Victoria: the ‘oh Christ, what now’ state
Victoria has announced 627 new cases of coronavirus and eight deaths in the past 24 hours, a small dip on the 723 cases recorded yesterday.
Following yesterday’s horrifying spike in numbers, it cannot come as a surprise that the Australian Medical Association (AMA) and a raft of other experts are saying the second lockdown of Melbourne and Mitchell Shire, which has been going for three weeks, will have to be extended beyond it’s original six week period.
“Stage three is not ending in three weeks. I can say that with 98% probability,” University of Melbourne epidemiologist Tony Blakely told the ABC, while the AMA is calling for tougher restrictions in the state.
Premier Dan Andrews today deflected questions about further lockdowns.
Goodbye Ruby Princess
If a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, the chain of command in the case of NSW’s Ruby Princess cruise ship outbreak — as with the hotel quarantine fiasco in Melbourne — appears to be made of paper that’s been stored in a bucket of warm water.
Last night’s 7.30 added another calamity to the list, reporting that “a senior Australian Border Force officer” mistakenly believed passengers with flu like symptoms had tested negative to COVID-19, when they had in fact tested negative for the common flu. Border force command, having allowed 2700 people to disembark, didn’t realise the mistake for 30 hours.
(Don’t) Go West
Clive Palmer’s case against Western Australia’s hard border closure continues, with the mining magnate and controversy-magnet telling the Federal Court the continued closure will “destroy the lives of hundreds of thousands of people for decades”.
This argument, however, is not proving popular with the WA public. A petition supporting continued closure has attracted well over 200,000 signatures (nearly 10% of Western Australia’s population):
We, the West Australian signatories on this petition, fully support our premier Mark McGowan in his endeavours to keep the WA border closed … we find it intrusive and offensive that outside bodies are taking legal action to force the WA Government to open our border.
Queensland Premier Anastacia Palaszczuk, nervously eyeing the polls in the lead up to October’s state election, and Victoria Premier Dan Andrew, whose government has taken a battering in the recent flare-up, must be looking longingly at the unquestioning support McGowan continues to receive from his constituents.
Cases continue to pile up in the US
California and Florida — the US states now with the highest number of cases — have both set new records for coronavirus deaths this week.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Wednesday that 197 people in the state died from COVID-19 the day before, the state’s highest in a single day. The state also reported 8755 new positive cases.
Florida’s Department of Health confirmed on Wednesday that 216 people died from the virus on Tuesday, also a new single-day record for the state. At least 9448 people tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the state’s total to at least 456,000 confirmed cases and 6586 total deaths.
Meanwhile, former Republican presidential candidate and co-chair of “Black Voices for Trump” Herman Cain has passed away from coronavirus at the age of 74. It’s unknown where he contracted the virus, but he did attend President Donald Trump’s rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma on June 20 — where at least eight Trump staffers also contracted COVID-19 — and shared a photo of himself on the night, proudly unmasked.
Toyko Drifts towards another outbreak
Coronavirus cases are spiking in Tokyo, with Thursday seeing another daily high of 367 new infections. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike has urged citizens to stay home and requested that karaoke venues and any bars and restaurants that serve alcohol close by 10pm .
“ABF = not responsible for human health” (now) – that’s why they have a say in letting a ship disembark or no – on health grounds?
It wasn’t that long a go some were trying to pin a tail on the ship’s doctor and management.
When that doctor wondered “WTF is going on letting these people off before test results came back” … or incredulity to that effect?
AHH, the Ruby Princess!
Border Farce has been lying low and gone doggo as they ready themselves, for hanging the Border Farce officer out to dry.
The only person who can grant a ship “Pratique” is Border Force, acting on and with the authority of the Comptroller of Customs and head of Border Farce.
Pratique is a very old process and tradition meant to protect the country from infections.
This is a required status under the International law of the sea dating from Medieval times and much more recently under the 1901 Australian Border and Customs Act, with the duty to protect Australia from infections being delegated to the Comptroller of Customs.
This granting of Pratique, in effect, gives the ship and its crew and passengers a declaration of a clean bill of health”.
The refusal of Pratique requires a ship with its passengers and crew to go to a quarantine berth.
There are two of these in Sydney harbour.
I think that anyone really looking into this, rather than looking to scapegoat the Border Farce officer on duty at 2.30am on the morning of the berthing of the Ruby Princess, should ask the Harbour master of the port of Sydney what he observed and responded to.
The story I was told was that initially the Harbour master of Sydney harbour was reluctant to allow what he considered a “plague ship” from entering the harbour, then he relented when he was informed of people needing urgent hospitalization.
Shipping normally does not enter or exit harbours in the wee hours.
The Harbour master was also loath to put one of his harbour pilots aboard the Ruby Princess because he didn’t want them to catch anything.
He did so after he was assured that the crew on board would be wearing masks and there would be very few crew on the bridge of the ship.
The ship berthed at Circular Quay and after the two patients were transferred to St Vincent’s by the waiting ambulances in full PPE.
The Harbour Master then asked the Border Farce Officer which of the two quarantine berths she wished to send the ship to.
The Border Farce Officer excused herself and then made a 15 minute phone call to an unknown person.
She returned and said that she was granting Pratique and the passengers could disembark.
Flying in the face of all international conventions regarding ships with infections on board and ignoring all of the international protocols.
No points for understanding that the Harbour master was gob smacked.
Who did she talk to for 15 minutes before making a “cock up of epic proportions”??
No one is answering the question, are they?
Come on someone, actually ask the people who were there, at the time and stop trying to blur the responsibilities and chains of command.
Oh dear, just when you think things can’t get any worst and then comes Clive, again!
The last of the Joh era politicians and spin doctors.
Border busting with the help of his very much beholden, scottie from marketing showing his gratitude for being re-elected by spending our money inappropriately.
Well now that the WA Chief Health Officer espoused the view that WA probably didn’t really need their hard border on health grounds, in court.
I think he now needs to be recalled to discuss Queensland’s new status and the absolute devastation that would be caused if Clive manages to wobble into WA carrying a little friend called SARS CoV2 with him in is entourage.
It must be clearly understood that a senior advisor to scottie from marketing is currently self -isolating due to having had a brush with the infection of Covid19 infection.
I hope he recovers completely, because he is part of the demographic which report mild symptoms at the time of infection and yet, at 3 months post infection, 1 in 3 have inflammation in the heart muscle and other cardiac damage including heart valves, a yet to be determined percentage develop serious renal damage with a significant number requiring dialysis and then there is the ongoing fatigue.
Covid19 is not a “mild” anything.
The vulnerable remote aboriginal communities would be very badly affected if SARS CoV2 managed to sneak in there. In fact I think the effect would be the same as when the American white settlers gave the Indians blankets from small pox victims. Too terrible to contemplate.
Clive should be careful what he wishes for and scottie from marketing should find another way to express his feelings other than humping Clive’s leg like that, in public. I know lap dogs just can’t help it, but it appears inappropriate.