4 ms·

It's nearly summer there. Respiratory viruses are far more common in winter. I feel this fact is conspicuously absent from talk of Australia.

stevesimmons 6y ago
Your timing is out. Melbourne started their lockdown in winter. Everyone obeyed it. It was strongly enforced [1, 2]. They beat coronavirus. And now they can enjoy their summer. I live in London. At one point in the summer, our covid rates were lower than Melbourne's. But the UK's messaging was confused and contradictory ("eat out to help out", test and trace was shambolic, rules were not enforced). So no one is the least surprised that it has got out of control again so quickly. [1] My parents live half an hour's drive from Melbourne. Police stopped every car on the highways to enforce no travel, fined the drivers and made them turn back home. [2] One party of 26 people got busted ordering KFC to the same address and fined $26,000.
- raarts 6y ago
  But numbers seem to be up again, this article is speaking of another lockdown: https://t.co/2S9b4HfUhg https://t.co/2S9b4HfUhg
  - PaulDavisThe1st 6y ago
    from that link: >The Avalon cluster has grown to 38, with 21 out of yesterday's 23 cases linked to it and another two still under investigation. It isn't fair and might not even be entirely honest to describe this to a (mostly US) audience with a phrase like "numbers seem to be up again". The trigger for Australia to go back into lockdown would be considered a giant fat ignorable nothingburger in almost every part of the US.
  - shash7 6y ago
    For context, that's in another state and the number has rose from 0 > 35 so its still manageable. You can't even remotely compare that to UK.
    - raarts 6y ago
      I don't think I was, but every journey starts with the first step ;-). I think the Australian confidence of 'having eradicated covid' is misplaced. You can only eradicate a virus if you do that worldwide, and given viruses' capability of mutating, I think that's an unattainable goal.
      - deleted 6y ago
        [deleted]
  - anotherevan 6y ago
    That's in Sydney, which is over 700km away. It is also nothing like the scale that the UK is dealing with and will hopefully be dealt with by a short lockdown - possibly not even of the entire city of the politicians pull their finger out quickly enough.
    - JimTheMan 6y ago
      Yeah, raarts is trying to burn us by taking this sudden reappareance of a whole 30 cases in NSW seriously. Because here in Australia we take it that seriously. Short lockdown maybe, back to normal soon, not too many other places will be able to brag about that. We will be able to save all the lives prior to vaccination that nations with less willpower seem willing to spend.
  - throwaheyy 6y ago
    That’s a very weak argument. The “numbers went up” from single digits to 34, from a single outbreak that is actively being traced.

stevesimmons 6y ago

Your timing is out. Melbourne started their lockdown in winter. Everyone obeyed it. It was strongly enforced [1, 2]. They beat coronavirus. And now they can enjoy their summer. I live in London. At one point in the summer, our covid rates were lower than Melbourne's. But the UK's messaging was confused and contradictory ("eat out to help out", test and trace was shambolic, rules were not enforced). So no one is the least surprised that it has got out of control again so quickly. [1] My parents live half an hour's drive from Melbourne. Police stopped every car on the highways to enforce no travel, fined the drivers and made them turn back home. [2] One party of 26 people got busted ordering KFC to the same address and fined $26,000.

raarts 6y ago
But numbers seem to be up again, this article is speaking of another lockdown: https://t.co/2S9b4HfUhg https://t.co/2S9b4HfUhg
- PaulDavisThe1st 6y ago
  from that link: >The Avalon cluster has grown to 38, with 21 out of yesterday's 23 cases linked to it and another two still under investigation. It isn't fair and might not even be entirely honest to describe this to a (mostly US) audience with a phrase like "numbers seem to be up again". The trigger for Australia to go back into lockdown would be considered a giant fat ignorable nothingburger in almost every part of the US.
- shash7 6y ago
  For context, that's in another state and the number has rose from 0 > 35 so its still manageable. You can't even remotely compare that to UK.
  - raarts 6y ago
    I don't think I was, but every journey starts with the first step ;-). I think the Australian confidence of 'having eradicated covid' is misplaced. You can only eradicate a virus if you do that worldwide, and given viruses' capability of mutating, I think that's an unattainable goal.
    - deleted 6y ago
      [deleted]
- anotherevan 6y ago
  That's in Sydney, which is over 700km away. It is also nothing like the scale that the UK is dealing with and will hopefully be dealt with by a short lockdown - possibly not even of the entire city of the politicians pull their finger out quickly enough.
  - JimTheMan 6y ago
    Yeah, raarts is trying to burn us by taking this sudden reappareance of a whole 30 cases in NSW seriously. Because here in Australia we take it that seriously. Short lockdown maybe, back to normal soon, not too many other places will be able to brag about that. We will be able to save all the lives prior to vaccination that nations with less willpower seem willing to spend.
- throwaheyy 6y ago
  That’s a very weak argument. The “numbers went up” from single digits to 34, from a single outbreak that is actively being traced.