COVID19 Thread

[KeithS]

And today they've closed Hong Kong Disneyland again until further notice.

So now, Paris, Anaheim and Hong Kong are all closed.

But here is Australia, you'd be forgiven in thinking that the crisis is all over - we are pretty much back to normal. I guess that is one advantage of being an island nation.

[calisota]

I guess that is one advantage of being an island nation.

And being smart enough (on the whole) to take it seriously.

Just had a couple of cases (update...4 cases) happen here in Thailand, specifically Chiang Mai where I am. They were bar girls who had been working in Myanmar and then snuck over the border to avoid immigration/mandatory quarantine. Due to the fact that we are still required to check in and out of most places, within a day of being diagnosed we had an extensive timeline of where the first one and been and the health department had been in touch with anyone who might have been in contact. Turns out I had been to one of the major shopping centres the day before she visited.


Greg

[KeithS]

We are back to having a mini-outbreak here in Sydney and the Northern Beaches have gone into a near-lockdown.

I guess we are all just waiting to see what happens the rest of this week and how much our Christmas plans are going to be affected.

I'm on holiday from work now and we are just doing stuff around the house this year, so it doesn't really affect us that much yet.

[calisota]

A couple of days ago they announced a big number of cases discovered in a fish processing market outside of Bangkok. Over 500 cases so far!! They immediately locked down the relevant province and are doing testing to see if/how far it has spread. They are saying that all the cases are migrant workers from Myanmar who spend all their time in the factory and will not have travelled. We will just have to wait and see.

It has been such a long time since any real outbreak here that people have gotten really lax in precautions, which just goes to show that it can sneak up and bite you on the proverbial.

Greg

[DisneyKaren]

Wow that's a huge number of cases, however if they live and work together I guess it would spread quickly.

I think we are becoming a bit complacent here (well in some areas, probably less so Victoria & Sydney who have felt lockdowns more than the rest of us). I did wear a face mask at Brisbane airport and on the plane to Canberra, and will do the same on my return flight. It's great now they are now only locking down areas and creating zones which borders are closed to. Keeps the economy going where possible.

[calisota]

I wear a mask everyday when I go out for a walk and it would feel funny not walking with one on. Masks were a pretty common sight here before all this so it wasn't too hard to get the locals to wear one anyway. Lot of foreigners here who don't feel that local rules apply to them though.


Greg

[DisneyKaren]

Well Brisbane is officially going into a 3 day lockdown (hoping 'hard & fast' does the job but no guarantees unfortunately). Masks are now mandatory and I'm more than willing to comply. Thankfully I have enough food so there wasn't a need to line up for over an hour just to get in the front door of a supermarket and buy 12mths of supplies. Seriously people, have we learnt nothing?!?!

FYI: I've been home 20mins, official lockdown time is 20mins away and I feel bored already. It's all psychological - Christmas needs to finish coming down, continue processing China photos and catch up on Disney+. Busy weekend ahead of me!

[KeithS]

How did you go with the lockdown Karen?

I laughed at the long lines at the supermarkets up there - it was only a 3-day lockdown and people were still allowed to shop anyway, but you'd think it was the end of the world NSW was the same back in March though - the herd is quite strange!

[calisota]

Thailand is reacting hard to the cases here now. A number of provinces have closed down and if I wanted to go to Bangkok from Chiang Mai I would need to get permission, have a test and then quarantine for 14 days; then the same if I wanted to come back. That's a lot of effort for a day trip to Bangkok, or anywhere else in the country, so I think I'll be staying put. Things are pretty normal here in Chiang Mai so it's no great problem.


Greg

[KeithS]

We are getting on top of this latest outbreak again now. Community transmission has stopped for the last few days, but they are still worried there are carriers in the community who haven't been tested. Still, we are getting back into a good position with it. Vaccine rollout commences next month.

[DisneyKaren]

My 3 day lockdown was very productive. I actually think if they make me stay home one weekend a month I'd get far more done! I'm very thankful it wasn't extended, we were very fortunate.

At this stage I'm not making travel plans even within Queensland, just seeing how the year plays out. I may go back to the Yass Valley at some stage to see my sister. I have a good friend in Perth, however they change their borders a little too quickly so more of a risk. Hopefully a trip to Sydney later in the year.

[calisota]

Possible vaccine rollout here is a real rumor mill with very little solid information. I'm obviously more concerned about access for falang (foreigners) and the procedure for me to get it. Will I be able to get it? Will I be last on the list? Will I have to pay for it? Will I have to pay a fortune for it. Will I have to have it to renew my retirement visa?

Every 90 days I have to do a "90 day report", which my visa agent does for me. It means checking in with immigration and saying "still here, still living in the same place, not doing anything I shouldn't do...". Rumor a couple of days ago is that I will have to have a negative virus test done every 90 days as well. Not looking forward to that if it's true.


Greg

[DisneyKaren]

Will I be able to get it? Will I be last on the list? Will I have to pay for it? Will I have to pay a fortune for it. Will I have to have it to renew my retirement visa?
Rumor a couple of days ago is that I will have to have a negative virus test done every 90 days as well. Not looking forward to that if it's true.
Greg

WOW that is a lot to go through Greg! I do hope it isn't too hard for you to get the vaccine when eventually it comes out. I've only had one test and hoping not to have another one, not a fun experience. I do hope things aren't too difficult for you during this process.

[calisota]

WOW that is a lot to go through Greg! I do hope it isn't too hard for you to get the vaccine when eventually it comes out. I've only had one test and hoping not to have another one, not a fun experience. I do hope things aren't too difficult for you during this process.

They seem to have walked back on the 90 day part already and probably the once a year renewal as well. The obvious thing was that I could have a negative test, renew my visa and then pick up the virus 10 minutes later when I have lunch in a restaurant. It was pretty much meaningless.

Getting the vaccine is still up in the air though, although that seems to be the case in a lot of places. Guess I just keep saving my money for a big trip as soon as I'm able.


Greg

[KeithS]

More of our restrictions have lifted here again. Looks like the NSW-QLD and NSW-VIC borders will be open again soon. No cases here for a couple of weeks which is good.