The campaigns for Queensland’s local government elections and Currumbin and Bundamaba state by-elections next Saturday are proceeding in the most trying of circumstances. My guides to the by-elections can be found on the sidebar; I’ll find something to say about the Brisbane City Council elections, which I have thus far neglected entirely, later this week. Updates:
• The Electoral Commission of Queensland relates that 560,000 postal vote applications have been received for the statewide local government elections, which compares with 260,680 postal votes cast at the previous elections in 2016. However, not all applications will result in completed votes being returned – the conversion rate in Queensland at last year’s federal election was 86.0%. There have also been more than 500,000 pre-poll votes, exceeding the 435,828 cast in 2016 with a week left to go. To those understandably reluctant to turn out on so-called polling day next Saturday, the commission has been expanding opening hours at pre-poll booths. All of which will make the results that come in on Saturday night particularly hard to follow.
• A ban has been imposed on the dissemination of how-to-vote cards and canvassing for votes at polling booths. Booth supervisors may allow the material to be displayed at the booths “in a manner deemed appropriate”.
Elsewhere:
• An international poll by Ipsos on attitudes to coronavirus finds 34% of Australians strongly agree, and 35% somewhat agree, with closing borders until the virus “is proved to be contained”, which is about average among the twelve nations surveyed. The survey has been conducted over four waves going back to early February, in which time the number of respondents identifying a very high or high threat to them personally has risen from around 10% to 23%. However, Australians recorded among the highest response in favour of the proposition that the media was exaggerating about the virus, which actually increased over the past fortnight from the high forties to 58%. A notable outlier in respect of all questions is Italy, where only 29% now say the media is exaggerating the threat, slumping from around 80%.
• Tasmanian Attorney-General Elise Archer announced this week that May 2 elections for the Legislative Council seats of Huon and Rosevears are “safe to proceed”, with “significant measures being put in place to maintain public safety”.
• A Roy Morgan SMS poll of 974 respondents asked whether respondents trusted or distrusted a list of current and former politicians that included Jacinda Ardern, but was apparently otherwise entirely Australian. All we are given at this stage is a top ten list of the best net performers, which is headed by Jacinda Ardern and otherwise notable for not including a single male conservative. However, this is all pretty useless without hard numbers, which will apparently be forthcoming “in coming days”.
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I went to the dentist on Wednesday last. The only change was they asked me to gargle with peroxide for a minute before it began.
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Brings out your inner blonde.
Spray
You’re right. ‘Over here’ we imagine that everybody north of Capricorn is the same. 🙂
Simon Katich
Brings out your inner blonde.
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I said something similar to the dentist.
I don’t know about others, but I use ‘over east’ to refer to the eastern states, being Tas, Vic, NSW and Qld.
Aqualung @ #158 Sunday, March 22nd, 2020 – 9:25 am
Usually more hygienic than a hospital.
I went to Coles this morning and yes there was no flour or bread making stuff. Only a couple of gluten free ones.
But there is no limit to tinned fish which surprises me .. i have oodles of sardines, tuna, tinned mussels. It is one of the best preserved foodstuffs, i reckon but obviously not popular.
Confessions @ #95 Sunday, March 22nd, 2020 – 9:33 am
Ditto. However, he’s earning his spurs right now for that.
Labor to come back into office with their 2nd Queensland Labor PM.
If it’s not about or revolves around Emperor Donald the First then it’s not reality as he knows it. I just had a thought; if the Borg invaded would they assimilate Donald or Boris or Scotty into the Collective?
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/3/21/21189179/coronavirus-trump-intelligence-reports-warned-pandemic
Americans are so dumb, they buying guns at record pace…
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/16/us-sales-guns-ammunition-soar-amid-coronavirus-panic-buying
Meanwhile in Japan……. calm and silence.
I imagine there will be zero Tasmanian contingent coming to Canberra this week?
Schools closed here last Monday.
We are anticipating that the closure will be longer than the end of this week, so we are training at the moment so we can transition to online classes Monday week.
It’s going to be interesting, lots of teething problems, but it should be fun. 🙂
C@t
Jacqui has already said she won’t.
All state premiers of both political stripes are currently on board with the CMO.
I will be living on rice, tinned fish and porridge and a single malt when the Liberal Virus hits.
That sounds ok.
How many Bludgers have made the same wish I made recently ? I wish my fridge had a bigger freezer section. 🙂
Player One @ #161 Sunday, March 22nd, 2020 – 9:31 am
No, I mean this bit.
Schools
The AHPPC met on Tuesday 17 March to consider the issue of school closures in relation to the community transmission of COVID‑19. The Committee’s advice is that pre-emptive closures are not proportionate or effective as a public health intervention to prevent community transmission of COVID-19 at this time.
There is currently limited information on the contribution of children to transmission of COVID-19. The WHO-China Joint Mission noted the primary role of household transmission and observed that children tended to be infected by adults in the household. In China, 2.4% of total reported cases were under the age of 19 years old. Worldwide, of those cases under 19 years of age, very few were severe or critical. This contrasts distinctly with the severity pattern observed with other respiratory viruses, where young children are particularly at risk of severe disease.
Previous studies suggest that the potential reduction in community transmission from pre‑emptive school closures may be offset by the care arrangements that are in place for children who are not at school. Children may require care from older carers who are more vulnerable to severe disease, or may continue to associate (and transmit infection) outside of school settings.
Broadly, the health evidence on school closures from previous respiratory epidemics shows the costs are often underestimated and the benefits are overestimated. This may be even more so in relation to COVID-19 as, unlike influenza, the impact on otherwise healthy children has been minimal to date.
School closure is associated with considerable costs. Studies have estimated that around 15% of the total workforce and 30% of the healthcare workforce may need to take time off work to care for children. This burden will be significant and will fall disproportionately on those in casual or tenuous work circumstances.
At this stage, the spread of COVID-19 in the community is at quite low levels. It may be many months before the level of Australian community infection is again as low as it is at the moment. For pre-emptive school closures to be effective, closure for at least several months is required and it would be unclear when they could be re-opened.
School closures for shorter defined periods may be considered as part of a suite of more stringent distancing measures later in the outbreak, in anticipation of a peak in infection rates.
Short term reactive school closure may also be warranted to allow cleaning and contact tracing to occur in response to an outbreak in a given school.
More than 70 countries around the world have implemented either nationwide or localised school closures, at different times in the evolution of the local COVID-19 epidemic, however it should be noted the majority of these have not been successful in controlling the outbreak. Some of these countries are now considering their position in relation to re-opening schools.
Singapore has had success in limiting the transmission of COVID-19 in the community without closing schools. Other countries are working in different contexts, including Northern Hemisphere countries making decisions at the end of winter with COVID-19 being accompanied by influenza in the community.
The advice in relation to school closures will continue to be reviewed at daily meetings of the AHPPC.
Schools should implement a range of other strategies to reduce transmission, including the promotion of personal hygiene measures (frequent handwashing, reducing face-to-face contact, cough etiquette), physical distancing, reducing public gatherings (e.g. face-to-face school assemblies), and reducing the mixing of students (e.g. reduced use of common areas, staggered lunchtimes, and reduced after-school activities and inter-school activities).
Schools should also reinforce existing policies to exclude students and staff who are unwell, and current policies requiring quarantine for those who have recently travelled overseas. It is also important that the learning needs of students who are excluded from school are met.
Raf Epstein nailed it when he said that America is going to be Italy on steroids!
I am so freaking worried for my son in America! Love is the drug, alright. It seems to win over sense any time. A parent cannot hold the drug addict back from their drug of choice.
I’ve noticed that too. Given the versatility of tuna it surprises me, esp as it’s far preferable to Spam *Blech*
The local Woolworths at 8:15 today had a lot more stock than on Friday afternoon. There was a shipment of Sorbent 10 packs and some kitchen paper but no tissues. The most notable absences were sanitiser, hand wash materials and pasta ingredients. There were floor markings for queues but I had an annoying fellow standing close behind me. Every second check out in the self-serve was closed causing a longer queue and a Wilson security guard was there but people were generally happy.
poroti:
OH wanted to sell our chest freezer a few months ago to make more room in the garage, but I put my foot down. So glad I did now.
Confessions @ #204 Sunday, March 22nd, 2020 – 11:11 am
Fess,
Yeah I realise that. Sort of my point. There are major differences between Tas, Vic, NSW and Qld, just as there are between WA and, um, over East!
Ingrid M
@iMusing
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2m
here are Morrison and Frydenberg. When Morrison says something of substance, instead of sloganeering jingoism, I will add it here.
Rakali
There must be a clan of Highlanders lurking in my area. Popped in to the local IGA on another doomed Operation Toilet Paper and perusing what there has been a run on noticed virtually all the oats and porridge had been cleaned out 🙂
Yes Confessions, i agree.
A can of tuna/mussels/sardines, a can of tomatoes and rice with chilli/soy sauce etc is a complete meal. 🙂
Me too poroti. Lost a filling.
My dentist is excellent too Kronomex. I trust him and I think I’ve really got a choice.
Be interesting to see if mine does the same rakali.
Thanks. Probably better to get it over and done with.
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I will be living on rice, tinned fish and porridge and a single malt when the Liberal Virus hits
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Blend snob
I’ve put off even going for a haircut atm, but it might be better to go sooner before the virus spreads more widely?
Will need new scripts soon and the regular flu shot.
Confessions
Enjoy the “I told you so” time it has earnt you.
Poroti
Yes, i thought there would be a run on rolled oats too. There is to an extent.
Today they only had those terrible sachets left but there was one box of Uncle Tobys Ancient Grain which is porridge with a few extra grains in it so i bought that. Its my third box of porridge.
Just a wee bit of hoarding 🙂
And all non-essential travel is “should be cancelled”. That was also flagged on Friday, in terms of school holidays. Essentially, if you don’t have to fly – and that includes for school holidays – you should not.
We are referring to work-related and compassionate grounds of those types of arrangement is essential but also essential supplies and other important arrangements needed to keep Australia running.
Flu shot less important now in time of social distancing?
I am waiting for the doctor issue shot to be available. I expect to see 2m long needles.
Apparently there is a new approved name for the Virus:
The New South Wuhan Virus.
Morrison suddenly wakes up.
It’s Time,
It doesn’t matter how much it will cost to close down the schools! Just do it! Who cares about Singapore!?! Australia is NOT Singapore in so many ways I am not going to bother enumerating them, you should be honest enough to work them out for yourself.
And if you try and think about it for 30 seconds you will realise that grandparents won’t be needed to mind the kids, their parents will be working from home! Just keep a skeleton staff on at schools on a rotation basis to look after Essential Services Personnel children. If there are any kids that need feeding, then allow them to come to school for a daily feed. Then send them home again. Just do it all hygenically and the rest should sort itself out.
Confessions @ #183 Sunday, March 22nd, 2020 – 9:57 am
No, empty shelves of similar products.
Simon Katich
Blend snob
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I’m not really a blend snop, though saying single malt instead of ùisge is a bit snobbish, i admit.
It’s just that i like Talisker!
Confessions
Spam ? It is a ‘gourmet” food………………in some places 🙂
http://www.chetbacon.com/thai-html/thai.html
P.S. There are some very good Thai recipes on the site.
Honestly how dumb is Morrison, nsw libs/nats and those so-called health advisors
What the point of shutting down one part of a state and not the whole state.
The virus isn’t going to stop , it will spread no matter whether you in a capital city or in the non capital areas
Bugger! It seems like they are laying the groundwork to dismantle Super. 😡
Fortunately plenty of semolina and spelt flour around.
Semolina Yeast pancakes…. ohhhh yum! Bring butter and honey to simmer and pour over.
Spelt bread with a thick layer of black cumin, fennel and sesame seeds. Toast then thick butter lashings.
lizzie @ #233 Sunday, March 22nd, 2020 – 8:26 am
You wouldn’t know it from his response.
Bushfire Bill @ #186 Sunday, March 22nd, 2020 – 9:59 am
More meaningful to look at the deads and compare per capita. Some American States have raw death numbers comparable to whole European countries.
“the more we share together” Morrison 22/3/2020 FFS!
It’s just that i like Talisker
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What civilised human doesn’t?
‘Spray says:
Sunday, March 22, 2020 at 11:01 am
“Over east”. After 32 years of living in WA I still never worked out what that expression meant. It seems that some of them think there is actually such a place.’
‘Over east’ = ‘Evil side of the Nullabor’.
poroti:
Gross! The smell of Spam resembles canned dog food, I can’t imagine why people would voluntarily eat it when there are plenty of other preferable food items to be found.
Confessions @ #204 Sunday, March 22nd, 2020 – 11:11 am
And in Tassie we use ‘the mainland’ to refer to the rest of Australia 🙂
C@t
Re “Essential Services Personnel children” . Thinking about what you could call “essential” I realised that the list could be bloody extensive. People involved in the supply of power,water,food delivery,production and on it goes. I wonder who ‘teh authorities’ will put on ‘The List” ?
Morrison is still far too passive aggressive because the Bondi crowd will only understand firm action, it is like a girl i know that returned from holiday on Friday and is out enjoying her weekend without a care in the world while mocking the self-isolating.