia, fingers crossed.
PS Climate is a biggy on tv over here (the Netherlands) as well. So over all the scare mongering, one ‘bad’ thing after another. To sum it up, from what I remember, we would have died/will be dying from:
Acid rain
big holes in the Ozone Layer
Nukes
Aids
Tsjernobyl
climate change
CO2
particle pollution
Covid
and yet again Climate Change
Sorry, bit of a rant, WANT, NEED more positives in our lives, or maybe less instant news phones etc….back to the 80-ies???

fingers crossed your restrictions will ease soon, yay for the extra Pfizer for Sydney.

Pollyana

Don't hold your breath for that one, its not too many years since Qld decided it didn't need an emergency management agency and moved all the staff into the Fire department........,

Beoz

McGowen is a he, we think.

Australia won't hit 80%. It will die out at 60-70% like everywhere else and might need to take the French approach of hitting people with a stick.

tum

a HE...ok 😅

ozzieeagle

It's all getting a bit dystopian now... Curfew is back for the 2nd time in Melbourne. With no indication of what living with Covid... Or indeed if zero tolerance guidelines are going to be the parameters in the future. Actually worried if this keeps up that we won't be able to get back into our home in Melbourne from up here in the relative freedom of FNQ.

abner

To be fair, Chairman Dan was dealing with two particularly egregious examples of "what not to do in the midst of a Delta-strain Covid-19 epidemic"

- DON'T have an extended, publicised, maskless curbside pub-crawl featuring takeaway drinks from a variety of bars, put on by a neighborhood bar owners association

- DON'T have a maskless engagement party for 69 people, and invite infected people to it (at least some transmissions are already confirmed)

Total ****wits are perpetuating the Delta transmissions, and therefore the harder / wider / more extended lockdowns around Oz. The state governments are just trying to hold the idiocy at bay.

Beoz

So had an interesting one today. I quizzed the boss of my daughters day care on the vaccination status of her staff. She said all have been vaxxed, or partially vaxxed, 2 are booked in and 1 is an anti vaxxer and refusing.

I was a bit pissed off 2 had suddenly become vaccine experts and are waiting for Pfizer but what really pissed me off was the anti vaxxer who works in close proximity of kids under 4 and other carers.

The boss of the day care is pissed off too and has had numerous discussions with her, only to end in her using the "discrimination" card. Being in Sydney, if a case gets in, the business gets shut, they lose their jobs, incomes, etc.

Of course vaccines are not perfect and the kids could bring it in but it's about minimising risk.

So I had a bit of a look at which occupations are required by law to be vaxxed or soon to be vaxxed. In NSW it's aged care, and airport and quarrentine workers and in Sydney it's construction workers who are required on-site. However only needs one jab and a recent test.

The boss said she would fire her but there is no legal grounds at this point. If she was fired she may not get a job elsewhere as one would assume a responsible day care would ask the vaccination status in a job interview.

You would not want to be an anti vaxxer moving forward looking for work in a role where you come into proximity of human beings. I reckon most workplaces will be asking for the vaccination status when hiring in due course. Shall be a very interesting road ahead.