News from our friends down under

[jalentour]

It's been tough getting reliable information from our friends in Australia.  I have heard of very restrictive lock downs and a little about protests.  I have also read that the government is censoring information in country.  Can anyone report how you are doing and how bad conditions are?

[Ben Framed]

Jalentour I have heard similar reports.

[Skeggley]

Hi guys, I hope you are all well.
Here in the West we are not in lock down and have no corona cases due to our governments strict measures regarding entering the state. Yes there have been protests but they are a minority mainly consisting of QAnon conspiracists.
Over East NSW, Victoria and our capital Canberra, yes, that?s our capital alright, have areas of lock down due to the Delta strain outbreaks caused by, as usual, the minority not playing the game and slow government action. I am hearing of protests over there and see on the news Q placards and the like at these anti lockdown protests. The locals I speak to have had enough of the lockdowns and are blaming the anti vaxers more than the government and I feel for them. I?ll not be drawn into the conspiracy theory?s as I bundle them into the Flat Earth mob and you can?t argue with idiots as I don?t have the experience.😉
NT, Tasmania, QLD and South Oz are all pretty much clear and free to live life normally except, of course, to travel.
It?s being stressed to us, by the government, that vaccinations are the way forward and the rollout is finally in full swing. A quick google says 26% fully vaccinated.
I?m not sure why you?re finding it difficult to get info from here nor do I know anything about censorship but that may be just because they haven?t told us.😆
I think that pretty much covers it and I?m sure others over East will add to and correct me, as I say here in the West it?s business as usual with the economy booming propping up the rest of the country, once again as usual.😉
My local area here in the South West has had a lot of rain this winter and the trees are looking good so I?m expecting a bee busy spring.😁
And if it sounds like I?m talking up my state Western Australia, google it and you?ll see I?m not just talking the talk.😊

[Ben Framed]

Skeggley glad to hear you folks in the West are faring well..  Wishing a "bee busy Spring"..

[Ben Framed]

jalentour Could it be your concerns  are right and folks from East Australia are particular about what they might post openly? Even here at 🐝 Beemaster?

Wishing you folks from DownUnder the best!

Phillip

[jalentour]

I am reading on Twitter and other sites that a 24 hour trucker strike has begun.  Truckers are protesting the lockdown, mandatory vaccines and masks by blocking highways and major intersections.  They park their rigs and walk away. 

[Skeggley]

NSW and VIC are in lock down because of the minority that think the virus is a hoax and continue to flaunt the laws.
The truck drivers were from one company, Toll, and it was because of the lockdown toll on their livelihoods. Yes mandatory vaccines was also an issue. We had a truck driver enter our state and his company tested him and was found to have had the virus. Fortunately we did not go into lock down because the truck driver and his employer followed the rules and did the right thing and kudo?s to them.
Australia has taken the same tact as NZ and aimed for a zero policy which was successful and we were all living relatively normal lives until delta was brought into the country and hotel quarantine failed but the reality was that it could never have been a long term solution anyway.
Due to this normality we were all laid back when it came to the vaccine so the vaccination rates were low but as mentioned in my previous post, ramping up.
To think or even suggest that my countrymen and women over East are hesitant about speaking openly is preposterous, even on this forum, us Aussies aren?t like that and besides there?s no reason to be?. This is how fool conspiracy theory?s start with seeds planted, and the only reason I?m biting is to nip it in the bud.
Perhaps there?s another reason we haven?t been frequenting this forum as much lately.

[Ben Framed]

Do you know what the death percentage rate of the poor folks that have contacted the virus in your country?

[Ben Framed]

>Over East NSW, Victoria and our capital Canberra, yes, that?s our capital alright, have areas of lock down due to the Delta strain outbreaks caused by, as usual, the minority not playing the game and slow government action. I am hearing of protests over there and see on the news Q placards and the like at these anti lockdown protests. The locals I speak to have had enough of the lockdowns and are blaming the anti vaxers more than the government and I feel for them. I?ll not be drawn into the conspiracy theory?s as I bundle them into the Flat Earth mob and you can?t argue with idiots as I don?t have the experience.😉

>The truck drivers were from one company, Toll, and it was because of the lockdown toll on their livelihood.

>This is how fool conspiracy theory?s start with seeds planted, and the only reason I?m biting is to nip it in the bud.
Perhaps there?s another reason we haven?t been frequenting this forum as much lately.

Seems you are a might touchy Skeg....


Edit:
"Perhaps there?s another reason we haven?t been frequenting this forum as much lately."

I do not know who the "we" are you speak of. Since this post I am happy to see, out of the last 4 post, 3 of those post have been by some good folks and members, your fellow countrymen.. And as always, they are appreciated and welcome here. And even as I type this at this hour. 75 percent of the members which are logged in are from your Country..

[Acebird]

The truck drivers were from one company, Toll, and it was because of the lockdown toll on their livelihoods.

There is no lockdowns in this country yet and long haul truck drivers are being replaced by computers.  So they have a different beef.

[Geoff]

 
       G'day y'all,  OK here in the state of Victoria at this time we are in a pretty strict lockdown which does not allow visitors in your home, travel restricted to 5 kilometres and only for necessary goods, medications and the like. Right now we have a son in hospital following major surgery and an old school mate of mine in the same predicament and neither are allowed visitors. The wives take in fresh clothes and things to be left at the front desk for them and pick up things to take home.
      Today there were 246 new Covid cases in the state and the media and politicians are spruiking the state has this number when almost everyone of them are probably occurring within 100 K's of Central Melbourne while in the other 180,000 squ. kilometres there has not been a certified case for months. A lot of the transmission is by people not meeting the  rules of  the lockdown  and many of these could be caused by language problems. What is not helping is a war between federal and state governments over the allotment of the Covid vaccines while at the same time they are screaming out get vaccinated when there is not enough vaccine for everybody who like to get the vac "yesterday" .
       In most cases if one registered to get vaccinated today it maybe a couple of months on the waiting list to get the jab.       

[Ben Framed]

Geoff
Right now we have a son in hospital following major surgery and an old school mate of mine in the same predicament and neither are allowed visitors. The wives take in fresh clothes and things to be left at the front desk for them and pick up things to take home.

Geoff I hope your son makes a full and speedy recovery. Same for your old classmate. We were not locked down but we have had similar restrictions in the local hospitals in my area. One of our friends took a bad fall, (broken hip). We could not visit or drop of a much wanted milkshake.  Poor fellow really wanted that milkshake...

[Kathyp]

A couple of interesting things here and I don't know if they are the same in other places:  I live in a mask mandate state, been through the lockdown, distancing, etc.  We are doing the whole masking indoors and in public spaces again. Our cases for this August are about the same number as August last year.  That's after we had 70+% vaccination compliance. 
https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/oregon.health.authority.covid.19/viz/OregonHealthAuthorityCOVID-19DataDashboard/COVID-19EPICases

You have to dig around in that database a bit to get the info.  They didn't really make it consumer friendly.  My point is that this virus seems to follow a seasonal path.  Additionally, all the masking and distancing seems to make no difference in the overall infection rate.  This seems especially true with the more contagious varients.  The vaccine may be making a dent in the death rate when infected, but we don't really have all the data on that one. 
Here is the disease severity data.
https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/oregon.health.authority.covid.19/viz/OregonCOVID-19CaseDemographicsandDiseaseSeverityStatewide/DiseaseDeathData

Last estimate is the about 20% of cases in my state were among Vaccinated people, but that was before the August surge.

There is a caveat to the Oregon reports and that is that they do a lot of presumptive reporting.  As far as I am concerned, that makes the entire thing useless for numbers, but probably OK for trends.

Anyway, I'll go back to the point I keep making and that is that we have to live with this thing and figuring that out sooner rather than later will be better for all of us.  It's here.  It's staying.  At some point, most of us are going to be exposed. 

[Acebird]

At some point, most of us are going to be exposed.

No doubt about it but who will die and who will have medical problems for the rest of their life due to the side effects of covid?  We are starting to get a little push back from insurance companies but in the long run who is going to pay for bad decisions?

[Acebird]

My point is that this virus seems to follow a seasonal path.

Yes it followers behavior when people let their guard down during the holidays or events.  Nothing earth shattering about the results.

[Kathyp]

Thought of a question for our friends in Australia.  Came up in a conversation about Japan. 

Is there pushback from the population about your government not buying the vaccine earlier?  Any thoughts on why they didn't.  Australia is not the only country that made that decision.  Just wondering if they have explained why?

[jalentour]

Well Skeggley and Geoff,
Looks like things are changing.
Do you guys see this on your local news?
https://citizenfreepress.com/breaking/working-class-rebellion-in-melbourne-20000-freedom-lovers-march-on-parliament/

[Geoff]

    We,ve just had a 6.0 earthquake to remind us that Mother Nature is still with us  !  1`  Also Kathy we've copped the Portland Virus, thugs are taking on the police in Melbourne's CBD.  Very ugly.

[Ben Framed]

It seems there are troubles all over the world in one shape form or fashion. Geoff I hope things are better for your Son and your classmate.

[jalentour]

I think you will be ok.
https://apnews.com/article/new-zealand-earthquake-tsunami-warning-215ef80cf3eb9b2638d12bc81ed3e254

So without BF commentary, what is going on ?

BF  can you just shut up and listen?  Every comment you need to respond?   JSUAGA
I'm out
J
God bless you all.