Australia Unvaccinated Lockdown

[Thomas White]

I am surprised this isn't on here yet. The unvaccinated in Australia must undergo a mandatory 4 days of lockdown.

Australian state introduces lockdown for the unvaccinated

 

[FutureAndAHope]

The states here in Australia are bringing out strict restrictions on the unvaccinated, like denying them access to restaurants, and venues. In my mind, it is taking away rights that they should be given. The country has introduced a vaccination passport, which you must show to be able to sit in a restaurant or visit a relative in a hospital. Although I am fully vaccinated and have a passport I refuse to use it, I no longer attend venues or restaurants in sympathy for the people who are denied these services.

 

[bekkilyn]

I heard something earlier this morning about a famous tennis player (can't remember name) who got detained in Australia due to vaccination status and they won't let him leave. That's just nuts.

 

[Captain Ahab]

Fighting the people, to protect the pandemic.

 

[Paidiske]

While I'm generally not in favour of different restrictions for vaccinated people vs. unvaccinated, I do see that a very short term situation in the Northern Territory might have more justification than most. The Northern Territory is remote, sparsely populated, and has communities of indigenous people which would be very vulnerable to Covid. There is huge fear that whole indigenous communities could basically be wiped out if Covid got in. And there is an understandable desire to prevent that if possible.

The rest of Australia is mostly lifting such restrictions. Where I am, the only places I need to show proof of vaccination to get in are the nursing homes, and while I don't love that, again, I can see the reason after we've seen Covid sweep through nursing homes leaving large numbers of residents dead.

 

[Bob Crowley]

It's a toss-up between public health and individual rights. If the following article is correct, an unvaccinated person is 20 times more likely, or a vaccinated person is 20 times less likely, to catch and transmit Covid-19.

So you're free in Australia to be unvaccinated if you wish. But you're not free to go to high risk environments like hospitals and restaurants and increase the chances of other people there of getting Coronavirus.

Eventually it will become endemic to the point that excluding the unvaccinated won't make any difference, but the health authorities, who advise the politicians, obviously don't think we've reached that stage yet.

Cultural atttitudes are going to vary from place to place. The Chinese have a long history of what might be called fitting in with the social order, the "mandate of heaven". Americans on the other hand have a history of being very concerned about civil rights.

When I first became Christian, we had a lady who was the pastor's administrative offsider. After she got married she and her husband did some missionary work in the US. I remember she remarked once that Americans are "very independent people".

Most other nations are going to fit somewhere in between, and Australia is one of them.

Your unvaccinated friend is roughly 20 times more likely to give you COVID

What’s the relative risk?
Recent reports from the Victorian Department of Health find that unvaccinated people are ten times more likely to contract COVID than vaccinated people.

We also know that vaccinated people are less likely to transmit the disease even if they become infected. The Doherty modelling from August puts the reduction at around 65%, although more recent research has suggested a lower estimate for AstraZeneca. Hence for this thought experiment, we’ll take a lower value of 50%.

As the prevalence of COVID changes over time, it’s hard to estimate an absolute risk of exposure. So instead, we need to think about risks in a relative sense.

If I were spending time with an unvaccinated person, then there’s some probability they’re infected and will infect me. However, if they were vaccinated, they’re ten times less likely to be infected and half as likely to infect me, following the numbers above.

Hence we arrive at a 20-fold reduction in risk when hanging out with a vaccinated person compared to someone who’s not vaccinated.

 

[Philip_B]

I heard something earlier this morning about a famous tennis player (can't remember name) who got detained in Australia due to vaccination status and they won't let him leave. That's just nuts.

That sounds aweful, however it is perhaps an abbreviation of the facts. Australia's borders are open to travellers who can show proof of being fully vaccinated (2 doses in the main). The Australian Open is open to tennis players who fit the other cirteria required for acceptance to the AO, and for a tennis player that requires a 'working visa'. The are a range of conditions which may allow someone entry to Australia who has some particular medical exemption, however they are few and far between. Tennis Australia, as a sporting body, also has a requirement that all players be fully vaccinated, or can show sufficient cause for a medical exemption. It seems that Djokvik has the exemtion accepted by Tennis Australia, and had not sought the exemption from the Australian Government. His entry to Australia was stopped by Australian Border Force, as he had not complied with the Australian Government requirements. On that basis his visa was cancelled and he was to be deported. He made an appeal of the decision, which has been expedited, and will be heard by the court on Monday.

Djokvic has been quite loud about not decaring his vaccination status, however his public statements might lead one to conclude that he is not vaccinated. I hope that he does win his appeal, as I think the results would be tainted with the question of what would have happened if he had played. On the other hand Australia is notoriously egalitarian, and the same rules apply to the 60 million dollar tennis player as apply to any other citizen.

As such he stays in Australia as he wants to play here, I am sure if he wanted to leave, he could. What he can't do is wander around our streets unvaccinated. We have a lot of Covid 19 here at the moment and we would not like to see him get sick.

 

[High Fidelity]

I heard something earlier this morning about a famous tennis player (can't remember name) who got detained in Australia due to vaccination status and they won't let him leave. That's just nuts.

He filled his visa out incorrectly, his visa was reviewed and declined and has to leave.

 

[High Fidelity]

Good for Australia for having a backbone.

The majority shouldn't have to pay the price for the selfish few.

 

[The Narrow Way]

While I'm generally not in favour of different restrictions for vaccinated people vs. unvaccinated, I do see that a very short term situation in the Northern Territory might have more justification than most. The Northern Territory is remote, sparsely populated, and has communities of indigenous people which would be very vulnerable to Covid. There is huge fear that whole indigenous communities could basically be wiped out if Covid got in. And there is an understandable desire to prevent that if possible.

The rest of Australia is mostly lifting such restrictions. Where I am, the only places I need to show proof of vaccination to get in are the nursing homes, and while I don't love that, again, I can see the reason after we've seen Covid sweep through nursing homes leaving large numbers of residents dead.

Corona isn't going away, ever. I think the best plan would be to stop all the mandates, allow people to be exposed, and take care of those who get sick...trying to prevent people from getting exposed isn't going to work...it's just a matter of time til everyone is exposed. Far better to teach people to build their immune-systems and teach them what to do WHEN they do come down with the virus.

 

[Aussie Pete]

I am surprised this isn't on here yet. The unvaccinated in Australia must undergo a mandatory 4 days of lockdown.

Australian state introduces lockdown for the unvaccinated

Every state has had similar lockdowns over the last couple of years, some far more rigid than the NT. Until recently, most shops were off limits to the unvaccinated in Victoria. It's a part of the reason why Australia has suffered far less from COVID than most other countries. I don't like lockdowns one bit, I'm against mandatory vaccinations, but it is what it is. I'm against dying from COVID also.

 

[Original Happy Camper]

Corona isn't going away, ever. I think the best plan would be to stop all the mandates, allow people to be exposed, and take care of those who get sick...trying to prevent people from getting exposed isn't going to work...it's just a matter of time til everyone is exposed. Far better to teach people to build their immune-systems and teach them what to do WHEN they do come down with the virus.

common sense not allowed on this corona virus topic
be careful they will now come after you for having some

 

[Bob Crowley]

There's a NY Times item here about cases in Australia. We recently reopened our state borders in most cases, and you can see the result in the number of cases that have started to surge through the community.

The first graph gives a clear picture.

Western Australia is still taking a hardline on border reopening, and if you look further down the article you'll see it is shown as "yellow" with few cases. But most other states have reopened their borders.

Australia Coronavirus Map and Case Count

 

[Paidiske]

I think the best plan would be to stop all the mandates, allow people to be exposed, and take care of those who get sick...trying to prevent people from getting exposed isn't going to work...it's just a matter of time til everyone is exposed.

The problem is that we don't have adequate infrastructure to care for the number of people who get sick if we "let it rip." Already we have overwhelmed our testing capacity and are overwhelming our healthcare capacity. I read a news story this morning about surf lifesavers and other unqualified volunteers doing the work of paramedics because we just don't have enough.

I agree that it's only a matter of time until everyone is exposed, but we need to keep the rate at which that happens low enough that our society can still function. High vaccination rates are our best tool for that, but a good proportion of our population are still unvaccinated. Children aged five and over only become eligible tomorrow.

 

[Philip_B]

 

[Lost4words]

New world order comes to mind

 

[Aussie Pete]

Corona isn't going away, ever. I think the best plan would be to stop all the mandates, allow people to be exposed, and take care of those who get sick...trying to prevent people from getting exposed isn't going to work...it's just a matter of time til everyone is exposed. Far better to teach people to build their immune-systems and teach them what to do WHEN they do come down with the virus.

Fine except for the immunocompromised, the elderly, those with with underlying illnesses and those who live where there is a poor health system. I don't know how often I've said this: you have to survive in order to have natural immunity. Even perfectly healthy people have died from COVID.

In Australia, the COVID infection rate has gone through the roof, because Omicron is far more infectious than previous versions. This is nowhere near as much of a problem as it could have been. Why? Because most people have been vaccinated, reducing the effect of the symptoms. It is likely that COVID will become endemic. It is also likely that vaccination will prevent it from becoming any more than a nuisance.

I am against mandates. I'm against death more so.

 

[Aussie Pete]

The states here in Australia are bringing out strict restrictions on the unvaccinated, like denying them access to restaurants, and venues. In my mind, it is taking away rights that they should be given. The country has introduced a vaccination passport, which you must show to be able to sit in a restaurant or visit a relative in a hospital. Although I am fully vaccinated and have a passport I refuse to use it, I no longer attend venues or restaurants in sympathy for the people who are denied these services.

The regulations vary by state. It only applies to hairdressers and similar in Victoria.

 

[Aussie Pete]

I heard something earlier this morning about a famous tennis player (can't remember name) who got detained in Australia due to vaccination status and they won't let him leave. That's just nuts.

No, he is able to leave anytime. As is his right, he has appealed against the decision to cancel his visa. It would be nice if people actually went by facts instead of hearsay. Going by hearsay is just nuts.

As an aside, I hope he wins his case. We'll find out soon enough.

 

[bèlla]

They’ve instituted similar measures here for dining. They have no impact on the unvaccinated. Pickup and deliveries are an option. Waitstaff are the biggest losers. No one tips on carryout.