Wow.

50,000 fans pack into concert in New Zealand - with no masks or social distancing
‘Our city has shown the world this week that in the midst of a global pandemic, we can live close to normality in Auckland’

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... 37097.html

Covid: Sydney city centre and Bondi beach to enter lockdown
Published 5 hours ago

More than one million people in Sydney's central and eastern suburbs, including Bondi Beach, will be locked down after a jump in Covid cases.

The Australian city is battling to contain an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant.

Officials reported 17 new cases on Friday, taking the cluster to 65 cases.

It is the first lockdown in Australia's largest city since December. The country has consistently maintained very low rates of Covid transmission.

The stay-at-home order will affect the city centre and inner-city suburbs, as well as beachside suburbs in the east.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-57590969

Hang on to that total eradication policy..surefire election winner..for now..

NSW Australia/ NZ:
24 June 2021
Late on Thursday, Victoria said it was shutting its borders to residents of Greater Sydney, the Central Coast, Shellharbour, Blue Mountains and Wollongong after the state recorded a positive infection linked to the NSW cluster.

New Zealand has already paused its travel bubble with NSW, and South Australia, Western Australia have both closed to NSW.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal ... 58451.html

crob wrote: ↑Fri Jun 25, 2021 8:06 pm ... i wish the government would start making a exit plan for post covid

SternAAlbifrons wrote: ↑Sun Jun 27, 2021 4:30 am

clutchcargo wrote: ↑Fri Jun 25, 2021 6:12 pm Hang on to that total eradication policy..surefire election winner..for now..

Election winner
death rate winner
heath system impact winner
economic winner
employment winner
stable population growth winner
local tourism industry winner
social cohesion winner

What's not to love about this surefire winning strategy?
(except for a few poor sad fuckers like me who want to escape the border restrictions and go home)

Another one of my glib comments so here goes to expand

I'm just saying that I don't believe a total eradication policy is sustainable on an ongoing basis. I reckon they will have to eventually abandon it and accept that covid is in the community but can be managed. In the interim, it seems they will wait until most of the population is vaxed so that risks can be largely mitigated and they get an election out the way as well.

The idea of an island fortress with closed borders can't go on forever. Even now, outbreaks are still popping up whether that be from returning Australians or otherwise and it's proving very difficult to manage and results in a lot of disruption with on and off lockdowns and closure of state borders (so, it's not just external borders but internal ones). Unless they stop all OS arrivals, they will never be able to stop it coming in and it will be an ongoing case of 'whack a mole'.

They've already pissed off a lot of Australians who want to return but can't coz of quarantine quotas (not me by the way so I don't have a personal chip on my shoulder about that) and those that cannot leave the country to visit sick relatives et al. I think in time, Australians will get fed up and want and need to leave the country from time to time whether that's for business, tourism or to visit family. And the border closures are having some economic impacts eg the tourism industry, universities and fruit growers but I agree, in the scheme of things they are casualties although the gov't are talking of special visas/bubbles etc.

I think there's the issue that the gov't may hold on for too long with what I believe is an unrealistic, delusional goal in the longer term. So far they seem to have the people supporting them (rather, not protesting too much) through I think inordinate fear. It was not long ago that the Health Minister said border closures may remain even if most Australians are vaccinated.. Presumably on the basis vaccines are not 100% effective in preventing transmission, so he's not prepared to accept that it be in the community and can be managed.

I guess there will be much debate going forward as to if and when borders are opened whether partially or fully. My fear is that they will be so wedded to this idealistic policy they will ignore the pragmatic implications and Australia will get left behind vis a vie other countries on border policy and will be the last 'hermit kingdom' to change.

CEOCambodiaNews wrote: ↑Fri Jun 25, 2021 7:21 pm NSW Australia/ NZ:
24 June 2021
Late on Thursday, Victoria said it was shutting its borders to residents of Greater Sydney, the Central Coast, Shellharbour, Blue Mountains and Wollongong after the state recorded a positive infection linked to the NSW cluster.

Absolute insanity

Sympathy to those affected by the idiots in charge