Perth in lockdown, ending Australia's 2-week run without COVID-19

I'm in Perth and I just came back from the supermarket. Folks have gone into a crazy panic buy. Not comprehending this behaviour for a sparsely populated city.

Nanny state strikes back

@AC, yeah, glad we went shopping earlier this morning down south of river, embarrassing the way people panic buy, it’s only 5 days and the shops are still open!

@fba, in Australia we go in hard and fast mate to try to nip it in the bud, that and good contact tracing is what has helped us to date with our numbers. If that’s what a nanny state means then so be it. Most here don’t feel that way.

What does it mean...Nanny State?

I understand doing this now, but what is the end game?

Zero covid is impossible globally, vaccines don't stop all cases, even if everything was rolled out perfectly globally, which clearly isn't going to happen.

Have places like Australia and New Zealand said what they plan do to long term when countries that aren't aiming for zero covid start opening their borders at the end this year/next year, if the vaccine roll outs go to plan? I would imagine residents in zero covid countries will start being less patient once other countries are allowed to travel more freely.

Dave - I understand doing this now, but what is the end game

To keep people isolated to avoid community infections. However, the scenes of packed supermarkets and panic buying in tonight’s news do not meld with the point of the lockdown.

I think it's an overreaction for just one case but to order a whole city into lockdown with just half a day's notice is absurd. Every supermarket shelf will be stripped bare before I finish typing this. At least, give the city a day to prepare.

Also, it gives businesses no chance to prepare to go back to remote working, and guts the retail and restaurant trade.

Australia has handled the virus well but over the past two months, there have been sudden lockdowns in Sydney, Brisbane and one over a false alarm in Adelaide.

You keep going into lockdown, then open up, lock down again, open up, lock down. The economy can't recover, and in Australia's case, when the Jobkeeper program ends, the true damage to the economy will be seen.

Hi all

I didn’t mean to sound arrogant with my post, rather I think we should be aggressive in our response initially.

Despite the silly panic buying I think most people here are not complaining about that course of action.

You keep going into lockdown, then open up, lock down again, open up, lock down. The economy can't recover, and in Australia's case,

It is only a five day lockdown. Those happened in Adelaide and Brisbane were less than a week, too. The Sydney one was a bit longer but still less than a month. Unlike those countries in Europe when things got out of control then you have to implement month long lockdown which is disastrous to the economy. In the mean time the information of places which the infected man has been to are available to the public. Residents who have been to those places around the same time as the man are encouraged to do testing. Many residents are listening and are lining up to do testing.

Of course the lockdown cause serious disruption to the society. But we do not have a crystal ball to see the future. So better safe than sorry. Unless you have the guts to take a huge gamble.

smartacus

Unfortunately, the virus doesn't adhere to a half day's notice.

People are freaked out nowadays.

1 case and a city in lockdown.

Idiots

People are freaked out nowadays.

1 case and a city in lockdown.

Idiots

Idiots? Might want to look at your home country.

WA has been doing better than pretty much anywhere on earth with Covid, and if there is to be a 5 day lockdown to deal with this case of the UK strain, people will just get on with it. Its what Aussies have done so far, and its working very well.

Other news reports that Australia’s security guards are getting frisky with their charges and therefore are at risk of spreading the disease.

That report was about a guard in New Zealand not in Australia.

Idiots? Might want to look at your home country.

My home country does not do well at all but will never freak out for just one case. Humans did never stop their activities in the past centuries in such a way it has been done with covid, I see many people around me getting parano and I can not understand.

idiots. Sorry, about that term, but I purposely used it, not because I think it or toward the Australian. authorities, but because it has been so often used on this forum toward Japan, to criticize. I always find this word stupid as it shows what the writer believe to be superiority and also a complete lack a respect for Japan or the Japanese.

I would actually like JT to ban that word

new scary one coming out of Brazil so we all better get used to the situation

Anyway, if you like it or not, but they have always the same strict ruling policy. They take any food from other countries out of your luggage and with similar consequence and strictness they put a lockdown on the city where only one new corona case occurred. And that works for the country, regardless if some people are affected with difficulties, stress or punishments.

@didou

May I ask where you are when you are posting this?

I live in WA, we have been quite fortunate the last 10 months with the number of cases, even compared to the rest of the country. Life has been pretty normal over here, maybe we have become a bit complacent, but the security guard is possibly infected with the UK strain which is highly infectious and since falling ill has visited a number of places north of Perth.

If a lockdown for 5 days is the minimum it takes to trace his movements/isolate and test possible contacts and make sure TCU’s variant isn’t in our community then so be it.

No need to use that term just because it has been used by others on this forum.

Australia locks down -- actual lock down... not just lip-service -- and they get the rate to zero for two weeks. ONE person tests positive, they lock down again, and it will again go to zero. Contrast that with a nation like Japan, that simply asks you to refrain from social activity (but it's up to you!) and the rate of deaths and serious illness, as well as the strain on the medical field, is only increasing. Hmmm.... wonder what the differences are.

didou: "My home country does not do well at all but will never freak out for just one case. Humans did never stop their activities in the past centuries in such a way it has been done with covid,"

Nonsense. The US, for example, was FAR more strict with the Spanish Flu, as were many other places. And that's only one example proving you dead wrong.

"I always find this word stupid as it shows what the writer believe to be superiority and also a complete lack a respect for Japan or the Japanese."

Sorry, but every country has idiots, especially when it relates to how this is being dealt with, and the government in Japan deserves every bit of criticism it gets. Or, do you call lawmakers going to hostess bars to drink at night after asking us to stay home "smart"? Do you call letting people off the Diamond Princess and allowing them to use public transportation, with the effect being an explosion in infection outside the ship "perfect governing, and very smart"? How about the PM eating steak dinner in a group while asking us not to do the same? Is that an example of being smart? Should we show respect for these choices, and the choice, for example, to hold off vaccines and the immunity they could bring, until a Japanese company can come up with its own vaccine, or Japan a larger part in the game at least? How about the government's decision to allow Japanese nationals coming back from Britain and Brazil, after saying foreigners are not allowed in, to enter without vaccination or quarantine and then ride public transport home? "Smart" choice?

May I ask where you are when you are posting this?

I live in WA, we have been quite fortunate the last 10 months with the number of cases, even compared to the rest of the country. Life has been pretty normal over here, maybe we have become a bit complacent, 

I'm 5mins drive from Costco and we have been doing our weekly shop there plus Aldi and the sometimes Colesworth. Whatever is on special, we normally buy double what we need for the pantry...and a big pack of toilet paper each week so we have heaps but we never panic bought.

i agree that some poithans have become complacent and then they all go nuts on a 38C stinking hot sunday! im chilling at home with a freezer full of portioned meat and frozen fresh fruits etc. the only thing i might need to go out and get is some milk and onions later in the week.