COVID-19 in other countries 2021

Unfortunately, there will be queue jumping, because there is more availability of seats for those who can afford business class.

I’ll give you an example. I met a taxi driver who was recently stuck in Africa for over 12months. He tried to get back via economy and kept getting pushed back. Finally, he was over it and decided to pay for business class flights. Got a seat straight away. He said he was being picky at first.. but when things were getting really serious, he decided it was worth the extra money to get back home quickly.

 

Only Australian citizens are allowed to return.
So those coming from India, or anywhere else, are Australian.

 

The repatriation should be done on a triage basis, with those most at risk and needing to come home for medical reasons etc being first.

 

On the ground report of what is happening in India - from a specialist doctor:



original interview:

 

Our World in Data - showing the testing rates in India, which shows why we can't really compare positivity rates between countries like India and the UK ... it's an interesting, although somewhat depressing, website by changing the "metric" box from tests, to vaccinated, to cases, to deaths etc - and changing the countries shown on the graph

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccinations - Statistics and Research

 

Australian cricket legend Michael Hussey tests POSITIVE for Covid-19 in India | Daily Mail Online
Just hope he read the small print in his contract..

 

I'd tighten rules for the Maldives or else their cases will grow exponentially....

 

I think it may have well arrived at the stage that it's hard for world-wide political leaders to understand every part of the complex supply chains and the consequences ..If this strain comes into Australia as i think it will the outcomes would be just too hard to predict..

 

9000 Australian in India are registered with the Aus embassy. Just heard it on news.
That’s a lot of flights if needed.
20 plus planes anytime

 

And if 30% (low estimate given recent virus rates flying into other countries) have covid ... thats a lot requiring specialist quarantine and/or hospitalization

 

Yup it would quickly overwhelm all systems which can lead to an increased risk of error leading to a local outbreak.

It's not a nice situation to be in but I don't know what the answer is. Getting the 900 vulnerable home is a start and is manageable hopefully this month some time. As many people as we fly in, the list of people seeking to come home doesn't get any smaller. I think mid last year there was around 45,000 registered wanting to come home (worldwide) and we've since bought home twice that many and the number still seems to be around the same. As time goes on and countries get worse or better the list goes up and down.

 

And for those who require hospitalisation that a lot of Australians not getting medical care that they need.

 

Looks like the cricketers/commentators/coaches, are waiting out 2 weeks in either the maldives or Sri Lanka. They are going to be private charted back (CA paying for the cost).

Hopefully, the government can help the other aussies stuck there.

 

I don't think Covid is the biggest factor in people wanting to go back to Australia from around the world (except maybe some in India at the moment) ... mostly other reasons - family, visas, unemployment, etc.. Most people who want to go back are not registered with the Aus government. I am not in the 45,000 but might be within the next year, would like to go back to see my mum who is fading away and always asks where I am and when I am coming. Prior to covid I did 5 trips in 2 years. But I would need to leave again after a month or so & that appears very restricted and not guaranteed.

I thought it would be this year but now looking unlikely due to Australia's rules and slow vaccine rollout. Probably a lot of the world is going to be open and travelling around this year while Australia remains isolated for some time unfortunately.

 

My colleague said if you want a tank of oxygen there it would cost you 2 or 3000 dollars.
In the IT field, the majority of my colleagues are Indian. So there are heaps of people affected.

 

There are also many FIFO workers who are travelling back and forth very frequently - they would entering many times and would have never registered as wanting to come back. The numbers are not a simple plus and minus game.

 

I was watching Q&A last night and there was a woman of Indian descent calling racism on the ban on Australians currently in India from coming home. The politician said that 40% of people arriving from India have Covid, vs 6% of people arriving from the US at the time of their peak so it was an Australian health concern, not based on race.
I wonder what the percentages will be when Scomo lifts the ban next week and that the quarantine facilities can cope with the likely Covid cases.

 

That's why they'll only bring back 3 flights over the first two weeks ... and take them directly to the Darwin quarantine facility. Not hotels. To get a grasp on what the stress points and severity levels really are

 

I read that there will also be commercial flights coming in to a few of the states when the ban lifts. It's only the repatriation flights going into the Darwin facility.