Yes it was annoying but the media started it. And they ran with it. The pile on about Victoria was sickening and now they want people to feel for nsw?  Many Victorians are damn right angry .

who is asking for any sympathy re NSW ?
Not that I've noticed but I'm no SM user, haven't noticed anything as such on FTA news as well.
I get you guys are angry, don't blame youse one bit but I think you answered the reason, bloody media is main cancer in our society today, I see its on the Feds by some and granted But I also blame the State Prems being another piece by adding fuel to the fire of rivalry.
Don't forget they are covering their arse's as well and deflection is an easy form change of attack.
Media/Feds/Prems/too many Health experts with conflicting opinions as well are all in the mix confusing and angering us citizens.
It stinks.
mcjules agree on your posts BUT at the same time re being vaxxed, even IF we had bucket loads of the vaccine in todays world of ignorant Karens/I'm scared of this scared of that etcetcetc types buckelys chance on having a large % of the pop vaxxed, they are quoting up to 80% is the target, yep thats a target I guess, I think they must actually think it might get to 50% at the most the way people think today.

80% is the target and I am hopeful that we can get there. Our vaccination rates for other things is like 94%+

Canada is already at ~68% with first shot (28% fully vaccinated). We should be around there.

Is that 80% of all adults or all people.

This is why the cycle of lockdowns will extend well into next year. The UK has a very high vaccination rate in adults but hasnt approved it in kids, so now delta is spreading exponentially and mainly spreading via school kids. Over 400,000 school kids were forced into self isolation last week causing a lot of disruption to education systems. Yet the UK government can see that because of vaccinations of older people, deaths are now an incredibly low number - about 1/10th of flu deaths. They agreed overnight to open up on 19 July despite 20k cases per day.
Now imagine in Australia, say Feb next year, and say 70% of adults are vaccinated and we are begging the final 30% to get the jab, and kids still arent vaccinated. Kids will be the vectors and because we shutdown for just 1 case, we will go in and out of lockdowns and school closures over and over. And parents will be more reluctant to vaccinate their kids than themselves. In the meantime, the risk of death will be very low, the whole world would have been open and most of the world opened 6 months.

Zero covid deaths is the most irrational stupid policy ever. Even with 100% vaccination of everyone, we will still get cases and deaths when borders open. Everyone will get this virus during their life times - thats why its endemic. We must pivot to a risk based approach that Singapore is doing. Get to 70% vaccinated, then open up with caution. Otherwise HQ outbreaks will keep happening over and over, we'll have minimal cases causing lockdowns and no deaths but have a miserable population and everyone fleeing the country.

Every political leader must know this but their focus groups are telling them that admitting that covid zero deaths is insane is political death. Morrison is the worst offender but I dont see any ALP premiers or any chief health officers or even any epidemiologists in the media being straight with us. Political leaders and CHOs and epidemiologists have accidentally gaslighted the majority of the population by getting us to expect covid zero and we are mentally stuck. When a new risk is imposed on us, like covid, we get worried about deaths and injuries it causes. But risks that we are born into, that are already with us when we are born - flu, car deaths, we accept them as a risk we can live with (within limits).
More and more people will want to open the borders as vaccination rates improve but their will still be a sizeable part who will insist on zero deaths despite logic. And this will be an absolute social shit fight - state against state, premiers against premiers (mcgowan vs gladys), friends against friends and it will be an absolute policy quagmire. and so easily undermined by scare campaigns from sensationalist media. Unless the overseas examples convince the population the risk of deaths in a highly vaccinated population are worth it, we are totally fucked.

And if you have kids, get ready for a lot of home schooling.

I'm assuming 80% of adult population. I agree that it's going to get messy with under 16 year olds and their vaccination status. Would be interesting to see if we push it out to >6 years old. 

Sadly this is mostly correct. I was irrationally angry when I heard Morrison and Hunt trying to defend the slow vaccine rollout by saying "look at the UK, they've got high vaccination rates and are getting thousands of cases a day". It's so unbelievably misleading and reckless when the key facts are as you say the hospitalisation and death rates have not spiked with case rate amongst vaccinated people.

The 80% target is just a target based on population modelling. We have real world examples playing out right now to observe. Over the next 6-9 months we'll have more than enough information to make good decisions. No one (with authority) in politics is courageous enough to say this though.

Just listening to Greg Hunt today. 'No, no we are not lagging the world in vaccinations we have 29% vaccinated'. That's the FIRST DOSE you fuckhead. You're not vaccinated until you've had both. (Yes you are partly vaccinated, not fully vaccinated.) Scomo is running the same disingenuous line. I like Greg Hunt but Scomo has dropped him in it.

Pfizer available where I am from July 19 for 40s and up.

Palalphabet up in Qld and her health Minister are starting to shit me to tears too. 

I like this page which charts our vaccination progress - rather slow. It estimates that mid April 2022 before we all get a shot.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-02/charting-australias-covid-vaccine-rollout/13197518

just to get back on this....
Burzter that 94% looks to apply towards new borns and kids vax's I'd say....

Flu shots for eg article in May 21 :
According to Flutracking, only 45 per cent of Australians 18-64 have had their flu vaccine – compared with 71.8 per cent at the same time last year. Meanwhile, 66 per cent of Australians 65 and older have had their flu vaccine compared with almost 90 per cent at the same time last year.

With so much conflicting noise/smokes and mirrors re covid19 vax I really doubt we will get anywhere near 80%.
In time they will I expect for the many who wish to travel will have to get vaxxed were led to believe.
Watching euro news last night Italy and many other countires now have gone to vax passports, and or proof of negative testing.
I looked up a site what a UK citizen has to do re entering Italy, be it business pleasure etc....
Interesting https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/italy/entry-requirements

Yes, the 94% is for kids but I'm hoping we'd get close to 80%. 71.8% for flu is encouraging but you're probably right in saying that 80% may be aspirational. 

Our COVID vaccinations are recorded via Medicare etc, so it's quite easy to generate our own Vax passport/check.

Reading up on the Singapore plan for going forward, and I think that's the way. Get vaccinations up to 70%+ and then just open up and move on.

So who was this family that was allowed to fly on a private jet into aid while having COVID? 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSXIetP5iak

Genius.

classic stuff.

not what you know who you know, stinks.

Before NSW went into lockdown all the cases were linked and predictable. People were out more, which meant social distancing was in full effect, they were preoccupied with work / school, and also they were using QR codes for most of their movement. There was also more honesty with contact tracers because people werent really doing anything wrong. NSW were on top of the outbreak and it was a case of riding out something that was never going to be over in 5 minutes

Now they are in lockdown there is no social distancing, no qr codes for movement, people lying because most people who get it are doing the wrong thing, and all movement is behind closed doors between households and friends

All thats left is to do now is continue to beg people to do the right thing

NSW had data that showed they were on top the outbreak, how it was spreading, and that they were able to get to most cases in 24 hours. They also had data that showed they had the least level of compliance early on so managing outbreaks without lockdown had a better outcome. They ignored those things in favour of the template response that "feels right". Lockdown and masks

This is a social disease and reflects social movement. Lockdown is not an isolation order. If there is a way for people to interact, they will. We have seen time and time again that avoiding getting the virus from a stranger is 20 times easier than getting it from a family member or friend. Yet response teams continue to target supermarkets and retail

This wont be as bad as the Victorian outbreak last year which was inflated due to the number of aged care facilities it went through. But I cant see this being any different a week or two from now. Its running the same chain of linked households that Victoria saw last year so it may go on for another 3 or 4 weeks before the kindle starts to burn out

https://notthebee.com/article/rapper-zuby-posts-20-things-he-learned-about-humanity-through-the-coronasanity-and-its-100-on-point?fbclid=IwAR3B13iM0O_eT7MXOSQz_yHapij-iylypO8XPINkaYn-o0Fht7FUpCEp31Q

It's depressing just how enthusiastically people are willing to comply with whatever level of authoritarian measures their government demands, simply because they have been conditioned to believe it is "the right thing to do". You'd think we were in the midst of the Black Plague 2.0 or even the Spanish Flu 2.0, but (as the data shows time and time and time again) not even close. But scare people enough through the approved media channels, and they will collectively get on their knees and do whatever their superiors tell them in the misguided belief it is for "the greater good". 

It reminds me of 18 or 19 years ago when people in western countries like the USA, UK and here supported the government taking away more of our individual freedoms and increasing their power over the populace in the name of "staying safe" and being able to preserve our "normal" life. Except that while back then it was scaring people about being killed in a terrorist attack, now it's scaring people about the (mathematically minuscule) possibility they might die from a virus- and that's even if they get it in the first place.

Meanwhile those in power continually shift the goalposts of when we can go "back to normal" while millions continue to believe them and dismiss anybody suggesting the ulterior motives of those with the power as smooth brained libertarians or conspiracy theorists.

Our society's fine people, nothing to see here. Just do as you're told...

We Sydneyites got another 2wks of lockdown announced not long ago.

edit : and as we know Homebush is bitch of place to park when something decent is on.
So we have the vaccine hub in the surrounds, what do you expect from the local council/sherifs, just keep the revenue coming through.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/coronavirus-nsw-hefty-parking-fines-issued-at-homebush-mass-vaccine-centre/df0e0c2c-5c98-4b0a-a700-cf9e8a167d88

Ah living the life, Govs and the pharmaceutical industry keep ticking over.

I'm fortunate enough to be able to work from home. My place is cosy, modern and has everything a bachelor could want with the exception of a spa and maybe one of those rotating beds in Austin Powers. Last year I met a stack of valuable business connections through business meetings that were redirected to Zoom linkups, whereby in any other year I would've spent thousands in airfares/ accomodation to meet these people. In fact, the financial year just gone was my most successful to date. Even restricted to a 10km radius I have a tonne of options for walks or day trips. The gym remains closed (the very same week I'd got within 20kg of my yearly lifting target FFS) but aside from that, my world is doing alright-

But the world doesn't revolve around me.

They say if you take your political views from comedians, they tend to be a joke. But just yesterday I found this clip where Isaac Butterfield pretty much lays out my concerns about the little mentioned costs of these lockdowns. Citing case numbers first and foremost makes for gripping news headlines and is being used as the justification for Gladys and co to keep the fist down, but little is being said about the other ramifications of insisting people stop everything, close up shop and retreat inside for weeks on end at short notice. If they don't change their approach to this, the negative impact on our economy, mental health and overall well-being of our cities, regions and communities will last far longer than this "crisis":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTObCopyAIw

I'm not going to dispute anything else you wrote but I genuinely want to ask, what do you actually think these motives are?

Can you give me some examples?

I'm honestly happy to listen to them 

Sure. So we don't get bogged down and to save me typing lots-

Essentially, it's not unreasonable for people to suggest that our governments (here and overseas) or mega corporations are using this crisis to make even more profit and gain even more power over civilians under the guise of "doing the right thing". Once you give them more of your freedoms, you can't expect to get them back the moment the crisis passes that they demanded you give your freedoms up for. 

I can't remember who made the analogy, but giving more of our individual freedoms to the government and expecting them to use it to do what's in our best interests first and foremost (as opposed to what is in their best interests, financially or otherwise) is like telling your partner you don't see infidelity as a big deal and then expecting them to remain faithful to you. 

pretty much agree in both your recent posts CH !

As for our lockdown and even since covid commenced last march.
Once we got out of that first lockdown my business/Industry has been kicking goals like LFC did season prior :)

My own biz was actually doing well pre covid but upon COFY '20 we did great and again even better this end of June.
We also used to have alot of travelling/here and OS near on every month, saved a shedload in expense's obviously.
Yes we have adjusted to zoom and every other similar link for meetings and keeping the ball rolling and new clients BUT I still miss the personal face to face contact of business dunners etc - it just cements the relationship that extra.
Plus I miss my travels abroad :)
Yet yes life goes on, even lockdown doesn't bother me that much, we're flat out, Thankful I can go to my office giving me a break from my beloved lol and kicking the ball or walks with my sons for the excercise.

Earlier had a whatsapp chat with a USA business mate near Florida, he's the same dislikes how Gov is running us BUT at least as he says, life is back to normal in his world.

We can't go on as we are, 0 infections is just not going to happen day in day out week after week month on month.
They never talk about what plan B is then get to C - just this is what your going to do, lock up, people suffering, business's in other Industries going broke, mental health, well for some this is going to be very long term, there's another ka ching for the medical institutions on top of the vaccines.
What a whirlpool we're in.

I'm 100% on board with corporations being out to make profit and screw the little guy and self serving politicians acting for the benefit of their career vs the people they were elected to represent.

BUT
Can you explain to me the ulterior motive besides trying to read the room to gain re-election?

"Will more people like me for having zero cases or will more people like me if I say the economy is more important?" That, to me, is the far more likely scenario as opposed to some nefarious well considered plot.  

For me, until you give me examples of ulterior motives (and the means by which they could achieve their motives with these stupid lockdowns) it's easier to believe that "leaders" are just bumbling idiots stumbling from one decision to the other trying to further their own careers.

And this sums things up 100%. If we werent able to close our shorelines early on we'd be fucked along with a lot of other countries

NZ have a closed shop model and they have done well. Only 12-16 weeks of lockdown total because an aggressive approach was their uniform system. They also recognise that if there is a 4 stage lockdown, then logically there are also 3 other stages

Australia have had a closed shop down model and months of lockdown and hardship that open models have had. There is inconsistency, contradictions and no balance. Also lots of political squabbling and blame

They have also been sold on face masks which have little scientific backing due to the complexity of getting meaningful data, and only work when they meet a standard, everybody is wearing them, there is a sizable outbreak and are worn properly (obviously). Yet this is the toy that every state is leading with now. ACT have rules even though they havent had a case in 12 months. Victoria have already stated lockdowns wont be a thing of next year but face masks will

Australia has no pandemic experience and the people leading it are either health officials (here are the 25 or 30 things we want everybody doing) and statisticians (according to our simulation there will be 20% of people infected if we dont hit the big red button). The only state that ever balanced health advice against the need for people to live was NSW but they changed their system to what is obviously an adverse impact

People talk about hospitalisations vs economy. There is more to life than money and death. What about sport, school, work, social, entertainment, recreation, travel, etc... Everything that defines us as a species?

The UK have shown that once they get most of the vulnerable vaccinated and deaths to a minimum then they are just going to live with this, making it a 7-10 year pandemic, or maybe one that never goes away. Australia, with its elimination and mask approach, will simply be left behind

Talking to a USA mate yesterday living in Miami, as far as he's concerned he quoted life is back to normal.
I expect it isn't as it was pre covid but they are "free" compared to us in a country that was one of the worst effected as we know and in a spriralling mess.

The duck & cover method that kept Australia relatively covid free compared to other countries for so long was always walking a tentative fine line.  

It's blanket vaccination or nothing.   That's it.  

I agree with Zuby's thoughts, especially #21. Most people just cannot comprehend the corruption of the rulers, as most of us are hardwired to see the good in most people. Those who work in these systems are not necessarily evil - most would be genuine in their intentions - but these systems are definitely not serving the best interests of the 99%. Australian politicians have shown their true colours in recent times, and sadly, this is on both sides of politics. No idea who I'll vote for next year, but I do know for sure it’s a choice between a douche and a turd sandwich.  

I'll add a couple of my own: #22 - Mandates set by the ruling classes are only for the plebs, with numerous 'leaders' caught breaking their own mask and social distancing rules. Off the top of my head - and I'm sure there's plenty more - Gavin Newsom, Justin Trudeau, Andrew Cuomo, his brother Fredo, Boris Johnson, Matt Hancock, Gretchen Whitmer, Nancy Pelosi, Anthony Fauxci, and all the arse clowns at the recent G-7 summit. One rule for me, one rule for thee.

#23 - Has there ever been a time in history when the good guys engaged in mass censorship and endless propaganda? Debating differing opinions is fundamental to a true democracy. So many intelligent dissenting voices are being silenced, which tells you everything. 

This time reminds me of 2003 when the neocons wanted to invade Iraq - it's always a fear-based narrative - and anyone who opposed the war was branded all types of insults.

Lol. I was reading a quote on the ABC feed by an infectious disease expert who backed Melbourne's lockdown saying this:

The issue here is that if this stretches out at this sort of level of restrictions, stage 3 say, for the next few months you're going to end up with a community that is going to end up incredibly fatigued, and potentially non-compliant

Yesterday Melbourne were still under restrictions from the lockdown that started at the end of May, that were announced on a day where people were so fatigued and non compliant that they were ramping up a 2 week crack down campaign. We were also in lockdown / restrictions February / March, as well as January. This is our 5th lockdown and the middle of March was the first time since August anybody in Victoria was allowed in a super market without wearing a mask

If fatigue and non compliance is too much of a risk then why is that the foundation of Victoria's response?

The current situation is so simplistic I saw a chart of person A gave it to person B on a news youtube video last night. This is a 5 day lockdown with the potential to release regional Victoria early that is really an abundance of caution. The virus hasnt been seeded yet and to the best of our knowledge hasnt progressed beyond the current and predictable areas

The WHO recommends lockdown to help drive uncontrollable numbers downwards and give response teams an opportunity to get resources together. Given the large impact they have they are both reactive and a last resort. Australia is using them preemptively based on "what if" situations and to "eliminate" the virus when there is a whole toolset of other things that can be done which are more proportionate

Australia has reached a stage where lockdowns are so frequent they are overlapping. Something has to be done because this simply isnt good enough. Australia will not be vaccinated until the end of the year. What is the 6 month plan?

Hide and hope

The ulterior motives achieved by these lockdowns is (in lock-step with large sections of the media) to attempt to condition the public to stop everything at a moments' notice, completely disrupt their everyday lives and fall in line with minimum fuss. As long as they can (successfully) scare a considerable portion of the population into doing exactly what they are told when they are told and being convinced that if they just jump through one more hoop then life will go "back to normal", they can continue shifting the goalposts and demanding the average citizen make more sacrifices. 

Imagine if our state governments treated road safety the same way they're treating COVID?

- Every holiday period, speed limits everywhere would be reduced by 20 km/h.
- And then after a handful of fatal traffic accidents in this period, use of vehicles for personal travel would be restricted, with the exception of a handful of reasons (work, compassionate care, medical emergency) and aside from that only for commercial purposes (freight transport, public transport)
- Normal civilian trips would be forced onto public transport 
- People who pointed out this was an overreaction would be called "heartless" and told to "go say that to the family of the person who just lost their lives in a crash" etc etc

The longer this goes on, the less it appears to be about the interests of our national health and more about social conditioning, making people more compliant.