Right? This is what you want, then this is what you get. Stfu and take your lumps - we’re all trying to get through this as best we can but not all community groups have a chamber of commerce and PR support.
Don’t get me wrong - I can imagine it’s bloody frustrating for small business owners at the moment.
But there’s also some ratbags in amongst there (looking at those who took the jobkeeper payments, didn’t pay rent and still made a tidy profit) too.
The governments decision to pursue individuals who unfairly claimed COVID-19 related benefits but not corporations also reduces the integrity and trust in the business groups, and that was before the current “we opened up and now this happened so give us money” lobbying.
>The governments decision to pursue individuals who unfairly claimed COVID-19 related benefits
Look, I've been working solidly since I graduated highschool. I pay my taxes, I call the little number in public toilets when they're manky and need a clean, I've upskilled during COVID into a higher paying job.
You know what I couldn't give less of a fuck about? Some western suburbs bogan with more kids than they can count, barely above the poverty line, lying to Centrelink to get an extra $750 one time payment. I don't even care if 10,000 of them do it. Because that is still less money than the $444mil that the LNP gave their mates under the guise of "saving the great barrier reef".
Fuck the LNP and their bullshit.
Its sad because alot of companies had the highest profits in years due to the pandemic, its the small to medium businesses that are going to continue to suffer the most and completely disappear. JobKeeper was another pathetic example of free money to companies that were already making bank.
But is that that typical greed and greedy people gone mad, they want all the money or as much of it as they can get. Then they lobby governments to be mean spirited tight asses, then they suddenly realise "oh these people spend all their money in our businesses". Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face then shoot yourself in the foot.
If people can remember Keatings recession, it largely affected business but most ordinary people did OK and kept spending because social services was not so onerous and ideological driven. But I suppose this government wants Australia to become like South Africa, Brazil and parts of the USA where poverty is a curse for life and where you have no go ghettos because of poverty!
We had 2 years of "well actually our economy in lockdown isn't worse off than economies that struggling with mass outbreaks".
Businesses have got no excuse for being this stupid.
They ran the "Swedish Solution" into the ground early on, said it was the gold standard and an inspiration for the world. Then they abandoned it when they saw Sweden was no better off financially than its neighbours.
Now they want to pretend like that revelation never happened. Suddenly we're supposed to act surprised that everything we learned over the past 2 years is still relevant today.
But really it would be nice of the peasants all boycott the businesses that made massive profits and got a massive handout. That would be karma payback. Listening Gerry?
All joking aside, I do feeling fucking awful for small business owners who depend on foot traffic for a living. COVID has been awful for everyone. But it’s pretty clear to me that a controlled opening would have been far less destructive to the economy than “let it rip” has turned out to be.
Emphatically agree. The Tasmanian 'opening up' has been a fucking disaster for small businesses. The majority opposed it, but big donors are the only stakeholders the Coalition give a fuck about.
(Especially annoying because interstate travel was occurring prior to 'opening up'. Fucking political dishonesty)
Friendly reminder that while we office workers and other non-essential fields are self imposing lockdowns on ourselves that there are just as many people if not more who now don’t have a choice. Remember to thank them when you’re in any of those places.
Yes thank you. I wish I could self impose a lockdown. I'm 8 month pregnant, 3 weeks until I start my mat leave. my partner and I are both essential workers and our toddler is in daycare at a facility 1 day a week and with her Nana the other 2 days. I literally feel like I'm playing a sadistic game of dodgeball trying to avoid covid from all directions. I'm not necessarily afraid of the illness itself, not looking forward to it but afraid that getting it could impact the ability of my partner to be at our 2nd and last child's birth. I never thought I'd have to have 2 or 3 back up birth partners. I wish we could all work from home for the next 7 weeks but it's just not a possibility for us.
Having just been through a NSW hotspot, and seeing the total disregard for basically ALL common sense covid health practises, i can understand why many people are simply staying home. Byron bay was full of no mask, no distancing, no brained people. And that's with many shops shut due to staff shortages, directly caused by covid.
Just up the road at Mullumbimby, the streets were still well populated, but with so many businesses closed due to sick staff, not as pressing nor as bad at distancing. The businesses in Mullumbimby were also much tighter on enforcing regulations.
In these high population holiday spots, the local campgrounds and caravan parks were less than 1/4 full, nowhere near capacity, so it's clear people aren't willing to take the risk.
What really irked me was the anti vaxxer/masks people who arrogantly strode around the towns and shops. Their arrogance and "ready for a fight" attitude really shits me. One was asked to put a mask on, and she responded with, "it's my right as a sovereign citizen " bullshit.
The region is populated by self entitled smooth brained clowns. The Lismore ICU is full of anti-vaxxers. A few days ago the nurse in charge of the covid wards was attacked by an anti-vaxxer, her mask was pulled down and she was spat on in the face.
One case in there is a Mullum resident, an anti-vaxxer, anti-masker, anti-lockdown, anti-5g covid denier who regularly appeared at protests with a megaphone. She's been fighting for her life since before Christmas, a tarot reader and so-called Reiki Master. Meanwhile her friends have been holding chanting circles and sending healing love and light. They should do something useful, like make a sandwich or something. FFS.
So why do these antivaxxers go to the hospital for treatment? If they put their money where their mouths are, they should opt out of going to hospital at all, since they don't believe in the science. Or at least they should be charged surcharge, given they're tying up preqcious resources during a pandemic that could've been easily avoided, just like how I have to pay the Medicare levy if I don't have private health insurance.
I'd happily watch a TV reality show where nurses get to close the door in the face of anti-vaxers asking for a hospital bed.
Channel 7, if you're listening? I even promise to sit through all your gambling ads during the commercial breaks.
I read a comment from a Doctor about air hunger.
At some point you just are not getting enough oxygen regardless of how much volume goes in and out of your lungs, imagine waterboarding without the water. Your body is now starving for oxygen and every primal trigger is flipped.
No matter your principles you will get yourself to the hospital.
It sounded horrific.
I couldn't find the original comment, but this gives you the idea:
https://www.reddit.com/r/CoronavirusUS/comments/rw61sz/heres\_an\_icu\_story\_that\_happened\_a\_few\_months\_ago/
Whew, that was a horrific read. New challenge to anti-vaxxers, get a DNR-CCA tattoo if they truly believe their alternative views, otherwise they're just selfish cowards and wanting to have it both ways.
I have relatives that moved down that way to escape Queenslands “tyranny”. They are venomous in their anti-vaxx vitriol to the point that they are one step away from being charged with “Use Carriage Service to Harass or Menace“. They are actively harassing people for getting their 5 year old kids vaccinated. I hate to say it because they are family but I would probably enjoy the schadenfreude if they won themselves a Herman Cain award.
I don't see why someone doesn't start a "I am antifax and pledge not to clog up..." website and when (voluntary) antivaxxers start talking just ask if they'll go sign it publically.
I know it wouldn't be enforceable and of course they'll change their minds but maybe making the hypocrisy (and selfishness) a bit more public might change someone's mind
I've got family over in WA that think the whole Covid thing is bullshit because it hasn't reached WA yet and hasn't really affected them personally yet.
I knew someone in NSW that was convinced it was a worldwide hoax because he didn't personally know anyone that had caught it by November.
He also acted like it was a hoax.
He's had to walk back from that stance recently.
I was being as careful as possible during my time there, but some of the behaviour was simply atrocious. A mask free woman at Woolies was very obviously touching and wiping her hands on pretty much everything. My son told her to be respectful and she spat on the ground. The manager was called but she was allowed to finish her shopping, laughing as she left. That was just one example, there were plenty more.
Byron is a cesspit right now, reports of tourists up from Sydney testing positive and still going about on their holiday with no regard for anyone but themselves. A group of five left positive RAT's in their AirBNB and they were out everyday.
No wonder cases have exploded there, the local hospital is at breaking point and Lismore Base is not much better.
It’s not fucking fair, I’m vaccinated, have only been to the doctor and the bottle shop in the last couple weeks, and I’m so fucking sick right now. Wouldn’t it be a laugh if my covid was the able to walk around and go out covid, nope. These fucking assholes make me so fucking angry.
>She's been fighting for her life since before Christmas, a tarot reader and so-called Reiki Master. Meanwhile her friends have been holding chanting circles and sending healing love and light. They should do something useful, like make a sandwich or something. FFS.
I mean, go easy on her friends - healing crystals are in short supply and Pete Evans hasn't returned calls for a loan of his $16K healing light machine.
I can't remember a Mullumbimby ad but had to endure the Abracadabra in Bangalow, West of Byron Bay jingle
Loved Uncle Tom's but got lazy once bypassed...
Bangalow people thought their town would die once bypassed but it never did. My son and I loved the billy cart derby down the main street, also the bakery in the main street. I have a lot of wonderful memories of growing up in Mullum.
Why do people act like being a sovereign citizen is going to be better? The closest thing to sovereign citizens in Australia, irl, were the Indigenous Peoples living here who by definition weren't part of the British colony / new country, but lived on the same land; the British/Australia hardly treated them well and certainly didn't just let them do whatever they wanted. Why would we be nice to soveriegn citizens now, when it's just one talkative arsehole trying to spread illness?
They just watch American content and think 'sovereign citizens' are a real thing. They forget that the US fought a war of Independence, while Australia had to be cut off from the UK like a child who won't move out of home.
But even in the US they're not a thing, legally, plus why would they bring up UK law to support it if it's just US influence, cos they're always saying it's magna carta or habeus corpus or something else Latin linked to UK law just to sound smart
>Byron bay was full of no mask, no distancing, no brained people.
Can confirm. Was in northern rivers mid December and hardly anyone was wearing a mask. You could see it coming a mile off.
The difference between Victorian businesses and those in NSW was stark. I did a 4 thousand round trip to move my son, so i witnessed the difference first hand. I made sure i checked in at ALL places i entered. In Victoria something like maybe three people entering fuel stops didn't check in. In NSW almost zero were scanning in, and checking into places with "fill in your details" had about two or three signatures, while there were probably 50 people in store.
Using my trip as a guide, i would say the covid numbers in NSW are vastly more under reported than Victoria.
To be fair, checking in is more or less useless at this point.
They've stopped contact tracing, they're not announcing exposure sites. What is your check-in data going to do for anyone?
I've recently done the NSW -> VIC trip (just as Omicron was breaking out) and I saw the same.
NSW's check in/check out app was still vastly superior to VIC's though, so they got that going for them.
No one i saw used ANY check in app that i witnessed. I watched a few scribble unreadable shit on paper, and unintelligible phone numbers. At one establishment the locals were bagging all who walked past in masks. It was pathetic.
> "ready for a fight" attitude
Wow YES! Why are so many just looking to pick a fight?
I see a few non-masked losers in places where they're supposed to be wearing one, just glaring at everybody who has a mask on ready to fight if somebody tells them to put one on. Just ready to rumble with some pre-prepared bullshit.
Also we've had 2 years to learn how to properly wear a mask there's no excuse for noses being out and masks on chins.
All I can think of now is that if you're going to be a dipshit and not vaxx and not mask up then enjoy ICU. I've heard they have literal human rotisseries to rotate patients every so often (because they need to for lung fluids). What a horrible way to go. Who the fuck wants that?! Also it's so shit that they're cool with just killing other people with sickness. Selfish pricks.
>noses being out and masks on chins.
I recently saw a mask stretched so that it was below their throat and partially around their neck. Like, someone actively made the decision to put strain on their ears to have it as far away from their mouth as possible.
This is why this isn't going away anytime soon. We're going to be living with Covid outbreaks for some time to come.
Was in Airlie Beach over the new year, was fully expecting maskless bozos to be everywhere. Was quite surprised to see everyone wearing masks indoors, happily showing vaccination status to any shop that asked, and a good 60-70 percent of people were wearing them out on the street too.
Pretty good considering it was 30+ degrees and humid as.
But yeah, businesses were taking a hammering, really short staffed due to iso.
Its so frustrating: in Brisbane most are really good. Go south to the Gold Coast, and it's like a different universe. No masks, no one checks in, no one socially distances. Its a mess.
I know exactly three people who live up in Mullumbimby. All three of them are Sydney transplants who are unvaxxed, and all three have caught covid in the past month. Fucking idiots.
Not surprised at all that people aren't going out. I went out on Saturday night and literally heard some people on the street talk about how they had covid. My mate and the people walking in front of me were all appalled that people would go to bars or wherever knowing that they were covid positive.
Well that's the thing. This pandemic has shown that there are selfish pricks everywhere and nothing is really gonna stop someone who is covid-positive from going to the shops and coughing on the bananas or something.
Honestly after the past two years I’ve lost all faith in human decency it’s officially dead for the most part I’ve never in my 40 plus years on this planet have I witnessed such self indulgent and selfish behaviour on the part of consumers and business leaders some small businesses but also big business that took millions of taxpayers dollars and cried poor to customers openly admitting They don’t care about anyone else they just want their convenience and screw anyone else who might be struggling more than they are I’m moving to the middle of nowhere and going to get a dog
So many people are out and about with Covid, so many people I personally know who have had it are still feeling effects weeks or months later, so many elderly folks are dying despite being fully vaccinated because omicron doesn't seem to care much about your vaccine - Ya god damn right I'm staying home I don't wanna lose my sense of taste and smell, become even more lethargic or kill grandma.
I am out of isolation today after having caught COVID and as much as it has sucked being stuck indoors for the last week, and as much as the rules say I am free to go wherever I want now, I will be staying home so I don’t infect anyone else
Thank you 🙏, if only all people had your sense of personal responsibility, this pandemic has taught me that you give people an inch they'll take a mile with no critical thinking
In Sydney for a quick holiday for things that were largely cancelled last year. The amount of people not wearing masks or wearing them incorrectly is just staggering. Canberrans are much more compliant when I’m at home
They want their freedom to, but I want my freedom from. Not all freedoms are equal and their individualistic freedoms hurt the collective freedoms. But of course they're too feeble minded to grasp that concept, or they just don't care.
I want freedom to get a gun for target shooting.
But I can’t because there’s people out there that want to hurt people on purpose or people getting hurt by accident.
So society must always pander to the lowest denominator.
So people being safe trumps my want of a weapon for the needs of public safety and keeping people safe from concealable or rapid fire firearms.
And i am absolutely perfectly fine with it 👍.
That is the cost of living in a community. You are still benefitting vastly from cooperation with others in terms of almost everything from health services to libraries, to a food stall.
Absolutely right.
Though what really grinds my gears are the people who complain about masks but cover their mouths when they sneeze.
Boggles the mind 🤦♂️.
"Freedom to" vs. "freedom from" is such an elegantly simple way of putting it. I have one or two libertarian friends that will probably still ignore me even if I put it that way, though.
Fun fact: recent stats indicate that 10% of people who catch covid are still infectious after 10 days. Now think on the fact that we only make people isolate for 7 days after they test positive.
I am going out tomorrow night but will be masked and gloved while I serve beer at people who I'll insist are similarly masked.
I got crook last Wednesday, felt better by Sunday. And I'm lucky in that.
Generally you're not able to transmit it really after 7 days of a positive test, although there are always edge cases.
Good on you for doing the right thing.
"Dictator Dan still forcing residents to stay home despite federal government lifting restrictions" possible headline
Reminds everyone he's a dictator and that the other party lifted the restrictions. Forcing not included anywhere in article because misleading headlines are better for people who don't read the article
I know you're joking, but I had someone today tell me that they government has scared people so much, and that is why people are clogging up the healthcare system, because they have mild symptoms but have been scared into believing that they're dying.
Living not far from Byron Bay, it's way to peopley and Covidey out there so staying the fuck at home. Too many fuckwits not wearing masks or even attempting to do the right thing.
two years of muppets taking to the streets protesting against lockdowns because "We have to live with the virus"
Well, this is what living with looks like. Funny I can't see them out enjoying the Freedumb?
Local shop in Brisbane area says that this month has been worse than any lockdown - and they’re providing ‘shop with a video call’ and ‘we’ll bring it to your car boot’ services.
[https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-18/victorian-hospitals-brace-for-code-brown-as-covid-surges/100763674](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-18/victorian-hospitals-brace-for-code-brown-as-covid-surges/100763674)
'Code Brown' for hospitals - effectively they're so overrun they use this to allow better preparedness and response to emergency situations, such as redeploy staff, halt elective surgery, etc.
The pants bit is from Deadpool.
Like seriously, why? These anti-vaxxers don't value their lives, so why the fuck are we supposed to sacrifice our healthcare for them!? Fuck em, fuck em all to hell!
It's not just anti-vaxxers clogging up the hospital system (but yes, fuck them!). I believe a lot of it is due to a 'perfect storm' situation of even vaccinated people getting COVID, hospital staff getting COVID (even having to stay at home while infectious) or having to isolate due to being a primary contact, etc.
It's 'everything' \*waves hands in the air\* combined causing the problems.
I'd also thrown in burn out; this far into the pandemic, many many nurses are burnt out and have either quit, or on leave.
So you've got chronic staff shortages with peak demand.
I'm not following this super closely, that's just my casual observations.
But anti-vaxxers are making the huge majority of the people in ICU and that's what really counts here. If you've ever been to r/HermanCainAward you can see just how mentally damaging it is for nurses and doctors to deal with anti-vaxx patients.
People who are vaccinated and still get sick deserve help 100%, they did nothing wrong. But these anti-vaxxers are causing mental damage to our healthcare workers and we need to stop treating hospital staff like they can just go on forever.
We have to change gears here or else there won't be a healthcare system. So stop trying to help anti-vaxxers, they have chosen freedumb over life. From now on, the focus should be on preserving and protecting our medical system so that we will still have one on the other side of the pandemic.
Even if getting Covid is "like the flu" as the anti-lockdown crowd suggest people still don't want the flu. It's a miserable existence for a few weeks and giving it to friends, co-workers and loved ones makes you immensely unpopular. It's no wonder people are staying at home.
The thing is people who suggest Covid is like the flu, don't know what the flu is like. Most people don't. The flu kills.
Most people falsely attribute a cold they had as being the flu. Which is how people get the idea the flu isn't that bad. That cold is what they're comparing to covid. And even Omicron is "milder" not mild.
I think it's great people are actually being responsible. I see less cars on the road, my elderly clients & their families are choosing not to go out much at all. Even though it's school holidays the traffic here is what it was during the past lockdown. Honestly it's great for me because I can get around quicker. I'm also choosing not to go to social events and sure that means I miss out but I'm going to continue doing my best to keep my clients safe. Works given us a 4 week supply of Rapid tests to test the 1st day then the 3rd day. Even though we have altered services so we aren't in the homes for as long and some clients are starting to cancel during this time. We are all just trying to do what we can to limit contact and keep everyone safe. Would be good for people to test themselves before going to a social gathering but unfortunately the tests aren't freely available 🙄
It makes perfect sense to modify your lifestyle to reduce your risk and, for people that can, that means staying at home. You have to be pretty dumb, or a LNP hardliner, to be gaslighted by Scummo into thinking omicron is trivial. *It is not.*
Most of us understand that re-opening was *politics*, not public health. And letting it rip was just plain dangerous. For the people that can't work from home, I feel for them; they are getting f\*cked over.
The most fair and balanced expression of that is in [this article in the Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/16/no-intention-of-getting-infected-understanding-omicrons-severity).
>to be gaslighted by Scummo into thinking omicron is trivial.
>
>It is not.
[The data supports this.](https://covidlive.com.au/report/daily-deaths/aus)
The week leading up to 2022, we were in the single digits of deaths Australia-wide (there were 0 in the whole country on the 20th of December) - we're now seeing mid double digits daily (yesterday was 77).
Wise old Scomo said the other day something along the lines of "Well when you have more cases, you'll invariably have more deaths" as a way of justifying the higher numbers.
Would rather not have had higher case numbers in the first place, but that decision is not up to me.
No idea, but it does seem like the bulk of deaths are happening in a 3 week period after cases rise, so I suspect we'd see a similar lag in deaths once we've passed peak caseload.
It's all a bit shit really.
Mrs works in state government in Big Willy, they've been told to work from home. It's not like this is a sudden new thing, they've been doing it on and off for two years now. Anyone who can work from home and still be fairly efficient is most likely doing it.
It's been shocking to see how many people are staying home. Not sure whether people are actually locking themselves down or it's just because everybody is actually sick, but I've been going to the gym at peak hour every day after work and there is nobody there. Usually I'd avoid the gym completely after work, because during normal times you'd struggle to get on any machine or grab a piece of equipment from 6-8pm.
People aren't confident this is being handled.
Not just in Victoria but all over the country (except for WA at the moment).
It's not rocket science. We just need consistency and measures that work to be in place long term. We wouldn't need lockdowns and backflipping between measures.
All of the Chambers of Commerce and Business Councils of Australia can fuck off and reap what they sowed.
In terms of area stuff: North Brisbane reporting in. Most people are masking up, but the politician-driven runs on brand names like Panadol have been fucking ridiculous. Next door at the chemist the generic paracetamol options were fully stocked.
The local Coles and Woolies had completely cleared out meat sections, yet mere steps outside the door the butcher with better quality gear in the first place was fully stocked.
Just smooth brains everywhere tbh
I am not staying at home, but I am just not choosing to go to busy places.
I have been enjoying golf, cycling. Getting out of the city. I have seen enough of my walls already. There is a middle ground between 'self imposed lockdown' and going to CBD's
Sydney resident here that just spent a week staying in the CBD. Can confirm that foot traffic is heavily down universally, restaurants that are ordinarily booked out weeks in advance had many free tables, and many restaurants and venues are impacted by staff shortages.
For me personally, I want to be extra careful at least until I get my booster. But I have to go to work 4 days a week in a place that's impractical to wear a mask. I wish I got the choice to stay home, at least until I get my booster
I sort of wonder, maybe the elephant in the room is whether people actually *want* to go and sit in traffic, commute for hours of a day to get to and from work?
I know there isn't any data, because I'm quite certain that there isn't actually any data, but I think that WFH is very popular and probably a much larger liberation for a lot of people than government would like to admit.
Sucks to have relied on business models which benefitted from people being corralled into the CBD.
Hobart is like this too ever since Tasmania's borders opened to interstate visitors, regardless of their COVID status. You'll only see tourists around in the city and they're ignorant as fuck when it comes to their understanding of the damage they've brought with them.
My company completely disagree with working from home. They are not approving anyones WFH request, no matter how dire the employee's situation is.
We have the capability for all of us to work from home but they believe in Butts in seats and think WFH is a holiday.
If you are a close contact but no symptoms you have to still come into work.
I dont understand it, they preach importance that the business keeps turning but the only thing that would stop that is if covid ran through the office and 60% of the people had to isolate, i bet then they will be begging us to work from home.
Shame that it's hard to convince Management and setup systems that can work. I am IT support in finance and although some Management where reluctant at the start have now openly agreed with a mix of wfh now and downsized floorspace for cost savings accordingly - the numbers and results prove its worked for us Australia wide but some regions like Tas are still pro-office. Melbourne remains empty and no plans to go in. Some companies can be flexible. Good luck.
Your employer is insane. I know of other companies that have similar views on WFH, but voluntarily caved in when they realised with the case numbers last month they would be dealing with another workplace outbreak every few days if they didn't just send everyone home
I have been going to the movies but I feel pretty safe about going. I saw Ghostbusters the other night and there was only 4 people total in the cinema and the other couple was rows behind us.
I’ve been going to Reading over Hoyts and they’re a lot quieter
I live on Phillip Island, it seems like everyone around me is getting COVID, so I've opted to just stay at home. I'm studying from home so I don't have much reason to go out anyway. I haven't been into Cowes since last year 😅
Wow it's almost like public health and the economy aren't mutually exclusive. Good thing we couldn't possible have learned that from watching the many countries who tried to keep it open, right?
I'd tell you what it's like up here in Cairns - but I don't know because I've barely left home in weeks.
Woolies a bit busy, but I'm pretty sure that's just because everyone has to go to Woolies and Coles and IGA and the Night Owl but still won't be able to find all the stuff on their shopping list.
I did return to work in the city yesterday... but I haven't seen much other than the car park and the office (which is down to half staff). Also I'm two blocks from the biggest hospital in the region, and those guys are busier than they've ever been.
Brought my own lunch and enough home made coffee to keep me going all day. As much as I sympathise with my favourite places to take a break from work, it's just not worth the risk.
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*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
To be honest in Sydney I have been out and about and cafes and restaurants are still serving people. Still had to line up for a restaurant Saturday night. The cafe the other day had a constant stream of people. Sydney CBD isn't completely dead but it's not super busy really depends on the place.
Adelaidean here. I've been laying low, WFH full time, having groceries delivered when I can, generally only doing outdoor activities (cycling, etc). I haven't had my booster vax yet, so that's what's keeping me especially cautious, but generally I don't feel like having a lot of contact with the public.
A lot of people I know are also doing the same. But then again, others have gone back to pretty normal life (dining at cafes, spending time in shopping centres, etc), so I guess is kind of half/half here.
Gold coast here, at stores people are wearing masks but not in the city at all and there's way too many people from out of state. 1 in 4 rego plates are from out of state and people gathering around hotels and entertainment not wearing masks.
Gee they are surprised that people are staging their own lockdown... I wonder if the message that "staying at home keeps you safe" actually sunk in so now when there is a surge in infections people are following it again, even without government control...
Like they are *taking personal responsibility*...
How completely shocking.
Three things:
1) The article seems to discuss CBD mostly, yet tries to infer that this is happening across Victoria.
2) It’s school holidays, so possible people are taking this opportunity to spend time together away from the chaos that CBD and major retail setting offer.
3) It suggest then Omicron might be partially due to this. It has mostly to do with this. Whether isolating or not wanting to isolate, people are utilising this school holiday time focusing on the things they missed out out; family time.
Lets see what happens in February.
But its not just Melbourne,
>Google’s COVID-19 community mobility report for the week ended 8 January found that visits to retailers (excluding food shops and pharmacies) and cafes was down 26% compared to the baseline in NSW and Victoria.
> https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/data-shows-australians-have-reduced-movement-but-not-to-lockdown-levels/news-story/9377d205e4ee778c901f301449bfd581
>ANZ Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence dropped 7.6% last week, to its lowest reading since October, as Omicron case numbers surge. #ausecon @DavidPlank12
@RoyMorganAus
>https://twitter.com/ANZ_Research/status/1483204999819710464?cxt=HHwWgMCy9djFs5UpAAAA
Everyone is acting like its a lock down, scotty fucked up big.
This is true. My youngest works at Chadstone and the place is dead most days. Those that do go there go there for a specific reason, get what they want and go home. No browsing, no window shopping or wandering around - just in, get stuff, leave.
Its like that everywhere to go down here.
Firstly, I do agree that the uncertainty is driving a spending crash both in person and online which just Melbourne in person retail wouldn't cover of course.
However, consumer confidence being down in Melbourne could essentially cover the entire state. Melbourne has 5.31mil people with 6.64mil in the state. Even if spending were up regionally due to tourism over school holidays, if it's down enough in Melbourne itself that could still show a statewide drop just on the ratio.
That said, again, right now the stress of RATs, covid, business uncertainty and logistical issues (regional areas will be hit hard by those given how many sorting hubs are in the capital cities), this current consumer confidence decline is hitting everyone
I know I sure as hell can’t afford to spend after being locked down all that time in Melbourne with no work and not qualifying for assistance, depleting my savings *and* being told I’m going to get sick, and not getting sick leave as a casual.
Going to be a while before I feel I have the breathing space to spend on non essentials
Adelaide is exactly the same. Today is a beautiful sunny day, fairly warm. A good day for the beach, right? My gardener told me Glenelg was dead. No one around.
Watching business groups screaming about losing money and needing support after watching them screaming about opening up is quite something.
Right? This is what you want, then this is what you get. Stfu and take your lumps - we’re all trying to get through this as best we can but not all community groups have a chamber of commerce and PR support.
Ah, but what if I could have my cake and get a bailout too
Don’t get me wrong - I can imagine it’s bloody frustrating for small business owners at the moment. But there’s also some ratbags in amongst there (looking at those who took the jobkeeper payments, didn’t pay rent and still made a tidy profit) too. The governments decision to pursue individuals who unfairly claimed COVID-19 related benefits but not corporations also reduces the integrity and trust in the business groups, and that was before the current “we opened up and now this happened so give us money” lobbying.
>The governments decision to pursue individuals who unfairly claimed COVID-19 related benefits Look, I've been working solidly since I graduated highschool. I pay my taxes, I call the little number in public toilets when they're manky and need a clean, I've upskilled during COVID into a higher paying job. You know what I couldn't give less of a fuck about? Some western suburbs bogan with more kids than they can count, barely above the poverty line, lying to Centrelink to get an extra $750 one time payment. I don't even care if 10,000 of them do it. Because that is still less money than the $444mil that the LNP gave their mates under the guise of "saving the great barrier reef". Fuck the LNP and their bullshit.
Calm down Gerry, you've had enough already.
In the words of Mr Burns: _ahh, but I'd trade it all in... for a little bit more_
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1000%
I can tell how mad you are by how you're currently talking in 4/5ths meme! p.s. "second stimulus" - fkn classic
I can't wait for the msm to roll some small business owner out onto the telly for an opinion so I can point and laugh.
Every single time they bring up a cafe owner who can’t find people willing to work for less than they deserve, it feels like a warm hug.
And when they're making a profit - "how good is our service!? And top quality food too."
Its sad because alot of companies had the highest profits in years due to the pandemic, its the small to medium businesses that are going to continue to suffer the most and completely disappear. JobKeeper was another pathetic example of free money to companies that were already making bank.
Don’t forget they changed the definition of medium and small
I know, the same guys disgusted with socialism that provides better outcomes for the poor.
Poor ain't got money, none go shopping. Business groups be like - "Not Like That!!!"
But is that that typical greed and greedy people gone mad, they want all the money or as much of it as they can get. Then they lobby governments to be mean spirited tight asses, then they suddenly realise "oh these people spend all their money in our businesses". Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face then shoot yourself in the foot. If people can remember Keatings recession, it largely affected business but most ordinary people did OK and kept spending because social services was not so onerous and ideological driven. But I suppose this government wants Australia to become like South Africa, Brazil and parts of the USA where poverty is a curse for life and where you have no go ghettos because of poverty!
We had 2 years of "well actually our economy in lockdown isn't worse off than economies that struggling with mass outbreaks". Businesses have got no excuse for being this stupid. They ran the "Swedish Solution" into the ground early on, said it was the gold standard and an inspiration for the world. Then they abandoned it when they saw Sweden was no better off financially than its neighbours. Now they want to pretend like that revelation never happened. Suddenly we're supposed to act surprised that everything we learned over the past 2 years is still relevant today.
Someone I know still talks about it ... and is yet to bother to follow up on the outcome..
WHAT? THE PEASANTS WON'T COME OUT AND SPEND! CAN'T YOU MAKE IT ILLEGAL NOT TO SPEND MONEY?! MY THIRD INVESTMENT PROPERTY WON'T PAY FOR ITSELF! /s
But really it would be nice of the peasants all boycott the businesses that made massive profits and got a massive handout. That would be karma payback. Listening Gerry?
All joking aside, I do feeling fucking awful for small business owners who depend on foot traffic for a living. COVID has been awful for everyone. But it’s pretty clear to me that a controlled opening would have been far less destructive to the economy than “let it rip” has turned out to be.
Emphatically agree. The Tasmanian 'opening up' has been a fucking disaster for small businesses. The majority opposed it, but big donors are the only stakeholders the Coalition give a fuck about. (Especially annoying because interstate travel was occurring prior to 'opening up'. Fucking political dishonesty)
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Lest we forget most of these restaurants are cash only for takeaways(tax evasion) and are notorious for underpayment to their staff.
These things don't kill off people who only care about money. Those people just get bought out by people who are better at making money.
Friendly reminder that while we office workers and other non-essential fields are self imposing lockdowns on ourselves that there are just as many people if not more who now don’t have a choice. Remember to thank them when you’re in any of those places.
Thank you x
It's easy to forget sometimes. I'm at home almost all the time unless it's kids related or shopping.
Yes thank you. I wish I could self impose a lockdown. I'm 8 month pregnant, 3 weeks until I start my mat leave. my partner and I are both essential workers and our toddler is in daycare at a facility 1 day a week and with her Nana the other 2 days. I literally feel like I'm playing a sadistic game of dodgeball trying to avoid covid from all directions. I'm not necessarily afraid of the illness itself, not looking forward to it but afraid that getting it could impact the ability of my partner to be at our 2nd and last child's birth. I never thought I'd have to have 2 or 3 back up birth partners. I wish we could all work from home for the next 7 weeks but it's just not a possibility for us.
Having just been through a NSW hotspot, and seeing the total disregard for basically ALL common sense covid health practises, i can understand why many people are simply staying home. Byron bay was full of no mask, no distancing, no brained people. And that's with many shops shut due to staff shortages, directly caused by covid. Just up the road at Mullumbimby, the streets were still well populated, but with so many businesses closed due to sick staff, not as pressing nor as bad at distancing. The businesses in Mullumbimby were also much tighter on enforcing regulations. In these high population holiday spots, the local campgrounds and caravan parks were less than 1/4 full, nowhere near capacity, so it's clear people aren't willing to take the risk. What really irked me was the anti vaxxer/masks people who arrogantly strode around the towns and shops. Their arrogance and "ready for a fight" attitude really shits me. One was asked to put a mask on, and she responded with, "it's my right as a sovereign citizen " bullshit.
The region is populated by self entitled smooth brained clowns. The Lismore ICU is full of anti-vaxxers. A few days ago the nurse in charge of the covid wards was attacked by an anti-vaxxer, her mask was pulled down and she was spat on in the face. One case in there is a Mullum resident, an anti-vaxxer, anti-masker, anti-lockdown, anti-5g covid denier who regularly appeared at protests with a megaphone. She's been fighting for her life since before Christmas, a tarot reader and so-called Reiki Master. Meanwhile her friends have been holding chanting circles and sending healing love and light. They should do something useful, like make a sandwich or something. FFS.
So why do these antivaxxers go to the hospital for treatment? If they put their money where their mouths are, they should opt out of going to hospital at all, since they don't believe in the science. Or at least they should be charged surcharge, given they're tying up preqcious resources during a pandemic that could've been easily avoided, just like how I have to pay the Medicare levy if I don't have private health insurance.
That would require the ability to self-reflect.
I'd happily watch a TV reality show where nurses get to close the door in the face of anti-vaxers asking for a hospital bed. Channel 7, if you're listening? I even promise to sit through all your gambling ads during the commercial breaks.
Should start making f*ck off we're full stickers but instead of the silhouette of Australia we have a hospital instead.
I read a comment from a Doctor about air hunger. At some point you just are not getting enough oxygen regardless of how much volume goes in and out of your lungs, imagine waterboarding without the water. Your body is now starving for oxygen and every primal trigger is flipped. No matter your principles you will get yourself to the hospital. It sounded horrific. I couldn't find the original comment, but this gives you the idea: https://www.reddit.com/r/CoronavirusUS/comments/rw61sz/heres\_an\_icu\_story\_that\_happened\_a\_few\_months\_ago/
Whew, that was a horrific read. New challenge to anti-vaxxers, get a DNR-CCA tattoo if they truly believe their alternative views, otherwise they're just selfish cowards and wanting to have it both ways.
Couldn't agree more mate. It's infuriating.
It's interesting how they don't trust the vaccine, but will happily accept whatever treatment the doctor tells them they need once they get sick.
Questions what's in the vaccine whilst taking a drag on a ciggie and inking themselves with a home tattoo kit.
I have relatives that moved down that way to escape Queenslands “tyranny”. They are venomous in their anti-vaxx vitriol to the point that they are one step away from being charged with “Use Carriage Service to Harass or Menace“. They are actively harassing people for getting their 5 year old kids vaccinated. I hate to say it because they are family but I would probably enjoy the schadenfreude if they won themselves a Herman Cain award.
Good, please ask them to not clog up the hospital system if they ever get sick, tell them to put their money where their mouth is.
I don't see why someone doesn't start a "I am antifax and pledge not to clog up..." website and when (voluntary) antivaxxers start talking just ask if they'll go sign it publically. I know it wouldn't be enforceable and of course they'll change their minds but maybe making the hypocrisy (and selfishness) a bit more public might change someone's mind
I've got family over in WA that think the whole Covid thing is bullshit because it hasn't reached WA yet and hasn't really affected them personally yet.
I knew someone in NSW that was convinced it was a worldwide hoax because he didn't personally know anyone that had caught it by November. He also acted like it was a hoax. He's had to walk back from that stance recently.
Please, do go on…
Half the town caught the spicy cough being dickheads
WA is around 92% vaccinated so it's fairly safe to say they are in the minority.
I see this sort of thing on the local FB groups.
I was being as careful as possible during my time there, but some of the behaviour was simply atrocious. A mask free woman at Woolies was very obviously touching and wiping her hands on pretty much everything. My son told her to be respectful and she spat on the ground. The manager was called but she was allowed to finish her shopping, laughing as she left. That was just one example, there were plenty more.
I think enabling this behaviour is a big part of the problem too. Leniancy with these assholes needs to stop.
Byron is a cesspit right now, reports of tourists up from Sydney testing positive and still going about on their holiday with no regard for anyone but themselves. A group of five left positive RAT's in their AirBNB and they were out everyday. No wonder cases have exploded there, the local hospital is at breaking point and Lismore Base is not much better.
It’s not fucking fair, I’m vaccinated, have only been to the doctor and the bottle shop in the last couple weeks, and I’m so fucking sick right now. Wouldn’t it be a laugh if my covid was the able to walk around and go out covid, nope. These fucking assholes make me so fucking angry.
>She's been fighting for her life since before Christmas, a tarot reader and so-called Reiki Master. Meanwhile her friends have been holding chanting circles and sending healing love and light. They should do something useful, like make a sandwich or something. FFS. I mean, go easy on her friends - healing crystals are in short supply and Pete Evans hasn't returned calls for a loan of his $16K healing light machine.
You mention my home town. Famous for three things, known as the biggest little town in Australia, marijuana and being anti-vax.
Internet kudos if you can sing the jingle from the ad in the 80’s, and remember Uncle Toms Pies from the servo at the turnoff to Mullum.
I can't remember a Mullumbimby ad but had to endure the Abracadabra in Bangalow, West of Byron Bay jingle Loved Uncle Tom's but got lazy once bypassed...
The biggest bunch of baskets under the sun, come in and say G’day
Who could forget that ad.
Bangalow people thought their town would die once bypassed but it never did. My son and I loved the billy cart derby down the main street, also the bakery in the main street. I have a lot of wonderful memories of growing up in Mullum.
The markets in Bangalow were brilliant too but I haven't been there in the last couple of years. I'm in giant crustacean territory. 😉
Ballina? The faded prawn, but I think it got a paint job. Maybe I'm wrong too. I liked all the markets around. The Channon markets were great too.
I have a name for these kinds of people, 'Vegemite Yank'. They sound like Australians but ideologically and culturally, they are Americans full stop.
Hehe, I love it. Must remember this next time someone starts spruiking "Trump 2024".
Why do people act like being a sovereign citizen is going to be better? The closest thing to sovereign citizens in Australia, irl, were the Indigenous Peoples living here who by definition weren't part of the British colony / new country, but lived on the same land; the British/Australia hardly treated them well and certainly didn't just let them do whatever they wanted. Why would we be nice to soveriegn citizens now, when it's just one talkative arsehole trying to spread illness?
They just watch American content and think 'sovereign citizens' are a real thing. They forget that the US fought a war of Independence, while Australia had to be cut off from the UK like a child who won't move out of home.
But even in the US they're not a thing, legally, plus why would they bring up UK law to support it if it's just US influence, cos they're always saying it's magna carta or habeus corpus or something else Latin linked to UK law just to sound smart
>Byron bay was full of no mask, no distancing, no brained people. Can confirm. Was in northern rivers mid December and hardly anyone was wearing a mask. You could see it coming a mile off.
The difference between Victorian businesses and those in NSW was stark. I did a 4 thousand round trip to move my son, so i witnessed the difference first hand. I made sure i checked in at ALL places i entered. In Victoria something like maybe three people entering fuel stops didn't check in. In NSW almost zero were scanning in, and checking into places with "fill in your details" had about two or three signatures, while there were probably 50 people in store. Using my trip as a guide, i would say the covid numbers in NSW are vastly more under reported than Victoria.
To be fair, checking in is more or less useless at this point. They've stopped contact tracing, they're not announcing exposure sites. What is your check-in data going to do for anyone?
I've recently done the NSW -> VIC trip (just as Omicron was breaking out) and I saw the same. NSW's check in/check out app was still vastly superior to VIC's though, so they got that going for them.
No one i saw used ANY check in app that i witnessed. I watched a few scribble unreadable shit on paper, and unintelligible phone numbers. At one establishment the locals were bagging all who walked past in masks. It was pathetic.
> "ready for a fight" attitude Wow YES! Why are so many just looking to pick a fight? I see a few non-masked losers in places where they're supposed to be wearing one, just glaring at everybody who has a mask on ready to fight if somebody tells them to put one on. Just ready to rumble with some pre-prepared bullshit. Also we've had 2 years to learn how to properly wear a mask there's no excuse for noses being out and masks on chins. All I can think of now is that if you're going to be a dipshit and not vaxx and not mask up then enjoy ICU. I've heard they have literal human rotisseries to rotate patients every so often (because they need to for lung fluids). What a horrible way to go. Who the fuck wants that?! Also it's so shit that they're cool with just killing other people with sickness. Selfish pricks.
> I see a few non-masked losers Thank you for spelling it correctly.
>noses being out and masks on chins. I recently saw a mask stretched so that it was below their throat and partially around their neck. Like, someone actively made the decision to put strain on their ears to have it as far away from their mouth as possible. This is why this isn't going away anytime soon. We're going to be living with Covid outbreaks for some time to come.
>Byron bay Ah yes, the absolute centre of good decisions and practicallity . Crystals and all.
Byron was packed during the holiday break, started to get quiet from the 8th. Not many fucks given there these days from the usual suspects
Was in Airlie Beach over the new year, was fully expecting maskless bozos to be everywhere. Was quite surprised to see everyone wearing masks indoors, happily showing vaccination status to any shop that asked, and a good 60-70 percent of people were wearing them out on the street too. Pretty good considering it was 30+ degrees and humid as. But yeah, businesses were taking a hammering, really short staffed due to iso.
Its so frustrating: in Brisbane most are really good. Go south to the Gold Coast, and it's like a different universe. No masks, no one checks in, no one socially distances. Its a mess.
Deport her to America, she loves those crazies so much
I know exactly three people who live up in Mullumbimby. All three of them are Sydney transplants who are unvaxxed, and all three have caught covid in the past month. Fucking idiots.
Not surprised at all that people aren't going out. I went out on Saturday night and literally heard some people on the street talk about how they had covid. My mate and the people walking in front of me were all appalled that people would go to bars or wherever knowing that they were covid positive.
Well that's the thing. This pandemic has shown that there are selfish pricks everywhere and nothing is really gonna stop someone who is covid-positive from going to the shops and coughing on the bananas or something.
Honestly after the past two years I’ve lost all faith in human decency it’s officially dead for the most part I’ve never in my 40 plus years on this planet have I witnessed such self indulgent and selfish behaviour on the part of consumers and business leaders some small businesses but also big business that took millions of taxpayers dollars and cried poor to customers openly admitting They don’t care about anyone else they just want their convenience and screw anyone else who might be struggling more than they are I’m moving to the middle of nowhere and going to get a dog
So many people are out and about with Covid, so many people I personally know who have had it are still feeling effects weeks or months later, so many elderly folks are dying despite being fully vaccinated because omicron doesn't seem to care much about your vaccine - Ya god damn right I'm staying home I don't wanna lose my sense of taste and smell, become even more lethargic or kill grandma.
I am out of isolation today after having caught COVID and as much as it has sucked being stuck indoors for the last week, and as much as the rules say I am free to go wherever I want now, I will be staying home so I don’t infect anyone else
Thank you 🙏, if only all people had your sense of personal responsibility, this pandemic has taught me that you give people an inch they'll take a mile with no critical thinking
"Give them an inch, they'll take a foot and before you know it you won't have a leg to stand on" - IIRC Wellington in Black Addee
"Give him an inch and he thinks he's a ruler." *Maxwell Smart*
In Sydney for a quick holiday for things that were largely cancelled last year. The amount of people not wearing masks or wearing them incorrectly is just staggering. Canberrans are much more compliant when I’m at home
Canberrans are great, went there over Xmas and everyone was doing the right thing. Also 99%+ vaccination rates, can't do any better than that.
But ma freedumbs 🤦♂️
They want their freedom to, but I want my freedom from. Not all freedoms are equal and their individualistic freedoms hurt the collective freedoms. But of course they're too feeble minded to grasp that concept, or they just don't care.
I want freedom to get a gun for target shooting. But I can’t because there’s people out there that want to hurt people on purpose or people getting hurt by accident. So society must always pander to the lowest denominator. So people being safe trumps my want of a weapon for the needs of public safety and keeping people safe from concealable or rapid fire firearms. And i am absolutely perfectly fine with it 👍.
That is the cost of living in a community. You are still benefitting vastly from cooperation with others in terms of almost everything from health services to libraries, to a food stall.
Absolutely right. Though what really grinds my gears are the people who complain about masks but cover their mouths when they sneeze. Boggles the mind 🤦♂️.
The worst I've seen are the people that take their masks down to cough. Absolutely the worst kind of people I've seen.
Makes me think that our education system needs some rewiring.
"Freedom to" vs. "freedom from" is such an elegantly simple way of putting it. I have one or two libertarian friends that will probably still ignore me even if I put it that way, though.
Invented (or at least popularised) by Philosopher Isaiah Berlin in Two Concepts of Liberty: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two\_Concepts\_of\_Liberty
What until they learn about the concept of "negative" rights/freedoms, and "positive" rights/freedoms...
I think you're giving them too much credit for having the ability to learn. Some of them are the most brain dead uncritical thinking flogs I've met.
There's so many idiots who don't know the difference between freedom and entitlement.
Also demonstrates that it was a vocal minority that was bitching.
Fun fact: recent stats indicate that 10% of people who catch covid are still infectious after 10 days. Now think on the fact that we only make people isolate for 7 days after they test positive.
That was why the previous 14 day guidelines were in place...... Now it's 7 because.... Get back to work....
Do you know of that includes people who test negative? I’m worried if I got out after testing negative after sevens days I’ll infect people.
No, if you're negative it's different and presumably much lower. Sorry but I don't have numbers on that.
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I am going out tomorrow night but will be masked and gloved while I serve beer at people who I'll insist are similarly masked. I got crook last Wednesday, felt better by Sunday. And I'm lucky in that.
Generally you're not able to transmit it really after 7 days of a positive test, although there are always edge cases. Good on you for doing the right thing.
Watch news corpse somehow pin this on Dan Andrews.
Dan andrews has battered the population into submission. They're now afraid to leave their homes. /s ETA: sarcasm
"Dictator Dan still forcing residents to stay home despite federal government lifting restrictions" possible headline Reminds everyone he's a dictator and that the other party lifted the restrictions. Forcing not included anywhere in article because misleading headlines are better for people who don't read the article
No, we are scared about contracting covid.
That was a joke murdoch headline. Rip my karma
Just edit the comment and put it in quotes, you’ll go positive dw
Something something Stockholm Syndrome.
I know you're joking, but I had someone today tell me that they government has scared people so much, and that is why people are clogging up the healthcare system, because they have mild symptoms but have been scared into believing that they're dying.
"We want liberty" "No, not like that"
Living not far from Byron Bay, it's way to peopley and Covidey out there so staying the fuck at home. Too many fuckwits not wearing masks or even attempting to do the right thing.
two years of muppets taking to the streets protesting against lockdowns because "We have to live with the virus" Well, this is what living with looks like. Funny I can't see them out enjoying the Freedumb?
They still are. But they also got covid
Local shop in Brisbane area says that this month has been worse than any lockdown - and they’re providing ‘shop with a video call’ and ‘we’ll bring it to your car boot’ services.
That’s really clever. I’d support that.
Not only is my family concerned about getting COVID in and of itself, the 'code brown pants' that has now been enacted in Vic makes it even scarier.
Code brown pants?
[https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-18/victorian-hospitals-brace-for-code-brown-as-covid-surges/100763674](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-18/victorian-hospitals-brace-for-code-brown-as-covid-surges/100763674) 'Code Brown' for hospitals - effectively they're so overrun they use this to allow better preparedness and response to emergency situations, such as redeploy staff, halt elective surgery, etc. The pants bit is from Deadpool.
Like seriously, why? These anti-vaxxers don't value their lives, so why the fuck are we supposed to sacrifice our healthcare for them!? Fuck em, fuck em all to hell!
It's not just anti-vaxxers clogging up the hospital system (but yes, fuck them!). I believe a lot of it is due to a 'perfect storm' situation of even vaccinated people getting COVID, hospital staff getting COVID (even having to stay at home while infectious) or having to isolate due to being a primary contact, etc. It's 'everything' \*waves hands in the air\* combined causing the problems. I'd also thrown in burn out; this far into the pandemic, many many nurses are burnt out and have either quit, or on leave. So you've got chronic staff shortages with peak demand. I'm not following this super closely, that's just my casual observations.
But anti-vaxxers are making the huge majority of the people in ICU and that's what really counts here. If you've ever been to r/HermanCainAward you can see just how mentally damaging it is for nurses and doctors to deal with anti-vaxx patients. People who are vaccinated and still get sick deserve help 100%, they did nothing wrong. But these anti-vaxxers are causing mental damage to our healthcare workers and we need to stop treating hospital staff like they can just go on forever. We have to change gears here or else there won't be a healthcare system. So stop trying to help anti-vaxxers, they have chosen freedumb over life. From now on, the focus should be on preserving and protecting our medical system so that we will still have one on the other side of the pandemic.
Even if getting Covid is "like the flu" as the anti-lockdown crowd suggest people still don't want the flu. It's a miserable existence for a few weeks and giving it to friends, co-workers and loved ones makes you immensely unpopular. It's no wonder people are staying at home.
The thing is people who suggest Covid is like the flu, don't know what the flu is like. Most people don't. The flu kills. Most people falsely attribute a cold they had as being the flu. Which is how people get the idea the flu isn't that bad. That cold is what they're comparing to covid. And even Omicron is "milder" not mild.
I think it's great people are actually being responsible. I see less cars on the road, my elderly clients & their families are choosing not to go out much at all. Even though it's school holidays the traffic here is what it was during the past lockdown. Honestly it's great for me because I can get around quicker. I'm also choosing not to go to social events and sure that means I miss out but I'm going to continue doing my best to keep my clients safe. Works given us a 4 week supply of Rapid tests to test the 1st day then the 3rd day. Even though we have altered services so we aren't in the homes for as long and some clients are starting to cancel during this time. We are all just trying to do what we can to limit contact and keep everyone safe. Would be good for people to test themselves before going to a social gathering but unfortunately the tests aren't freely available 🙄
It makes perfect sense to modify your lifestyle to reduce your risk and, for people that can, that means staying at home. You have to be pretty dumb, or a LNP hardliner, to be gaslighted by Scummo into thinking omicron is trivial. *It is not.* Most of us understand that re-opening was *politics*, not public health. And letting it rip was just plain dangerous. For the people that can't work from home, I feel for them; they are getting f\*cked over. The most fair and balanced expression of that is in [this article in the Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/16/no-intention-of-getting-infected-understanding-omicrons-severity).
>to be gaslighted by Scummo into thinking omicron is trivial. > >It is not. [The data supports this.](https://covidlive.com.au/report/daily-deaths/aus) The week leading up to 2022, we were in the single digits of deaths Australia-wide (there were 0 in the whole country on the 20th of December) - we're now seeing mid double digits daily (yesterday was 77).
Wise old Scomo said the other day something along the lines of "Well when you have more cases, you'll invariably have more deaths" as a way of justifying the higher numbers. Would rather not have had higher case numbers in the first place, but that decision is not up to me.
Deaths still going up in the UK: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/uk/ How many weeks will they keep rising here?
No idea, but it does seem like the bulk of deaths are happening in a 3 week period after cases rise, so I suspect we'd see a similar lag in deaths once we've passed peak caseload. It's all a bit shit really.
Work in Brisbane. It's been the same. Train is mostly empty every morning.
Mrs works in state government in Big Willy, they've been told to work from home. It's not like this is a sudden new thing, they've been doing it on and off for two years now. Anyone who can work from home and still be fairly efficient is most likely doing it.
I'm just following Scumo's advice of personal responsibility
and Dom's.
It's been shocking to see how many people are staying home. Not sure whether people are actually locking themselves down or it's just because everybody is actually sick, but I've been going to the gym at peak hour every day after work and there is nobody there. Usually I'd avoid the gym completely after work, because during normal times you'd struggle to get on any machine or grab a piece of equipment from 6-8pm.
Dan didn’t put Victorians in this lockdown, Dom did.
"Naaaaahhhhh! iTs AwLL DaNs FaWLt!!!!"
I blame all the dickhead protestors and the blatant lack of mask wearing.
'How could Dom Andrews do this?!'
Almost like free rat would provide people security to know they don’t have covid and could go out safely.
So in Sydney streets more empty then during the lockups and this time also in suburbs
It has been raining almost every day for months now, with uncomfortable humidity. This may contribute to less people in parks, beaches and streets.
People aren't confident this is being handled. Not just in Victoria but all over the country (except for WA at the moment). It's not rocket science. We just need consistency and measures that work to be in place long term. We wouldn't need lockdowns and backflipping between measures.
All of the Chambers of Commerce and Business Councils of Australia can fuck off and reap what they sowed. In terms of area stuff: North Brisbane reporting in. Most people are masking up, but the politician-driven runs on brand names like Panadol have been fucking ridiculous. Next door at the chemist the generic paracetamol options were fully stocked. The local Coles and Woolies had completely cleared out meat sections, yet mere steps outside the door the butcher with better quality gear in the first place was fully stocked. Just smooth brains everywhere tbh
I am not staying at home, but I am just not choosing to go to busy places. I have been enjoying golf, cycling. Getting out of the city. I have seen enough of my walls already. There is a middle ground between 'self imposed lockdown' and going to CBD's
Sydney resident here in this category too.
Sydney resident here that just spent a week staying in the CBD. Can confirm that foot traffic is heavily down universally, restaurants that are ordinarily booked out weeks in advance had many free tables, and many restaurants and venues are impacted by staff shortages.
For me personally, I want to be extra careful at least until I get my booster. But I have to go to work 4 days a week in a place that's impractical to wear a mask. I wish I got the choice to stay home, at least until I get my booster
I'd love to go out but the sudden price hikes mean I have no disposable income to spend on going out
I'm choosing to stay at home because I can do most of my work there and I like to avoid people as a general rule.
Reap. Sow.
When you realise the government has failed in its plan…you make your own plan!
I sort of wonder, maybe the elephant in the room is whether people actually *want* to go and sit in traffic, commute for hours of a day to get to and from work? I know there isn't any data, because I'm quite certain that there isn't actually any data, but I think that WFH is very popular and probably a much larger liberation for a lot of people than government would like to admit. Sucks to have relied on business models which benefitted from people being corralled into the CBD.
Sounds prudent.
Hobart is like this too ever since Tasmania's borders opened to interstate visitors, regardless of their COVID status. You'll only see tourists around in the city and they're ignorant as fuck when it comes to their understanding of the damage they've brought with them.
Given Hobart/Tasmania hospital system *before covid* I would be doing everything in my power not to get sick and avoid trauma injuries
Our company (like many) are asking us not to come in - one close contact and they have to deep cleanse so they are avoiding it any way they can.
My company completely disagree with working from home. They are not approving anyones WFH request, no matter how dire the employee's situation is. We have the capability for all of us to work from home but they believe in Butts in seats and think WFH is a holiday. If you are a close contact but no symptoms you have to still come into work. I dont understand it, they preach importance that the business keeps turning but the only thing that would stop that is if covid ran through the office and 60% of the people had to isolate, i bet then they will be begging us to work from home.
Shame that it's hard to convince Management and setup systems that can work. I am IT support in finance and although some Management where reluctant at the start have now openly agreed with a mix of wfh now and downsized floorspace for cost savings accordingly - the numbers and results prove its worked for us Australia wide but some regions like Tas are still pro-office. Melbourne remains empty and no plans to go in. Some companies can be flexible. Good luck.
Your employer is insane. I know of other companies that have similar views on WFH, but voluntarily caved in when they realised with the case numbers last month they would be dealing with another workplace outbreak every few days if they didn't just send everyone home
I have been going to the movies but I feel pretty safe about going. I saw Ghostbusters the other night and there was only 4 people total in the cinema and the other couple was rows behind us. I’ve been going to Reading over Hoyts and they’re a lot quieter
I live on Phillip Island, it seems like everyone around me is getting COVID, so I've opted to just stay at home. I'm studying from home so I don't have much reason to go out anyway. I haven't been into Cowes since last year 😅
Wow it's almost like public health and the economy aren't mutually exclusive. Good thing we couldn't possible have learned that from watching the many countries who tried to keep it open, right?
Is this the same in other cities around the place or is it just unique to Melbourne?
I'd tell you what it's like up here in Cairns - but I don't know because I've barely left home in weeks. Woolies a bit busy, but I'm pretty sure that's just because everyone has to go to Woolies and Coles and IGA and the Night Owl but still won't be able to find all the stuff on their shopping list. I did return to work in the city yesterday... but I haven't seen much other than the car park and the office (which is down to half staff). Also I'm two blocks from the biggest hospital in the region, and those guys are busier than they've ever been. Brought my own lunch and enough home made coffee to keep me going all day. As much as I sympathise with my favourite places to take a break from work, it's just not worth the risk.
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To be honest in Sydney I have been out and about and cafes and restaurants are still serving people. Still had to line up for a restaurant Saturday night. The cafe the other day had a constant stream of people. Sydney CBD isn't completely dead but it's not super busy really depends on the place.
The good places will survive. The ones that relied on foot traffic probably won’t. Circle of life.
Adapt or die.
Adelaidean here. I've been laying low, WFH full time, having groceries delivered when I can, generally only doing outdoor activities (cycling, etc). I haven't had my booster vax yet, so that's what's keeping me especially cautious, but generally I don't feel like having a lot of contact with the public. A lot of people I know are also doing the same. But then again, others have gone back to pretty normal life (dining at cafes, spending time in shopping centres, etc), so I guess is kind of half/half here.
Bondi is basically normal from what I can tell.
Gold coast here, at stores people are wearing masks but not in the city at all and there's way too many people from out of state. 1 in 4 rego plates are from out of state and people gathering around hotels and entertainment not wearing masks.
Adelaide was super quiet but I haven’t been out for a week as currently have Covid
Shock Amaze Surpreeze huge /s
The amount of traffic says so otherwise
Gee they are surprised that people are staging their own lockdown... I wonder if the message that "staying at home keeps you safe" actually sunk in so now when there is a surge in infections people are following it again, even without government control... Like they are *taking personal responsibility*... How completely shocking.
Three things: 1) The article seems to discuss CBD mostly, yet tries to infer that this is happening across Victoria. 2) It’s school holidays, so possible people are taking this opportunity to spend time together away from the chaos that CBD and major retail setting offer. 3) It suggest then Omicron might be partially due to this. It has mostly to do with this. Whether isolating or not wanting to isolate, people are utilising this school holiday time focusing on the things they missed out out; family time. Lets see what happens in February.
But its not just Melbourne, >Google’s COVID-19 community mobility report for the week ended 8 January found that visits to retailers (excluding food shops and pharmacies) and cafes was down 26% compared to the baseline in NSW and Victoria. > https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/data-shows-australians-have-reduced-movement-but-not-to-lockdown-levels/news-story/9377d205e4ee778c901f301449bfd581 >ANZ Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence dropped 7.6% last week, to its lowest reading since October, as Omicron case numbers surge. #ausecon @DavidPlank12 @RoyMorganAus >https://twitter.com/ANZ_Research/status/1483204999819710464?cxt=HHwWgMCy9djFs5UpAAAA Everyone is acting like its a lock down, scotty fucked up big.
This is true. My youngest works at Chadstone and the place is dead most days. Those that do go there go there for a specific reason, get what they want and go home. No browsing, no window shopping or wandering around - just in, get stuff, leave. Its like that everywhere to go down here.
Firstly, I do agree that the uncertainty is driving a spending crash both in person and online which just Melbourne in person retail wouldn't cover of course. However, consumer confidence being down in Melbourne could essentially cover the entire state. Melbourne has 5.31mil people with 6.64mil in the state. Even if spending were up regionally due to tourism over school holidays, if it's down enough in Melbourne itself that could still show a statewide drop just on the ratio. That said, again, right now the stress of RATs, covid, business uncertainty and logistical issues (regional areas will be hit hard by those given how many sorting hubs are in the capital cities), this current consumer confidence decline is hitting everyone
I know I sure as hell can’t afford to spend after being locked down all that time in Melbourne with no work and not qualifying for assistance, depleting my savings *and* being told I’m going to get sick, and not getting sick leave as a casual. Going to be a while before I feel I have the breathing space to spend on non essentials
Almost everyone i know saved money over lockdown due to not going out and spending at restaurants and bars
If they had ongoing income, sure
Smart, Sydney people just went yolo and everything is busy again which worries me.
Very wise
Adelaide is exactly the same. Today is a beautiful sunny day, fairly warm. A good day for the beach, right? My gardener told me Glenelg was dead. No one around.