Monday, March 30, 2020

Berejiklian says "act like you have it" now but did not think this was necessary when inviting Chinese to come celebrate the Sydney Lunar New Year Festival in January,and then there was the Ruby Princess disaster: Berejiklian and her SEMC Chairman Andrew Cappie-Wood must face consequences immediately

by Ganesh Sahathevan




                   ‘Act like you have it’: NSW Premier says community transmission is the focus


NSW Premier Gladys Berejuiklian now says "act like you have it" now but for some bizarre reason did not think that attitude was necessary early this year after the Wuhan Virus became evident in China and Chinese.As reported on this blog:

City of Sydney Lunar New Year 2020 Festival became an obvious security risk by mid-Jan if not earlier-NSW Premier to blame

To understand the  extent of Berejiklian's sense of panic, read story below and compare that to her attitude to entrants from China in January and February, and her management of the Ruby Princess disaster.


It is obvious that the Premier, and her State Emergency Management Committee Chairman Andrew Cappie-Wood are attempting to cover-up their mistakes by imposing ever more draconian, expensive measures on the people of NSW.
Both of them and the officers involved must stand down, and face the consequences of their actions.

END

TO BE READ WITH 
NSW Authorities are pleading with residents to just pretend they have the virus, in order to reduce community spread.


But Premier Gladys Berejiklian says these aren’t the number to be focusing on right now.
“Whilst the number of cases have stabilised there’s a number of reasons for that, and what’s of concern to all of us is that unknown.
“That level of community to community transmission that you might not pick up because people don’t have the symptoms.
“And that’s the real threat, people walking around without symptoms not realising they have the disease.
“That’s why its really important for everybody to assume they have it, and act like they have it,” Premier Berejiklian said this morning.
The state’s Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant says NSW Health will be ramping up testing in those areas that have seen community transfer breakouts, including in Bondi.
“It’s pleasing to see a decline, but we need to remain cautious, we have seen a decline in testing numbers.
“Hence today, I’m really urging that we increase the testing, particularly in areas where there’s community transmission, or around clusters and that’s really to assure ourselves that we have identified as many cases as possible in the community.
“It’s important to know that case detection, us finding those cases early, and then isolating cases and quarantining – that’s putting into isolation those cases around that confirmed case – are important strategies for preventing onward transmission in the community.
“And this important public health measure complements the social distancing strategies that the government has put in place.
“But the contract tracing by identifying these cases early in the community and identifying contacts is an important public health measure that we will need to continue with throughout this pandemic, as the community spread occurs,” Doctor Chant said.

Sunday, March 29, 2020

Australians returning to Australia are subject to mandatory quarantine under police and army guard; why were the 30,000 Chinese students who returned in February 2020 not subject to the same?

by Ganeh Sahathevan 



Even Nine/Fairfax owned SMH was compelled to report on 12 March 2020:



A third of the 106,000 Chinese students initially trapped offshore by the coronavirus travel ban have made their way to Australia after waiting out their 14-day isolation periods in third countries.
Since mid-February, 31,196 Chinese students have landed in Australia, Department of Home Affairs figures show. In recent weeks, up to 1000 students a day have been arriving to start or return to their studies.
Phil Honeywood, chief executive of the International Education Association of Australia and chair of the global reputation taskforce co-ordinating the response to the coronavirus, said it was not surprising students were doing whatever they could to return to Australia.
"We are talking about young people who have invested an incredible amount of time and finances into getting an education outcome from an Australian university or other provider," he said.
Some universities, including Western Sydney University, the University of Melbourne and the Australian National University, have helped students with travel and other costs incurred by the disruption.
....Australian Border Force commissioner Michael Outram said Chinese students returning via third countries "did what we wanted them to do" by quarantining themselves.

Border Force has not provided any evidence of how it monitored the students.Yet now Australians returning to Australia are subject to quarantine under police and army guard, and criminal penalties.
Given the Ruby Princess debacle,Australians are entitled to know why the Morrison Government did not subject the Chinese students to the same quarantine orders.
Importantly we are entitled to know how the Chinese students and other visitors from China have or have not contributed to the Wuhan Virus contagion.


END

To Be Read With




ScoMo's new quarantine orders should have been introduced in January,Brendan Murphy's advice to blame, he must pay the price. Meanwhile expertise of the Special Operations Engineer Regiment required immediately if Wuhan Virus damage is to be managed efficiently



ABC timeline of Wuhan Virus illustrates clearly how Virus was brought into Queensland by Chinese from Wuhan as early as Jan 21 2020: State & Cth negligent in not imposing mandatory quarantine in January


Friday, March 27, 2020

ABC timeline of Wuhan Virus illustrates clearly how Virus was brought into Qld by Chinese from Wuhan as early as Jan 21 2020: State & Cth negligent in not imposing mandatory quarantine in January

by Ganesh Sahathevan



Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy speaks during a press conference updating on the novel coronavirus at Parliament House in Canberra.
In January Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy seemed 
more interested in playing Human Rights Commissioner


This is a timeline published by the ABC. It illustrates clearly how the Wuhan Virus was brought into Queensland   by Chinese from Wuhan as early as Jan 21 2020.

 State & Commonwealth governments refused to to impose Singapore style mandatory quarantines like Singapore, despite there being a discrete group of travellers who could have been identified at entry, tested and quarantined.

Australian governments were more concerned with issues of discrimination and racism, and the country is now paying the price.





Queensland's coronavirus timeline: How COVID-19 cases spread around the state

January 21

A Brisbane man is tested for coronavirus after returning from Wuhan in China. The state's chief health officer Jeannette Young sends advice to all GPs, emergency departments, private hospitals and clinical groups in Queensland.
"This is a new virus, we see that every so often," Dr Young said.
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.
VIDEO: Queensland Health monitoring man for deadly new virus (ABC News)

January 27

A group of Chinese nationals from Wuhan arrives on the Gold Coast on a Tigerair flight via Melbourne and Singapore.

January 28

First confirmed case: A 44-year-old man from the group is put into isolation at Gold Coast University Hospital. Queensland Health tells people returning from Hubei province to self-isolate for 14 days. The Chinese women's soccer team is quarantined in a Brisbane hotel. Brisbane boarding school Stuartholme at Toowong also quarantines 10 students returning from China.

January 29

The Queensland Government declares a public health emergency.

January 30

Two cases are now reported in Queensland after a 42-year-old woman tested positive. The World Health Organisation declares the outbreak of COVID-19 a public health emergency of international concern.
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.
VIDEO: The Virus: Jeremy Fernandez tracks the major coronavirus developments (ABC News)

January 31

The Queensland Premier accuses the Federal Government of withholding information about the whereabouts of people who may have coronavirus.

February 1

The Queensland Government begins contacting 3,760 school students who recently returned from China, including Hong Kong, telling them to stay away from school for two weeks.

February 19

The eight-year-old boy from Wuhan becomes Queensland's first COVID-19 patient to recover and leave hospital on the Gold Coast.
A Sunshine Coast man aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked off Yokohama in Japan is among the Australians onboard who have tested positive for coronavirus.

February 20

Queensland Health says anyone who has been to China in the last 14 days and feels unwell should see their doctor.

February 22

Seven cases: Two women, 54 and 55, from the Diamond Princess cruise ship are transported to a Brisbane hospital. University of Queensland researchers claim they are days away from testing a new vaccine for COVID-19 on animals.

February 28

Nine cases: A 63-year-old Gold Coast woman who returned from Iran and a third Diamond Princess passenger test positive.

March 3

10 cases: The latest is a 20-year-old UQ student from China who lives in Toowong, and had spent at least 14 days in Dubai before re-entering Australia.
"Our understanding is that he has not attended campus at all and so that means the risk of person-to-person transmission is very low," Health Minister Steven Miles said.
The first 8 COVID-19 patients have been discharged from hospital.

March 4

11 cases: A man, 26, from Logan who returned from Iran is put into isolation in the PA hospital.

March 8

15 cases: Including a 38-year-old Gympie woman who returned from London via Dubai.

March 10

18 cases: A 42-year-old Sunshine Coast woman who is the partner of the Gympie woman, a 46-year-old Brisbane woman who had travelled to Austria and France, a 42-year-old Brisbane man who travelled to Spain, Italy and France all test positive. Ten patients in total remain in hospital.

March 11

20 cases: Including a 32-year-old Gold Coast woman who travelled to the US and a 31-year-old Gold Coast man who was in close contact with her. Queensland Health confirms it is doing contact tracing at Brisbane nightclub Fridays and UQ amid concerns visitors came into close contact with a 22-year-old university student who has coronavirus.
"We have to prevent transmission to … vulnerable people," Dr Jeannette Young said.

March 12

US actor Tom Hanks and singer wife Rita Wilson test positive on the Gold Coast, where Hanks is filming an Elvis biopic. His social media post brings worldwide attention to the spread of COVID-19. The Federal Government bans gatherings of more than 500 people. Australians are told not to go overseas unless essential.

March 13

35 cases: Including Federal Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, who returned from a trip to the US and the White House.
A 77-year-old Sunshine Coast woman becomes the state's first death. She died after flying to Sydney. Authorities say she was likely infected from contact with her daughter who returned from San Francisco in the US.
All cases are concentrated in South East Queensland except for one in Kingaroy and one in Rockhampton.
Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeanette Young warns up to one in four people will be infected in next six months.
Queensland Health stops detailing patient travel histories and says anyone who has been overseas in the last 14 days and has fever and respiratory symptoms should call a GP.

March 14

Queensland's biggest health service toughens criteria for COVID-19 testing twice in a day amid shortage of testing kits as the state records its single highest-day jump in cases so far.

March 15

There are now 55 cases in Queensland, among them: a 69-year-old Townsville man who travelled in New Zealand before learning he had tested positive.

March 16

69 cases: Including Federal senator Susan McDonald in Townsville. The RSL cancels all ANZAC Day services. All jury trials suspended indefinitely, police suspend roadside drink and drug driving tests. UQ pauses lectures for a week after three more students test positive.

March 17

78 cases: Queensland Treasurer Jackie Trad says the virus could cost the state economy more than $10 billion over two years. The State Government announces it will offer $500 million interest-free loans to local businesses.

March 19

Australia bans all arrivals by non-citizens and non-residents. Queensland passes laws to allow postponing council elections, ministers to pass new legislation via video-conferencing, greater powers for health officials to force people into isolation and $13,000 fines for anyone who flouts their orders.

March 20

184 cases: A ban on travel into remote Indigenous communities under federal biosecurity laws is put in place. School NAPLAN tests are cancelled. The State Coroner adjourns all inquests until after July.

March 22

259 cases: After 38 more people test positive to coronavirus. The Prime Minister announces a $66 billion coronavirus stimulus package to keep businesses afloat and workers employed.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announces $17 million in funding for University of Queensland researchers to fast-track a coronavirus vaccine.
Gold Coast theme parks run by Village Roadshow, such as Movie World, Sea World and Wet n Wild, will temporarily close.
Following a national cabinet meeting between state, territory and federal leaders, the Prime Minister criticises the public's failure to practise social distancing and announces closure of non-essential indoor venues.

March 23

319 cases: Sixty more cases of coronavirus are confirmed overnight in Queensland bringing a new total to 319. It is Queensland's highest daily rise so far. Queensland Health has conducted 32,000 tests for COVID-19. One Queenslander is in intensive care in hospital.
Shutdown of non-essential services, including pubs, clubs and restaurants, begins at midday with many people finding themselves out of work. The Premier confirms Queensland council elections will go ahead and state borders will be closed from midnight Wednesday.

March 24

397 cases: Queensland records a jump of 78 confirmed cases. Most of the cases are in the south-east corner. A total of 37,334 COVID-19 tests have been conducted in the state. The Queensland Government announces a $4 billion package to extend tax breaks for small to medium-sized businesses in a bid to prevent significant job losses.

March 26

493 cases: The State Government announces Queensland schools will become 'student-free' from Monday with children whose parents work in essential services still allowed to attend. The next sitting of Queensland Parliament gets cancelled with the next sitting date to be in April.