How are things where YOU are? (in relation to the Corona Virus)

[Blackduck59]

Thanks Leigh we had 124 new cases reported yesterday. I think Victoria (your state) has about 1.25 million more people than BC in a much smaller area so right now you are doing way better than us.

[possum52]

2 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

Thanks Adrian. I thought it was a little off. Someone else already set that straight over on that thread.

We keep extending our state of emergency but there was never any talk of a year. It almost sounds like your Premier is using this extraordinary situation to keep some sweeping powers without mandate for an extended period.

Sorry Lyle, I don't understand what you mean by your last sentence. The reason the premier is asking for further legislation to enact a State of Emergency is because the Victorian government can only have one for 6 months at a time and as Adrian explained the current legislation expires on September 13th, so further legislation has to be enacted.

 

Leigh

[possum52]

2 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

Thanks Leigh we had 124 new cases reported yesterday. I think Victoria (your state) has about 1.25 million more people than BC in a much smaller area so right now you are doing way better than us.

I think our state population is around 6.5 million, so yes we are doing a little better than BC.

 

Yesterday the number of cases was just below 100 so it is a little disappointing to see more cases this morning. But I would think the numbers will be all over the place for the next couple of weeks. But hopefully much less than today's.

 

Leigh

[Aus Traveller]

2 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

Thanks Leigh we had 124 new cases reported yesterday. I think Victoria (your state) has about 1.25 million more people than BC in a much smaller area so right now you are doing way better than us.

Australia has been doing very very well, compared with the rest of the world, but the situation in Victoria shows that we cannot be complacent. Unfortunately, the infection was spreading before the government clamped down. Now the medicine is harsh. One sad aspect is the number of cases and fatalities in aged care facilities. They account for a very high percentage of deaths.

 

Probably after seeing what happened in Victoria, the Queensland government immediately imposed restrictions when an infection was found. It is linked to a youth detention centre where a lot of people have been found to be COVID positive. It may be linked to the two young women who became notorious a couple of weeks ago when they flew to Sydney, then Melbourne and return. They tested positive several days after they got back to Logan (just south of Brisbane). Genome testing of the virus links this outbreak to one of the women, but the time frame indicates that there is a missing link, someone who is asymptomatic or with mild symptoms. An interesting point is that several of these new cases have very mild symptoms. This is bad in one way - it is more likely the virus will spread - but better in another in that people are not very sick.

[Blackduck59]

3 minutes ago, possum52 said:

Sorry Lyle, I don't understand what you mean by your last sentence. The reason the premier is asking for further legislation to enact a State of Emergency is because the Victorian government can only have one for 6 months at a time and as Adrian explained the current legislation expires on September 13th, so further legislation has to be enacted.

 

Leigh

Thanks Leigh, here when we have a "State of Emergency" the Premier and the sitting Government have extraordinary powers without having to recall the legislature. It just seemed like a year seemed a long time to extend the extraordinary powers of a "State of Emergency"  

[Aus Traveller]

3 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

Thanks Leigh, here when we have a "State of Emergency" the Premier and the sitting Government have extraordinary powers without having to recall the legislature. It just seemed like a year seemed a long time to extend the extraordinary powers of a "State of Emergency"  

I am not from Victoria, but there are comments and cartoons in the newspapers referring to Dan Andrews, the Victorian Premier, as a dictator. BTW, I am not endorsing those comments. I feel Mr Andrews has to do what he has to do to try to control the virus. I am not in the camp of "letting it run".

[possum52]

1 minute ago, Blackduck59 said:

Thanks Leigh, here when we have a "State of Emergency" the Premier and the sitting Government have extraordinary powers without having to recall the legislature. It just seemed like a year seemed a long time to extend the extraordinary powers of a "State of Emergency"  

Thanks for explaining Lyle. The legislative process would be in place and only if needed would the State of Emergency be enacted. So if our case numbers are deemed low enough on the 13th September, there would most likely be no need for a State of Emergency at that tme. But say in three months time, there was a seious outbreak, the SofE could be enacted with out the govt having to go to parliament and have it legislated.

 

Leigh

[possum52]

20 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

I am not from Victoria, but there are comments and cartoons in the newspapers referring to Dan Andrews, the Victorian Premier, as a dictator. BTW, I am not endorsing those comments. I feel Mr Andrews has to do what he has to do to try to control the virus. I am not in the camp of "letting it run".

 

Let me say I do not support Labor normally but at this time I don't think there is any other way to control the outbreak. I'm also not in the camp of 'letting it run'. I do acknowledge that many people have lost their businesses and the unemployment numbers are very high. We have been lucky, that is Rob and I and our families have not been affected in any way for employment. Our children and their spouses all work for either state government departments or local council.

 

My son always refers to Dan Andrews as Dictator Dan as do many others.

 

Leigh

 

Edited August 29, 2020 by possum52

[Docker123]

20 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

I am not from Victoria, but there are comments and cartoons in the newspapers referring to Dan Andrews, the Victorian Premier, as a dictator. BTW, I am not endorsing those comments. I feel Mr Andrews has to do what he has to do to try to control the virus. I am not in the camp of "letting it run".

Check the publisher. News/Murdoch/Sky have run a campaign forever against this, and the WA border.

 

Opinion poll yesterday show 70+% support in Victoria.

Higher numbers supporting in WA. 
 

[possum52]

4 minutes ago, Docker123 said:

Check the publisher. News/Murdoch/Sky have run a campaign forever against this, and the WA border.

 

Opinion poll yesterday show 70+% support in Victoria.

Higher numbers supporting in WA. 
 

Yes it is certainly the Murdoch media leading the charge. I try to read and watch a variety of media to get a more balanced view. The evening after the Premier announced they were asking for an extension of the legislative powers to enact a State of Emergency, Channel 7 News was saying the Premier wanted a lockdown for another 12 months. I couldn't believe how inaccurate their reporting was. We had watched Mr Andrews' press conference earlier in the day and the Channel 7 reporter was there and asking questions. It made me so angry that it was being taken completely out of context.

 

Leigh

[OzKiwiJJ]

I wasn't a happy little vegemite last night. It's bad enough worrying about whether the virus has crept into our local area but now we have hazard reduction burns sending smoke through the air. It was so bad last night I had to shut all the windows and turn the air purifier on, my eyes got very irritated but I didn't start coughing thank goodness. Sleeping wasn't a problem though as I always have the air-con on fan at night for air flow and white noise, and that filtered out the smoke.

[possum52]

17 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I wasn't a happy little vegemite last night. It's bad enough worrying about whether the virus has crept into our local area but now we have hazard reduction burns sending smoke through the air. It was so bad last night I had to shut all the windows and turn the air purifier on, my eyes got very irritated but I didn't start coughing thank goodness. Sleeping wasn't a problem though as I always have the air-con on fan at night for air flow and white noise, and that filtered out the smoke.

How close was the hazard reduction to your house Julie? The closest we are is if there are hazard reduction burnoffs in the Dandenongs and the wind is coming from the north east. Occasionally they are done in an area quite close to us and we get the full affects of the smoke. I can suffer from the smoke too so know how annoying it is. My main problem at the monent is with the northerly winds we have, my alllergies are full bore! 😀

 

Take care, hopefully the hazard reductions mean no fires near you during spring and summer.

 

Leigh

[ilikeanswers]

26 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I wasn't a happy little vegemite last night. It's bad enough worrying about whether the virus has crept into our local area but now we have hazard reduction burns sending smoke through the air. It was so bad last night I had to shut all the windows and turn the air purifier on, my eyes got very irritated but I didn't start coughing thank goodness. Sleeping wasn't a problem though as I always have the air-con on fan at night for air flow and white noise, and that filtered out the smoke.

 

I'm with you of the smoke. I was lucky our area didn't get too much of it this time but when it hits it is a real strain on the health. I saw a documentary on the techniques of hazard reduction burns by the indigenous and there was one that produced very little smoke. They called it cold burning. Watching it I was thinking can we please teach that to the fire fighters? Sydney could do with more smokeless burns🤗. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

15 minutes ago, possum52 said:

How close was the hazard reduction to your house Julie? The closest we are is if there are hazard reduction burnoffs in the Dandenongs and the wind is coming from the north east. Occasionally they are done in an area quite close to us and we get the full affects of the smoke. I can suffer from the smoke too so know how annoying it is. My main problem at the monent is with the northerly winds we have, my alllergies are full bore! 😀

 

Take care, hopefully the hazard reductions mean no fires near you during spring and summer.

 

Leigh

The nearest was about 6-7kms north-east of us, and there was another a little further away in that direction, plus three to the north west about 15kms away. There is quite a lot of bush around our part of Sydney. It's good that they are doing the hazard reduction but I suffered really badly over summer from the smoke so just a whiff of it makes me worry. I'm not sure my lungs have recovered completely from that, which is why I'm also worried about catching the virus. I do have some medication in my medical kit if I need it, although it's the type that takes a week or so to be effective.

Edited August 30, 2020 by OzKiwiJJ

[OzKiwiJJ]

4 minutes ago, ilikeanswers said:

 

I'm with you of the smoke. I was lucky our area didn't get too much of it this time but when it hits it is a real strain on the health. I saw a documentary on the techniques of hazard reduction burns by the indigenous and there was one that produced very little smoke. They called it cold burning. Watching it I was thinking can we please teach that to the fire fighters? Sydney could do with more smokeless burns🤗. 

Yes, that would be much better.

 

It just seemed to come down during the evening. I didn't notice it during the day and it looks clear enough now but I haven't been outside to check yet. Perhaps the wind changed last night, or the smoke settled into the valleys - we're in a small valley.

[possum52]

3 minutes ago, ilikeanswers said:

 

I'm with you of the smoke. I was lucky our area didn't get too much of it this time but when it hits it is a real strain on the health. I saw a documentary on the techniques of hazard reduction burns by the indigenous and there was one that produced very little smoke. They called it cold burning. Watching it I was thinking can we please teach that to the fire fighters? Sydney could do with more smokeless burns🤗. 

The indigenous technique is being used more these days by the CFA in Victoria. There are now workshops being held to teach the cold burn technique to firefighters and farmers all over Australia.

 

Leigh

 

 

[possum52]

3 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

The nearest was about 6-7kms north-east of us, and there was another a little further away. There is quite a lot of bush around our part of Sydney. It's good that they are doing the hazard reduction but I suffered really badly over summer from the smoke so just a whiff of it makes me worry. I'm not sure my lungs have recovered completely from that, which is why I'm also worried about catching the virus. I do have some medication in my medical kit if I need it, although it's the type that takes a week or so to be effective.

Is there a medication that you could take that works immediately? Do the authorities let you know when they are going to do a burn off so you could be prepared and been taking your medication beforehand?

 

Leigh

[ilikeanswers]

7 minutes ago, possum52 said:

The indigenous technique is being used more these days by the CFA in Victoria. There are now workshops being held to teach the cold burn technique to firefighters and farmers all over Australia.

 

I don't think those workshops have made it to Sydney yet. I hope they do🤞. If we get as much smoke as last year every year I will seriously have to consider moving. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

6 minutes ago, possum52 said:

Is there a medication that you could take that works immediately? Do the authorities let you know when they are going to do a burn off so you could be prepared and been taking your medication beforehand?

 

Leigh

I could probably get something from my GP but so far it hasn't been necessary. Last summer I ended up with a bronchial inflammation which built up over a few weeks, then got quite bad. It took about two months to settle down with the meds and I still had a intermittant cough for another couple of months. I feel like it hasn't completely gone which is why I'm being cautious. 

[possum52]

34 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I could probably get something from my GP but so far it hasn't been necessary. Last summer I ended up with a bronchial inflammation which built up over a few weeks, then got quite bad. It took about two months to settle down with the meds and I still had a intermittant cough for another couple of months. I feel like it hasn't completely gone which is why I'm being cautious. 

I hope you don't have to suffer the same way again Julie. I can understand how you feel about Covid 19 and your lung condition. I have chronic sinusitis which can be made so much worse by the wind and smoke. Our son in law loves his fire pit and is always saying 'come outside, I have the fire going' when we are there in the evening. I also hate the smell of smoke on my clothes. Rob was a CFA volunteer for many years, still belongs to the firebrigade but doesn't go to fires any more. When he came home from a fire, he had to put his clothes straight in the washing machine and have a shower. 

 

 

Leigh

 

[OzKiwiJJ]

Thanks, Leigh. It was a bit scary for a couple of weeks but it was having to stay inside that was frustrating. Then the smoke went away and the virus arrived. More staying at home!  *grumble*

 

I need a cruise, somewhere warm, with fresh sea breezes.

[possum52]

Wouldn’t that be nice! Take care!

[OzKiwiJJ]

Well we managed about an hour with the sliding doors open, then the smoke started to become noticeable. Unfortunately the wind is most NW so blowing the smoke over our part of Sydney. I can actually see smoke clouds now. So we're all shut up with the air purifier going again.

[Docker123]

Social responsibility at its finest:

 

More than 2200 Victorians have been busted for multiple virus breaches during lockdown – including one man who has copped the $1652 fine 24 times. 

A staggering 1531 people in the state have received the $1652 fee twice, while the worst rulebreaker is a 27-year-old from Hallam who clocked up his 24th offence on Thursday

[Roger88]

1 minute ago, Docker123 said:

Social responsibility at its finest:

 

More than 2200 Victorians have been busted for multiple virus breaches during lockdown – including one man who has copped the $1652 fine 24 times. 

A staggering 1531 people in the state have received the $1652 fee twice, while the worst rulebreaker is a 27-year-old from Hallam who clocked up his 24th offence on Thursday

I dont know whether you heard or  not but in Germany they had like the biggest protest this week since the pandemic which was aimed against all those protection measures. If you think about how big the wholes are in your mask the size of the virus.. you might reconsider these "precaution" measures..