Showing posts with label COVID-19. Show all posts
Showing posts with label COVID-19. Show all posts
Sunday 24 May 2020
Northern Rivers homelessness and COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020
Echo NetDaily, 20 May 2020:
A quick look at the Byron Council website will tell you that the average rent in the Shire is $590 or 49 per cent of the average household income of $1,218. The comparisons on the page show Sydney’s Woollahra $800 rent being 44 per cent of a $1,814 income and Brighton in Melbourne with rents averaging 42 per cent of the income at $650. Even Brisbane’s Eaton Hills gets a look in with a $510 rent being 39 per cent of a $1,312 income.
This is cold comfort if you happen to be a single parent whose only income is a Centrelink benefit. You’d definitely not be earning $12k a week, yet you’d be more than likely looking at $500 to $600 a week in rent – unless of course, you ended up homeless because you just couldn’t find something you could afford.
Our volunteer services such as the Liberation Larder and the Mullumbimby Neighbourhood Centre are currently groaning under the weight of extra homelessness since the start of the pandemic. People who didn’t expect to be here and out of work, are – and the growing number of our own homeless is now making the issue and epidemic in the Byron Shire.
We know what the volunteers are doing but what is the government doing?.....
Tamara Smith MP says that the Greens have been working closely with the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) through the pandemic with regard to support for rough sleepers and people on the homelessness spectrum in Byron and Ballina Shire’s....
Federal Member for Richmond Justine Elliot says there are more homeless Australians than ever before. ‘On the North Coast we have a massive housing affordability and homelessness crisis, and people receiving Centrelink benefits are the hardest hit. ....
‘I have been inundated with requests for assistance and by many locals who have raised their concerns about the impact that this situation will have on our most vulnerable. The impact of Coronavirus threatens to make it even worse’.
Ms Elliot says that as unemployment increases there’s a real risk that people don’t just lose their job, but also their home.’Housing is now on the frontline of Australian healthcare.’
‘Labor welcomed the National Cabinet’s decision to freeze evictions for the next six months for tenants in financial distress due to the impact of Coronavirus. We have consistently said that no one should lose their home, whether they own it or rent it, because of the virus. This will help.’
‘As winter approaches and the Centrelink lines get longer, the charities that help the homeless and most vulnerable are suffering the perfect storm. The volunteer pool for a lot of charities is largely older Australians – most vulnerable to the Coronavirus.
‘Most of these are smaller community-based charities that fill local needs. That loss places greater strain on other remaining services as the demand for help grows and grows.
‘That’s why this extra support and assistance for providers of food and emergency relief and other homelessness services is so important.
‘Both the State and Federal Governments must continue to provide support and assistance for those most vulnerable in our community.’
This would appear to be different just south of Byron. State Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin said she had been assured that the majority of people in their homeless community have been accommodated. ‘Many are in hotels and motels. It is wonderful for people to have a roof over their heads as being isolated in lockdown brings many challenges,’ said Ms Saffin. ‘I worry about accessing services that people need during these times such as GPs and health-related ones, that can be hard to access for people who are homeless at the best of times.
‘The NSW Treasury has published a document titled Supporting NSW, and in the Communities and Families section, it specifies three key areas of funding under the heading, A Roof Over Heads.
‘I have written to NSW Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services Gareth Ward and asked him if he could provide a breakdown of this, at least for my Lismore Electorate.’.....
Monday 18 May 2020
Unemployment in Australia in March to May 2020
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics Labor Force, Australia, April 2020, there were 832,500 unemployed persons at the end of April based on original data, which resulted in an unemployment rate of 6.3%.
That was a rise of 63,800 unemployed persons since the end of March 2020.
A number which could have been much higher if it were not that those registered to receive JobKeeper subsidised wage payments are considered employed - even those with no active job to go to.
On 14 May 2020 the Prime Minister announced a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 6.2% and the Treasurer stated that 594,000 people had lost their jobs since COVID-19 public health restrictions began to affect businesses.
However, both Morrison and Frydenberg fail to point out that those 594,000 newly unemployed are in addition to the est. 238,500 already unemployed persons.
Even with JobKeeper payments now keeping unemployment figures down by an est. 3.3 to 5.5 million people Treasury expects that the unemployment rate will rise to around 10% by end of June 2020.
According to a Senate estimates hearing on 30 April 2020, an est. 400,000 more people are expected to lose their jobs by September, at which time the unemployment rate is predicted to be around 13%.
September is of course the month indicated by Morrison as the period in which he intends to start rolling back enhanced unemployment benefits - a month in which the Dept. of Social Services expects 1.7 million people to be receiving the Jobseeker payment.
According to the Morrison Government it expects to have returned 850,000 people to employment by the time all the public health restrictions have been lifted.
If in around four months time as many as 7.2 million Australians are expected to be either unemployed or in uncertain employment because their jobs depend on government subsidied wages, one wonders why the Morrison Government is boasting of so low a figure - less than 12% of that 7.2 million.
Sunday 17 May 2020
Thanks a lot Scott Morrison & all those Lib-Nat goons who piled on China once he opened his mouth. The NSW Northern Rivers really appreciates the loss of trade
In mid-April 2020 Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton and Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne decided that the middle of a global pandemic and, with a domestic economy in freefall, was a good time to antagonise our biggest trading partner.
It didn't take long for National Party backbenchers to join these three Liberal Party ministers and mainstream media reported the situation thus.......
"But given clear evidence that China is deeply unhappy with Australia’s aggressive calls for an inquiry, in a way that it sees as Australia teaming up with the Trump administration to point the blame at China, the foreign exchange markets are making up their own minds on the prospects of Australia being on the brink of a serious deterioration of ties with our largest trading partner." [The Australian, 13 May 2020]
"Mr Morrison said Australia could not rule out that the virus escaped from a Wuhan lab, but “the most likely (origin) has been in a wildlife wet market”." [The Australian, 6 May 2020]
"..it was immediately clear that the purpose of the Australian "initiative" was not to conduct a review of benefit to the whole world, but to engage in political warfare with the Chinese state, using failures of organisation and leadership as a stick with which to beat the state. This was underlined by the way in which the first Australian public mention of the need for such an inquiry, along with some words about "accountability and transparency'', came from Peter Dutton, otherwise in a witness protection program avoiding any transparency or accountability for Commonwealth failures to screen several thousand passengers and crew from cruise ships. Marise Payne took the idea further, if with every appearance of playing to a pre-prepared script several days later, before Morrison took extra steps to make the proposals unacceptable to the Chinese by advocating the equivalent of weapons inspectors battering down doors to catch those with secrets to hide."
"Scott Morrison insists it would be "absolutely nonsense" to suggest the coronavirus started anywhere other than China. The prime minister is pushing ahead with calls for a global inquiry into the origins of the deadly disease despite diplomatic blowback from the Chinese government. "I don't think anybody is in any fantasy land about where it started - it started in China," he told 2GB radio on Friday. "What the world over needs to know - and there's a lot of support for this - is how did it start and what are the lessons to be learned." [AAP Bulletin Wire, 1 May 2020]
"The Morrison Government is leading the international call for an independent review of the COVID-19 crisis to determine the origin of the virus and if more could have been done to slow its spread." [The Mercury, 20 April 2020]
Morrison, Dutton, Payne & Co got the column inches and media attention they craved, but it is rural and regional areas like the NSW Northern Rivers which are bearing the brunt of their total lack of a genuinely diplomatic approach to China on the issue.....
The Daily Examiner, 15 May 2020:
Casino’s Northern Cooperative Meat Company is one of the four Australian abattoirs that China imposed an import ban on this week.
The black-listing of the three Queensland and one NSW red meat abattoirs is believed to be a “trade war tactic” from Beijing as trade tensions between Australia and Chine rise. There are fears the bans from China come after Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for an independent investigation into the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak.
Northern Cooperative Meat Company chief executive Simon Stahl revealed the ban on imports relates directly to labelling and product description non-compliances.
Mr Stahl was uncertain of the short or long term financial impacts to the business, but revealed NCMC production imports ranged from 15 to 25 per cent.
“It’s too early to tell you about the financial impacts, I couldn’t put a figure on it at this point in time, could be a week, could be a month,” he said. “I’m always optimistic we can satisfy the authorities.....
Food Leaders Australia general manager Bruce McConnel said it was unknown yet whether the bans were because of a breach of protocol or an act of political retribution.
“The technical reasons have not been made available,” Mr McConnel said. “We’re not sure whether there has been a breach of protocol or if it’s pure political retaliation.
“We’re awaiting details on how to alleviate tensions. “It’s not catastrophic, but it is a real issue that needs to be sorted out.”
Mr McConnel said the banning of the Northern Co-operative Meat Company at Casino was a major concern for smaller beef producers, who use that meatworks to sell to China.
“The government need to get sorted how real are the technical aspects of this and how much is political tension around the relationship with China,” he said....
Saturday 16 May 2020
Quote of the Week
"According
to a poll carried out by the Foundation
for Alcohol Research and Education, 70% of Australians admit to
drinking more alcohol than they would have prior to the pandemic and
34% say they are drinking alcohol every day.” [Crikey,
15 May 2020]
Friday 15 May 2020
COVID-19 infections surface again in NSW Northern Rivesr region after almost five weeks virus free
Northern NSW Local Health District, media release, 14 May 2020:
An additional two cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the last 24 hours in residents of the Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD).
This brings the total cases to 57 as at 8pm Wednesday 13 May. The new cases include one resident who acquired the illness overseas and one resident whose case is still being investigated with regards to the source.
51 cases in Northern NSW Local Health District are recovered. There are no cases being treated in hospital.
NNSWLHD cases by likely source of infection:
Source Total Overseas or interstate acquired 53
Contact of a confirmed case or in a known cluster 2
Contact not identified 1
Under investigation 1
Total 57
More information and statistics for Local Government Areas can be found at https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/diseases/Pages/covid-19-lga.aspx
Relaxed gathering restrictions to be handled with care
As we move to easing some restrictions on public gatherings, dining and outdoor activities from tomorrow, I want to remind our community to take their personal responsibilities seriously.
It’s good news that we’ll be able to move about more freely and catch up with our friends and family, but we still have an obligation to practice social distancing measures to prevent transmission of this virus.
As we’ve seen in recent days, the numbers of new cases can vary from day to day, we have certainly not overcome this pandemic.
Please do your best to keep your 1.5 metre distance from others, keep up frequent hand washing and avoid touching your face or public surfaces where possible. I also encourage everyone to download the COVIDsafe app, to help with contact tracing as we become more mobile.
It’s also imperative that anyone who is showing flu-like symptoms, however mild, comes forward for testing and stays home while they are unwell.
Our testing clinics are open seven days a week, and we encourage people to be tested again if they are experiencing flu-like symptoms, even if they have had a negative test previously.
Thursday 14 May 2020
Saga of the Morrison Government's COVIDSafe App
 |
| The New Daily |
This announcement was followed with an app name, COVIDSafe. Branding it would appear that was shamelessly filched from another app being trialled in the United States.
Soon after we were told that at least 40 per cent of the Australian population would have to voluntarily download the free app for tracing to be an effective public health tool.
Once the $1.5 million app was released on the evening of Sunday 26 April 2020 it was found to only be supported by a ministerial determination rather than legislation and, to be riddled with design & implementation flaws. Some of which were dangerous to the wellbeing of individuals whose vital health aids were supported by Bluetooth.
Draft legislation limited in scope and publication of the app source code surfaced days later.
By 1 May Prime Minister Morrison was reported as saying that easing COVID-19 public health restrictions and a return to normality will depend on uptake of the Covidsafe contact tracing app.
On 4 May the app's visuals were slightly changed and a few bugs were allegedly fixed in an automatic update. However, significant problems with use continued to be reported.
By 9 May it was obvious that the more than 10 million people needed to make digital contact tracing effective were not about to materialise.
Once the number of app downloads failed to reach 6 million the Morrison Government's rhetoric changed.
It went from saying '4 million downloads were required', to 'as many downloads as possible is the aim' and on to 'there is no target number set' for app downloads.
It also ceased linking download/registration numbers with the easing of public health restrictions and, by 8 May the National Cabinet had released its three-step plan to ease restrictions which the states and territories are beginning to implement subject to their own individual circumstances.
So it comes as no surprise to hear that the Senate Select Committee on COVID-19 has been told that virus contact tracing is not dependent on the use of the app and, tracing methods currently in place will continue even after the app tracing system is fully operational.
It would appear that Morrison & Co were lying when they stated or implied that easing public health restrictions was dependent on widespread uptake of the app.
Despite people installing and registering the COVIDsafe app from 27 April onwards, as of Wednesday 13 May the app tracing sytem was not yet fully operational because health departments in the states and territories are yet to avail themselves of the virus contact database.
Sunday 10 May 2020
Is News Corp & "The Australian" in contempt of the Special Commission of Inquiry into the Ruby Princess?
Premier Gladys Berejiklian: there will be no further change to COVID-19 restrictions in NSW until end of the week
On 8 May 2020 Premier Gladys Berejiklian issued a short statement after Friday's National Cabinet meeting stating that all existing public health restrictions are still in place until Friday 15 May.
At which time:
Outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people will be permitted;
People can have five visitors at any one time;
Cafes and restaurants will also be able to have up to 10 people dining in;
Weddings will be allowed to have up to 10 guests;
Funerals can accommodate up to 20 mourners indoors and 30 outdoors;
Places of worship can now be up to 10 people at religious gatherings;
However local and regional travel is still banned, so no holidays or day trips are allowed.
The day before the premier's statement, 7 May, there was a cumulative total of 3,047 COVID-19 cases in the state, with 47 deaths and 2,486 people reported as having recovered.
A total of 7 local government areas are targetted for increased testing and surveillance:
Blacktown Local Government Area;
Canada Bay Local Government Area;
Cumberland Local Government Area;
Inner West Local Government Area;
Liverpool Local Government Area;
Parramatta Local Government Area; and
Penrith Local Government Area.
On Friday Prime Minister 'Scotty from Marketing' Morrison released a document laying out how the states and territories would dismantle public health restrictions.
Although the decision as to stage timing it is up to premiers and chief ministers, it's a given that Morrison will continue his arm twisting in order that few to no restrictions remain after 30 June 2020 even if lifting restrictions see COVID-19 infections begin to rise again.
 |
| A three-step pathway to easing restrictions |
Thursday 7 May 2020
NSW Northern Rivers online cattle sales power on during COVID-19 pandemic
The Northern Star, 5 May 2020, p.2:
Livestock sales at Casino and Tamworth delivered a total of more than $175,000 worth of stock to online bidders last Friday.
This result was thanks to an increasing number of bids being made online via StockLive during the auctions at the Northern Rivers Livestock Exchange (NRLX) and the Tamworth Regional Livestock Exchange (TRLX).
Blake O’Reilly, from Ray White Livestock Gurya, who purchased on behalf of clients at Casino, has been purchasing via StockLive since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said there had been a growth in the number of clients watching online.
“The number of vendors and buyers who are now watching and bidding online at StockLive-partnered auctions has grown significantly since COVID,” he said.
“Having the online platform working in with the physical auctions strengthens the marketplace and gives a true price for the stock, taking the risk of purchasing.
“The platform is especially useful for the increased number of sales using ring selling, which gives the purchaser full vision of the livestock being sold.”
Brad Willis, NRLX Manager, said despite a planned Telstra outage in Casino and Lismore, the auction went ahead successfully, with 360 viewers, 23 registered bidders, 141 bids taken online, and 13 lots sold to numerous buyers.
StockLive Manager, Libby Hufton, said the number of inquiries from saleyards across all regions continued to grow with more than 15 saleyards using StockLive’s platform.
“We continue to see the number of buyers and viewers grow each sale we have at these yards. It is a credit to the facility operators, agents and vendors,” she said.
Tuesday 5 May 2020
Healthy surfing rules during COVID-19 pandemic
Surfing Australia, April 2020:
Surfing is fun, and a great way to get your daily exercise. It’s also non-contact and easily done by yourself whilst following the physical distancing rules, if we all adjust a few things together.
EIGHT STEP SURFING ADVICE
1. Surf the spot closest to your home ONLY.
2. Wax up and prepare at home. Put on your wetsuit, boardies and other gear at home before driving to the beach.
3. Follow physical distancing at all times coming and going to the beach. For example, if you have a narrow path to the beach wait an extra minute for it to clear before you walk down.
4. Have a surf and leave immediately, don't chat with mates in the car park. Call them on your phone.
5. If the surfing spot is overcrowded - don’t go out 6.
Don’t paddle next to someone like you would normally. Give them more space.
7. CRITICAL CHANGE – take it in turns. Do not paddle back over to the peak after catching a wave. Wait your turn patiently on the shoulder.
8. Don’t change in the parking lot. Wrap your towel around yourself & go home.
SPECIAL NOTE: Some beach closures have been a direct result of the public not making an effort to follow social distancing rules. Not all beaches are equal as it relates to observing social distancing rules and regulations. A local council's decision to close a beach is made up of multiple factors outside of 'surfing as exercise'. These decisions need to be respected by the surfing community.
Monday 4 May 2020
By 24 April 2020 there were 1,346,172 unemployed people across Australia, at least 500,000 of whom had lost their jobs due to the pandemic
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics in January 2020 there were est. 778,700 people of workforce age who were unemployed in Australia and, est. 207,200 (26.6%) of these were New South Wales residents.
By 24 April 2020 there were est. 1,346,172 unemployed people (between the ages of 15 to 64 years) spread across the nation and, it is likely that unemployed people in New South Wales then exceeded est. 224,700 individuals.
The national figure represents an additional 567,472 unemployed people between January and late April - with an est. 500,000 of this number out of work due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Initial results in a Monash Univerity ongoing study suggests that 90% of those who lost their jobs due to COVID-19 public health restrictions/changed economic climate were given less than one week's notice and of those 44.7% received no notice at all.
Processing unemployment benefit applications for over half a million extra Australians in need is taking time and, est. 317,597 applications were still outstanding on 24 April.
Apart from an initial $750 economic support payment for those receiving Jobseeker (previously Newstart), no enhanced unemployment benefits or JobKeeper* subsidised wage payments commenced until after 27 April 2020, with some payments not due to be received until 11 May [See Senate Select Committee on COVID-19, public hearing transcript, 30 April 2020, p.22].
Which means that, commencing on 28 February, between est. 20,320 to 249,875 Australian citizens had been without income support** and those single people on unemployment benefits had been struggling to live on as little as est. $18-$40 per day.
According to a Senate estimates hearing on 30 April, est. 400,000 more people are expected to lose their jobs by September 2020, at which time the unemployment rate is predicted to be around 13 per cent.
Goldman Sachs analysts are reportedly predicting an effective unemployment rate*** of 19 per cent by June-July.
Prime Minister & Liberal MP for Cook Scott Morrison is adamant that once the pandemic crisis passes all enhanced unemployment benefit rates will return to pre-pandemic levels - he is less clear about where the est. 1.74 million out of work Australians will be able to find a job.
Note:
* As of 28 April 2020 an est. 540,000 businesses have registered for the JobKeeper wage subsidisation scheme. The est. 3.3 million workers in these businesses are considered employed. JobKeeper wage payments to workers are subject to tax which is witheld by employers before payment is made.
** This last figure does not take into consideration unemployed non-citizens on student or work visas who are ineligible to apply for unemployment benefits.
*** An effective unemployment rate takes into consideration those who have had their hours of paid worik reduced, those who have given up looking for work since they lost their jobs and, those receiving JobKeeper payments but whose employer has temporarily ceased operating or is not operating at full capacity and therefore they are not going to work.
Sunday 3 May 2020
Pandemic bullies come in all shapes & sizes
The shrivelled soul of small business in Australia was on view in April 2020.....
 |
| Image found on Twitter |
The Sydney Morning Herald, 28 April 2020:
A chamber of commerce on Sydney's north shore has been forced to back down from comments demanding local businesses refuse entry to customers and staff who had not downloaded the COVIDSafe tracing app.
Ku-ring-gai Chamber of Commerce secretary Peter Vickers said he emailed between 1500 to 2000 businesses across its local government area on Monday directing them to ensure their customers had downloaded the app....
But Mr Vickers followed this email with another in the early hours of Tuesday morning, after some of the email's recipients informed him that such a direction was illegal.
The federal rules governing the app's operation state that a person must not coerce another into downloading the app, or refuse them entry or services on the grounds they have not done so.
Mr Vickers clarified in the subsequent email that businesses should only encourage people to install the app, while also taking aim at federal Health Minister Greg Hunt's decision to make the app voluntary.
"In fact he (Mr Hunt) should have ordered Apple and Android to compulsorily download the app to all phones in Australia," Mr Vickers wrote.
"The government forced businesses to close and even had the police chase sunbathers down the beach. They should be using the same force to open up again.".....
He said the fact the app was optional should give businesses the right to refuse service.
"You don't have to download the app but businesses should have the freedom to say we don't want infected people coming into our businesses."
Saturday 2 May 2020
Friday 1 May 2020
Recent changes to COVID-19 gathering & travelling rules
NSW Premier, media release, 28 April 2020:
Update on COVID-19 restrictions
The NSW Government has announced an update on COVID-19 restrictions and how our schools and retail outlets will look for the month of May.
- From Friday, 1 May up to two adults and their dependent children will be allowed to visit another household.
- We will see a return of face-to-face teaching from 11 May, and then will consider accelerating a full return to school as soon as possible.
- There have never been restrictions in NSW on what people can and cannot buy, however there may be increased retail activity, with some businesses choosing to re-open. It is important these shops maintain social distancing and hygiene requirements.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said this update on visits to households has been made to reduce social isolation and improve mental health.
“It extends the existing guidelines of being able to leave home for ‘care or medical purposes’,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“The two adults need not be related.
“The last thing any of us want to see is a huge spike in cases.
“We need anyone with even the mildest of symptoms anywhere in NSW to stay home and come forward for testing.”
There is no limit on how far you can travel within NSW so long as you respect the rules and the reason is consistent with one of the four categories for leaving home.
It is important when visiting another household social distancing is maintained and extra hygiene precautions are taken. When visiting, meeting in an outdoor environment such as home garden, backyard or verandah will help reduce the risk.
If you are visiting those aged over 70 or those with underlying health conditions we are urging you to be extra vigilant with social distancing and hygiene measures.
It is also important to remember that you do not visit anyone if you or they are unwell, even if you have mild symptoms like fatigue or a scratchy throat.
The two-person gathering limit still applies to public places.
Tuesday 28 April 2020
Morrison Government's new virus contact tracing app
On the evening of Sunday 26 April 2020 the Morrison Coalition Government released its COVID-19 contact tracing app "COVIDSafe" for download and installation on mobile phones by the Australia public.
The stated intention for the release of this app is to widely surveil the Australian population with the aim of tracing persons who have been in contact with confirmed COVID-19 cases.
This release did not come after the promised full disclosure of the app source code. Indeed this source code if or when it is finally released will be a redacted version.
It did not come backed by a full legislative framework which had been scrutinised by the Australian Parliament.
It came with a ministerial determination which had been published at one minute before midnight on Saturday 25 April 2020 and a one page website containing two download links, a link to "Privacy policy" and another to "Help topics".
It also came after the unannounced release of the promised Privacy Impact Assessment sometime on 25 April 2020.
Despite being assured that no federal agency can access data collected by COVIDSafe, one federal agency the Digital Transformation Agency has official permission to access data in certain situations.
To effectively use the app on a mobile phone Bluetooth has to be activated and some phones will be required to run the app in the foreground, others may find it can be run in the background. Recharging may have to happen more often and some existing phone functions may not always perform well.
Every mobile phone user with this app "will receive daily notifications to ensure the COVIDSafe app is running".
Once installed the app can be automatically updated (including with additional app functions) without notification to the user, unless automatic updates have been blocked on Google Play or Apple App Store.
It is up to each citizen and permanent resident to make their own decision concerning the downloading of this app as use of the app is voluntary.
UPDATE
Despite the Morrison Government insisting that "the COVIDSafe app does not collect your location", according to Google Play this app has GPS and network based functions so a mobile phone's precise location can be identified.
Sunday 26 April 2020
A perspective on society and the COVID-19 pandemic
This
is a Twitter thread created by Janette Francis,
a
Walkley-award
winning journalist, TV Presenter and
podcaster.
Jan’s
Twitter account was created in 2009.
The debate on the best responses to the COVID-19 pandemic is global and one cold-blooded aspect of this debate is currently found in British, American and Australian mainstream media articles and on social media - save the investments and assests of the well-off because old people and the chronically ill are going to die anyway.
This is Jan's contribution to this debate.
Jan
Fran @Jan__Fran, 21
April 2020:
I
keep hearing folks describe this pandemic as a kind of trade-off
between public health and the economy. This trade-off is often framed
around loss of life. 1
It
usually goes something like this: if we ease the lockdown we’ll see
people die from the virus. If we prolong the lockdown we’ll see
people die from the consequences of possible economic collapse (i.e
suicide, depression, poverty, ill health, violence). 2
We
are led to believe that attempts to limit one set of deaths, will
increase the other, that one group of people will have to sacrifice
for the other. But whose lives are more important? 3
Do
we sacrifice the sick now to save the healthy later; the old to save
the young; the poor to save everyone else? We are led to believe that
this is our dilemma and it is an impossible one. 4
Hey,
here’s a fun thing to think about: guess how much money Jeff Bezos
made today? 5
Jeff
Bezos made 17,000 dollars. But he didn’t make it in one day. He
made it in ONE SECOND. Every single second Amazon is reaping 17
thousand dollars worth of sales (this is AUD BTW) & this is
happening SPECIFICALLY during this pandemic as more people seek
deliverable supplies. 6
Jeff
Bezos is now worth 216 BILLION dollars and good on Jeff Bezos, I say!
I mean, the man is clearly providing a service that people need and
reaping the rewards. That is #inspo, amirite?! Please speak at my
conference, Jeff. 7
Thing
is, there's a wee bit more to the world we live in. 8
We
live in a world where, in the middle of a pandemic, one man makes 17
thousand dollars A SECOND and another is buried in a mass grave
because his family can’t afford a funeral. 9
It’s
a world where the homeless sleep in socially-distant quadrants in a
hotel car park, while above them thousand-dollar-a-night rooms sit
empty. It’s a world where folks are protesting their right to get
sick in a country they can not afford to seek treatment in. 10
One
thing this pandemic has done is exacerbated the gross inequalities we
always knew existed. It has exposed them, brought them to the surface
as the bodies of the poor and the desolate continue to be stacked
beneath the ground. 11
The
framing of this pandemic as ‘lives lost now V lives lost later’
is really just us tryna work out which sections of our society are
more productive, more useful. Which sections are going to best
replicate the system that was in place before all this Covid/lockdown
malarky. 12
I
mean, we all wanna get back to how it was ASAP, right? Now that we
think about it we were having a great time. The system was working.
But for who? 13
Not
for the man whose body now sits in a mass grave on Hart Island NY, it
wasn’t. Not for the homeless sleeping in their car park quadrants,
it wasn’t. Not for the nearly 40 million Americans living below the
poverty line, it wasn’t. This is the system we will replicate. 14
It
is right to talk about sacrifice in this dark and uncertain time. I
guess we all have to make sacrifices at some point so if not now,
when? If not me, who? Before you answer that, know this … 15
Twenty-six
individuals own as much wealth as HALF the world’s population -
Lemme say that again: TWENTY SIX people (two. six) own the same
amount of wealth as 3.8 BILLION PEOPLE. 16
That’s
worth remembering the next time some legend waxes lyrical about why
you might need to sacrifice yer nan for the sake of the economy.
Maybe those 26 people should sacrifice the spoils they’ve reaped
from a system that now needs saving from itself. 17
We
do indeed have a dilemma but it might not be an impossible one. Maybe
we actually don’t need to ask those who have the least to sacrifice
the most, maybe it’s the other way around. Maybe that’s the
trade-off? 18
Anyway,
thanks for letting me share my thoughts on this website twitter dot
com. 19/19
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