Has the new Omicron variant delay the restart of cruising?

[Chiliburn]

18 minutes ago, Russell21 said:

Ah, the traditional Brick Shirthouse eh?

That’s a good assessment, not your idea of a glamorous Qantas flight attendant.
I suppose politicians should be thinking about running our country not leading the good life.

[NSWP]

Within NSW masks are off in retail and hospitality from next week, watch the cases grow..560 today.  A lot Xmas parties going on, hence transmission.😬

[mr walker]

51 minutes ago, NSWP said:

Within NSW masks are off in retail and hospitality from next week, watch the cases grow..560 today.  A lot Xmas parties going on, hence transmission.😬

A number of clubs will be sticking to the existing rules ie double vaxxed, masks, scanning in post Dec 15, so that’s a positive 

[rkmw]

24 minutes ago, mr walker said:

A number of clubs will be sticking to the existing rules ie double vaxxed, masks, scanning in post Dec 15, so that’s a positive 

Our local rsl announced last night unvaccinated people cannot come into the club until further notice 

[gogo65]

14 minutes ago, rkmw said:

Our local rsl announced last night unvaccinated people cannot come into the club until further notice 

Good to hear.

I hope more places still enforce mandatory vaccination.

While we shouldn’t be fixated on numbers, rather hospitalisation/deaths etc, one cant be complacent with Christmas around the corner.

Currently we are explaining to families that it is likely they will be in isolation for Christmas , which is heartbreaking. One child tests positive then the family go into isolation for 2 weeks and whammy right before Christmas another tests positive..

So while many say its just the flu, no other seasonal flu forces relatively asymptomatic people into isolation for 2 weeks or more..

[mr walker]

1 hour ago, rkmw said:

Our local rsl announced last night unvaccinated people cannot come into the club until further notice 

I’m thinking it may be an ‘industry’ approach thru Clubs NSW. I have emails now from 2 Leagues Clubs, 1 RSL & 1 Golf Club all with same policy. Works for me

[dillpickle48]

17 hours ago, rkmw said:

Our local rsl announced last night unvaccinated people cannot come into the club until further notice 

Our local sports and bowling club has introduced the same rule to last until the end of the Christmas school holidays when it will be reviewed. Only 1 comment so far complaining about segregation. Everyone else is happy.

 

[Bubbeh]

On 12/8/2021 at 11:44 AM, SinbadThePorter said:

NSW covid cases 83,572. Qld covid cases 2,155.

 

NSW covid deaths 632. Qld covid deaths 7.

WA COVID cases since January 2020 1123, 9 deaths and currently no cases.  With gratitude to State Daddy.

 

I think that if we've learned anything of this awful time, it's that partial lockdowns do not work and placing our trust in the obedience of the unmonitored recalcitrant is a fools errand.  

 

[MicCanberra]

Agreed, 

Announcement today by Mc Gowan as to when the state may open up to the great unwashed.

[SinbadThePorter]

I don't think Omicron is the cause of the cruise delay, I think that it is getting to 80% that has put the wind up our pollies. It's like the dog that catches the car.

 

Opening up is going to see rising covid levels, of all varieties. How high and how fast has got them worried.

 

I suspect that they are waiting to see what happens before introducing extra variables like cruises.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Overall Australia is almost at 90%, and NSW has been at 90% for a month or so, so that's no excuse for the federal government to continue banning cruise ships. 

 

NSW has been open, for fully vaccinated people, since then and we are constantly told we have to live with Covid. And we did. The levels only started rising last week, the number of cases had stayed fairly constant until then, between 250 - 350. Has Omicron caused the sudden increase? Or has it been caused by the pre-Christmas party season, possibly tainted by people using fake vaccination certificates? Who knows!

[MicCanberra]

A lot of clubs are maintaining the fully vaccinated only policy despite the easing of restrictions by NSW this week.

[gbenjo]

9 hours ago, SinbadThePorter said:

I don't think Omicron is the cause of the cruise delay, I think that it is getting to 80% that has put the wind up our pollies. It's like the dog that catches the car.

 

Opening up is going to see rising covid levels, of all varieties. How high and how fast has got them worried.

 

I suspect that they are waiting to see what happens before introducing extra variables like cruises.

I think it has a lot to do with it.  Pre the Omicron emergence  there were behind the scenes talks of lifting the ban before 17th Dec but sadly the new variant put the kibosh on the plan. 

[bazzaw]

The Omicron variant has reignited the paranoia!!!! On the day after Qld opened its borders, one case onboard an aircraft has forced the rest of the passengers into 14 day quarantine - ALL of them! . There has been zero mention of just how "sick" this person is. While this paranoia and the Qld "unwritten commitment" to zero Covid continues, there will be no cruising or much of anything else.  

[SinbadThePorter]

3 minutes ago, bazzaw said:

While this paranoia and the Qld "unwritten commitment" to zero Covid continues, there will be no cruising or much of anything else.  

 

It's the Federal government that is preventing cruising, not any of the state governments.

[OzKiwiJJ]

33 minutes ago, SinbadThePorter said:

 

It's the Federal government that is preventing cruising, not any of the state governments.

In reality it's probably both. The state governments are letting the feds carry the responsibility at the moment but I suspect there would have been a lackluster effort to restart cruising if the ban hadn't been extended. 

[lyndarra]

36 minutes ago, bazzaw said:

 While this paranoia and the Qld "unwritten commitment" to zero Covid continues, there will be no cruising or much of anything else.  

Is "paranoia" another word for smart control?

If there was an "unwritten commitment to zero cases" the border would not be opening. 

This Omicron is going to test our resources and medical facilities and its "mild" severity is now under revision. Two hundred cases here in one night in a local night spot that had 650 patrons. How's that for  an infection rate? Could be a game changer.

[bazzaw]

21 minutes ago, lyndarra said:

Is "paranoia" another word for smart control?

If there was an "unwritten commitment to zero cases" the border would not be opening. 

This Omicron is going to test our resources and medical facilities and its "mild" severity is now under revision. Two hundred cases here in one night in a local night spot that had 650 patrons. How's that for  an infection rate? Could be a game changer.

200 cases is a lot of cases! How many of those are truly sick?  The Qld Govt has opened the Border because they had to - but deep down inside they are committed to zero Covid.

[SinbadThePorter]

24 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

In reality it's probably both.

 

At the moment it's the Feds. Any state reluctance for a cruise opening is hypothetical while the Feds are banning it.

 

The first step in opening up cruising is for the Federal government to get out of the way first.

[bazzaw]

1 hour ago, SinbadThePorter said:

 

It's the Federal government that is preventing cruising, not any of the state governments.

Legally , yes - but they know that they need the State Govts onboard before they can do anything.  

 

1 hour ago, SinbadThePorter said:

 

It's the Federal government that is preventing cruising, not any of the state governments.

 

[SinbadThePorter]

10 minutes ago, bazzaw said:

The Qld Govt has opened the Border because they had to - but deep down inside they are committed to zero Covid.

 

They were committed to zero covid until 80% vaxxed. Given the death rate in NSW and Vic, it probably saved hundreds of lives. Plus we in Qld (and WA, SA, Tas, NT) got to live lives not under draconian lockdowns such as Sydney and Melbourne were forced to endure.

 

The Feds do not need the states on board to remove the Federal ban on cruising. If they did remove the ban, the NSW and Qld govts have already said they will allow local cruises in some form or another.

Edited December 14, 2021 by SinbadThePorter

[bazzaw]

Qld Govt have now backed down from their kneejerk reaction!! I said to my wife last week that I would place money on the Qld Govt losing their nerve in the first few days of the opening. 

[Bubbeh]

Just out of interest, how are things managed in States where restrictions on the unvaccinated exist?  I'm thinking in terms of pubs / cafes / restaurants / gyms / hairdressers etc.  Does each individual business have a designated person at the door checking all wanting to enter have a confirmation of vax document on their phones or whatever?  Also, who monitors mask wearing in public places?  

 

As you probably know, we're opening up in early February and I'm intrigued to know how the situation will be managed.  I was at Aldi the other day and while I was Q Coding in, my husband counted 13 people who walked passed me and didn't register at all.  Obviously, there's an awful lot of people over here in the West who will seriously need to make a huge paradigm shift in February.

[NSWP]

Down here at Batemans Bay, the big clubs, Club Catalina and Batemans Bay Soldiers Club have lifted mask restrictions and also are allowing unvacc people in as per State Health policy.  QR check in still required.  Standby for the thousands of tourists coming into town !!    I am not sure clubs have the right to insist on masks and vaccinations when the NSW Health order states restrictions are off.

[NSWP]

On 12/11/2021 at 4:09 PM, mr walker said:

I’m thinking it may be an ‘industry’ approach thru Clubs NSW. I have emails now from 2 Leagues Clubs, 1 RSL & 1 Golf Club all with same policy. Works for me

Not an industry/Clubs NSW approach Neil, clubs down here have ditched mask and vaccination requirement. QR check in only.