:australia: LATEST: The US president-elect is interested in Australia's COVID-19 response | NSW is the 'gold standard' for COVID-19 management accordi

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Emeraldlady said:
When environmental coverups occur, we hold the perpetrators of that routinely to account.
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Yes but more often than not with minimal consequences to the perpetrator & even more obscure when governments are involved.
 
EssentialBeing said:
To some extent that is the level of transparency we are trying to achieve however the role of elected representatives is always questionable when it is they who are in between. There is enough evidence & history to prove that our politicians are always balancing what is appropriate or not & the voice of expert opinion is not always delivered properly. We only need to look at our own mistakes to recognize that not everything our politicians tell us is TRUE.
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What is the real reason you don’t want the world to get to the bottom of problem so we can formulate some global safeguards? Why is that not a worthy thing to persue?
 
ATraveller said:
I wonder why so many around the world are angry with China.
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Yes I agree that the actions of this superpower are proving to be very defensive, negative & restrictive. I am not so sure that they are lecturing anybody & if they are, its probably a reflection of what we are doing to them.

I think we need to ask ourselves how we may have contributed to the problem if at all. I suggest we don’t stop with China but also look within our own borders.

(1) Global market systems
(2) Privatization of production & decentralized economics
(3) Resource management
(4) Government relationships with industry
(5) Self sufficiency
(6) Immigration, emigration

These are only a few areas where the right decisions years ago may have made a big difference to how the world looks today. There is no doubt that open transparent inquiry will teach us the direct cause however there may also be causes that are attributed to our own actions in the past.
 
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EssentialBeing said:
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Emeraldlady:
Why is that not a worthy thing to persue?
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It is a worthy cause but not the be all end all
EssentialBeing said:
I think we need to ask ourselves how we may have contributed to the problem if at all. I suggest we don’t stop with China but also look within.
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But that’s already being investigated and reported on. There is no evidence that the CSIRO here was a problem. The overwhelming evidence is that the problem originates in Wuhan.
 
It is likely that an inquiry into the direct cause of this pandemic will lead us in the following directions.

(1) Sanction China to a point where it stifles their growth, in effect sending them broke
(2) Total expulsion from the western global market.

And number 3 would be the worst case scenario & very few people are even willing to discuss the W word, that is “what are the consequences for the rest of us”
 
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The direct cause points to China however their are many other contributing factors that may have prevented this all together.

The CSIRO are not the only body that could have contributed. How about the selling of resources to China. What about the ownership of farms & other businesses to China. What about our global marketing system that allowed China to trade the way it does in the first place.

I am only suggesting that China may prove to be the direct cause but it is certainly not the only cause.
 
There is a strong economic incentive to get the trans-Tasman borders open as soon as is safe, and the arrangement would also earn significant brownie points for both prime ministers. […] However, both prime ministers have refused to commit to a timetable, and Scott Morrison has ruled out anything as soon as “next week”, saying significant domestic travel would need to be under way – such as between Melbourne to Cairns – before New Zealand was welcomed into the fold. It appears that New Zealand is more eager for the arrangement than Australia, as tourism is the country’s biggest export earner.
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Epidemiologists are widely supportive of the plan but say it will make contact tracing more difficult, and risk one or both countries re-entering stringent lockdown if cases emerge – or they can’t trust the other. Prof Michael Baker of Otago University is a fan – with caveats – and says the bubble could even be extended to Covid-19 success stories such as Taiwan or South Korea if and when they are declared virus-free. The inclusion of the Pacific Islands is also being considered.
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:new_zealand: New Zealand
Shops, barbers, bars and cafes can open under alert level 2, while domestic travel will open up and national rugby and netball seasons can start again.

But Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says physical distancing measures will still need to be maintained, large parties will be banned, sports events will be crowdless, and higher risk elements might be phased in depending on public health advice.

That means that gatherings up to 100 people - indoors or outdoors - and travel around the country will be allowed, but maybe not as soon as level 2 starts.
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:australia: Back to Australia. Sounds like bad news but looking at the details…

SA Health believes the man in his 70s acquired COVID–19 overseas, but developed “very mild” symptoms, including a loss of taste and smell sensations, after his return on March 20.

He sought a test on May 5 and it was subsequently confirmed he had the virus, and a small number of close contacts have gone into isolation.
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Some countries were in a better position to weather a recession due to the pandemic.
General government debt-to-GDP ratio measures the gross debt of the general government as a percentage of GDP. It is a key indicator for the sustainability of government finance. […] Changes in government debt over time primarily reflect the impact of past government deficits. (OECD)
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CountryDebt-to-GDP RatioPublic Debt per capita (2017)
:new_zealand: New Zealand32% (2017)$13,180
:taiwan: Taiwan36% (2017)$18,027
🇰🇷 South Korea40% (2017)$15,633
:norway: Norway47% (2019)$25,900
:denmark: Denmark48% (2018)$17,487
:sweden: Sweden59% (2018)$21,048
:australia: Australia 66% (2018)$21,695
🇩🇪 Germany70% (2018)$33,349
:austria: Austria90% (2018)$39,419
:canada: Canada108% (2019)$44,348
🇪🇸 Spain115% (2018)$35,466
:uk: UK117% (2018)$39,311
🇺🇸 US135% (2019)$46,645
🇮🇹 Italy147% (2018)$49,060
(General government - General government debt - OECD Data)
(Economy of New Zealand - Wikipedia)
(List of countries by public debt - Wikipedia)
(Economy of Taiwan - Wikipedia)
(Economy of South Korea - Wikipedia)
 
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Today’s press conference by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Chief Health Officer Brendan Murphy outlined the biggest mass relaxing of restrictions since the outbreak began.

The plans are broken down into a three-step “roadmap” intended to be rolled out between now and July, with premiers and chief ministers expected to begin adopting step one of the plans in the days ahead.
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South Australia: Monday, May 11

Queensland: Saturday, May 15

Victoria: To be confirmed by Premier Daniel Andrews on Monday, May 11

Tasmania: Some phases of step one on Monday, May 11, the rest on Monday, May 18
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The ‘exclusive club’ is a group of countries that responded quickly to the coronavirus pandemic and that are now in a position where they can get their economies back to some type of normality.

So far, it has only eight members: Australia, Austria, Denmark, Norway, Greece, the Czech Republic, Israel and Singapore.
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The aim is to increase scientific and economic co-operation between them.
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As advice was freely exchanged, leaders were particularly impressed by the quick uptake of Australia’s CovidSAFE app, albeit Mr Morrison’s repeated praise for Singapore after admitting his government had borrowed the idea from them.
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Topics included the reopening of schools, how to manage localised outbreaks, the importance of rigorous tracing and testing, and scientific cooperation.

Austria was one of the standout countries in dealing with the virus, with the European nation one of the first to go into lockdown and then reverse the restrictions.
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Here’s the full one-hour press conference.


Transcript:
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/press-conference-australian-parliament-house-08may20

Excerpts:
Always being thankful is a common lesson our mothers advise us, and I have always found that particularly good advice from my mum, especially if you’re going through difficult times. It turns your focus on others, who are not so advantaged as yourself. We’ve been doing a lot of that lately, I’m sure. So many Australians are hurting right now. Lives turned upside down, painful separation from their loved ones. Livelihoods that they have spent a lifetime building stripped away. Uncertainty about their futures and their family’s future. The last few months have given us a reminder of the things that are really important. Our health, our wellbeing, a strong health system and all those who keep it strong. A growing economy. Our jobs and our incomes that rely on it. We cannot take this for granted. Every job matters, whatever job you do. Every job is essential.

Our children’s education. Caring for our elderly, respecting their dignity. The selfless and humble service of so many Australians who just get on with it every day make this great country work. We have seen these heroes in action. Above all though, the importance of each other. That every Australian matters. Every life, every job, every future. And we have learnt some important lessons that we can meet the tests, as we have, and the challenges that we have so far confronted. That when we have to, we can and we do pull together. That we can focus on something bigger than just ourselves. Be encouraged, Australia, that we are successfully making our way through this difficult battle on two fronts. And we’re certainly doing it better than many and most around the world today.
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There will be risks, there will be challenges, there will be outbreaks, there will be more cases, there will be setbacks. Not everything will go to plan. There will be inconsistencies. States will and must move at their own pace, and will cut and paste out of this plan to suit their local circumstances. There will undoubtedly be some human error. No-one is perfect. Everyone is doing their best. To think or expect otherwise, I think, would be very unrealistic. This is a complex and very uncertain environment. But we cannot allow our fear of going backwards from stopping us from going forwards.
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It is both exciting and nerve wracking knowing that we are coming up from under the dooner. 🙏

My lot will be some of the last to get back to the office because they can just as easily do their IT jobs from home so are planned for the last wave of return.
 
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Northern Territory eased much more than the rest of Australia but is a remote place more than a week ago. So far it’s been doing well. If easing restrictions were to create a surge, it should be occurring about now (symptoms appearing 14 days after contracting the virus, with half of infected people showing them 5 days after getting it).
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Queensland is more populated and urban and relaxed the restrictions a lot less than the Northern Territory 2 weeks ago. Doing well too. If easing restrictions were to create a surge, it should be occurring about now (symptoms appearing 14 days after contracting the virus, with half of infected people showing them 5 days after getting it).
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It suggests that if Australia adopted a similar definition to North America for temporary lay-offs or worked zero hours, the Australian unemployment rate would be at 11.7 per cent rather than 6.2 per cent.
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Even with a North American definition, it wasn’t as bad as us.
CountryOfficial Unemployment RateExpectedLabour Participation
:australia: Australia6.2% (+1.0 pt)8%63.5% (-2.5 pt)
:canada: Canada13.0% (+5.2)-59.8 (-3.7)
🇺🇸 US14.7% (+10.3)-60.2% (-2.5)

https://business.financialpost.com/...d-war-2-records-as-coronavirus-lockdowns-bite
 
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pnewton said:
I note that that @dvdjs did not mention the president, nor was there glee.
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I also noted @dvdjs left out the part about NYC being a big problem of this spreading. This is key since alot of the outbreaks originated from NY.
 
I almost thought the earlier slight easing of restrictions led to a surge in cases in Australia:
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But it seems to be a problem with a meat facility that’s difficult to contain.
Victoria’s Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said Victoria had confirmed a further 11 cases of coronavirus overnight, including two cases linked to Cedar Meats Australia in Brooklyn.

Also among the state’s new cases is one case linked to the McDonald’s outlet at Fawkner in Melbourne’s north and four cases suspected to be the result of community transmission.
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Victoria
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(COVID-19 pandemic in Australia - Wikipedia)

A reminder: Some Australian states closed their borders to residents of other states. Those entering their states were quarantined at hotels.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has revealed a glimmer of hope that domestic tourism will be “back on its feet” in the near future, following National Cabinet today.

“As the borders fall internally, Australians can hopefully return to domestic travel and travel around the country more widely, particularly with school holidays coming up in July,” Mr Morrison said.
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Australia isn’t the only country that curbed the virus. Japan did it too. Even though Japanese government was VERY SLOW to react, and they were VERY RELUCTANT to shut down their borders, fearing that it may anger China and also impact the Olympics. The Japanese people, on the other hand, SAVED the country. Here’s why:
  1. Japanese people practiced EXTREME self-discipline.
    Unlike many other countries, Japanese law does NOT allow the government to put the cities on lockdown and they can only urge the people to practice social-distancing. The Japanese people, known for their rule-following culture and mutual consideration, strictly adhered to the government’s instructions.
  2. Japanese people have good hygiene practices.
    Even before the coronavirus, Japanese people tend to wear masks when they go outside during flu season, especially when entering confined spaces.
  3. Japanese cultural norms on talking also helped.
    Half of Japan’s population live around Tokyo and Osaka, the two largest cities in the country. Although most people in these two areas commute by train, talking on the train is FROWNED UPON as it’s seen as annoying.
  4. Pre-arranged testing to avoid healthcare collapse.
    After the pandemic happened, the Japanese government repeatedly instructed the people that if they feel sick, DO NOT go straight to the hospital. Instead, they should call the hotline after they experienced potential symptoms for a certain number of days. The operator will assess the patient’s situation and arrange for transportation & testing, avoiding a collapse of the healthcare system when everybody just floods into the hospital out of fear, and more people get infected, while the healthcare system is overrun.
 
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