Something is going to break for sure and soon......
The angst its causing amongst Syd/Melb people let alone now spreading to SA and regionals I'm afraid our leaders just can't lead, just reactive........
Bubble is going to pop.
I'm sure people have seen once again Sydney had 110 infections.
Actually not too bad in the big picture when over 83000 tests were done, thats huge.
The issue is 43 were community again from the known hotspots.

Will these people ever listen !

Imagine if all the money we burnt on lockdowns was actually put to something more constructive, something that could actually help people during a pandemic.........

Turkey fights COVID-19 with 17 new hospitals

      

Construction of another 54 hospitals is expected to be completed this year

                 Ahmet Sertan Usul   |        05.01.2021      

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/health/turkey-fights-covid-19-with-17-new-hospitals/2098332

Yeah I think the issue is that all those making the decisions - pollies, public servants, the scientists, their jobs and careers are safe, lockdowns are just an inconvenience. They just dont get that this is destroying so many people's livelihoods at an incredible rate and if you are in sydney or melbourne you dont see this ending. Then you get the extra stress of locking down.
Job keeper helped with some of that at the time but this haphazard new system is inadequate and insulting to those losing their livelihoods. This feels like the 'smirking' class versus the working class
Vast majority of people want to do the right thing and dont want to be seen as putting peoples lives at risk. I think there hasnt been any widespread protests yet because people at current protests are seen as fringe dwelling anti-vaxxers and people dont want to be tarred with that brush by attending. But as more people get vaccinated and as protests grow to incude those who are vaccinated and pro-vaccine and reasonable people then I can see protests getting huge and I dont think the political class sees it coming.
SCOMO doing the mea culpa on vaccine rollout today, obviously did that as focus groups and internal polling telling him he is getting hammered on this. But then the fuckwit deflects and talks about England and Netherlands opening up (2 deaths per day with no restrictions) and then has the hide to mention indonesia
The obvious comparison for us is Canada which announced yesterday that they will abolish hotel quarantine for all international travellers (if they are vaccinated):
75% first dose, 50% both doses
Still getting 10 to 20 deaths per day
Went from 10% of pop vaccinated in early may to 75% first dose in just 10-12 weeks.

We are a disaster compared to canada and they have the same government structures and same geographical issues and same type of healthcare system. Morrison should be hammered on this day and night. I'm no lefty but I cant wait to see him get smashed at the election over this

Scomo scomo scomo  . Wtf was that presser?

Very right in bold above.....
Coincidence but last night driving home form owrk I listenned to talk abck for a rare time.
A caller and a cop mind you due to his daughters comments/feeling on this challenges she's facing was saying calmly :
Why are the pollies lying, they dead set lie to us, they aren't doing their jobs yet they are costing peoples jobs/lively hoods and to boot breaking down families YET, the pollies ans all will keep being paid, have their assets, the job go home at peace pay check is coming in.
What happens to the people currently on Sydney house avg of $750 to $1M with no job.
It is a melting pot right now.
Your future thought of protests has merit, yes for now its always been the fringe dwellers, in time the general average citizen is going to make the move, I hope it does occur tbh.
Its about time the large % abiding citizen who stay quiet finally stands up.

my only concern is albo albo albo doesn't sound any better
Anymore media spikes re Krudd will make me cringe even more.
There is no potential in the horizen at this stage

Wish there was a development level like football - well better than we have today for the future :)

All the political polls showing LNP losing ground federally but those votes arent going to any of the other parties, they are being classified as "undecided". Really opening the door to a trump style populist
Albo said at press conference last week that he wouldnt open up until we had mRNA manufacturing here. Thats at least 2023.

People want a plan to work towards and no one in our political class are bothering to present one let alone implementing it.

I can see the LNP in NSW being soundly defeated at the next election, for a number of the reasons I've already stated. A party that has traditionally catered for small businesses has forced small businesses to shut their doors indefinitely and pushed many to the brink on a number of levels. Coupled with even their usual supporters in the media doing a complete 180 on them over the past month or so, it doesn't bode well for them.

Don't forget Manbearpig.

We should've listened to Al Gore.

You wonder why "scientifically literate and rational" friends are against ending restrictions now when these are the mainstream voices and arguments against lockdowns? 

https://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/episodes/jones/13450962

You are absolutely right it is "fear" governing us.  Fear that politicians and commentators like these two neanderthals will shape public health policy coming out of the pandemic. 

Well done. Literally watched that this morning, logged on, and went to post that here but you've beaten me to it.

Jones is a cancer and so is Murdoch.

As for Craig Kelly the less said the better.

NSW opposition is non-existent. I can't see the incumbents losing no matter what. Gladys seems immune to any sort of scrutiny. (Having nearly all of the media on her side helps.)

And Barilaro is corrupt beyond belief.  And, though not a crime itself, possibly Australia's stupididest man.

yer thats the only saving grace for Glady and Scomo.
Their opposites are no where and worse than them incl the party.
Not that Libs are the beacon far from it.
As they say your only as good as your opposition.
Even IF Glady/Scomo weren't leading election time I expect the party would get back in for tohers are that bad.
Same goes for Dan.

Do people still listen to the parrot ? well I suppose a good % of the grey nomads do.
Haven't given him my time for years.

Thanks for the heads up. Jones and Kelly are just high grade morons, cant believe Bolt is so dumb to support them on this.
I'm inner city melbourne so most of my friends are lefties and I rarely come across what Right wing media is saying. But point taken. Even rational people who disdain the lockdowns wouldnt want to be associated with Jones and Kelly. Definitely putting the kibosh on protests, maybe until a lot more people are vaccinated.

On the other side of the ledger, I listened to Norman Swan on Coronacast today going on and on about England being a disaster and that it was a political decision not a scientific one. Then he was asked point blank by co-host what the exit plan is. He waffled, said all kids had to be vaccinated first etc etc. His co-host capitulated. Just totally delusional.  Gladys today remphasised young people in hospitals - I'm sure she is doing that to get young people to stay at home but its also an own goal. It means people will be too fearful to open up even when 90% of adults are vaccinated (dont forget the UK is at 88% adults vaccinated).

As that media watch segment showed, the amount of deaths from under 50s in the UK is still very low. Nearly all of them have serious pre-existing conditions.
So then people will say "what about long covid?". A big research study in UK last week showed long covid is extremely rare in under 18s and again mainly with kids with serious pre-existing conditions.

But sadly I dont think these facts will stop the goal posts switching - from herd immunity in adults to getting to herd immunity in kids. Why this is a problem?
*Vaccines havent been approved for under 16s for kids in Oz and you know how long it takes and you know they probably arent working on it ATM
*We dont have the supply
*Even in the countries where we they are vaccinating 12 to 16 year olds like US and Israel, the vaccine hesistancy amongst parents is far higher than usual even in parents who are fully vaccinated themselves. I saw the NY Times report a survey this week that only 45% of fully vaccinated parents in the US say they will get their kids vaccinated.

So come the end of the year and 80% of adults in Oz are vaccinated and we've been through a cycle of lockdowns in our major cities over winter, they'll push opening up our borders back until 80% kids are vaccinated and as above, it will take ages, at least until next winter and by then the spread will nearly all be done between kids because its very hard to get kids to follow social distancing. I think lockdowns will be less and less over summer but come next year  Schools will be in and out of lockdowns and maybe our cities will be too.

If you're a parent of difficult school aged children in sydney or melbourne and you hate home schooling I'd suggest you move if you can. For the rest of us - its going to be one hell of a shitty ride. Still trying to find a job overseas just toa void thinking about this mess.

Thing is, people can look at the data presented there in Media Watch and immediately see the errors or omissions in the clips of Jones and Kelly discussing the topic. But likewise, they can also see the footage that goes for the first 90 seconds or so of that clip and straight away identify the obvious fear-mongering going on. The irony is that this is presented to counter the narrative presented by the likes of Jones etc. and remind us to be very afraid, yet they are contrasting actual footage of a middle aged man clearly above the healthy weight range with an actor appearing in a government-funded commercial that has the same worst-case-scenario-ramped-up-to-11 spin we used to see in those anti-drug commercials 15 or 20 years ago.

I'd argue this is where the majority of people are right now and it doesn't make them a boot-licking authoritarian anymore than it makes them a Byron Bay dweller who's been distributing their anti-vaccine leaflets from The Stoop since the trains still ran there.

3 weeks to flatten the curve...
Then just 3 months in lockdown...
Then until we developed a vaccine...
Then until the most at-risk groups were vaccinated...
Then until 70% of the population were vaccinated...
Then 80% of the population were vaccinated...
Then until we can get the children vaccinated...

There's always just one more hoop we apparently all have to jump through until we can go "back to normal"...

More and more locations are essential services locations like supermarkets and servos. I think people are getting the hint but essential workers are transmitting too.

Re kids/more so school kids......
If and when more vaccine is in town the fast root doing that (those that parents approve) is at the schools.
Long ago polio shots were administered at the schools, in the halls.
Obviously todays red tape would have a say in that But having that set up can't be that hard.

Thats the latter, first off those in mature ages and mid need to do their bit, well if only it was that easy.
The anti vaxxers < they never going to/the scared unsure  ones etcetc - really so many sitting on the fence.
The %'s are so low something happening to you by what I see/read, OK some people are suffering from immune issues - well they need to consult with their GP/Specialists making sure yes or no depending their health circumstance, I'm sure there are other health matters as well BUT these groups are in the low %'s of the pop.

The general normal healthy public either stand up or we stay adrift, I know what I prefer, 2nd job due in 2 and bit wks.

I'm not a fan of the ad at all. It's actually sort of patronising given the actress (in her 20s or 30s) in real life probably wouldn't have even been given the opportunity to get vaccinated yet. 

As for the hospital footage I don't see any difference to road-safety campaigns etc. Is that "fear mongering" because 99.99% you arrive safely at your destination even if you were speeding or drinking? 

As they said in Inception, a positive message will trump a negative message every time. Victoria's ads featuring the community focusing on what we can get back to once we're all vaccinated is much more effective, in my view: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-19/covid-19-new-vaccination-ad-vcoss-melbourn-symphony-orchestra/100304674

This will be controversial, Dan just served up a spicy meatball in the presser immediately before the National Cabinet meeting saying Sydney must have a ring of steel around it lest they keep infecting the rest of the country. No doubt his detractors will tell him to mind his own business, but as Dan said, Gladys referred to the matter in Sydney as a national emergency, so it's a problem for us all.

Yep.  Bin chicken saying it's an national emergency has made it much worse for scomo

163 cases in NSW today despite lockdown

Those "pro lockdown" are going to argue NSW didnt go hard enough or were too slow which is rubbish. If you look at the Vic Lockdown in May it was in the community for 14 days and lockdown happened 2 days after identification (16 days). NSW went with 4 days of mandatory masks before choosing a lockdown (local first, then all Sydney) and I think it is lockdown within 16 days from the Limo driver contracting it. So no real difference. Not to mention any lockdown (if successful) should have a downward trend whether it is stage 3, 4 or everything. There should be some visible impact

Lockdown has only worked in Australia where there has been no real community activity like SA today, or WA and QLD several times this year. NSW and Vic have a larger and more complex population. Once the virus is seeded it takes a while for it to be controlled let alone eliminated. It has worked to some end in Victoria as after 18 months this is our life so we have different social patterns / expectations. NSW have been free for 18 months so not sure why the change of game plan

NSW went into the lockdown knowing they had 20 cases a day, all linked, social distancing in public and work places, and QR codes to track most social movement. There is no doubt in my mind it would have unfolded like the NSW outbreaks at the end of last year and June last year and it would have been over after 3 weeks. Instead they led with a lockdown and drove the virus away from defence mechanisms and into homes with nothing more than pleading with people to stay at home to manage it

NSW simply have to ride this one out and nobody knows what that will look like because it is new territory

3,500, 1,500 and 1,000 selfish idiots in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne respectively. Hopefully the book is thrown at as many as possible.

Absolute pieces of dogshit.

All they've done is potentially prolong this mess. Congratulations you heroes.   I hope they can track them down and they are refused medical attention if they get sick with COVID.

Throwing bricks at police horses too. Absolute heroes.

And they wonder why the rest of us despise the anti-lockdown types. Pure evil 

You can be sure that at least 90% of them are anti-vaxxers as well. Can't wait until Scomo finally gets around to getting all of us a chance to get vaccinated. They'll get what they wished for at that point when we don't lock down for future outbreaks, pity they won't get to have the last laugh while the intubator goes in though.

I don't care how angry you are, how noble you think your cause is, if you punch an innocent animal you are scum.

In the context it was presented in (in that media watch clip) it was presented as if to say "Look at stupid Coach Cottager (TM) saying COVID isn't dangerous and serious- here is the reality!" When any idiot can see the patient "proving" their argument isn't exactly a John Everyman. Gladys saying "You could wake up in the morning perfectly fine and end the day in ICU" (or words to that effect) is another example of this alarmism.

FTR, I also saw a clip the other day where Coach Cottager advised people to get vaccinated and stated that he has also had the initial jab.