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© Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Thousands protest lockdown in Sydney; several arrested
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57 Comments
Starbucks
What?
AustPaul
I’m going to speak for the people in my state of W.A. We’re just shaking our heads at this nonsense in the east, it’s just arrogant, cases are rising and this could affect the whole country.
Having said that we really need to lift our game on vaccinations.
Do the hustle
It’s idiots like this that make it necessary to have lockdowns. I can easily understand their angst, but large gatherings without masks and distancing are only going to result in more new cases and more strict and prolonged lockdowns. Just do as you are told and stay home! Fools!
Sven Asai
You don’t like to hear it, but this biohazard attack, intentionally or not, requires of course hard quasi military and adequate countermeasures. After having extinguished the virus by harsh lockdowns and other procedures everyone can get freedom, democracy, truth or whatever you might think is now on stake, of course back as the normal life too. You don’t agree and think it’s ok to live with the virus and some booster vaccinations? Of course you can’t stand all the next waves in a row, LongCovid and severely reduced life expectancy. You will be completely messed up in a few other months or years of pandemic, economically, mentally, financially and of course under health considerations.
kurisupisu
How easy it is to control people.
Just make it an issue of ‘public health’
WilliB
Larr Flint
...and meanwhile in Communist China, the virus is officially defeated and the country is open for business. No screaming headlines and lockdowns any more.
Which leaves 2 possibilities: Either the magnificent CCP has gloriously defeated the virus, which will never cross the borders to enter mainland again. Or, we are looking at a media issue: If you ignore it and do not hype it up as a disaster than necessitates ever more authoritarian control, it is a manageable issue that does not warrant shutting down the country.
Choose which makes more sense.
thepersoniamnow
Feel sorry for those in Australia.
They close down the country if like 5 people have it.
Covid is not going away. Its going to be omnipresent and seasonal like influenza.
AustPaul
163 new cases today.
Lower vaccination rates.
Lockdown to try and reduce the spread. It has worked in other cities around the country so what would you suggest Larr Flint?
Kurisupisu, the public health order is issued to try and reduce the spread. Why do you think the cases in Australia have been low??
BurakuminDes
Yet they've managed to keep their death tolls among the lowest in the world, with their economies roaring throughout the pandemic.
Unlike your nation, sadly.
carpslidy
Surprised to took so long.
Strangerland
There will always be those who disagree.
The lockdowns are overwhelmingly supported by Austrlians though. These are just the noisy ones who disagree. Not so different from this site, where you see a small number of people being extremely vocal, making it appear as if they hold bigger influence across society than they actually do.
Peter14
These idiots will cause the lockdown to last even longer. They will continue to blame others when the blame lays with them and others like them.
Get vaccinated and follow medical instructions and Government instructions and we will weather the storm with minimal deaths. Do stupid things and we will all pay for your dumbness.
Strangerland
You're probably right - this event likely spread more of the virus, which will result in a longer lock down.
But they got to whine on the media. That's the important part.
Steve
The tide is slowly turning on this. At first the vast majority of the Australian public were happy that the lockdowns were effective at suppressing the virus and limiting cases/deaths. But as the rest of the world is starting to enjoy more freedoms with higher vaccination rates, and the public realizes that opening up with a vaccinated population is the only way things will get back to semi-normality, there is growing frustration with the ineptitude of the government and it's slow vaccine rollout. Even worse is that the happy-clapper PM is incapable of issuing an apology - he switches between radio silence and deflection of the blame.
Strangerland
Well you say that, but...
2020hindsights
Reckless
Give me a break. Small island country and island district of China cannot serve as models for major countries that have to maintain an international presence in business, science, military, education, etc.
Why not?
Simian Lane
And for good reason.
Why? It has worked remarkably well.
Laguna
That's a cute pony.
Wolfpack
This is what democracy looks like.
Peter14
While that is sad, what would be much more sad would be to let this virus loose in society to kill the vulnerable, elderly and weak by the tens or hundreds of thousands like other nations have done.
One is not comparable to the other which is why lockdowns saving lives is the best option available until full vaccination is achieved.
Go get vaccinated!
Kuruki
I live in Sydney. It was honestly so disappointing to wake up to this news.
We've been in lockdown for weeks and these protestors, who were protesting about being in lockdown, will ironically extend the lockdown.
Unfortunately these people are either uneducated and ignorant, or they're the wealthy people who just wants to whinge for not being able to have their weekend brunches or go to the club.
The State government have politicized the approach to COVID and hesitated about going into a hard lockdown earlier so now we have this chaos going on.
The government now is doing a decent job, and offering financial support for people who cannot work. I hope these protestors lose access to any of this privilege.
Do the hustle
@letsberealistic - This is extremely sad because many are losing their businesses, jobs and now many if not all cannot see family.
It’s better than losing their life.
ishel
Good to see that most Aussies with an interest in Japan (enough to subscribe here) are also level headed folk with a long term view of Australia's strengths. Not too many of the loony fringe here, apart from non-Aussies who think they know what's best for a country they barely understand.
Most of Australia has state governments who are unafraid to do what's needed, apart from the fools running NSW who thought they were smarter than the virus... for a while, until it became pretty tricky to get the genie back in the bottle, which may never happen.
Sure, we would not have been in this position if the national government hadn't tried to penny pinch on vaccines, so it will now be a few more months before there's any chance we can relax very much.
gogogo
These guys are complete idiots, they now locked down the state until Christmas... I don't get how stupid people can be
Sindhoor GK
Well, last time I checked, Tokyo's population was bigger than Australia's population.
proxy
What is the goal of the government in Australia?
Complete eradication at an extremely high price in treasure and lives lost to suicide and drug overdose with no cases forever?
Become a hermit island?
Keep the virus at a low level so as not to overwhelm the health care system?
Vaccinate 80% of the population and then open up to the world and live with it?
Accept the high cost in the lives of 80 year olds and let 'er rip?
Just what is their goal?
Sven Asai
@proxy The price for doing less than they do in Australia will be extraordinarily higher. Severe side problems that you’ve named must of course be addressed and handled, but probably can’t be fully avoided. However, it’s one of very few countries or regions that luckily have a concept and follow it because they know what the reasons for all this mess are and what follows otherwise, if not treated adequately. The rest of the world is really running high speed over the edge and even loudly celebrates it. That’s sheer unbelievable, how ignorant and stubbornly stupid those are.
proxy
@Sven Asai
So, you are saying their goal is complete eradication with no cases forever?
That is fine, but impossible even when they reach 90% vaccinated.
ZENJI
Gentle-Folk. ""The Big Picture"". Some can see it, some cannot!
Leaders who will not see the ""The Big Picture"" put lives at risk.
Protesters must learn to acknowledge ""The Big Picture:""
Short Term Pain = Long Term Gain.
GBR48
A 'zero covid' policy will require long term or complete isolation from the rest of the world.
Be careful what you wish for.
ishel
It's pretty much that one. And if our beloved PM had not arrogantly declared that vaccination was "not a race" but realized that actually, it IS a race, we could have been nearer that goal.
ulysses
Lunacy is not limited to a specific country, you have lunatics all over the world.
The cowards in the march attacked police horses, punching them and throwing stuff. What a vile bunch!!!!
1glenn
If they had done a better job of vaccinating, the "freedom" to die of Covid would not be an issue.
Blacklabel
using “public health” to prevent peaceful protest is wrong.
Liberals were against that during the riots of last summer, right?
Blacklabel
A protest during a pandemic is a protest during a pandemic.
the virus doesn’t make your distinctions as to reasons why people are protesting.
Strangerland
Except that I just showed how they aren't.
I agree. That doesn't change that fact that it's a false equivalency. As I showed in my last post.
Blacklabel
Who cares about equivalence? Either people can get sick from public protests or they cant.
why the choosing of what the protest is about before liberals take a side of support or condemnation?