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Sydney tightens lockdown as Delta outbreak intensifies

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Australia needs to concentrate on vaccinating the elderly and vulnerable. And then as many more as possible.

The UK has done that. Now, from Wembley and Wimbledon to the fun fair that set up near where I live, crowds are returning (maskless).

Personally I think folk should continue to wear masks, but most haven't throughout the pandemic, except in controlled areas.

Courtesy of the Delta variant, the virus numbers are increasing exponentially. So far, the hospital admissions have not. There is a lag in these, of course, and in the mortality rates. But we are having jabs for a reason. They do work on all variants, preventing severe illness. There is no point in having them if, when we have rolled them out to the vulnerable, we don't change our response to the virus.

It's an experiment. If it works, covid can be treated as flu. Best avoided, but no longer deadly to those vaccinated. That offers a roadmap out of this for everywhere else.

Incidentally, these threads are usually full of Aussies telling us that they are happy to be locked down for weeks/months/years. Is that really the general view over there in Australia?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

@Bradley: I don't think anyone wants to see what happened in many other countries happen to Australia.

However, I think Australia went into their 'hard' lockdown way back in early 2020 thinking that it would be over by years end and never really saw the urgent need to get on the vaccination wagon with that thought in mind.

Now, even you must be able to see this was a failed approach as Sydney (at least for now) is back in a 'hard' lockdown 18 months later. So, do lockdown works? Sure. Are they sustainable - no. The vaccination policy of Australia makes Japan look good (which its not).

The People will not stomach it much longer, even more so being locked up in their own country.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The failure to vaccinate is having predictable consequences.

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

After Delta will likely be Lamda or Epsilon, and then.... Until the Alpha and the Omega...

-4 ( +4 / -8 )

After almost two years of lockdowns, insisting that enforcing another is the best solution is ludicrous. I understand that Australians have access mainly to Astra Zeneca's vaccine which has spooked some people with side effects such as blood clots. This has made Australians wary of vaccinations. However they are clearly the most effective way to return to a semblance of normal life without resorting to more lockdowns which with the Delta variant, amounts to a band aid on a gaping wound.

If Japan had coordinated vaccinations faster, locals would've been able to attend the Olympics. Even possible that a certain number of visitors would've been allowed.

-7 ( +3 / -10 )

You seem to have a short memory.

Much of Europes "Covid response" was to have far, far tougher and lengthier lockdowns than Australian regions have had. And sadly they were generally too late, ending up with a death greater than 50 times that of Australia.

It just shows that lockdowns like this one in Australia, whatever the timing, are useless. They just put a brake to the spread but it does not stop it.

All is related to the density population, behavior of people, personal prevention measures and the health of people. If you know well Europe, you must know that behind the doors, people did not stop to have parties and gather, lockdown or not.

As for the deaths, in a country like France, many occurred in nursing homes, where elderlies were already sick and weakened. In a country with less nursing homes like Japan, deaths are less. This is also an important factor.

Australia should learn to live without lockdown.

-7 ( +5 / -12 )

...and to think I got downvoted on June 30 for posting this:

June 30  03:11 pm JSTPosted in: Sydney's COVID-19 cases rise; four Australian cities in lockdown  See in context

Australia is heading for a disaster. 5% of the population vaccinated and no sign of it picking up pace.

Closing borders 15 months ago was a great idea. Keeping it closed past 9 months will prove to be a disaster. Now the Delta variant has made it in and you have a population which as a % has basically no immunity it has the chance to run rife. Now faced with lockdowns that are probably too late - there is a sad chance that the country could be facing its own nightmare.

To add to that, the population of Australia will start to look on as the rest of the developed world opens up, goes maskless and is allowed to travel again in a limited way and will start to get restless. Lets remember that Australians are banned from travelling abroad without an exceptionally good reason - period. This could well spell the end of the Morrison Government. Athletes from the Olympics will of course bring back some asymptomatic cases which will escape quarantine further angering the masses.

If the policy of eradication and zero deaths (impossible sadly) - is continued then this country will be cut off for 2-3 years. Vaccinate now and open up.

and - @anon99999, who cares how many tests they carry out a day? It is becoming irrelevant.

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

-10 ( +3 / -13 )

Same like Korea comments.

All this stuff about so far successful and counting number of infections is nonsensical. Variants will continue to mutate, infections will continue to cross borders as total lockdown of a country is impossible, vaccines will not be 100% effective and so we will have to learn to live with this new endemic virus. His comments are ridiculous.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

Berejiklian tried to shock New South Wales residents into compliance, warning they were facing the greatest threat to their safety "since the pandemic started", following a lack of adherence to stay-at-home rules.

For some reason, this whole spiel reminds me of "Close Encounters".

The scene when the few that had seen the UFO's (and were compelled to travel to Devil's Tower in Wyoming, even though the govt. has declared the place "deadly" due to a supposed toxic chemical leak in the area.)

Residents there had to wear a gas mask, and were being forced to evacuate,

into buses, trains- most complied.

The main 2 protagonists, while on a helicopter with the rest of the UFO seekers

to be shipped out, took off their masks, and discovered the air was fine; it was all a ruse.

They slipped out the helicopter, and managed to make it to the top of the Devil's Tower,

and beyond, where a runway pre-built by the govt.,

was there to greet the UFO's !

-3 ( +5 / -8 )

Just join the Olympic team as a volunteer and freely come to Japan to go where ever you please siteseeing. Problem solved. Capish?

0 ( +6 / -6 )

What a Nonsens!

But I remember that one poster here said before that the Australien citizens like it that way, so...if the Australians are OK with that...

why are they sending athletes to the Olympics then where the numbers are so much,much worse?

Good question!

Put the citizens under restrictions, dont leave your house and such things, but the Olympic athlets, no problem, go ahead and travel to the Olympics.

Typical sign of a complete political nonsens.

-7 ( +6 / -13 )

What a difference of attitude between countries when it comes to the Covid response

You seem to have a short memory.

Much of Europes "Covid response" was to have far, far tougher and lengthier lockdowns than Australian regions have had. And sadly they were generally too late, ending up with a death greater than 50 times that of Australia.

Soccer fans at Wembley and in Europe must laugh.

No one laughs at other nations or people over the pandemic except for psychopaths.

13 ( +20 / -7 )

"Do not leave your home unless you absolutely have to," state Ppremier Gladys Berejiklian told Sydney's five million residents, as the city recorded 44 new cases in 24 hours.

Just the sentence itself goes completely against any scientific rational. It's like by just putting your body outside will somehow with some black magic trigger a viral cataclysm. What a stupid country really.

-3 ( +13 / -16 )

Soccer fans at Wembley and in Europe must laugh.

What a difference of attitude between countries when it comes to the Covid response

8 ( +17 / -9 )

Berejiklian tried to shock New South Wales residents into compliance, warning they were facing the greatest threat to their safety "since the pandemic started", following a lack of adherence to stay-at-home rules.

This is a big part of the problem: governments trying to manipulate people through fear. People are growing tired of it, especially since the delta is less dangerous even if more infectious. So they have to resort to the police state approach to enforce compliance. That doesn't end well.

-1 ( +17 / -18 )

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