COVID-19 - Round 4 - diseaseologists welcomed

[Bomb_Doe]

that’s the spirit - WTF ??!!

Hotspot residents caught out trying to change addresses

Paul Sakkal July 1, 2020 — 8.08pm

Residents from Melbourne’s 10 coronavirus hotspots have attempted to change the address on their driver’s licence to get around restrictions as they enter strict lockdown conditions for a second time.

VicRoads has moved to stop a significant surge in licence amendments as people rushed to change their addresses in the hopes of getting through police checkpoints.

There was a long queue for virus testing in Fawkner on Wednesday.Getty

The Victorian Transport Department moved on Wednesday to foil the spike in licence amendments to ensure large numbers of people in locked-down suburbs are not freely moving around the state by presenting false addresses to authorities.

No proof is required to change a licence address online and changes are made instantly.

A new licence card is not required to show proof of a new address, as VicRoads sends labels to stick onto cards in the short term.

VicRoads is now reviewing each application made since Premier Daniel Andrews’ announcement mid-afternoon on Tuesday to reintroduce stay-at-home orders in suburbs largely north-west of Melbourne.

The agency refused to confirm exactly how many requests had been made but said it would not cease online licence alterations as a result.

VicRoads warned it was an offence for people to falsify documents and lie to police about their address.

Coronavirus: Victoria hotspot lockdown

Geographical lockdowns will be imposed in 10 hotspot postcodes across Victoria.

Those who break the rules face a maximum fine of up to $825 if caught.

“As soon as we were made aware of this issue we immediately put in place measures to ensure any changes of address in priority postcodes were for genuine reasons,” a spokeswoman for the department said.

“We are reviewing all changes to licence holders’ addresses from priority postcodes since the Premier’s restrictions announcement on Tuesday to ensure anyone who changed their address did so because it was necessary.”

VicRoads will now contact anyone who requests a change of address from a hotspot postcode and ask for additional information to substantiate their change.

It said allowing people to update their details online rather than in-person provided for greater convenience and efficiency.

In the 2018-19 financial year, the Department of Transport facilitated the change of more than 1.1 million licence holders addresses – about 3000 per day.

Wednesday marked the biggest single-day increase in community transmission of coronavirus in Victoria since the start of the pandemic.

The running total is now 301, an increase of 20 since yesterday. The last time Victoria recorded those numbers was April 2, when there were 18 cases.

Ten suburban postcodes will enter stage-three restrictions again from midnight on Wednesday. Police-enforced restrictions mean that people leaving and entering those postcodes for anything other than essential purposes can be given on-the-spot-fines.

[Eastie_Boi1]

Yeah some people seem to have difficulty grasping the concept of them being able to catch & spread COVID, but it’s at a lesser rate than adults.

[yaco55]

@The_Ant

I think the days of big family gatherings at home are gone.

It’s a lever that has caused all this.

I wouldn’t expect any great relaxation. Potentially families can get together at places where the spacing can be controlled.

This will never happen - Larger family gatherings are not dissimilar from crowded restaurants/foodcourts/bars/clubs etc - You can’t effectively socially distance in these environments - Imagine having a family celebration and everyone sits apart, plays apart etc,etc - It’s not feasible in the real world.

[Incoming]

what the hell are you guys doing down there in Vic?

[Wanderlust]

[The_Ant]

I don’t think crowded bars/restaurants/clubs are going to happen either.

I think there will be a cap on these places. So you can go there and socialise but be under some sort of distancing parameters.

At home there are no parameters you can enforce. We need to find ways we can gather and work safely and these all come under guidelines. Backyard_Bomber outlined yesterday how he works in a space under strict protocols that make it safe to work.

You can put aline through a free for all pub/restaurant/club scene.

[bigallan]

FWIW, as at 28 June
-NSW 51 deaths. 53 in hospital

• Victoria 29 deaths, 7 in hosptal

[frosty]

@The_Ant

The VIC CHO and Vic Health Minister have repeatedly said there have been no transmissions in schools. All cases have been caught at home.

No, they have not said that. They have said that transmission in schools is less likely. They haven’t said there haven’t been any, and I’m pretty sure that school transmissions were reported yesterday. They just worded it in a suitably unscary way. They don’t want to highlight school transmissions for fear of the “low risk” situation being undermined.

Yesterday: “Two new cases linked to Albanvale Primary School, taking the total to seven. One was a student who was a close contact of the original case, and the second is a household contact of a known case.”

You can’t read that first one as anything other than a student to student transmission. It is also worth noting that as more and more schools start having cases you have to wait to see if they have passed it on to schoolmates. The class will go into quarantine, but given kids might not show symptoms, you might be relying on parents testing after 2 weeks (assuming they tested on day 1, but probably wouldn’t show up yet) to then get the results.

Up until 2 weeks ago there was probably only a handful of school cases. Now we’re adding schools daily. It’s probably fortunate that this lockdown corresponds with the school holidays, as it hopefully allows a reset before the kids go back, and hopefully we’re on top of it by then. As long as the wider community cases are low, then school cases will be low, and the risks to students will be low. But if it gets away, the “lower” risk to kids, will still be higher than we would like, and we’ll all be teaching from home again.

@brunz

So now thats it come out that this outbreak is stemming from the hotel security and not quite from family gatherings. Is it still fair to say that the 20ppl gathering limit was the wrong decision (and that it should of been 10) at the time?

I think so, as that would have contained the error better. I’d imagine that when we open up again it might be wise to limit those indoor family gatherings. I assume the issue isn’t so much the 20, but the fact that if people have 20 they’re not in a space to manage that. Indoor at a restaurant that normally takes 50, then 20 is fine, but in a family gathering situation it’s harder to do that while maintaining appropriate distancing.

[Glu]

I want to see more warnings about dangerous new flu strains by Doctors with names like E-Choo (Bless you)

Esther Choo, MD MPH (choo_ek)

[bigallan]

Going through the script of the interview with Sales, Andrews said “some, many weeks ago “, no mention of March

[BLOODSTAINED_DEVILS]

@Incoming

what the hell are you guys doing down there in Vic Melbourne?

Fixed.

[choppsuey]

@premature_rookie_ele

Can confirm this. Had a test last Thursday at monash health in Berwick. Still waiting for the results.

Colleague of mine was tested there on Monday, got results yesterday.

[The_Ant]

Sorry thats incorrect.

I was said as recent as Sunday’s press conference. They said it verbatim.

[choppsuey]

Andrew’s said again yesterday that they hadn’t seen transmission between students and adults and students and students.

Considering all the measures in place in Victorian schools to prevent the spread it’s not surprising. Constant ventilation of class rooms, social distancing at desks/work spaces, sanitising hands literally every hour.

Conversely, NSW schools have gone completely back to normal, with no such protocols in place apart from hand sanitising when entering the classroom. According to my brother and his wife who are both teachers in Western Sydney, very much a back to normal situation.

The suggestion that 10 schools in hot spot locations with significant outbreaks being closed is somehow evidence that schools are not safe is akin to antivax theory that vaccinations cause autism… correlation doesn’t equal causation.

[tinhillterror]

Student to student could be boyfriend girlfriend (or any other combination)

[SMJ]

Herald Sun and other news sites are finally airing the claims (that most in here would already have heard) hat some of the security guards were porking the guests.

[SMJ]

@choppsuey

The suggestion that 10 schools in hot spot locations with significant outbreaks being closed is somehow evidence that schools are not safe is akin to antivax theory that vaccinations cause autism… correlation doesn’t equal causation.

I think you’ve got this one backwards

[brunz]

What an absolute disgrace. There’s still no valid reason why the state govt didn’t use ADF that have worked fine in all other states. Im curious what this inquiry is gonna spin to try make sense of it to protect the govt.

[Albert_Thurgood]

@brunz

There’s still no valid reason why the state govt didn’t use ADF that have worked fine in all other states.

There is if ScuMo was going to charge Vic millions extra than for what NSW paid for ADF help.

[brunz]

Considering that Dandrews has been praising him a lot recently for his help and all that i don’t think this is the case.