PM backs NSW government call on SCG Test crowd

One thing I’m not, Rob is ill informed. There have been at least 4 covid outbreaks from China in the last decade along with Mers, Sars and Avian flu, all of which are virulent and caused deaths and organ damage amongst suffers. So this is not new to the medical world. You mention that covid is 10-20 times more deadly than influenza, yet the world health organisation says approx 650,000 die each year from the flu. That is because millions in at risk groups are vaccinated against last years strain. So with 1.7m succumbing to covid worldwide your estimate even at the low end is wildly exaggerated. Precautions have been taken, initial lockdowns gave medical response time to organise. Hospitals in the northern hemisphere are definitely inundated, but not out of control, because the hospitalisation rate of cases isn’t anything like necessary under a pandemic or epidemic. Our society has become conditioned to react to hysteria and worst case scenarios are highlighted to force a response and anyone who doesn’t hyperventilate at that is considered to have no empathy for victims. That’s garbage and there are thousands of the 56m who die annually of cardiovascular disease who lose limbs, eyesight, and suffer organ failure every day before succumbing. How many of the covid doomsayers have ever given that any thought, considering the annual figures are not your estimated 20 times the flu, but 100 times? Scared politicians shutting down economies every six weeks for six weeks trying to get thru to a miracle vaccine is ridiculous. While the media is fixated on the trees, thankfully rational professional scientists are working on the forest.

I2I, Comparing or reffing COVID-19 as the flu is ridiculously ill informed. This is something completely new to the medical world. Covid is anywhere between 10-20 times more deadly than the flu. The length of illness and recovery is substantially longer. The lasting effects are yet to be faced. Many are losing limbs and suffering heart and organ damage. The flu has become less prevalent due to covid with people taking precautions and reducing travel.

You seem unable to differentiate between locked borders and what I said – locked people in their homes, nor what the term by and large means. Australia has a locked border, without a state of emergency, simply quarantine, trace and isolate. One of the worlds leading medical bodies; Johns Hopkins has a breakdown of deaths per cases worldwide and the worst countries are in South America; Mexico 8.8%, Ecuador 6.6%. The world media is in hysterics trying to keep viewers watching their coverages and as recently as yesterday SBS droned on and on about the large number of cases in the US. The US has a death rate of 1.7%! UK going into 3rd lockdown has 2.8% -Australia’s is 3.2%. There have been 1.7m deaths worldwide in the last 12 months. The WHO at their scaremongering best say countries need to be vigilant (21st century buzzword) or this could double! No data from them on what flu deaths were prior to covid, or even now. We do know though that 56m people die every year from cardiovascular disease. How many more will that be as people are locked in their houses and don’t seek treatment or diagnoses as they don’t want to bother the medical profession, because they don’t have covid? Ebola is an almost certain killer, 1.7m of a population of 8bn dying from covid isn’t a pandemic. The WHO would be expected to be all consumed by the ‘greatest scourge in our lifetimes’, yet their head, Tedros was making announcements about their ’81 concrete steps to fight climate change and build back greener as lockdowns are a great reset.’ If the ’eminent medical bureaucracy’ of the WHO isn’t concerned by the death rate, then surely we should be guarding the at risk groups and getting on with life, like any virulent flu season. https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/mortality

Settle down champ, my original comments were that the best response was from those with a holistic approach - nationally. I said there's no need to frighten yourself with what is happening in land border countries, only learn from their mistakes. Our Federal government has shown that thru the states who followed the original lockdown and then went to covid normal. State borders are now creating unnecessary confusion and unnecessary measures. The draconian measures are meted out by left wing lunatics hell bent on eradicating the virus by putting people in cotton wool. The reason most of them have done that is because of their willful disregard of national advice. Andrews in Australia and Newsom & Cuomo in the US made a complete balls up due to their inept management. The draconian measures they've employed are direct responses to the massive percentage of the national cases and deaths that their states represent. The pats on the back for finally using the methods and personnel originally offered and advised which subsequently brought their numbers into line with other states would be laughable if it hadn't cost so many lives. The freedom of movement of citizens due to the very small numbers in Australia - an island - is exactly what the idea of covid normal is about. The spot outbreaks can be addressed in context, rather than your hysterical comparisons to ebola! Ebola has a mortality rate of 40-100%, covid is 3-5% at worst, in Australia it isn't even close to that. So you can lay in the foetal position, rocking back and forth, sucking your thumb every time another case is announced, but the rest of Australia will sanitise, distance and wear masks in unavoidable indoor conditions, while authorities deal with the 2% of the population who believe the world revolves around them and their freedom.

The conservative states have by and large trusted tracing and cluster isolation, the left wing states call a state of emergency, lock people in their homes, Conservative led SA went into a second lockdown based on 12 cases and false information. Conservative led Tasmania were the first state to close their borders off to NSW in December after 8 cases were found in the Northern Beaches. There are 3 conservative states in Australia, and 2 of them have implemented measures more draconian than all but WA. It was a nice try. Stupid, but a nice try.

Sorry, I do not denounce Maxwell's approach to cricket. His ODI and T20 form is excellent, however I just do not believe he is a test cricketer. T20 games are of no interest to me with a hit or miss outcome. I enjoy ODI's to a certain extent, but even then the last ten overs can become just a slog. Test cricket is the ultimate battle for players, and Maxwell's figures (apart from his one score over 50, yes a century) do not stack up. My point re covid is, we have had five deaths since October 19th. Does this warrant some of the extreme restrictions put in place. Yes the states have done a great job in the most part identifying and containing most outbreaks, and we have to make sure that continues.

General isn’t it interesting how different opinions can be? You believe the NSW approach is a risk reward way to go and yet absolutely denounce Glen Maxwell’s approach to a game of cricket? I’m the complete opposite on both ideologies. Eradication over suppression about the virus because it can quickly sneak up on you and destroy lives and let Maxwell play cricket the way he see it, as his special talent can win games others can’t. I don’t risk health and safety but I certainly get excited and entertained about crazy good cricketers at the crease even if they have what us mortal see as lunatic impulses. It’s important all opinions are respected except if their running a country with nuclear capabilities IMO.

The largest number of cases are in jurisdictions with the most draconian responses! That's evidently not true. It's the absolute lack of enforcement on lockdowns and the ridiculously speedy lifting of them instead of a gradual easing that is causing havoc in such countries. The countries with the most success (NZ, Australia, Singapore, Taiwan) locked down hard, locked down early and gradually eased the brakes when reopening. They complemented that with utterly ruthless enforcement of the laws. WA put people in jail. Victoria, Qld and NZ fined the snot out of people. Singapore deported any foreigner caught flouting laws, and fined heavily the locals. And all put in place a zero tolerance quarantine rule. For 6 months, Singapore - the most densely populated nation on earth - enforced a group of 5 rule. It's now a group of 8 rule. They've 1-2 cases a WEEK for the past 2 months. These draconian measures worked. And worked repeatedly. And all gradually reopened society, instead of saying "lockdown over. Let's recommence the sweaty orgies" like they did in Europe. Compare that to the UK or most EU nations where self-isolation was done on the honour system, there has been shockingly little police enforcement, and even when so, the fines are laughably small that you can afford to break the rules. oh, and they all had summer holidays as if the virus didn't exist. God help them if it was something truly horrifying like Ebola. And God help you as well.

I mostly agree with you I-2-I (and I'm a Victorian), but it does seem like NSW is treating the virus a bit less seriously than other states. Why risk having a crowd at all? Why continually use the words "encourage people to do ... XYZ" rather than mandate it? (e.g. "We encourage the SCG crowd to wear masks.") Treating everyone like adults is foolish, because some people are irresponsible and the consequences are dire.

Re a previous comment. Last death in NSW was on the 28th December. The previous death was on the 20th September, and not the 20th December as stated.

I find it incredulous that partizan politics have reared there head on this topic. Federal Govt to blame etc. In all respects the various State governments (except Victoria) took necessary steps to deal with covid at the earliest time. Only Dan Andrews initially refused Federal Govt. help and look how that turned out. Interesting to check the last deaths from Covid in various states. Qld 18th April, WA 3rd May, SA 12th April, Tas 1st May, ACT 17th April and zero in NT. Victoria has had 5 deaths since 19th October, the last on 30th November. And NSW had a death on 28th December, the previous recorded was on the 20th December. Yes lets keep most restrictions in place to keep the lid on this virus, but a little bit of perspective is needed. So there have been five deaths since the 19th October from Covid. Stats say we recorded 117,000 deaths from the 1st January to 28th October from various causes. My daughter teaches Age Care workers in various aspects of their job. She also deals with many Hospital health care workers. It has been said to her (and not verified) that some deaths have been attributed to Covid when other causes caused the death. It was recorded as a Covid death because they had symptoms, but it may not have necessarily been the cause of death.

the 3rd test must be played.the show must go on.

Looks like the NSW govt has caved and will only let in 10,000 per day. I expect that the SCG Trust will say "tough" for members and not refund any of their subs.

Yes the majority of deaths occured in age care facilities (Federal Govt), but how come all states and territories bar Victoria were able to control the quarantine and death numbers in these facilities. Number of deaths in age care (Fed Govt) by state, ACT 0, NT 0, SA 0, WA 0, TAS 1, Qld 1, NSW 61, VICTORIA 655. Funny how all Federal run age care facilities in all states and territories were able to be controlled except Victoria. Did Dan's incompetence cause that many death's by his insistence on using private companies to do most of the work re quarantine etc. Even NSW with a larger population than Victoria were able to keep death's in these facilities to a lowish amount despite the Ruby Princess debacle. I am probably a centre voter having voted for both parties in elections, but to fully blame the current Government for what happened is far out.

Locked down and then opened their economies.

Indeed.

No, effective policies and management, eg, Qld, WA.

Free enterprise? I run a business and employ staff. The Qld gov response has allowed us to operate pretty normally. NSW hospitality currently suffering greatly with further shut downs, eg no nightclubs, severe restrictions on weddings etc, etc. Enjoy your government, the damaged economy and especially wearing those compulsory masks, something we have never had in Queensland.

Reasonable people have been listening to epidemiologists and assessing the outcomes of their results. Is that not what's happening in Australia as a whole? No reported cases from sports crowds as determined by allowable percentages. Less than 3% cases from hospitality despite full services returning in most states. People who have actually listened also know that hand sanitising and distancing is more effective than masks, which are only useful if distancing can't be achieved. I thought that was being observed by 98% of the Australian population, especially in zones prone to clusters like high density urban areas. Does that have to equate to a political spectrum?

Sweden 861 deaths per million of population. Australia 35 deaths per million of population Taiwan 34, South Korea 19. New Zealand 5 - the Gold Standard - guess what they did? Locked down, hard. Every time. We are much, much closer to best practice than holistic Sweden, who themselves have admitted they made a mistake.