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."

A reminder that in the middle of a pandemic the old problems remain for land & climate

On 24 April 2020 the NSW Dept. of Primary Industries recorded that 64.6 per cent of the NSW North Coast is still in drought, 21 per cent is drought affected and 14.1 per cent no longer in drought.

This is the Clarence Valley showing by sector In Drought (light ochre to dark orche), Drought Affected (light to darker grey) and Non Drought (green tones):

Clarence Valley LGA outlined by sector
Data current to 24/4/2020 (AEST)

Analysis by NASA shows the NSW fires emitted about 195m tonnes of CO2 from 1 August to December 2019.

Permissions for logging in 2019-2020 firegrounds have been granted by NSW Berejiklian Government.

Cartoons of the Week

David Pope

Eric Löbbecke

Coastal freighter torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in WWII has been discovered off Crescent Head NSW

During World War Two 19 merchant vessels were sunk in NSW coastal waters.

On 27 April 2020 it was announced that the wreck of one of these ships - sunk by torpedo with only 5 survivors out of a crew 37 - had been found off Cresent Head.

The Wollongbar II was a single screw steamship owned by the North Coast Steam Navigation Company Ltd. At 2239 tons and 87 metres in length, the vessel had been built at Lithgow’s Ltd shipyard at Port Glasgow, Scotland in 1922. Wollongbar II was built to replace an earlier steamer of the same name wrecked at Belongil Beach, Byron Bay in 1921. IMAGE: NSW Government Premier & Cabinet information sheet.

The Daily Examiner, 29 April 2020, p.5:

A coastal freighter torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in WWII has been discovered off Crescent Head. 

Acting Minister for Veterans Geoff Lee said the SS Wollongbar II was confirmed by archaeologists from Heritage NSW after it was reported by the local community. 

“In 1943 a Japanese submarine, the I-180, destroyed the freight vessel with two torpedos killing 32 people on board,” said Mr Lee..... 

Director of Heritage Operations at Heritage NSW Tim Smith OAM said the discovery would reveal some amazing stories. 

“We want relatives of those who sailed on the SS Wollongbar II to get in contact, so we can share findings of the survey conducted by our archaeologists,” Mr Smith said.

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.

There will be three key changes that will take effect across NSW next month:

1. From Friday, 1 May up to two adults and their dependent children will be allowed to visit another household.
2. 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.
3. 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.

Read about what you can and can't do under the rules.

North Coast Public Health Unit reminding Northern NSW residents to protect themselves against mosquitoes which remain in high numbers late in the season

Northern NSW Local Health District, media release, 27 April 2020:

The North Coast Public Health Unit is reminding residents of Northern NSW to protect themselves against mosquitoes which remain in high numbers late in the season.

“Mosquitoes have persisted in large numbers through to early autumn, along with the warm weather in recent weeks,” Paul Williamson, Senior Environmental Health Officer, said.

The NSW Arbovirus Surveillance and Mosquito Monitoring Program recently detected Barmah Forest virus and Ross River virus in mosquitoes in the Northern NSW area. Ross River and Barmah Forest viruses are common on the north coast and are transmitted by infected mosquitoes.

So far this year, 32 north coast residents have been diagnosed with Barmah Forest virus infection and 153 with Ross River virus infections, which is two and three times the number of infections, respectively, for the same period last year. One hundred and nineteen of these infections have been reported in the last four weeks, which is six times the number reported in the same period last year.

“These infections can cause symptoms including tiredness, rash, fever, and sore and swollen joints. The symptoms usually resolve after several days, but some people may experience these symptoms for weeks or even months,” Mr Williamson said.

Avoiding mosquito bites will be especially important until cooler weather brings an end to the mosquito-breeding season.

Whilst most people are at home due to current movement restrictions, many people are heading outdoors early or late in the day to get some exercise.

“Mosquitoes are very active at these times so protect yourself from being bitten by mosquitoes when out-and-about.”

Simple steps to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes include:

• Cover up as much as possible when outside with light-coloured, loose-fitting clothing and covered footwear.
• Use an effective insect repellent on exposed skin. Re-apply repellent within a few hours, as protection wears off with perspiration. The best mosquito repellents contain Diethyl Toluamide (DEET) or Picaridin. Botanical based products (e.g. eucalyptus, citronella etc.) provide only limited periods of protection.
• Use physical barriers such as netting on prams, cots and play areas for babies. Repellents should not be used on the skin of children under the age of three months.
• Check the product label of repellents for recommended age of use. Most skin repellents are safe to use for children over the age of 3 months or older. Some formulations are only suitable for children over 12 months.
• Use insecticide sprays, vapour dispensing units (indoors) and mosquito coils (outdoors) to clear rooms or repel mosquitoes from an area.
• Cover all windows, doors, vents and other entrances with insect screens.
• Remove and prevent mosquito breeding sites around the home, such as emptying containers that hold water.

“Preventing infection with these viruses depends on avoiding mosquito bites, especially as the mosquitoes have become active after recent rain, warm days and high tides,” Mr Williamson said.

Fact sheets are available from the NSW Health website: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/factsheets/Pages/mosquito.aspx

Weekly reports are available during the arbovirus season from the New South Wales Arbovirus Surveillance and Mosquito Monitoring Program: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/environment/pests/vector/Pages/nswasp-weekly-report-2019-20.aspx

Is this the youngest 'wanted man' involved in a car pursuit in Coffs-Clarence Police District?

From The Daily Examiner, 28 April 2020, p.5:

Officers were notified and engaged in a pursuit with the taxi before road spikes were deployed on the Pacific Highway at Moonee Beach. A -year-old man was arrested after short foot pursuit.

*Animated gif found at Google Images