Comment by Andaith

4 years ago

I've seen this so much regarding covid-19 in Australia, especially at the start. Everyone I know complained bitterly at the restrictions we had in Sydney, even when they weren't that strict, saying "but only 5 people have died" or whatever. I'd say "Yeah, because what we're doing is working. Look at Italy, or the UK, or France, or the USA".

Interestingly, there was a clear divide between people(like me) who had family & friends overseas, and worried about them, and people(like my in-laws) who didn't.

Eventually we had to stop discussing it because my in-laws refused to consider anything happening outside of Australia as relevant input.

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Andaith

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Grimburger  4 years ago

Australia is on track to have similar per capita death rates as Norway which had far fewer restrictions. If it hits that point, will you still think the heavyhanded response was worth it in the end?

The Australian response in general was over the top:

* Postcode based restrictions targeting poor areas and not always related to actual case numbers

* Locking healthy people in their homes under 24hr police guard, all deliveries to their house inspected (people are shipping in covid apparently?), alcohol purchases limited.

* Banning outdoor playgrounds, exercise and confining people in their homes instead of allowing them fresh air.

* Flying polair choppers hundreds of km's to fine people camping in remote wilderness.

* Protesting made illegal.

* Nearly all laws made by decree and never actually facing a democratically elected parliament to debate.

* Making it illegal for a citizen to return home from India under threat of jailtime.

* Essentially banning citizens from returning home by drastically limiting flight numbers.

* Forcing all returnees to quarantine in 5 star hotels not fit for purpose while foreign celebrities and sport stars could choose to go to B&B's in the countryside.

It was a dark time for Australia in my opinion, yet somehow many seem to agree with it. Locking out our own citizens was one of the most popular policies ever, it consistently polled 90+% for over a year. I find something like that terrifying and speaks volumes to the mindset of the average Australian who loves to harp on about mateship.

  • jaza  4 years ago

    The vast majority of deaths here in Australia, since the end of lockdowns and closed borders, have been amongst the unvaccinated, the elderly, and the immunocompromised (particularly the first of those three). We're not seeing young, normally healthy people dying in their thousands, as happened in much of the world at the height of the pandemic. Our response worked, and we've avoided widespread suffering, and many Australians apparently don't appreciate that, I guess due to the preparedness paradox!