would like or wouldnât like?
I just didnât think this was a new thing though. They implemented this in November and then stopped it in December. SA still require a permit. This is a good thing.
I am all for what each state is doing. And keeping their state safe is the priority. But it does seem to be a Labour v Liberal battle here. With labour run states really hammering in that they are going for the elimination strategy. And, well lets be honest, Gladyâs and NSW going the suppression strategy. Morrison backed the QLD strategy here and needs to come out and say the goals have changed. Because it is clear majority of the states are going for the elimination strategy.
Andrews said during his press conference we are still doing suppression here in VIC
It is not though. They wouldnât impose the border restrictions if it was suppression in the true sense of the word. What NSW is doing is suppression where they keep borders open unless there is a greater amount of community transmission. Victoria can still eliminate the virus without the sudden lockdowns, as other states have done.
I am ok with the elimination strategy as long as it is consistent and there is transparency. But we have no idea what the strategy is anymore.
Mark McGowan and now Michael Gunner (NT Health Minister) have both said we should be going for elimination and doing what QLD have done. So clearly there is a divide. And it needs to be communicated. Scott Morrison has just done a terrible job at getting the states to be united.
To be fair, this is mainly Gladys being Gladys.
NSW seems to have stuck to the suppression strategy while every other premier and chief minister have gone hard on elimination. Iâm shocked that theyâre still getting three or four new local transmissions a day in Greater Sydney. Thatâs only one missed positive case away from a superspreader locking down another entire region of the Sydney basin.
Suppression is a foolâs errand. You either pursue elimination or give up.
Look as I said before I donât care what the strategy is but it has to be consistent and transparent. And this isnât the job of the state leaders. Its a job for Scott Morrison. People are just completely confused.
The only difference in strategy is what the premiers are labeling it as. Gladys had the Northern beaches in lockdown for weeks, even with minimal cases and she kept the Vic border closed after a month of the virus being controlled in the state. ICU was never at risk of reaching capacity, she has just as much an elimination strategy as everyone else.
Victoria was originally on the same path as NSWs, but from what happened last year, theyâve clearly changed direction.
Even with the improved contact tracing teams and systems in Victoria, the majority of Victorians support this âgo hard go earlyâ approach, as most donât want to go through another lockdown. No one wants to take the gamble here.
NSWs seem to have this situation under control and itâs working for them. The down sides though, itâs taking them a lot longer to get these clusters (or moping up) under control and the balance of the country are keeping their borders shut to Sydney.
This is the statement just released from the department: "Late on Sunday 10 January, the department was made aware by our health colleagues in Israel that a male child who travelled from Melbourne to Tel Aviv on the evening of 8 January on an Emirates flight, had tested positive on arrival in Tel Aviv.
"The case travelled via Dubai, was tested and diagnosed on arrival in Tel Aviv on the evening of 9 January, Melbourne time. We are working with our colleagues in Israel to confirm the test result.
âThe child last attended an Early Learning Centre in Armadale on 7th January. The centre has been contacted and cleaning and contact tracing is underway. The department is working with the Royal Childrenâs Hospital to conduct testing on children who attended the early learning centre.â
That means even a day trip from Melbourne to Echuca-Moama or Albury-Wodonga is risky.
Come Easter, I wonder how many Victorians will travel interstate for holidays knowing that the border could close at any time?
They really missed a trick by not branding it as a âPassâ like the WA one - âpermitâ and âpermission to enterâ sound far more harsh than what is essentially Victoria implementing the WA system of being able to identify and contact all people who entered from outside the state to have been in a hotspot.
NT would be the place I would be most comfortable travelling to - they have very consistently taken very narrow hotspot definitions and kept them on for shorter timeframes.
Still, youâre at just as much of a risk of the border being closed to you entering, as it is for you returning. Holidaying is just going to be difficult this year - even within a state isnât certain - Iâm sure youâd have a few people in Brisbane having a holiday weekend from regional Queensland that had their plans ruined.
Yeah, it sucks, and sure thereâs always going to be arguments over when restrictions are appropriate - but no place in the country can give anyone full certainty that restrictions on movement wonât be put in place. Itâs less likely in some states than others - but itâs not 0. All states and territories have had hard borders at points so far.
Whenever Victoria implements a new system or suggests something, thereâs always an outrage. However, when another state implements something similar, nothing is said. Thatâs directed to the media, opposition politics and general public.
By having a permit system in place will also help contact tracers identify who in the state or has recently arrived etc incase thereâs an outbreak in Victoria or in another part of the country. I donât want anyone coming into Victoria who has visited a âRed Zoneâ who may or may not have the virus and going about their business. I donât think anyone would like to see another lockdown happen, I certainly donât. I donât understand how people canât comprehend that.
Is there outrage about the permit system? I think itâs a covert good approach and something I thought they did well when SA went through their outbreak.
and the permit is now live
with the vic govt saying that the vic cho didnt sign the legal work for permit system on time , but the VIC CHO clariffied that the directions were signed on time