Feeling grumpy

Have closely followed developments in Oz and NZ as we have friends there, and it is clearly a long slog for everyone. One step forwards and two back. Slight digression but I have 5 grandkids in Asia. Their governments also appear to have coped well to date, if stats are accurate and representative. But my son tells me Vietnam have now been put into a hard lockdown, initially for two weeks. Thailand been back under restrictions for a while, kids off school etc. Sadly I think we have a long way to go until this mess is sorted. Think we will be abandoning our tentative and somewhat optimistic plan to visit them at the end of the year for our sakes and theirs ?.

nanna8 Understand your frustration. Thank you for posting. Sharing views is helpful. Good luck with the lock down in Victoria.

Lockdown still being oserved in my house. I refuse to be hospitalised again.

Good luck with the lock down in Victoria

Beeb Thanks! We know what you mean, but it's not a matter of luck;
Regional Victoria will be freed from many restrictions as of 11.59pm Thursday when their current lockdown ends, but metropolitan Melbourne will start another 7 days lockdown; re-introducing the "ring-of-steel" to prevent us from wandering off into the countryside.
Groundhog Day, or something similar!
OoRoo

Yesterday we had zero deaths from COVID plus the news that the ‘Indian’ variant isn’t as scary as first thought. I say this to illustrate the continuing scaremongering coming from SAGE, the unelected group of scientists ‘advising’ the government. Undiagnosed cancer rates (and no doubt deaths) are heading upwards; hospitals are not following through on appointments, screening and operations and you still can’t get a face to face appointment with your GP. This is without the problems being caused for the economy! Unless we open up again soon, more deaths will be caused by these things than by COVID. We must also must consider the damage being done to our education system and to our children’s and grandchildren’s future wellbeing and, indeed, to society as a whole. All this makes me a bit grumpy. Just hope that Mr Johnson will see fit to lift restrictions as ‘promised’.

Here in the UK although Australia is on the "green list" where we dont have to quarantine when we get back we have been told that you aren't accepting us - unless like in NZ we have to quarantine in a hotel for 14 days. We would still need to do PCR Tests
So are the people coming in residents? Your government need to vaccinate as fast as they can - that is if you can get it of course

are the people coming in residents?
Shazmo Whilst we don't get to see manifests, it's fairly obvious that most returning passengers are naturalised Indian/Australians who can " still call Australia home!, who went back to India to see family and now several thousand are anxious to come back.
It's a slow process as they use planes returning to OZ after delivering supplies to India. Or that's how it used to be. Probably still applies!.
OoRoo

I'm no great fan of Boris, but I don't think anyone could have done a better job. All those that criticize wouldn't have wanted his job. Everyone here in the UK should be made to read these posts about the situation in Aus!

In spite of the frustration of our fourth lockdown in Victoria I do think overall Australia has managed the situation fairly well. Yes there have been some things not done so well but when one looks at the total number of infections - just over 30,000 and 910 deaths in the country we must have done something right. Granted our population of 25 million is nowhere as high as that of the UK.

What I do find staggering is that the Government has made no decisive plans for dedicated quarantine facilities to be built knowing there is going to be a need for them. Time the political parties running the States and Federal Government worked together for the good of the country instead of the continual political scoring that is going on.

Spice101 are the quarantine hotels working reasonably well? If there are no tourists then perhaps Governments thought that would fulfil two purposes - as quarantine centres and also keeping hotels in business and ensuring they have an income.

Actually the EU stopped vaccines being sent to Australia..... The UK, however, have sent some to Australia, about 5 million, which is not a lot but at least we care and we are trying.

keeping hotels in business and ensuring they have an income.
Callistemon That may have been the original idea, but hotels were built for tourists.
They don't have the air circulation designs to prevent cross contamination between rooms and corridors!
Rest assured! Plans for purpose-built facilities to be built near airports are on the drawing board!
OoRoo

Oh good, I'll book my place!

Callistemon, the big outbreak in Victoria last year was caused by breaches by the quarantine security staff. Among other things people were allowed to wander the corridors and go outside for a smoke. There were , shall we say interactions between quarantined people snd security staff. No official took any responsibility for that although an inquiry which cost millions found there were unacceptable breaches. About 800 people died because of those mistakes. Until then there had been less than 100 deaths Australia wide. Hotels are not designed to meet the necessary standards of quarantine. In Victoria there have been similar issues on 2 occasions. Other States have also had outbreaks from quarantine hotels so IMO, no the hotel quarantine hotel system is not working reasonably well.

People say we have become complacent. Maybe some have but overall I think most have done the right thing.

I do think a lot are reluctant to have the vaccination because it has been very rushed in the manufacture and it is seen by many as still being experimental.

At some stage we are going to have to open our borders. This virus is obviously not going anywhere in a hurry and, again IMO, we will need dedicated quarantine facilities for those arriving from high risk areas or not meeting other criteria.

Australians need to realise nothing will change until all get vaccinated, sounds to me like they have locked up and buried their heads in the sand. Come on Aussies get on to your government!

Galaxy62

Australians need to realise nothing will change until all get vaccinated, sounds to me like they have locked up and buried their heads in the sand. Come on Aussies get on to your government!

Totally agree Galaxy. In fact, the whole world needs to realise that nothing will change until everyone gets vaccinated. It is the only way!

maddyone It must be said there are so many around the world who do want an inoculation but there is no vaccine available.
Moreover, now it has been announced the there is a new variant, the British and Indian alpha/delta have mixed.

I am sorry for anyone going into another lockdown, the figures are going up again in the south-west of France following the two long weekends in May. There is still a curfew and no inside eating.

That being said the primary children are a lot better off than those in England as they only missed last March through to May and have been wearing masks.

I heard on the radio from a mother with young children complaining about isolating in a hotel after their holiday that it wasn't fair on her two young children and allowances should be made, they knew before they booked what the rules were, I've heard some people holidaying in red countries are returning via non red countries so they don't have to pay out to isolate in a hotel, as long as there's selfish people thinking of them and theres and nobody else how can we expect to get a hold on this virus

Don't know why they allowed people to travel then come back here when they are positive and now we know how it spreads in hotels by simply opening doors or just passing another person. I'm in Adelaide and one person took it to Victoria.

janburry, we have similar stories here is Canada. In Feb of this year the gov't finally decided to enforce quarantine for 3 days upon entry by air into Canada. (should have happened a year ago in March!) The cost is quite high, but it is only for 3 days. A negative test before you leave your country of origin, another test after 3 days quarantine at a hotel, then finish your quarantine at home.

People are flying into the US and driving across the border as a means to prevent this, Driving over the border from US to Canada as a CDN citizen only requires quarantine plan for home, and seldom are checks actually done. Also, since this is such a large country, arriving home from abroad often entails several flights. You might fly from Europe to Toronto, then another domestic flight to Winnipeg. That domestic flight is not checked. So for the first year of the pandemic our response to travellers was very lax.

Those who travel must accept responsibility and cost of a good self-isolation/quarantine plan upon return, or not travel out of area at all.

Covid is something we are going to have to live with.You cant stay in lockdowns and hide forever!

Granartisan

I'm no great fan of Boris, but I don't think anyone could have done a better job. All those that criticize wouldn't have wanted his job. Everyone here in the UK should be made to read these posts about the situation in Aus!

Made me spill my tea..... nobody could have done a better job than Boris?? Late lockdown after late lockdown, schools open s for one day closed again. Shaking hands with people. PPe fiasco.

My son in Sydney is 42 and has had his jab.

We will have to live with the virus now we have the vaccine. We cannot keep having lockdowns as it's bad for the economy and that is the most important. Screw the scientists. They don't live in the real world.

It annoys me that people managed to travel overseas and now think they have a right to return. They knew the situation, it was spelled out to them but they chose to take a risk and now the numbers wishing to return are growing because they have decided it is safer here than where they are at present. They should never have left in the first place. Of course there are many reasons for travel but some of them just wanted to go for birthdays, weddings etc. Not good enough.

songstress60

We will have to live with the virus now we have the vaccine. We cannot keep having lockdowns as it's bad for the economy and that is the most important. Screw the scientists. They don't live in the real world.

Just had a visit for the first time in 18 months from family. We suddenly realise what we have been missing. Though I still do not agree with the message above.
We should have gone into lockdown earlier both times and kept it for longer.
As for screwing the Scientists, no scientists no vaccine, no management at all, no workers on ICU.No hope for coming through this.
Living with a family and with lots of friends working in the NHS, I know what they have gone through.
Melbourne is going through the same thing, I have relations there and can sympathise with you, though lots of you did escape to your country properties around Christmas time and were partying just like us. My relation had to watch a parents funeral on Zoom because they lived on the wrong side of the city.
This is something we are all going to have to live with from now on. We need the Scientist and medics and all the teachers and care workers firemen etc. who turned in for work when the rest of us were quaking at home getting our shopping online by some poor soul who was willing to do it. Waiting for a vaccine to be developed.