Pass The Parcel Or Pass The Buck – Why Australia Can’t Cruise While The Rest Of The World Is Enjoying A Renaissance

[mr walker]

49 minutes ago, By The Bay said:

I solved that problem by switching from Firefox to Chrome.

 

11 minutes ago, GUT2407 said:

Mine was Safari,

 

I have issues with my phone, which has safari, and no problems on my laptop which has edge. So maybe it is browser related.

[OzKiwiJJ]

11 minutes ago, mr walker said:

 

I have issues with my phone, which has safari, and no problems on my laptop which has edge. So maybe it is browser related.

Highly likely. I use Chrome on both my laptop and phone.

 

It's interesting how different the browsers are. We were looking for a glazier the other week. I looked up some on my phone and found one with good reviews nearby. Rolf could not see that one at all using Edge, even when he typed the start of the company name in, he had to switch to Chrome to see it. Very strange!

[GUT2407]

9 hours ago, BRANDEE said:

Thanks for the info..or lack of from the info you got.  Sounds like a maybe answer.  So sorry you are getting such a "run around".  Wondering if the 80% is being used to give your countrymen an incentive to get vaccinated. 

Here in USA we were hoping to be at 70% this summer but that fell short as the anti vaxers keep resisting and the below 12 are not yet being cleared for vaccination.  We are currently at 65% fully vaccinated but that number varies from state to state depending where you are.  Add in the non vaccinated who already got covid and "maybe" we are close to 80% herd immunity.  But as science tells us..100% is the number we all need.  No host means that covid and its variants can not grow.  Sounds unattainable doesn't it? Maybe we do have to learn to live with it.  Scary!

If you are able to travel to NYC in the Spring for a cruise, we are pretty strict regarding vaccinations and testing in the city.  Proof of vaccination (and/or a 72 hr negative covid test) is needed to go to movies, theater, sporting events and eating indoor restaurants.  Currently there is a mandate for city employees to be vaccinated or they will lose their job..the teachers union is in our supreme court to get that ruling changed. It also involves police, firemen, nurses and doctors at city hospitals.

Mask wearing indoors is still wide spread and most people are following.  I live out in the suburbs and haven't been to a store without my mask yet. I also live in a very republican political area and most non mask wearing people are just showing what side of the political fence they sit.  

Good luck in getting 80% vaccinated.  Hope you can open up soon!

At the moment it is only in relations to Aussies leaving and returning, still 7 days quarantine at home on return, but hey it is a step down the road.

[BRANDEE]

5 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

It is basically re-announcing what will happen with stage C which is when Australia reaches a 80% double dose, the state's that have already reached that level will allow people to leave and also accept Australians to return home with a 7 day home isolation.

Stage D will allow internationals to arrive, although I am not sure if there  is a quarantine  period in a hotel.

Are Australian citizens not allowed to return home now?  Am I understanding this correctly?  

[By The Bay]

29 minutes ago, BRANDEE said:

Are Australian citizens not allowed to return home now?  Am I understanding this correctly?  

Currently, Australians must apply for an exemption to leave the country. The following was reported yesterday in the SMH.

 

"The nation’s borders have been shut since March 2020. About 210,679 Australians have been granted approval to fly overseas in that time, according to Home Affairs department data, with 122,131 applications rejected."

 

My understanding is that if they wanted to return, they would join the other Australian's wanting to return. There is a cap on international passenger arrivals into Australia of 3,035 a week.  Arrivals into Sydney – which takes about half of all arrivals into Australia is 1,505. Source

[NSWP]

So if I flew out to the UK next month, it could take me a year to get a flight back.🥵

[By The Bay]

Just now, NSWP said:

So if I flew out to the UK next month, it could take me a year to get a flight back.🥵

Not if Qantas starts flying next month as planned. Talk is they will fly through Darwin to fill up on fuel, for the non-stop flight to London. No passengers to get on or off in Darwin. Perth said no.

[MicCanberra]

43 minutes ago, BRANDEE said:

Are Australian citizens not allowed to return home now?  Am I understanding this correctly?  

There were caps on Aussies returning home due to limited  quarantine hotel accommodation, then some states stopped arrivals to their state, which left only Sydney and the very few returning via Darwin I.e Howard Springs taking them. Then the outbreak in Sydney occurred in June and they were stopped as well, .

[By The Bay]

4 minutes ago, By The Bay said:

Not if Qantas starts flying next month as planned. Talk is they will fly through Darwin to fill up on fuel, for the non-stop flight to London. No passengers to get on or off in Darwin. Perth said no.

Here you are Uncle Les. Time to start planning.

[BRANDEE]

32 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

There were caps on Aussies returning home due to limited  quarantine hotel accommodation, then some states stopped arrivals to their state, which left only Sydney and the very few returning via Darwin I.e Howard Springs taking them. Then the outbreak in Sydney occurred in June and they were stopped as well, .

Why couldn't Australians quarantine in their own home?  Wouldn't that allow citizens to be able to return back to their own country?  Are there a lot of citizens still unable to return to their homes and families?  Can Australian's vaccinated outside of your country return home?

 

Edited October 2, 2021 by BRANDEE

[By The Bay]

3 minutes ago, BRANDEE said:

Why couldn't Australians quarantine in their own home?  Wouldn't that allow citizens to be able to return back to their own country?  Are there a lot of citizens still unable to return to their homes and families?  Can Australian's vaccinated outside of your country return home?

 

There is a trial being undertaken for home quarantine in NSW and SA.

 

Seven day home quarantine for Australian citizens and permanent residents fully vaccinated with a vaccine approved for use in Australia or ‘recognised’ by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)

 

14-day managed quarantine for anyone not vaccinated or vaccinated with a vaccine not approved or recognised by the TGA. Source ABC

 

WA is not interested in allowing overseas visitors into their state, according to their Premier. ABC

[OzKiwiJJ]

4 minutes ago, BRANDEE said:

Why couldn't Australians quarantine in their own home?  Wouldn't that allow citizens to be able to return back to their own country?  Are there a lot of citizens still unable to return to their homes and families?  Can Australian's vaccinated outside of your country return home?

 

Because there is no guarantee all of them would actually quarantine properly at home. They'd pop out to the grocery store or the bottle shop or go to the pub for a drink with their mates. 

 

Yes, there are a lot of Australians who are waiting to get home. As in around 40,000. They keep getting bumped off flights because they can't afford business or first class fares, and all the people who have had exemptions to travel overseas and can afford expensive fares take up the limited number of seats on flights.

 

Yes, Australians who are currently overseas can get vaccinated there and, in fact, will probably have to so they can get a chance to come home.

[MicCanberra]

8 minutes ago, BRANDEE said:

Why couldn't Australians quarantine in their own home?  Wouldn't that allow citizens to be able to return back to their own country?  Are there a lot of citizens still unable to return to their homes and families?  Can Australian's vaccinated outside of your country return home?

 

They were not allowed unless they were diplomats, government  workers or the very rich.

Not sure how many are still overseas but it would be thousands not by hundreds.

Vaccinated or not there were limited flights and caps that couldn't  be surpassed, but yes they are supposed to be Vaccinated and have a clear covid test.

[LC1950]

Brandee, our SIL's aunt travelled to an "ashram" somewhere in California in January 2020.  She's still there and hasn't been able to get home.  She's a single lady, in her early 70s and definitely not a millionaire so has been unable to get a reasonably priced flight home.  I understand she's doing OK and the family are hoping she will be able to get on a flight home this coming Nov/Dec or even January 2022.

 

As an aside ... she's pretty tough and resilient.  She was in India doing her meditation/new age stuff and was staying at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai at the time of that terrorist attack.  She managed to escape through a window and down a fire escape into an alleyway during the shooting and was helped to safety by a group of locals.  LOL the family thinks she's an airy fairy new agey vegan nut case, but I reckon she's a survivor.  Hopefully she gets home.

[sewgood]

31 minutes ago, BRANDEE said:

Why couldn't Australians quarantine in their own home?  Wouldn't that allow citizens to be able to return back to their own country?  Are there a lot of citizens still unable to return to their homes and families?  Can Australian's vaccinated outside of your country return home?

 

Australians did quarantine in their own homes to start with early last year but unfortunately there were a few who didn't stay home. If memory serves me correct the worst case that I can remember was a lady over in Perth who took herself off to an indoor (classical ?) concert when she was suppose to be in home quaratine.

It didn't take long for home quarantine to be scrapped, a few ruined it for all.

[BRANDEE]

23 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Because there is no guarantee all of them would actually quarantine properly at home. They'd pop out to the grocery store or the bottle shop or go to the pub for a drink with their mates. 

 

Yes, there are a lot of Australians who are waiting to get home. As in around 40,000. They keep getting bumped off flights because they can't afford business or first class fares, and all the people who have had exemptions to travel overseas and can afford expensive fares take up the limited number of seats on flights.

 

Yes, Australians who are currently overseas can get vaccinated there and, in fact, will probably have to so they can get a chance to come home.

Wow.."a chance to come home"..that sounds so horrible.  To think a country would not help a citizen, who is not a criminal, get home after 18 months.  Didn't your country allow foreign sports people in for tournaments? Didn't Australia send a team to the Olympics?  Guess the average Joe got screwed by the government..not that it hasn't been done by other governments to their own citizens.  Like you all just said..welcome home to the rich and famous! 40,000 is alot of people in your small population.   Hoping you get to 80% so they can come home real soon!

[OzKiwiJJ]

4 minutes ago, BRANDEE said:

Wow.."a chance to come home"..that sounds so horrible.  To think a country would not help a citizen, who is not a criminal, get home after 18 months.  Didn't your country allow foreign sports people in for tournaments? Yes Didn't Australia send a team to the Olympics? Yes Guess the average Joe got screwed by the government Yes..not that it hasn't been done by other governments to their own citizens.  Like you all just said..welcome home to the rich and famous! Yes 🤬 40,000 is alot of people in your small population.   Hoping you get to 80% so they can come home real soon! Yes

 

[OzKiwiJJ]

There was a quarantine-free bubble between Australia and NZ for a while but that got canned once Delta took hold here 

[possum52]

23 minutes ago, BRANDEE said:

Wow.."a chance to come home"..that sounds so horrible.  To think a country would not help a citizen, who is not a criminal, get home after 18 months.  Didn't your country allow foreign sports people in for tournaments? Didn't Australia send a team to the Olympics?  Guess the average Joe got screwed by the government..not that it hasn't been done by other governments to their own citizens.  Like you all just said..welcome home to the rich and famous! 40,000 is alot of people in your small population.   Hoping you get to 80% so they can come home real soon!

There have been many repatration flights organised by the government over the past 18 months. But once our international borders were closed, there were very few commercial passenger flights coming into Australia. Many of those who decided to 'come home' had been working or retired overseas and then decided when the pandemic hit, that they wanted to come home for various reasons. Perhaps their employment contract was finished, their rental lease expired, they decided to come back for family support. But there were many who left the country to visit family overseas as well and they also then joined the line of folk wanting to come home.

 

My SIL's nephew and his family were in Sweden for 12 months to spend time with family. As they have young children, they decided to come home to Canberra. They booked their flights and gave notice on their rental accommodation. They were fortunate that they were both able to work remotely.  Then their flight was cancelled and then the next one and so on. They were by this time moving from one family household to another. Anyway my SIL's brother decided enough was enough and booked business class tickets for son and family to come home. They finally arrived back in December after 7-8 months of having flights cancelled. And that is a very common story. 

 

[Docker123]

There is a difficult game being played out.

 

We know that the number of quarantine places is limited, and get changed from time to time.

 

We hear of people getting bumped multiple times, because of higher $$$ passengers.

 

There is also the factor that planes coming in are no allowed to fly at capacity. I have not been able to find the number, but it is something like 35% permitted.

 

Government repatriation flights (around 25 so far) fly up to capacity.

 

From The Guardian about 2 months ago:

 

One-third of all flights into Sydney have been given zero passenger allocations, while the remainder will only be allowed to carry between 25-26 passengers. Sydney’s weekly flight cap will be halved to 1,505 from 14 July – the largest of any airport.

Between 14 July and the end of August, a handful of flights into Melbourne will be cut to zero, with most flights limited to 11 to 13 passengers.

Edited October 2, 2021 by Docker123

[OzKiwiJJ]

And the flow on effect from that meant airlines cut back on flights, and therefore freight was also affected.

[SinbadThePorter]

19 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

And the flow on effect from that meant airlines cut back on flights, and therefore freight was also affected.

 

Ultimately it's all a flow on effect from using hotel quarantine for a year and a half and not building dedicated quarantine facilities.

[Hunter69]

OMG. Is it ever going to restart....👍❤️🚢

First we have to get all States to 80% (I know my state will be there end of this month) All major states by early Dec..

Then we have to open Boarders, yes Queen P I'm talking to you.. 

Then local Australian holiday flights between major cities.. 

Then CLIA can lobby to get cruises back locally (Australian ports & Waters)

At the moment for the last 12 months it's like how you say Pissing up against A brick wall. It ain't going to happen. This would be around January or February. Hard & strong against local pollies & tourism Minister & Mr Morrison..

At earliest if they agree, late March early April cruises may resume locally, just like what we see in USA. Vaccinated, testing 3 days & under before departure, masks inside.. Restricted numbers onboard..

Oh, Celebrity, RCL, Princess won't bring ship's down for a couple of weeks. It will Be just like a normal winters season. A couple P&O ships & A Carnival ship...

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, SinbadThePorter said:

 

Ultimately it's all a flow on effect from using hotel quarantine for a year and a half and not building dedicated quarantine facilities.

Which essentially boils down to the Federal government, whose responsibility it was, passing the buck to the State governments.

 

But not all the initial cases came from quarantine hotels. This current Sydney outbreak was a driver.

[OzKiwiJJ]

5 minutes ago, Hunter69 said:

OMG. Is it ever going to restart....👍❤️🚢

First we have to get all States to 80% (I know my state will be there end of this month) All major states by early Dec..

Then we have to open Boarders, yes Queen P I'm talking to you.. 

Then local Australian holiday flights between major cities.. 

Then CLIA can lobby to get cruises back locally (Australian ports & Waters)

At the moment for the last 12 months it's like how you say Pissing up against A brick wall. It ain't going to happen. This would be around January or February. Hard & strong against local pollies & tourism Minister & Mr Morrison..

At earliest if they agree, late March early April cruises may resume locally, just like what we see in USA. Vaccinated, testing 3 days & under before departure, masks inside.. Restricted numbers onboard..

Oh, Celebrity, RCL, Princess won't bring ship's down for a couple of weeks. It will Be just like a normal winters season. A couple P&O ships & A Carnival ship...

Remember Princess has one ship that is nominally homeported in Australia all year round, even though that ship does the long itineraries including the world cruise. Next year it's Coral Princess and she is still scheduled for itineraries from mid-Jan onwards.