crikey--2020-03-12--Government finally embraces stimulus. The question is, will Australians follow?

Government finally embraces stimulus .
The question is , will Australians follow ?
The government 's stimulus package is a @ @ @ @ @ the economic havoc inflicted by the coronavirus epidemic .
But we will likely need more @ @ @ @ @ The Coalition has abandoned its decade-long hostility to fiscal stimulus , today revealing a substantial @ @ @ @ @ jobs and stimulate demand .
Unlike 2008-09 , however , there 's a real question @ @ @ @ @ with confidence and keep the economy moving .

The Coalition has abandoned its decade-long hostility to fiscal stimulus, today revealing a substantial economic package designed to preserve jobs and stimulate demand. Unlike 2008-09, however, there’s a real question about whether Australians will respond with confidence and keep the economy moving.
Just days after heavy backgrounding of the media that the package would be less than $10 billion and be targeted only at coronavirus-affected sectors, Scott Morrison has announced a package nearly twice that size including cash handouts to welfare recipients, direct cash assistance to small business and a wage subsidy scheme aimed at encouraging the retention of apprentices.
A key component will be a cash payment to businesses up to $50 million in turnover of up to $25,000, based on the amount of tax they withhold. That will cost nearly $7 billion.


crikey--2020-03-12--Virus Watch: Trump bans travel from Europe (but excludes his UK mates)

Virus Watch : Trump bans travel from Europe ( but excludes his UK mates ) US imposes European travel ban @ @ @ @ @ .

US bans European travel
US President Donald Trump has blamed the European Union for the spread of the coronavirus in the US and is putting a travel ban on Europe. The suspension will last for 30 days, and will be effective as of midnight Friday. Curiously, the UK is not included in this ban.
Trump pointedly described the action as “the most aggressive and comprehensive effort to confront a foreign virus in modern history”.
The move follows Central American nation Guatemala — which, unlike the US, is yet to report any cases of the virus — announcing yesterday that there will be a blanket ban on the entry of any European citizens.


crikey--2020-03-12--Stimulus at a glance: the key points

Stimulus at a glance: the key points

Here are the biggest takeaways from today 's $ 17.6 billion stimulus package .
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has finally @ @ @ @ @ the government 's stimulus package in response to the coronavirus , after days of speculation @ @ @

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has finally unveiled the specific details of the government’s stimulus package in response to the coronavirus, after days of speculation and backgrounding.
Here’s the basics of what Morrison and his team have announced:
The stimulus package will be worth $17.6 billion
Three-quarters of the stimulus will go to businesses
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said $11 billion will have been injected into the economy by June
About 700,000 businesses will be able to access cash payments of between $2,000 and $25,000
Eligible employers can apply to have 50% of an apprentice’s or trainee’s wages subsidised for up to nine months from January 1 this year
The government is increasing the instant asset write-off threshold to $150,000 (it was previously $30,000), and expanding it to include businesses with annual turnover of less than $500 million, up from $50 million
There will be a sickness allowance for people who can’t work and have no access to sick leave, such as casuals. It will be means tested, ranging from $559 per fortnight for a single person with no children, to $604 for single people with children or who are over 60 and under pension age
There will be a stimulus payment of up to $750 to households who receive a whole range of welfare payments — including pensioners, those on Newstart, family tax benefits and veteran support payments. These payments will start from March 31
The government will be lowering the deeming rate (what the government deems to be your income from financial assets) for social security payments. Minister for Families and Social Services Anne Ruston said that as a result around 900,000 people — 565,000 pensioners and 323,000 who receive other payments — will have their fortnightly payments increased
An initial $1 billion will be put into a “coronavirus fund” aimed at promoting domestic tourism and waiving certain fees for tourism businesses. This will be regionally targeted, and is aimed at tourism operators in National Parks and the Great Barrier Reef marine park
The measures are temporary, and will expire in June next year.
All this was delivered amidst slaps at the media and Labor, because why not?


crikey--2020-03-12--Drones of all kinds, awake! Your world is changing faster than you think

It 's a win-win for the media .
First it helps to create a coronavirus panic , and then it @ @ @ @ @ on the panic itself -- crashing stock markets and brawls over toilet paper .

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crikey--2020-03-11--Old ways, new thinking: Fringe reinvents the wheel to bring Dreamtime story to life

Old ways , new thinking : Fringe reinvents the wheel to bring Dreamtime story to life Yabarra : Dreaming in @ @ @ @ @ is an experience 6000 years in the making , and the story of how it @ @ @ @ @ fascinating .
'Yabarra : Dreaming in Light ' at the Adelaide Fringe Festival ( Image @ @ @ @ @ story is 6000 years old , but without world-first digital projection technology and a new @ @ @ @ @ arts sponsors on their head , it simply couldn ’ t be told .

The story is 6000 years old, but without world-first digital projection technology and a new funding model that turns traditional arts sponsors on their head, it simply couldn’t be told.
Yabarra: Dreaming in Light, the immersive cultural experience that has become a breakout hit at this year’s Adelaide Fringe Festival, is an ancient story told in a very modern way.
And after the fringe turned an initial $150,000 state government grant into a $1 million multilayered Dreamtime story, it is destined to have a profound impact on future cultural presentations of Indigenous stories across the nation — not just in how they are created, but how they are funded.


crikey--2020-03-11--Coronavirus is raising legal questions that no one has answers for… yet

Coronavirus is raising legal questions that no one has answers for… yet Lawyers are trying to give their clients pragmatic @ @ @ @ @ business amid the COVID-19 pandemic .
But the virus begs a response that lawyers can @ @ @ @ @ client ’ s question was existential : they ’ re organising a conference in the @ @ @ @ @ thousands of tickets for what will be a huge event with major corporate sponsors .

The client’s question was existential: they’re organising a conference in the next few months, selling thousands of tickets for what will be a huge event with major corporate sponsors.
They’ve booked the venue and paid the enormous non-refundable deposit. But now the board members are asking themselves, considering their directors’ duties and the rising public panic over COVID-19, whether they need to postpone or cancel the event altogether.
The way things are looking, if they run it they’ll make a massive loss.


crikey--2020-03-13--How Australia’s coronavirus plan compares to other countries’

How Australia ’ s coronavirus plan compares to other countries ’ Australia has had the benefit of learning from nations @ @ @ @ @ have n't taken any drastic steps ... yet .
“ Flatten the curve ” is @ @ @ @ @ the world , urging everyone to help slow the spread of the coronavirus so healthcare @ @ @ @

“Flatten the curve” is the mantra being recited around the world, urging everyone to help slow the spread of the coronavirus so healthcare systems can cope.
Australia has had the benefit of learning from nations already affected. We know the virus responds extremely well to public health measures like social distancing and quarantining.
But we’ve yet to take drastic steps. Schools are still open, there’s no ban on mass events and no forced social distancing. Crikey takes a look at responses around the world and asks, what more should we do?


crikey--2020-03-13--Virus Watch: anarchy in the USA, sport is over, and a minister may be infected

Virus Watch : anarchy in the USA , sport is over , and a minister may be infected The coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ the US , while former senator Derryn Hinch reckons someone in the government is infected @

World markets presenting with flu-like symptoms
The Australian share market continues to shake itself into rubble. After a crash of nearly 10% on Wall Street last night and big falls across Europe, the ASX200 dropped more than 7% in the first 15 minutes of trading this morning, adding to the $551 billion already lost in the past three weeks.
We have a bunch of questions ….
As we were all recovering from the news that Australia had given Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson the virus, incorrigible gossip and former senator/Crikey contributor Derryn Hinch tweeted out: “I’m hearing a federal minister has tested positive. Cancelled meetings tomorrow.”
There’s some irony in a man usually so happy to name names (who can forget his first Senate speech?) suddenly being so taciturn.


crikey--2020-03-13--The PM’s pick finally faces a Senate grilling over sports rort

With many pressing questions so far going unanswered , what will the Senate uncover of Phil Gaetjens ' investigation into @ @ @ @ @ Next Monday , March 16 , the secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and @ @ @ @ @ to front a Senate committee examining the sports rorts affair .
Inq investigates what 's @ @ @ @ @ it matters .

Next Monday, March 16, the secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet Phil Gaetjens is due to front a Senate committee examining the sports rorts affair. Inq investigates what’s at stake — and why it matters.
Phil Gaetjens is Australia’s most powerful public servant. He is the custodian of the integrity of the Australian public service, as designated by the Public Service Act 1999. He is the government’s highest-paid public servant, earning $914,416 a year.
It is he who appoints other heads of department — with input from the Australian Public Service Commissioner — and it is he to whom they ultimately report.


crikey--2020-03-13--Australia may avoid a pandemic, but only if Trump stops tweeting

Australia may avoid a pandemic , but only if Trump stops tweeting Things should n't get as bad for Australia @ @ @ @ @ and South Korea .
Unless Donald Trump has anything to say about it .

Coronavirus cases spiked in Australia overnight, topping 163 cases.
Despite the worrying increase, public health experts say Australia is well-positioned to avoid a situation as severe as Italy or South Korea — but the rhetoric from the US may hamper our government’s messaging.
Trump is trivialising quarantine
“The virus will not have a chance against us … No nation is more prepared or more resilient than the US,” President Donald Trump gloated in a national address yesterday.


crikey--2020-03-13--Grand Prix chaos puts the spotlight on secretive deal

The shambolic handling of the cancellation of the Australian Grand Prix raises questions about the arrangement between Formula One and @ @ @ @ @ Grand Prix is cancelled , but no thanks to a quick-thinking Victorian government .

The Grand Prix is cancelled, but no thanks to a quick-thinking Victorian government.
The decision was ultimately made by the race’s corporate backers, raising questions about the government’s reluctance to pull the plug — even as team members expressed an unwillingness to race and were being dragged off for testing for the deadly coronavirus.
Last night, as world champion Lewis Hamilton lashed out at organisers for going ahead, the official line from the government was that there was still no reason to cancel. A spokesperson said in response to Inq’s questions: ‘’The only consideration is the advice of the chief health officer and we will continue to follow his advice.”


crikey--2020-03-15--The media is not prepared for COVID-19

The media is not prepared for COVID-19

The media is not prepared for COVID-19 Asking questions is not enough .
People need answers about the current threat @ @ @ @ @ the media is just one more secondhand source .
COVID-19 is the news story of @ @ @ @ @ daily news journalism still fit for purpose in face of this crisis in a world @ @ @ @

COVID-19 is the news story of our time. But is daily news journalism still fit for purpose in face of this crisis in a world of information abundance?
At one point the traditional media was both the source and channel for breaking news. Now, for news about COVID-19, the key sources are the big public health institutions — often governmental — both here and overseas. Social media and search engines give everyone the direct access that, once, only journalists enjoyed.
Media has become just one more secondhand source — and one of the least trusted.


crikey--2020-03-15--Government losing control as crisis tests basic skills and demands hard choices

The government is doing little to allay growing panic about the coronavirus crisis , both because it is failing to @ @ @ @ @ because it has been stuck in political mode for so long that the challenge of @ @ @ @ @ its reach .
The escalating sense of fear around the coronavirus crisis partly reflects the @ @ @ @ @ Australia and dramatic decisions taken by other governments around the world .
But it also @ @ @ @ @ own government to reassure Australians it knows what it is doing .

The escalating sense of fear around the coronavirus crisis partly reflects the rising number of cases in Australia and dramatic decisions taken by other governments around the world. But it also reflects a struggle by our own government to reassure Australians it knows what it is doing.
Until late last week, the Morrison government had responded relatively effectively to the crisis with well-balanced health measures and a substantial stimulus package that embraced exactly the kind of fiscal policy the Coalition had been decrying for years.
On Friday, however, the government began to lose control, first with Morrison’s mishandled post-COAG media conference and then, over the weekend, in a disastrous interview by the chief medical officer (and incoming Health Department secretary) Brendan Murphy and Health Minister Greg Hunt.


crikey--2020-03-15--How the 96-hour news cycle has changed journalism forever

How the 96-hour news cycle has changed journalism forever The 96-hour news cycle , instigated by social media , has @ @ @ @ @ in Australian media and politics .
Journalists of a certain age tend to complain about @ @ @ @ @ news cycle -- a hamster wheel of practice which rewards outrage and opinion over `` @ @ @ @ @ considered analysis .

Journalists of a certain age tend to complain about the scourge of the 24-hour news cycle — a hamster wheel of practice which rewards outrage and opinion over “shoe-leather” news gathering and considered analysis.
But the news cycle is actually much longer. The rise of social media has produced something quite unexpected: the 96-hour news cycle. One version has arisen as the Covid-19 crisis has developed.
The government has consistently been ‘behind the curve’, introducing policies three or four days after they were clearly necessary. For those keeping count, four days is 96 hours.


crikey--2020-03-16--Data point: helping you keep track of the spread of COVID-19

Communications specialist Juliette O'Brien crunches the data on the coronavirus crisis .
Truth and facts are the first victims of @ @ @ @ @ Below is a compilation , based on verified data from state and federal health departments @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 .
It 's been compiled by digital communications specialist Juliette O'Brien , who , @ @ @ @ @ is beautiful -- and very , very helpful .
Where they are in Australia

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crikey--2020-03-16--The questions we have to keep asking the Morrison government

With the government suddenly changing its tune on economic stimulus amid the growing coronavirus crisis , former federal treasurer Wayne Swan asks if Morrison and co have what it takes to keep the country afloat .
Twelve years ago this week , the merchant banks started to collapse , leading to the global financial crisis and the subsequent Great Recession that wrecked the global economy for nearly a decade .
Completely alone among major advanced economies , Australia sailed through the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression .
Not only did we avoid recession , we protected jobs , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the other side stronger , while our peer countries descended into a decade of economic crisis .
The political shocks of the downturn are still reverberating , with the far-right ascendant around the globe and a dangerous ignoramus leading the free world .
How you view Australia ’ s experience relative to the rest of the world in the time since depends entirely on why you think we remained standing in 2008-09 while others succumbed .
A week ago , this was somehow still in dispute .
Until a few weeks ago , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mates in the media and in business — were still loudly insisting fiscal stimulus was unnecessary .
Always had been , always would be .
And though there will be a Colonel Kurtz faction of Australian conservatism that will howl this message until the end of time , the Morrison government has just quietly dropped it .
To coin a phrase : attempted imitation is nearly the sincerest form of flattery .
If this last week finally ends the argument that governments should never stand in the way of the cleansing fire of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have come of whatever lies before us .
As the federal treasurer in 2008 , I had a front-row seat in the national and international crisis response that followed the onset of the GFC .
Just as many doctors knew months ago that the events in Wuhan had frightening potential , the world ’ s finance ministers , me included , knew the potential banking contagion could be the harbinger of something deadly , and began to prepare .
When Lehman Brothers collapsed in September 2008 , our worst fears were made real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the edge .
Thirty major international banks had to be bailed out .
All G7 economies were recording negative growth .
Global stock markets were down 50 % through the year .
We acted to address it .
If we had one big advantage on today , it ’ s that the people making the decisions were still statesmen and women , not baseball cap-wearing buffoons or scarecrows in suits .
They were serious centrists , not nativist populists ; people who believed in global cooperation and sound economics , and who could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as fake news .
Australia was proudly part of the global effort .
In fact , we were in the vanguard .
Labor ’ s measures earned plaudits from the world ’ s most senior economists and economic organisations .
But what did the then Liberal-National opposition say about our successful stimulus packages ?
Not a single positive comment was ever uttered nor has been uttered since by the then-opposition about the role economic stimulus played in addressing the greatest economic catastrophe since the Great Depression .
They couldn ’ t bring themselves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before their economic ideology .
History shows they were wrong , completely wrong — something they now can ’ t bring themselves to openly and honestly admit .
On one level , you ’ ll be wondering why it matters that the conservatives are unrepentant about their record of denial and denigration .
Well , it does now .
Their record means that the price of Australia coming through this crisis will be eternal vigilance when it comes to their words and their actions .
They deserve and require unrelenting scrutiny of motives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as : How can we trust this government to run an effective and sustained economic stimulus when they ’ ve been trashing the very idea of economic stimulus for the last 12 years ?
Will they be able to sustain the effort as long as it takes to keep growth going ?
Because even if the Morrison government ’ s rhetoric proves temporary , the downturn mightn ’ t be .
You may recall that the stimulus package in 2008-09 came in two parts .
The first got money back into the pockets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Christmas .
We started preparing a second package the moment we finished the first .
The second one was to get investment going again .
Where are those measures ?
Will there be any ?
We shall wait and see .
The next question is one many mainstream economists are also raising : does the stimulus reach everyone it needs to ?
I applaud the idea of putting money into the hands of those who will spend it rather than save it — like the unemployed , pensioners , Commonwealth Health Care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like .
But will this on its own prove enough in an economy in which low-to middle-income families comprise the bulk of aggregate demand and whose current lack of spending power has been acting as a brake on the economy for far too long ?
In other words : can consumer confidence be restored when the overwhelming bulk of consumers are being left out ?
On first blush , the broad outlines of the package — especially the tilt towards business ( laudable though the measures themselves are ) — raise the question @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a desire not to look too much like our 2008 measures .
That would be a petty and dangerous consideration in such extreme times .
And the third question is : is it too late ?
The government can claim all it likes that this stimulus is only possible because they ’ ve restored the economy to strength , but their claim doesn ’ t wash. We all recall them after last year ’ s budget inventing a whole new tense in the English language — the past future — with their claim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back into surplus next year ” .
Apart from demonstrating the absurdity of their marketing spin , what have they really done ?
The reality is that under their watch the economy has gotten steadily weaker .
The coronavirus is only the latest jolt to a long-weakening economy .
It ’ s never nice to get hit by a big and unexpected left hook , but it ’ s even worse when a series of jabs and and body punches have already left you wobbly at the knees .
Leading economists have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the economy was in a vulnerable condition .
They have been right .
Since the December quarter 2017 , quarterly per capita GDP growth has averaged a minuscule 0.1 % We ’ ve just suffered our worst calendar-year result in 29 years .
Consumer sentiment is gloomy and household spending has been weak .
Almost one in eight people in Australia are either unemployed or can ’ t get the hours of work they want .
When you factor in population growth , we have had zero improvement in living standards over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ call it a per capita recession .
It ’ s no wonder therefore that the Reserve Bank Governor has been pleading with the government to be more aggressive on fiscal policy .
Unlike the negative hopes they had for my stimulus package in response to the GFC , I hope the government ’ s package succeeds in avoiding a recession .
But I fear that in order to do so , it ’ s going to have to be a sustained package — as well as one that remedies the big underlying problems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lack of demand being made worse by the growing inequalities of our society .
And I wonder , honestly , if they ’ ve got it in them .
Wayne Swan was the federal treasurer from 2007 to 2013 .
You can read a longer version of this story on The Mandarin .

Twelve years ago this week, the merchant banks started to collapse, leading to the global financial crisis and the subsequent Great Recession that wrecked the global economy for nearly a decade.
Completely alone among major advanced economies, Australia sailed through the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
Not only did we avoid recession, we protected jobs, businesses, livelihoods, and emerged on the other side stronger, while our peer countries descended into a decade of economic crisis.


crikey--2020-03-16--Virus Watch: Australia considers lockdown, Italians sing from quarantine

Victoria has declared a state of emergency .
Will other states now follow ?
It ’ s been a big @ @ @ @ @ , as the federal and state governments introduce measures to slow the spread .

It’s been a big weekend with coronavirus cases skyrocketing, as the federal and state governments introduce measures to slow the spread.
Here’s what you need to know.
Cases keep climbing
Australia’s death toll rose to five over the weekend, following the deaths of two women (aged 77 and 90) in NSW. Australia currently has 299 confirmed cases of coronavirus — 135 of them are in NSW.


crikey--2020-03-16--School closures should not be left too late, experts warn

School closures should not be left too late , experts warn The government has resisted shutting down schools as part @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus .
But if it does n't act soon , it may end up @ @ @ @ @ health experts have warned of the risk of closing down schools too late , as @ @ @ @ @ latest city to shut its doors to students .

Public health experts have warned of the risk of closing down schools too late, as New York City becomes the latest city to shut its doors to students.
Raina MacIntyre, professor of global biosecurity at the University of NSW, told Crikey school closures only worked if they were done proactively, as part of a broader lockdown.
“You can’t leave it too late to when the health system is falling down. You need to do it as a proactive measure, shutting down as much as possible,” she said.


crikey--2020-03-15--Here’s the economic challenge: keep our fears under control

Here ’ s the economic challenge : keep our fears under control If we let the fear of the virus @ @ @ @ @ our troubles will multiply .
We have nothing to fear , but fear itself .

We have nothing to fear, but fear itself.
These famous words were spoken by Franklin D. Roosevelt upon his inauguration as US president in 1933.
Roosevelt’s subject was the Great Depression. “Our greatest primary task is to put people to work. This is no unsolvable problem if we face it wisely and courageously,” he said.


crikey--2020-03-16--‘Time to support each other’: the community groups fighting panic with kindness

‘ Time to support each other ’ : the community groups fighting panic with kindness Offers of help are flooding @ @ @ @ @ are eager to give assistance to neighbours in need .
There seems to be another @ @ @ @ @ social networks , and community worker Rebecca Gelsi has come down with a chronic dose @ @ @

There seems to be another contagion sweeping through communities and social networks, and community worker Rebecca Gelsi has come down with a chronic dose of it.
A major symptom: heroic acts of kindness.
Even as rampaging coronavirus anxiety was igniting stockpiling raids on supermarket aisles, Gelsi felt moved this weekend to leave a couple of spare rolls of toilet paper on her picket fence for the convenience of any neighbours caught short.


crikey--2020-03-16--This coronavirus is unlike anything in our lifetime, and we have to stop comparing it to the flu

This coronavirus is unlike anything in our lifetime , and we have to stop comparing it to the flu Longtime @ @ @ @ @ n't trust the public health experts comparing COVID-19 to a simple seasonal flu .
Here @ @ @ @ @ story was originally published by ProPublica .

This story was originally published by ProPublica.
As a longtime health care reporter, I see the unfolding coronavirus pandemic as representing everything I’ve read about — from the early days of epidemiology to the staggering toll of the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic — but had not covered in my lifetime.
And still, I have been caught off guard by the pushback from top elected officials and even some friends and acquaintances who keep comparing it to the flu.


crikey--2020-03-17--A fine mess: what defying quarantine orders could cost you

A fine mess : what defying quarantine orders could cost you States have never had to fine citizens for breaching @ @ @ @ @ that could change — to the tune of tens of thousands .
If you 're @ @ @ @ @ been in contact with an infected person , it 's time to lock your doors @ @ @ @ @ live , you could be slapped with a fine in the tens of thousands for @ @ @ @

If you’re returning from abroad or have been in contact with an infected person, it’s time to lock your doors. Depending on where you live, you could be slapped with a fine in the tens of thousands for disobeying quarantine orders.
These laws are, unlike the coronavirus, not novel or new. But despite their age, they’ve never been enforced before. Crikey takes a look at how much in fines dissenters can face, and why.
A question of state
There are two mechanisms that Australian governments can use to force people into quarantine: the Biosecurity Act 2015 (which can order people to provide body samples, to undergo treatment and to restrict their behaviour) and state-based public health acts.


crikey--2020-03-17--Virus Watch: Obeid trial delayed, airlines falling, and is it curtains for the arts?

Virus Watch : Obeid trial delayed , airlines falling , and is it curtains for the arts ?
Economists are @ @ @ @ @ a recession ( or worse ) and the arts sector struggles .
Here 's what @ @ @ @ @

The economy struggles, again
It’s another bad day for global markets. Wall Street had its worst day since the Black Monday crash of 1987, while ASX futures are down 4.1%.
According to a report in The Australian Financial Review, most world airlines could be bankrupt by the end of May. Overnight, Scandinavian Airlines announced it was suspending commercial flights and cutting 90% of its staff (10,000 jobs). Qantas and Jetstar announced they would cut 90% of their international capacity and 60% of their domestic capacity until the end of May.


crikey--2020-03-17--Does Australia have enough hospital beds for the worst-case scenario?

Does Australia have enough hospital beds for the worst-case scenario ?
The answer is complex .
But this is why @ @ @ @ @ the curve ' .
With officials estimating up to 150,000 Australians could die from the @ @ @ @ @ s worst case scenario , does Australia have enough hospital beds to care for a @ @ @ @

With officials estimating up to 150,000 Australians could die from the coronavirus under the government’s worst case scenario, does Australia have enough hospital beds to care for a rise in patients?
The answer is complex. It depends on where the beds are needed, and whether we see a big spike in the number of cases presenting to hospitals, as was the case in Italy. This is why officials are doing everything they can to “flatten the curve” and avoid overwhelming the healthcare system.
Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, former president of the Australian Medical Association, told ABC’s Q&A program on Monday night that Australia did not have the intensive care capacity to deal with a big spike in COVID-19 patients.


crikey--2020-03-16--Corona curated: experiences from inside lockdown

There 's never been a more important time to join us .
The coronavirus outbreak is challenging governments , institutions @ @ @ @ @ .
It ’ s much more than a health crisis .
Few areas of human @ @ @ @ @ left untouched .
Crikey has been engaged in independent journalism for more than 20 years @ @ @ @ @ outpost of a foreign media organisation ; we are Australian owned and operated and dedicated @ @ @ @ @ telling our readers what is really going on .
That ’ s why we are @ @ @ @ @ the best , independent coverage of the coronavirus outbreak every working day .
We will @ @ @ @ @ means for you , for your family and our country .
We hope you ’ @ @ @ @ @ yourself how Crikey makes a difference to how you understand the world .

With cities and entire countries in lockdown, Crikey has brought together some of the most interesting experiences and perspectives from medical staff and residents from around the world.
Every avoidance felt like an act of heroism. You told yourself you were saving lives, and you were probably right.


crikey--2020-03-16--Democracy prevails in a time of social distancing — for now

Democracy prevails in a time of social distancing — for now More than 3 million Queenslanders are soon set to @ @ @ @ @ state byelections .
How is this supposed to work ?
As official warnings and public @ @ @ @ @ ever higher pitch , more than 3 million Queenslanders will be corralled into polling booths @ @ @ @ @ vote in compulsory local government and state byelections .

As official warnings and public concern about coronavirus reach an ever higher pitch, more than 3 million Queenslanders will be corralled into polling booths over the next fortnight to vote in compulsory local government and state byelections.
For those unwilling to wear the state’s unusually stiff $130 fine (or the shame of abrogated civic responsibility, if that still counts for anything), the only alternative option is a postal vote — and that window closed with yesterday’s 7pm deadline for applications.
The website of the Electoral Commission of Queensland proved unable to cope with the demand yesterday afternoon, when many prospective applicants were met with error messages upon entering their personal details.


crikey--2020-03-17--What other countries learned from SARS — and we, apparently, didn’t

What other countries learned from SARS — and we , apparently , didn ’ t There are two rules in @ @ @ @ @ take quick and decisive action , and do what the government says .
The countries @ @ @ @ @ to be those who had first- hand , fatal experience experience with the SARS outbreak @ @ @ @ @ Hong Kong ( which lost 299 citizens to SARS ) , Taiwan , South Korea @ @ @ @ @ : take quick and decisive action — and do what the government says .

The countries best dealing with COVID-19 appear to be those who had first- hand, fatal experience experience with the SARS outbreak 17 years ago. What Hong Kong (which lost 299 citizens to SARS), Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore learned was simple: take quick and decisive action — and do what the government says.
By contrast, the unfolding disasters in Italy and the US have been case studies in bad management. The US, in particular, is burdened with the twin difficulties of one of the world’s most unequal health systems and arguably the world’s most incompetent administration.


crikey--2020-03-17--‘Coronaviruses are a wily bunch’: a doctor explains why herd immunity isn’t going to save us

Coronaviruses are a ‘ wily bunch ’ : a doctor explains why herd immunity isn ’ t going to save @ @ @ @ @ immunity ' , countries have accepted that waiting to beat COVID-19 is n't an option @ @ @ @ @ do so .
Last week Sir Patrick Vallance , the UK ’ s chief scientific @ @ @ @ @ for seeming to suggest that the way to manage the coronavirus pandemic was to rely @ @ @ @

Last week Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK’s chief scientific adviser, was publicly pilloried for seeming to suggest that the way to manage the coronavirus pandemic was to rely on herd immunity.
No matter that that’s not actually what he said, that’s what was heard. So what do we mean by herd immunity?
In brief, it means that if enough people are immune to a disease, then it becomes unlikely or unable to spread through the remaining vulnerable members of the community.


crikey--2020-03-18--How quickly things are changing

How quickly things are changing

Time now moves quicker than ever as the 'latest ' updates on the coronavirus/COVID-19 are quickly superseded .
Remember the @ @ @ @ @ have two-speed time .
For the growing number of Australians isolating at home , and @ @ @ @ @ people in lockdown in Europe and Asia , time is passing ponderously in a world @ @ @ @ @ of friends and extended family , of sport , of hospitality , of being able @ @ @ @ @ or bar , or even for a walk .

Remember the two-speed economy? Now we have two-speed time. For the growing number of Australians isolating at home, and the hundreds of millions of people in lockdown in Europe and Asia, time is passing ponderously in a world deprived of social contact, of friends and extended family, of sport, of hospitality, of being able to go to a cafe or bar, or even for a walk.
But outside, time now moves quicker than ever. Events seemed to move fast during the financial crisis: banks would collapse overnight; bailout packages in the hundreds of billions would appear between going to bed and getting up; bureaucrats in Canberra had to stay up all night watching offshore events so that their bosses could be fully informed of the context for rapid decisions around saving the economy.
Life in the time of COVID-19, however, is much quicker again. Look away from your screen for a moment and there’ll be another death, another 100 cases, another lockdown, another closure, another sport shut down.


crikey--2020-03-17--Inside the pro-Trump Facebook group where first responders call coronavirus a hoax

Inside the pro-Trump Facebook group where first responders call coronavirus a hoax A Facebook group for US emergency workers is @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus response is a Democrat plot to 'kill the economy ' and bring down Donald @ @ @ @ @ published by ProPublica .

This story was originally published by ProPublica.
In a 27,000-member private Facebook group for first responders who support President Donald Trump, firefighters and paramedics have posted thousands of comments in recent weeks downplaying the coronavirus pandemic that they are responsible for helping to handle.
Posts in the group, which is called IAFF Union Firefighters for Trump and has been endorsed by Trump, scoffed at the seriousness of the virus, echoing false assertions by Trump and his allies comparing it to the seasonal flu.


crikey--2020-03-17--Ombudsman investigates AFP over failing to investigate Angus Taylor

One way or another , we 're getting an investigation .
The Commonwealth Ombudsman will scrutinise the Australian Federal Police @ @ @ @ @ own investigation into how federal minister Angus Taylor put his name to an allegedly forged @ @ @ @ @ Mayor Clover Moore .

The Commonwealth Ombudsman will scrutinise the Australian Federal Police (AFP) over its own investigation into how federal minister Angus Taylor put his name to an allegedly forged document to discredit Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore.
Taylor, the energy minister, has been proclaiming his innocence in the dodgy documents affair by pointing out that two police forces have looked at it and concluded there was nothing to prosecute.
The Commonwealth Ombudsman has confirmed to Crikey that it has started an investigation into the AFP “following receipt of complaints from members of the public”.


crikey--2020-03-18--Sorry, Alan, but coronavirus could be 40 times more deadly than the flu

Sorry , Alan , but coronavirus could be 40 times more deadly than the flu Despite what Alan Jones says @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus being far , far deadlier than seasonal flu .
Shock jock Alan Jones again @ @ @ @ @ , saying that Australia is now `` facing the health version of global warming .
@ @ @ @ @ Certainly in description , and certainly in behaviour .
”

Shock jock Alan Jones again courted controversy this week, saying that Australia is now “facing the health version of global warming. Exaggeration in almost everything. Certainly in description, and certainly in behaviour.”
But the latest statistics from the World Health Organisation show alarm is somewhat necessary when dealing with the global threat of coronavirus. COVID-19 so far has a fatality rate of between 1% and 4% — up to 40 times higher than the 0.1% fatality rate of the flu.


crikey--2020-03-18--A simple way to survive the virus crisis? Be rich

A simple way to survive the virus crisis ?
Be rich Medical concierges , private jets and Michelin-starred takeaway : @ @ @ @ @ , but it 's definitely easier to get by if you 're wealthy .
In @ @ @ @ @ Boy , F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote “ Let me tell you about the very rich @ @ @ @ @ you and me ” .

In the 1926 story The Rich Boy, F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote “Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me”.
Even though life-threatening viruses, such as COVID-19, don’t discriminate — movie star Idris Elba currently has it — being wealthy does dramatically improve your odds of surviving it.
Higher socio-economic status has always correlated with health, of course. But when it comes to healthcare and transport in a time of coronavirus, being rich can save your life.


crikey--2020-03-19--Want to know what ‘self isolation’ really means? We asked Twitter

Want to know what ‘ self isolation ’ really means ?
We asked Twitter Australians are finding out the hard @ @ @ @ @ .
So you 've been told to self-isolate for 14 days .
But what does @ @ @ @

So you’ve been told to self-isolate for 14 days. But what does that really mean?
Crikey put out a straw poll on twitter — response rate entirely unscientific — and discovered confusion reigns among even the savvy denizens of the twittersphere.
The question was “what does the term ‘self-isolate’ mean to you?” Here’s some of the responses we got.


crikey--2020-03-19--Virus Watch: Tasmania gets tough as Qantas goes to ground

Virus Watch : Tasmania gets tough as Qantas goes to ground As Tasmania restricts entry and the school closure debate @ @ @ @ @ you need to know in coronavirus developments .
Following a bad night for coronavirus death @ @ @ @ @ strict border control as schools remain open and events continue to be cancelled en masse @ @ @ @

Following a bad night for coronavirus death cases, Tasmania has introduced strict border control as schools remain open and events continue to be cancelled en masse around the country.
Crikey takes a look at developments from around the world.
Sharp leap in cases
There’s been a sharp jump in cases overnight — according to the John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre, at time of writing there were nearly 215,000 confirmed cases worldwide and almost 9,000 deaths.


crikey--2020-03-19--One month with COVID-19: the rhetorical evolution of Trump and Morrison

As the coronavirus has spread and changed , so has the way Scott Morrison and Donald Trump talk about it .
Donald Trump “ I ’ ve talked to my health gurus and we all agree that the United States is best positioned in the world to handle any kind of epidemic .
We ’ re the best .
” Scott Morrison “ There is no need for hysteria about this issue .
We are on alert , but the last thing we want to do is create havoc and confusion in the community.
” Donald Trump : “ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out fine .
I think when we get into April , in the warmer weather , that has a very negative effect on that and that type of a virus .
So let ’ s see what happens , but I think it ’ s going to work out fine.
” Scott Morrison : “ You can imagine how exciting it is for me as a prime minister — as difficult as that issue is , the coronavirus impacts on the globe and its particular impacts here in Australia — that Australian scientists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to grow and share that virus and understand its componentry ” Donald Trump : “ You may ask about the coronavirus , which is very well under control in our country .
We have very few people with it , and the people that have it are … getting better .
They ’ re all getting better ” Scott Morrison : “ If we can overcome the virus , we can overcome the longer term and medium term impacts … We ’ re not a government that engages extreme fiscal responses.
” Scott @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the football , you can still go to the cricket , you can still go and play with your friends down the street , you can go off to the concert , and you can go out for a Chinese meal .
You can do all of these things because Australia has acted quickly , Australia has got ahead of this at this point in time.
” Donald Trump : “ I think the 3.4 % number is really a false number .
Now this is just my hunch , but based @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I ’ d say the number is way under 1 % .
” Scott Morrison : “ In Australia , we moved very early .
We got ahead of it early and we ’ re staying ahead of it .
And we ’ re working together with state and territory governments , but also those in the private sector as well , the big companies to ensure that we can stay ahead of what ’ s occurring here.
” Scott Morrison : “ Australia moved quickly , and we got ahead of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ swift and decisive action to initiate travel restrictions on the basis of expert medical advice has helped to first contain and now slow the spread of the virus in Australia.
” Donald Trump : “ This is the most aggressive and comprehensive effort to confront a foreign virus in modern history.
” Scott Morrison ( on Labor ’ s GFC stimulus package ) : “ What we ’ ve been having to deal with over the last six years is repairing an over extended stimulus that went well beyond the event and baked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decade into the future.
” Donald Trump : The FDA “ will bring , additionally , 1.4 million tests on board next week and 5 million within a month .
I doubt we ’ ll need anywhere near that.
” Scott Morrison : “ Look I ’ m sorry to say that to the Bunnies fans down there at South Juniors this morning , but I ’ ll be out supporting the Sharks on Saturday night.
” Donald Trump : rates his administration ’ s response “ 10 out of 10 ” .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ open , the trains still run , the phones still work , the lights still switch on .
This is not a physical disaster where you ’ ve had a cyclone or something like that , which , you know , we do see in parts of Australia.
” Donald Trump : “ I always treated the Chinese Virus very seriously , and have done a very good job from the beginning , including my very early decision to close the “ borders ” from China – against the wishes of almost all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fake News new narrative is disgraceful & false !
” Scott Morrison : “ Life is changing in Australia , as it is changing all around the world .
Life is going to continue to change as we deal with the global coronavirus .
This is a once in a hundred year type event , we haven ’ t seen this sort of thing in Australia since the end of the First World War .
”

February 18
Confirmed cases and deaths: world — 73,332 (1873 deaths); China — 72,528 (1870 deaths).
Donald Trump “I’ve talked to my health gurus and we all agree that the United States is best positioned in the world to handle any kind of epidemic. We’re the best. ”
Scott Morrison “There is no need for hysteria about this issue. We are on alert, but the last thing we want to do is create havoc and confusion in the community.”


crikey--2020-03-19--Morrison breaks his political habit and fights fear on schools with facts

Scott Morrison is right to hold the line against closing schools .
But it places him in the unusual position of fighting , not exploiting , fear .
Throughout his time in politics , Scott Morrison has made an art form of exploiting fear for political gain .
His surprise election victory last year was achieved in the basis of relentless fear campaigns -- mostly entirely fictional -- about Labor policies , and represented a recent high point of a fear-based political business model , one unseen since Paul Keating brilliantly exploited concerns about John Hewson 's GST and other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his political enemy , not an ally , and the stakes are much higher than who gets to govern for three years .
His broad task is to calm rampant community fear and emerging panic about the virus and its economic impacts .
And the pointy end of that task has emerged around schools .
Morrison and state and territory leaders are absolutely right to keep schools open for as long as possible .
The costs of school closures will be colossal in terms of impacts on health workforces .
Health workforces are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dramatically and uncharacteristically step up on the domestic front , school closures will disproportionately affect women .

Throughout his time in politics, Scott Morrison has made an art form of exploiting fear for political gain. His surprise election victory last year was achieved in the basis of relentless fear campaigns — mostly entirely fictional — about Labor policies, and represented a recent high point of a fear-based political business model, one unseen since Paul Keating brilliantly exploited concerns about John Hewson’s GST and other policies in 1993.
Now fear is his political enemy, not an ally, and the stakes are much higher than who gets to govern for three years. His broad task is to calm rampant community fear and emerging panic about the virus and its economic impacts. And the pointy end of that task has emerged around schools.
Morrison and state and territory leaders are absolutely right to keep schools open for as long as possible. The costs of school closures will be colossal in terms of impacts on health workforces. Health workforces are three-quarters female, and unless Australian men dramatically and uncharacteristically step up on the domestic front, school closures will disproportionately affect women.


crikey--2020-03-19--An incomplete list of things that are un-Australian

An incomplete list of things that are un-Australian Panic buyers now join a long , storied list of people and @ @ @ @ @ decided are un-Australian .
In an uncharacteristically scathing address yesterday morning , Prime Minister Scott @ @ @ @ @ s panic buyers “ un-Australian ” .

In an uncharacteristically scathing address yesterday morning, Prime Minister Scott Morrison called the nation’s panic buyers “un-Australian”.
“Stop hoarding. I can’t be more blunt about it. Stop it,” Morrison said. “Stop doing it. It’s ridiculous. It’s un-Australian, and it must stop.”
Panic buyers now join a long, storied list of people and things that Australian politicians have decided are un-Australian, from left-wing activists, to head-butting Tony Abbott.


crikey--2020-03-20--Go ‘wild’ not mild: simply slowing the spread is not the best option

Go ‘ wild ’ not mild : simply slowing the spread is not the best option A new report argues @ @ @ @ @ slowing the spread of COVID-19 wo n't prevent a spike in cases .
Mild mitigation @ @ @ @ @ to stop a massive spike in coronavirus cases overwhelming the health system , argues a @ @ @ @ @ Imperial College London .

Mild mitigation measures will not be enough to stop a massive spike in coronavirus cases overwhelming the health system, argues a paper released by researchers at Imperial College London.
Policies such as widespread social distancing, quarantining of people with exposure and the closure of schools and universities will need to be in place for many months to have any chance of seriously suppressing COVID-19 cases, the paper argues.
“The world is facing the most serious public health crisis in generations. Here we provide concrete estimates of the scale of the threat countries now face,” says Professor Neil Ferguson, head of the Abdul Latif Jameel Institute for Disease and Emergency Analytics at Imperial College.


crikey--2020-03-20--What will it take to survive this economic downturn?

What will it take to survive this economic downturn ?
The Reserve Bank has done its bit , with a @ @ @ @ @ of cash into the financial system .
Now the government must step up with an @ @ @ @ @ at least $ 90 billion on the financial system to encourage banks to keep lending @ @ @ @ @ indicated not merely that the economy faces an unprecedented -- if temporary -- slump , @ @ @ @ @ linger for years .
Specifically , at least three years .

In raining at least $90 billion on the financial system to encourage banks to keep lending, the Reserve Bank has indicated not merely that the economy faces an unprecedented — if temporary — slump, but that the effects will linger for years. Specifically, at least three years.
Yesterday, RBA governor Philip Lowe followed up the bank’s announcement of another interest rate cut, a government bond-buying program and a minimum $90 billion funding mechanism with a rare media conference intended to complement the Morrison government’s response.
Both Lowe and Morrison (who, inexplicably, called a media conference 15 minutes before Lowe’s long-awaited speech) made much of the “bridge” metaphor — a bridge of cash to get us to the other side of, hopefully, late 2020 when the virus crisis has passed and Australians start finding jobs again.


crikey--2020-03-20--The case for lockdown: it’s just not a time for half measures

A slow , grinding half measure over six months is disastrous for our health and the economy .
The first @ @ @ @ @ you ’ ve got a problem .
The issue in Australia is that Scott Morrison @ @ @ @ @ advisers don ’ t seem to be grasping the full extent of that problem .

The first step to recovery is admitting you’ve got a problem. The issue in Australia is that Scott Morrison and his team of medical advisers don’t seem to be grasping the full extent of that problem.
Right now, we’re endeavouring to “flatten the curve” — that is, to trying to hold on with a slightly slower rate of infection to allow the economy to function at a lower rate, say 50%, until an effective viral treatment or vaccine is produced.
There are two fundamental problems with this approach.


crikey--2020-03-20--Virus Watch: News Corp goes socialist, and stop it, you’re killing Netflix!

Virus Watch : News Corp goes socialist , and stop it , you ’ re killing Netflix !
When The @ @ @ @ @ Australian ) is spruiking mass nationalisation , you know you 're in trouble .
Here @ @ @ @ @ know in COVID-19 developments .
It feels a lot like we ’ re living through @ @ @ @ @ 1930s , except with social media to keep us even more anxious .

It feels a lot like we’re living through a bad remake of the 1930s, except with social media to keep us even more anxious.
The borders are shutting. News Corp is seriously engaging with the idea of companies nationalising. And while the punters continue to panic and hoard, experts disagree over how this crisis is going to pan out.
The numbers creep higher
An 81-year-old woman died in NSW overnight, marking the state’s sixth COVID-19 death, the seventh nationwide.


crikey--2020-03-19--In other news… yes, there has been other news

In other news… yes , there has been other news Tony Abbott 's spending spree , more inland rail promsies @ @ @ @ @ We 've rounded up the news that might have missed this week .

Envoy the silence
You might recall the way that Scott Morrison got around leaving Barnaby Joyce and Tony Abbott out of his whole pre-election ministerial reshuffle: he appointed them as special envoy for drought and special Indigenous affairs envoy, respectively.
You might also recall how Barn got very annoyed when it was revealed that he’d done three weeks work and spent $675,000 to produce what looked to the untrained eye like absolutely nothing whatsoever. But, as he explained, he’d actually sent text messages to Morrison with heaps of valuable information therein and no, we couldn’t see them or be given descriptions of the contents because they were… what, on lack-of-water matters?


crikey--2020-03-19--Closing Tasmania is actually un-Australian. But what would you do?

Closing Tasmania is actually un-Australian .
But what would you do ?
Constitutional lawyers have been in a frenzy over @ @ @ @ @ essentially close its borders .
But , really , it 's the right call .
@ @ @ @ @ other states in declaring a state of emergency over COVID-19 .
It also chose to @ @ @ @ @ geographical status , by essentially closing its borders to the rest of us .

On Thursday, Tasmania joined other states in declaring a state of emergency over COVID-19. It also chose to take advantage of its unique geographical status, by essentially closing its borders to the rest of us.
Australia as a whole will have its drawbridge fully up from 9pm Friday, when the prohibition on non-residents from entering the country takes effect. We’re all prevented from leaving too.
Tasmania has gone a step further: it is applying a 14-day mandatory self-quarantine period to everyone arriving on the island, including those coming from elsewhere in Australia. This is backed up by $16,800 fines for non-compliance. Everyone must fill out an arrival card.


crikey--2020-03-23--How the Ruby Princess possibly became the biggest single contributor to COVID-19 in Australia

David has an extensive career as a journalist and broadcaster , primarily at the ABC where he worked on flagship @ @ @ @ @ , The 7.30 Report , Foreign Correspondent , AM and PM .
He spent eight @ @ @ @ @ East and can speak Arabic .

The docking of the luxury cruise ship Ruby Princess and its 1148 crew and 2647 passengers at Sydney’s Circular Quay last Friday may constitute the single biggest contributor to Australia’s coronavirus crisis.
Here’s what happened in the lead-up to a debacle that should never have happened.
March 6: Federal government publishes the National Protocol for Managing Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Risk From Cruise Ships, which states “provided there are no concerns about the COVID-19 risk, profile of a ship or suspected COVID-19 cases reported” a ship may be allowed to continue its voyage.


crikey--2020-03-23--COVID Questions: Is there really an alternative to a full lockdown?

Adam Schwab is a commentator , business director , and the co-founder of LuxuryEscapes.com .
He is also the author @ @ @ @ @ : Lessons from Australia ’ s Decade of Corporate Greed .

The thing about events which are unprecedented, is that no one knows what the hell will happen.
It’s human nature to look through a positive lens. That’s why sharemarkets and property markets have largely gone up for two generations since 1983 (with just a few blips in 1987, 1992 and 2008).
But this period of unprecedented expansion has coincided with a massive increase in debt around the world (but especially in the US, Europe and China). It’s been so long since we’ve seen a protracted downturn that it seems like no one knows what to expect. Forty years of a relentlessly positive trajectory will do that.


crikey--2020-03-23--Carnival’s corona-cruising: the Ruby Princess debacle is not an isolated case

Luxury cruise ships the Ruby Princess, the Diamond Princess, the Grand Princess and the Costa Luminosa have a few things in common: for one, they are all owned by US giant Carnival Cruises; and they have all carried COVID-19 infected passengers.
In February, in one of the world’s first large outbreaks of coronavirus, the Diamond Princess remained moored in waters off Japan with hundreds of infected passengers on board.
In March, nearly 2000 passengers had to be quarantined on US military bases after infected passengers were found on the Grand Princess.


crikey--2020-03-23--This is a virus, not a war — we need more information to maintain democracy

This is a virus , not a war — we need more information to maintain democracy In a war , @ @ @ @ @ because the enemy can hear you .
But the virus ca n't hear anything .
@ @ @ @ @ research on which the government is acting still in a black box ?
Well , @ @ @ @ @ one learning from the coronavirus pandemic : behaviour change really does n't jump from country @ @ @

Well, we now have at least one learning from the coronavirus pandemic: behaviour change really doesn’t jump from country to country.
No matter what the spectacle of what is happening elsewhere, it seems almost impossible that change will be adopted simply by seeing it.
Your correspondent returned from the US on what appears to have been the last Qantas flight out of Los Angeles. I left a place where, well, if film school students aren’t out there guerrilla-filming their zombie apocalypse film, they should probably reconsider their career choice. The place had become the backdrop of 1000 tacky B movies.


crikey--2020-03-23--Buying groceries and a coffee in the ‘new normal’ of Shanghai

Buying groceries and a coffee in the ‘ new normal ’ of Shanghai It may be the Big Brother approach @ @ @ @ @ to stop a virus and keep everyone safe .
I recently returned to Shanghai from @ @ @ @ @ my experience of being out in Shanghai yesterday grocery shopping .

I recently returned to Shanghai from Sydney; let me share my experience of being out in Shanghai yesterday grocery shopping.
As I was leaving the apartment complex, I was greeted by the building manager at the gate and handed a pass out. Going outside, I see there’s not a single person without a mask on.


crikey--2020-03-22--COVID Questions: What sort of Australia awaits on the other side of ‘the bridge’?

COVID Questions : What sort of Australia awaits on the other side of ‘ the bridge ’ ?
Scott Morrison @ @ @ @ @ , talking about 'the bridge ' to the other side of the COVID-19 crisis .
@ @ @ @ @ .
Here , stuck in the middle of this great disruption , it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ the political and social consequences of what we ’ re going through today .

Here, stuck in the middle of this great disruption, it’s all but impossible to understand the political and social consequences of what we’re going through today.
After it’s all over, sure, we’ll all have — ahem — perfect 2020 hindsight. But now?
Most of us are too busy worrying about just how we’re going to get through the next few days, stocking up on hand sanitiser and toilet paper, filling up our freezers, worrying about at-risk parents, friends or ourselves.


crikey--2020-03-22--Virus Watch: backflips and mixed messages

Amber has been a reporter for The Age , writer for ABC Comedy ’ s Tonightly , and creator of @ @ @ @ @ .
She was awarded the Jacoby-Walkley scholarship in 2018 , and was an Associate Producer @ @ @ @

It’s been a huge weekend for coronavirus news, with state and federal governments sending mixed messages around lockdown measures and Bondi backpackers partying like there ain’t no tomorrow.
There are now more almost 330,000 coronavirus cases worldwide and 1314 of those cases are in Australia.
States break rank
This morning NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews addressed their states, contradicting federal rules on schools.


crikey--2020-03-22--The governing class gets a lesson in trust

The governing class gets a lesson in trust After spending years alienating and losing the trust of voters , politicians @ @ @ @ @ tune out on their demands for compliance with public health messages .
To the fury @ @ @ @ @ large numbers of Australians clearly are n't interested in social distancing .
They 're still @ @ @ @ @ in bars and insisting on maintaining their normal , sociable lives .

To the fury of politicians and commentators, large numbers of Australians clearly aren’t interested in social distancing. They’re still flocking to beaches and congregating in bars and insisting on maintaining their normal, sociable lives.
Beaches and bars have now been shut down, amid scolding of those not taking the threat of the virus seriously enough.
Some blame mixed messaging. It’s barely a week since the prime minister declared he was going to the footy and encouraging Australians to go about their lives, to go on being Australian, while the chief medical officer was happily shaking hands.


crikey--2020-03-22--Morrison’s response to the crisis is falling apart — and it’s not his fault

Morrison ’ s response to the crisis is falling apart — and it ’ s not his fault Scott Morrison @ @ @ @ @ to the coronavirus crisis has always been under pressure .
Yesterday , it fell apart @ @ @ @ @ of how rapidly we 've descended into crisis that 11 days ago a stimulus package @ @ @ @ @ seemed like a good first step in supporting a virus-ridden economy , but yesterday 's @ @ @ @ @ looks inadequate .

It’s a measure of how rapidly we’ve descended into crisis that 11 days ago a stimulus package worth nearly $18 billion seemed like a good first step in supporting a virus-ridden economy, but yesterday’s announced $66 billion package looks inadequate.
The government did its best to hype the size of its second package, throwing in the Reserve Bank’s liquidity and credit funding measures as well as the first package to claim it was handing out $190 billion. Some press gallery journalists dutifully bought it. But the great bulk of it is additional loans or investment funds being made available for business if they can use it. Only about $60 billion is actual cash going to businesses or households, and much of that won’t reach businesses for at least four weeks.


crikey--2020-03-23--A medical worker reveals the terrifying nature of COVID-19

'It first struck me how different it was when I saw my first coronavirus patient go bad .
I was like , holy shit , this is not the flu ... ' As of last week , Louisiana was reporting 479 confirmed cases of COVID-19 , one of the highest numbers in the United States .
Ten people had died .
The majority of cases are in New Orleans , which now has one confirmed case for every 1000 residents .
New Orleans had held Mardi Gras celebrations just two weeks before its first patient , with more than 1 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spoke to a respiratory therapist there , whose job is to ensure that patients are breathing well .
He works in a medium-sized city hospital ’ s intensive care unit .
( We are withholding his name and employer , as he fears retaliation . )
Before the virus came to New Orleans , his days were pretty relaxed , nebulizing patients with asthma , adjusting oxygen tubes that run through the nose or , in the most severe cases , setting up and managing ventilators .
His patients were usually older , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Since last week , he ’ s been running ventilators for the sickest COVID-19 patients .
Many are relatively young , in their 40s and 50s , and have minimal , if any , preexisting conditions in their charts .
He is overwhelmed , stunned by the manifestation of the infection , both its speed and intensity .
The ICU where he works has essentially become a coronavirus unit .
He estimates that his hospital has admitted dozens of confirmed or presumptive coronavirus patients .
About a third have ended up on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for this volume before the virus first appeared .
One physician had tried to raise alarms , asking about negative pressure rooms and ventilators .
Most staff concluded that he was overreacting .
“ They thought the media was overhyping it , ” the respiratory therapist told me .
“ In retrospect , he was right to be concerned.
” He spoke to me by phone on Thursday about why , exactly , he has been so alarmed .
His account has been condensed and edited for clarity : Reading about it in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to be bad , but we deal with the flu every year so I was thinking : well , it ’ s probably not that much worse than the flu .
But seeing patients with COVID-19 completely changed my perspective , and it ’ s a lot more frightening .
I have patients in their early 40s and , yeah , I was kind of shocked .
I ’ m seeing people who look relatively healthy with a minimal health history , and they are completely wiped out , like they ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This is knocking out what should be perfectly fit , healthy people .
Patients will be on minimal support , on a little bit of oxygen , and then all of a sudden , they go into complete respiratory arrest , shut down and can ’ t breathe at all .
They suddenly become unresponsive or go into respiratory failure .
We have an observation unit in the hospital , and we have been admitting patients that had tested positive or are presumptive positive — these are patients that had been in contact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go and check vitals on patients every four hours , and some are on a continuous cardiac monitor , so we see that their heart rate has a sudden increase or decrease , or someone goes in and sees that the patient is struggling to breathe or is unresponsive .
That seems to be what happens to a lot of these patients : they suddenly become unresponsive or go into respiratory failure .
The lung is filled with so much fluid , displacing where the air would normally be .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That means the lungs are filled with fluid .
And it ’ s notable for the way the X-ray looks : the entire lung is basically whited out from fluid .
Patients with ARDS are extremely difficult to oxygenate .
It has a really high mortality rate , about 40 % .
The way to manage it is to put a patient on a ventilator .
The additional pressure helps the oxygen go into the bloodstream .
Normally , ARDS is something that happens over time as the lungs get more and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it seems like it happens overnight .
When you ’ re healthy , your lung is made up of little balloons .
Like a tree is made out of a bunch of little leaves , the lung is made of little air sacs that are called the alveoli .
When you breathe in , all of those little air sacs inflate , and they have capillaries in the walls , little blood vessels .
The oxygen gets from the air in the lung into the blood so it can be carried around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lungs become inflamed .
It ’ s like inflammation anywhere : if you have a burn on your arm , the skin around it turns red from additional blood flow .
The body is sending it additional nutrients to heal .
The problem is , when that happens in your lungs , fluid and extra blood starts going to the lungs .
Viruses can injure cells in the walls of the alveoli , so the fluid leaks into the alveoli .
A telltale sign of ARDS in an X-ray is what ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ like an old-fashioned ground glass privacy window in a shower .
And lungs look that way because fluid is white on an X-ray , so the lung looks like white ground glass , or sometimes pure white , because the lung is filled with so much fluid , displacing where the air would normally be .
This severity … is usually more typical of someone who has a near drowning experience … or people who inhale caustic gas .
With our coronavirus patients , once they ’ re on ventilators , most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can do .
About 90 % oxygen , and 16 of PEEP , positive end-expiratory pressure , which keeps the lung inflated .
This is nearly as high as I ’ ve ever seen .
The level we ’ re at means we are running out of options .
In my experience , this severity of ARDS is usually more typical of someone who has a near drowning experience — they have a bunch of dirty water in their lungs — or people who inhale caustic gas .
Especially for it to have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ ve never seen a microorganism or an infectious process cause such acute damage to the lungs so rapidly .
That was what really shocked me .
It first struck me how different it was when I saw my first coronavirus patient go bad .
I was like , holy shit , this is not the flu .
Watching this relatively young guy , gasping for air , pink frothy secretions coming out of his tube and out of his mouth .
The ventilator should have been doing the work of breathing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , moving his mouth , moving his body , struggling .
We had to restrain him .
With all the coronavirus patients , we ’ ve had to restrain them .
They really hyperventilate , really struggle to breathe .
When you ’ re in that mind state of struggling to breathe and delirious with fever , you don ’ t know when someone is trying to help you , so you ’ ll try to rip the breathing tube out because you feel it is choking you , but you are drowning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ m used to seeing the normal colours you ’ d associate with it : greens and yellows .
The coronavirus patients with ARDS have been having a lot of secretions that are actually pink because they ’ re filled with blood cells that are leaking into their airways .
They are essentially drowning in their own blood and fluids because their lungs are so full .
So we ’ re constantly having to suction out the secretions every time we go into their rooms .
I do not want to catch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all joking .
It ’ s grim humour .
If you are exposed to the virus and test positive and go on quarantine , you get paid .
We were all joking : I want to get the coronavirus because then I get a paid vacation from work .
And once I saw these patients with it , I was like , holy shit , I do not want to catch this and I don ’ t want anyone I know to catch this .
I worked a long stretch of days last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from this novelty to a serious issue .
We had one or two patients at our hospital , and then five to 10 patients , and then 20 patients .
Every day , the intensity kept ratcheting up .
More patients , and the patients themselves are starting to get sicker and sicker .
When it first started , we all had tonnes of equipment , tonnes of supplies , and as we started getting more patients , we started to run out .
They had to ration supplies .
At first we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patient .
Then it was just : you get one mask for positive patients , another mask for everyone else .
And now it ’ s just : you get one mask .
I work 12-hour shifts .
Right now , we are running about four times the number of ventilators than we normally have going .
We have such a large volume of patients , but it ’ s really hard to find enough people to fill all the shifts .
The caregiver-to-patient ratio has gone down , and you can ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patient , you can ’ t adjust the vent settings as aggressively because you ’ re not going into the room as often .
And we ’ re also trying to avoid going into the room as much as possible to reduce infection risk of staff and to conserve personal protective equipment .
But we are trying to wean down the settings on the ventilator as much as possible , because you don ’ t want someone to be on the ventilator longer than they need to be .
Your risk of mortality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a ventilator .
The high pressures from high vent settings is pushing air into the lung and can over-inflate those little balloons .
They can pop .
It can destroy the alveoli .
Even if you survive ARDS , although some damage can heal , it can also do long-lasting damage to the lungs .
They can get filled up with scar tissue .
ARDS can lead to cognitive decline .
Some people ’ s muscles waste away , and it takes them a long time to recover once they come off the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possibility that we might run out of ICU beds and at that point I don ’ t know what happens if patients get sick and need to be intubated and put on a ventilator .
Is that person going to die because we don ’ t have the equipment to keep them alive ?
What if it goes on for months and dozens of people die because we don ’ t have the ventilators ?
Hopefully we don ’ t get there , but if you only have one ventilator , and you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to have to go with the one who has a higher likelihood of surviving .
And I ’ m afraid we ’ ll get to that point .
I ’ ve heard that ’ s happening in Italy .
Lizzie Presser covers health , inequality and policy issues for ProPublica .
This story was first published at ProPublica .

As of last week, Louisiana was reporting 479 confirmed cases of COVID-19, one of the highest numbers in the United States. Ten people had died. The majority of cases are in New Orleans, which now has one confirmed case for every 1000 residents. New Orleans had held Mardi Gras celebrations just two weeks before its first patient, with more than 1 million revellers on its streets.
I spoke to a respiratory therapist there, whose job is to ensure that patients are breathing well. He works in a medium-sized city hospital’s intensive care unit. (We are withholding his name and employer, as he fears retaliation.)


crikey--2020-03-23--‘This will be devastating’: COVID-19 will wreak havoc on Indigenous communities

The coronavirus could decimate Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, with public health experts warning there hasn’t been a health risk this severe since the early days of colonisation.
Crikey examines why indigenous Australians are especially at risk.
COVID-19 may already be spreading
Until last week, international travellers still wandered across popular tourist spots, with free national park entry advertised in a bid to attract more tourists to the Northern Territory.


crikey--2020-03-24--Virus Watch: art in quarantine, and the Olympics finally take a hint

Charlie writes chiefly about industrial relations , politics , culture and social services .
Prior to Crikey he worked in @ @ @ @ @ unions and was a researcher for RN 's the Daily Planet .
He hosted the @ @ @ @ @ radio , and is a regular guest and occasional host on Breakfasters .
He spent @ @ @ @ @ , covering the fight for Tony Abbott '' s seat .

As Australia practically shuts down, the impact of the coronavirus here and around the world keeps hitting new peaks (a phrase we fear you may hear a lot in the next six months).
Olympics falls at the final hurdle
After what some might say was an irresponsibly long delay, the 2020 Summer Olympics has finally been postponed. International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound confirmed that the event would be postponed by at least a year.
Australia and Canada have already said they would not compete in Japan, and the British Olympic Association had said Great Britain would be unlikely to send a team.


crikey--2020-03-24--Why are hairdressers still open during the shutdown?

Why are hairdressers still open during the shutdown ?
Even some industry insiders are confused about why hair and beauty @ @ @ @ @ service ' .
When Prime Minister Scott Morrison finally announced a shut down of all @ @ @ @ @ , following similar calls from NSW and Victoria , confusion still lingered over what would @ @ @

When Prime Minister Scott Morrison finally announced a shut down of all non-essential services late Sunday night, following similar calls from NSW and Victoria, confusion still lingered over what would remain open.
While bars, restaurants, and religious institutions shut down, hairdressers and beauty salons were deemed essential services, and allowed to continue trading. That decision seems in tension with measures designed to enforce social distancing — such services involve spending considerable time in close proximity to other people, with physical contact.


crikey--2020-03-24--A new era of big government is here, and government isn’t ready

A new era of big government is here , and government isn ’ t ready The role of government has @ @ @ @ @ .
And it will require a reversal of much of the thinking of the last @ @ @ @ @ has changed dramatically , if not overnight , then in the space of a month @ @ @ @ @ to lack the institutional capacity to operate in that new world .

The world has changed dramatically, if not overnight, then in the space of a month, and our governments appear to lack the institutional capacity to operate in that new world.
It’s hard to avoid that conclusion given the inability of Centrelink to cope with a predictable surge in joblessness and the astonishing failure of the MyGov website yesterday, falsely blamed on a denial of service attack by the relevant — if that’s the word — minister Stuart Robert.
The denial of service was to citizens trying to use a site that the government has tried to shunt us all onto for years in order to access basic services.


crikey--2020-03-24--What are my legal rights if my employer forces me to show up at the workplace?

What are my legal rights if my employer forces me to show up at the workplace ?
For employers , @ @ @ @ @ be a priority .
As coronavirus spreads , it has become everything .
We ’ @ @ @ @ @ zones at once now .
Every question feels existential , every choice heavy with risk @

We’re in so many twilight zones at once now. Every question feels existential, every choice heavy with risk.
For parents it’s awful. For workers, stressful beyond bearing. And for employers, while we always at least theoretically feel the weight of responsibility for our workers, now it’s breathtakingly real.
Not to diminish anyone else’s situation, but this piece is about the particular issues confronting employers. Their responsibility is being cut two ways, with no obvious point of reconciliation.


crikey--2020-03-24--What’s easier, a hard lockdown or mass graves?

Cities in Asia have shown that a hard lockdown is n't just the best way to minimise damage , it @ @ @ @ @ to save us .
I am an old , evidence-based policy wonk ( formerly Commonwealth @ @ @ @ @ for evidence-based investing ( my current gig ) .

I am an old, evidence-based policy wonk (formerly Commonwealth Treasury) and I’m for evidence-based investing (my current gig).
So let’s lay out the evidence.
They are digging ditches for mass graves in Iran. You may not be able to trust the Iranian numbers, but when you see mass graves you should take the effects of COVID-19 seriously.


crikey--2020-03-24--It’s time for radical action: don’t pay your rent or mortgage

It ’ s time for radical action : don ’ t pay your rent or mortgage If it flows towards @ @ @ @ @ company then you 're under no obligation to pay it .
Do n't use living @ @ @ @ @ rent .
The Centrelink lines are going round the block , the government has made @ @ @ @ @ , twitter buzzes with notes from the newly laid-off wondering how they 'll put food @ @ @ @ @ the rent and the mortgage .

The Centrelink lines are going round the block, the government has made vague announcements of rent assistance, twitter buzzes with notes from the newly laid-off wondering how they’ll put food on the table and pay the rent and the mortgage.
Here’s a suggestion. Do the former by omitting the latter.
If you have lost most or all of your income, or are about to, don’t pay your rent, don’t pay your mortgage. Write to your landlord or bank and tell them you won’t be paying for the next X months, and that you don’t regard this as a deferral, but as non-rent/non-mortgage months.


crikey--2020-03-23--Youth can’t protect you: almost half of Australians hospitalised for COVID-19 are under 60

The myth that coronavirus only severely affects older people has shattered as examples of young people succumbing to the disease pour in from around the world.
A 12-year-old girl in the US is fighting for her life on a ventilator just a day after testing positive for COVID-19; an 18-year-old has been the youngest life claimed in the UK; and a premature baby in Israel is in a serious condition after catching the virus.
In fact, in Australia, patients under the age of 54 make up more than 40% of all coronavirus hospitalisations.


crikey--2020-03-23--Stop stuffing around. It’s time to throw everything at the economy

As a countrywide shutdown looms , the government must go all-out to protect the economy with a wage subsidy across @ @ @ @ @ 's images of long lines of jobless people snaking out of Centrelink offices -- exacerbated @ @ @ @ @ stuff-up -- might be just a taste of the economic chaos to come , unless @ @ @ @ @ and produces an economic survival package designed to keep businesses employing workers over the next @ @ @

Yesterday’s images of long lines of jobless people snaking out of Centrelink offices — exacerbated by a truly unforgivable IT stuff-up — might be just a taste of the economic chaos to come, unless the government goes all out and produces an economic survival package designed to keep businesses employing workers over the next few months.
The government’s graduated approach, both on the health and economic fronts, has been justifiable until now. The two stimulus packages haven’t been enough, but when seen as components of an escalating response they were valid.
But two things are now clear. First: the continuing spread of the virus makes some form of lockdown, which will simply shutter whole sections of the economy, inevitable. This will compound the already massive economic damage — 800,000 people in the food and beverage service sector now face unemployment.


crikey--2020-03-25--Ruby Princess debacle: just why were infected passengers allowed home?

As the scale of the Ruby Princess COVID-19 outbreak was dawning on NSW health authorities over the weekend, one Australian woman was blissfully unaware on a long-haul flight from Sydney to London.
Her story, told in a series of tweets makes alarming reading:
The woman’s story points to a potential spread of COVID-19 from the Ruby Princess way beyond Australia’s shores, with passengers heading on to a dozen different countries.


crikey--2020-03-25--Virus Watch: confused yet?

Virus Watch: confused yet?

Everything is 'essential ' , unless it is n't ... so stay at home ... or do n't !
Up @ @ @ @ @ Greta Thunberg ( maybe ) gets COVID-19 .
Scott Morrison continues to confuse people .
@ @ @ @ @ virus without throwing away what ’ s left of our civil liberties ?

Greta Thunberg (maybe) gets COVID-19. Scott Morrison continues to confuse people. And can we fight the virus without throwing away what’s left of our civil liberties?
ScoMo leaves it late… again
At another late-night (by Australian standards, at least) press conference, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a raft of new restrictions that indicates Australia is inching its way toward a full-scale lockdown.
Overseas travel is now banned (it was previously just advised against). Weddings are limited to five people, funerals to 10. Shopping centres and bottleshops remain open, although people are advised to stay home where possible.


crikey--2020-03-25--Clear communication from the PM really is essential. So why aren’t we getting it?

Scott Morrison has an immensely difficult job in communicating the lockdown measures governments are embracing .
But his communication skills @ @ @ @ @ there anyone in the community , or in business , who actually understands the new @ @ @ @ @ Morrison last night ?
Ten mourners for a funeral but five people at a wedding @ @ @ @ @ funeral ? )
.
You ca n't get your nails done -- by the original @ @ @ @ @ nail salons , but you can get your hair done .

Is there anyone in the community, or in business, who actually understands the new lockdown rules announced by Scott Morrison last night?
Ten mourners for a funeral but five people at a wedding (two weddings for a funeral?).
You can’t get your nails done — by the original face mask wearers — in nail salons, but you can get your hair done.


crikey--2020-03-25--Parliament must sit through the crisis. We need more democracy, not less

Parliament must sit through the crisis .
We need more democracy , not less If politicians wo n't do their @ @ @ @ @ crisis , why should anyone else be expected to risk their lives ?
Well , @ @ @ @ @ or a nurse , you 're expected to keep rolling up to the coronavirus front @ @ @ @ @ , exhaustion lowering your immune system and the infection roulette of multiple exposures .

Well, if you’re a doctor or a nurse, you’re expected to keep rolling up to the coronavirus front line, with inadequate equipment, exhaustion lowering your immune system and the infection roulette of multiple exposures.
Shelf stackers, warehouse order fulfillers, agricultural workers are expected to carry on as if nothing is happening so professionals and the knowledge class can do their mostly bullshit work from home. Whole groups of people are suddenly essential workers, it seems.
Except federal MPs.


crikey--2020-03-25--Trump wants to relax the US shutdown. We asked a GP for a considered response

Trump wants to relax the US shutdown .
We asked a GP for a considered response If social distancing measures @ @ @ @ @ early because 'Our country was not built to be shut down ' , Italy could @ @ @ @ @ act .
Most of the real experts have urged `` go hard , go early @ @ @ @ @ seems to have a different slogan in mind : `` go some of the way @ @ @ @ @ .

Most of the real experts have urged “go hard, go early”. The US president seems to have a different slogan in mind: “go some of the way, then go soft”.
Trump’s flaccid approach — as a way of saving the US economy — should leave Americans (and citizens the world over) alert and very, very alarmed.
If social distancing measures in the USA are relaxed early because “Our country was not built to be shut down”, Italy could soon look like a warm-up act.


crikey--2020-03-25--How has Australia’s response become the worst of both worlds?

How has Australia ’ s response become the worst of both worlds ?
Australia 's piecemeal approach to battling coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ will have no real impact on the virus ' spread After China ’ s success @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 and the catastrophe unfolding in Italy and Spain , most of the western world @ @ @ @ @ .

After China’s success in curbing the spread of COVID-19 and the catastrophe unfolding in Italy and Spain, most of the western world is locking down their citizens.
UK, Canada, New Zealand, many US states and much of Europe have done so (and the results in Italy appear to be cautiously positive with new cases dropping day-on-day).
The exception remains Australia, which is now undertaking a disorderly mass of closures, forcing millions out of work, but allowing random businesses like hairdressers and shopping centres (and schools) to remain open.


crikey--2020-03-24--Politicians can’t have compliance and trust without accountability

Politicians can ’ t have compliance and trust without accountability If politicians want us to comply with their extraordinary lockdown @ @ @ @ @ provide real accountability when their bungles put lives at risk .
Last Thursday , in @ @ @ @ @ on the criminal , 2700 passengers were waved off a cruise ship -- despite their @ @ @ @ @ disease -- and onto the streets of Sydney .

Last Thursday, in an act of negligence bordering on the criminal, 2700 passengers were waved off a cruise ship — despite their status as floating incubators of disease — and onto the streets of Sydney.
Since then, 130 Ruby Princess passengers have tested positive for coronavirus. It was the equivalent of giving Typhoid Mary the key to New York City.
Ever since, the NSW and federal governments have been trying to blame each other and Carnival, owner of the ship and the giant of the wretched, toxic and environmentally damaging global cruise industry.


crikey--2020-03-26--Can universities help fix the school closure chaos?

Can universities help fix the school closure chaos ?
The coronavirus is creating unprecedented levels of stress for Year 12 @ @ @ @ @ a solution ... if Australia is bold enough to try it .
School closures have @ @ @ @ @ confusion for students and parents .
Anthony Albanese ’ s characterisation of recent messaging on @ @ @ @ @ as mud ” resonated widely .

School closures have been causing acute anxiety and confusion for students and parents. Anthony Albanese’s characterisation of recent messaging on the issue as “clear as mud” resonated widely.
Students in Year 12, facing their final year of school and (in some states) highly stressful exams, are particularly worried.
Political leaders have differed widely on school closures. It is part of the price we pay for living in a federation, where states are responsible for education and take different approaches.


crikey--2020-03-26--‘Doctor’ Trump is a fake and needs to be struck off before he kills again

‘ Doctor ’ Trump is a fake and needs to be struck off before he kills again Bad advice about @ @ @ @ @ Especially when it comes from the US president .
Reality TV host ?
Tick .
@ @ @ @ @ .
POTUS ?
Tick .
Doctor and/or pharmacist ?
Not the last time I looked @

Reality TV host? Tick. Real estate mogul? Tick. POTUS? Tick. Doctor and/or pharmacist? Not the last time I looked.
Yet here was Donald Trump offering to the world his insights about medications that might — MIGHT — work for COVID-19. The results were predictable. People rushed to buy it, patients who needed it couldn’t get it and, inevitably, someone died.
How can someone in a position of such responsibility behave with such monstrous irresponsibility? Trump, of all people, knows the power of the half-fact; how people who are desperate and scared will latch onto any crumb of hope.


crikey--2020-03-26--As the Ruby Princess debacle deepens, where is Ann Sherry when you need her?

David has an extensive career as a journalist and broadcaster , primarily at the ABC where he worked on flagship @ @ @ @ @ , The 7.30 Report , Foreign Correspondent , AM and PM .
He spent eight @ @ @ @ @ East and can speak Arabic .

Where is Ann Sherry?
She’s one of Australia’s best-connected business figures and an adept media performer, especially in times of crisis. According to the website of Carnival Australia, owner of the Ruby Princess cruise ship, she is chairman of the company. Her Twitter feed says so too.
Her last tweet was on March 8 at the Women’s T20 World Cup. That also happens to be the day the Ruby Princess departed Sydney for New Zealand, setting in train events which have led to the death of a 77-year-old woman from COVID-19 and caused a leap in the number of infections around Australia.


crikey--2020-03-26--Modelling shows we need a total lockdown now — but it only needs to last a month

Amber has been a reporter for The Age , writer for ABC Comedy ’ s Tonightly , and creator of @ @ @ @ @ .
She was awarded the Jacoby-Walkley scholarship in 2018 , and was an Associate Producer @ @ @ @

Australia still has a chance of flattening the curve of coronavirus cases, and we only have 10 days to act.
A draft report by adjunct professor Michael Mike Georgeff, a mathematician and leading Australian expert on artificial intelligence and health technology, shows we need to go hard now, placing 20 million Australians into lockdown by April 7 to keep coronavirus cases under 200,000.
(Image: Addressing COVID-19 Infection in Australia)
The report’s predictions come from the Susceptible, Infected, Recovered epidemiological model, mapping worldwide trends and responses to Australian cases. Georgeff and his team fed various assumptions into the model, looking at data gathered from China, the US, Italy, and Imperial College London.


crikey--2020-03-26--Inside Scott Morrison’s very corporate COVID-19 commission

Prime Minister Scott Morrison 's new COVID-19 commission is a who 's who of Australian business leaders and bureaucrats .
@ @ @ @ @ refreshingly , at midday , Prime Minister Scott Morrison unveiled his new National Covid-19 Coordination @ @ @ @ @ whose job , the prime minister said , was `` quite simply , to solve @ @ @

At a meeting held, refreshingly, at midday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison unveiled his new National Covid-19 Coordination Commission, an additional body whose job, the prime minister said, was “quite simply, to solve problems”.
“Problems that require the private sector working together with the private sector, CEOs, to talk to CEOs and to be engaged with by CEOs to ensure that the private to private effort is there solving problems in the national interest.”
It’s little surprise then, that the commission’s executive is stacked almost entirely with business leaders, with a few bureaucrats tossed in for good measure.


crikey--2020-03-26--Who can sack the prime minister if parliament isn’t sitting?

Who can sack the prime minister if parliament isn ’ t sitting ?
Scott Morrison is incompetent .
So what @ @ @ @ @ ?
The premise to what follows is a simple proposition : Scott Morrison is incompetent @ @ @ @ @ this time .

The premise to what follows is a simple proposition: Scott Morrison is incompetent to lead this country at this time.
I put that up, not because it’s my opinion (although it is), but because we should consider what happens if it’s right.
In the ordinary run of things, having a hopeless hack as our prime minister isn’t that much of a biggy. Australia has thrived under leadership that has mostly ranged from terrible to uninspiring.


crikey--2020-03-26--Virus Watch: right royal edition

Virus Watch: right royal edition

Charlie writes chiefly about industrial relations , politics , culture and social services .
Prior to Crikey he worked in @ @ @ @ @ unions and was a researcher for RN 's the Daily Planet .
He hosted the @ @ @ @ @ radio , and is a regular guest and occasional host on Breakfasters .
He spent @ @ @ @ @ , covering the fight for Tony Abbott '' s seat .

The biggest lockdown in the world
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has imposed a 21-day lockdown in an attempt to slow the coronavirus spread.
“There will be a total ban on venturing out of your homes,” Modi told the country, which represents nearly a fifth of the world’s population, in a televised address
Crowds quickly swamped stores in cities across the country, stripping shelves bare before the lockdown took affect. The BBC reports it is not clear how people will now buy food and other essentials. India has a relatively low number of reported cases so far — just over 600 among its 1.3 billion people — but the combination of extremely high population density and a weak public health system makes a serious outbreak a real risk.


crikey--2020-03-26--Governments must take over vacant housing for homeless and domestic violence victims

Governments must take over vacant housing for homeless and domestic violence victims Why are governments ignoring obvious solutions to the @ @ @ @ @ domestic violence victims affected by the coronavirus crisis ?
While all that is solid melts @ @ @ @ @ , there is a complementary process in which new entities emerge .

While all that is solid melts into air in these times, there is a complementary process in which new entities emerge.
State governments were sluggish to respond to the clash of loss of income, and the drain that dead rent payments would make on the newly unemployed.
Now, as renters have started to organise unilateral payment suspensions, governments like Tasmania’s Liberal (insert today’s premier here) government have organised rent moratoriums to get ahead of the process.


crikey--2020-03-26--Morrison is stubbornly allowing the economy to burn

Morrison is stubbornly allowing the economy to burn The government has to urgently support business and jobs with direct payments @ @ @ @ @ 'll borrow their way to survival .
But Scott Morrison is refusing to entertain the @ @ @ @ @ are shuttered and hundreds of thousands of people find themselves out of a job , @ @ @ @ @ think about a change in its economic strategy , for bureaucratic and -- seemingly -- @ @ @

As entire industries are shuttered and hundreds of thousands of people find themselves out of a job, the government won’t even think about a change in its economic strategy, for bureaucratic and — seemingly — ideological reasons.
The combined approach of the government and the RBA to the economic side of the crisis has three parts: prop up demand by pumping money to people likely to spend it; expand the safety net governments have been assiduously shrinking for jobseekers in recent decades, which will help with the first part; and try to keep small and medium companies going through a combination of much cheaper, much more easily available and partly guaranteed lending and a small amount of cash based on the size of the payroll.