National Cabinet met today as we ease into week two of a four week review period in which the road back is to be paved, emphasizing economic recovery. Restrictions are to be lifted on small gatherings and concessions made to community sport. It will be safe for all schools to resume in early June (youContinue reading “Day 34 Friday 24th April”
Category Archives: Bites
Day 33 Thursday 23rd April
The Ruby Princess left Port Kembla this afternoon with 500 crew members. 10% of all Australian COVID-19 cases were passengers on this ship. Along with this welcome departure inquiry season has begun: federal government response to the virus, the Ruby Princess saga, WHO capability to investigate disease outbreaks. These inquiries take the form of whatContinue reading “Day 33 Thursday 23rd April”
Love your sister
Love Your Sister: A Brother’s Like Tick So advised Samuel Johnson in his book Love Your Sister. My younger sister Julie is not dying of a terminal illness as his was. She is, however, going to die and has decided to stare down that unknown date by accepting its inevitability and engaging positively with theContinue reading “Love your sister”
Day 32 Wednesday 22nd April
Snap-back might turn out to be a mouse trap, but the urge towards a flawed normal grows apace. Signs of hope include the proposed re-opening of Bondi, Tamarama and Bronte beaches next week. A second is my success in purchasing toilet paper for the first time in over a month. In fact, my only optionContinue reading “Day 32 Wednesday 22nd April”
Day 31 Tuesday 21st April
I started this journal planning to do a daily entry for what was looming as the two critical weeks of the pandemic and our response to managing it. I kept going to monitor an eagerly awaited flattening of the curve and now I need to continue to see if snap-back means what it suggests. Also,Continue reading “Day 31 Tuesday 21st April”
Day 30 Monday 20th April
Many in the media are calling this pandemic the great disturbance. This talent for understatement is akin to an associate in South Carolina referring to the American Civil War as the great unpleasantness. With case numbers declining and deaths stable in Australia, calls for a “snap back” are becoming more insistent. Not, however, with theContinue reading “Day 30 Monday 20th April”
Day 29 Sunday 19th April
A sustained decline in new cases since mid-March suggests Australia has passed the peak of the pandemic. However, we must remain vigilant against new community clusters. It will be four more weeks before an easing of restrictions is seriously considered (mid-May). More testing (411,000 so far) and tracing will be conducted during this time. TheContinue reading “Day 29 Sunday 19th April”
Day 28 Saturday April 18th
Another beautiful sunny Autumn day in the Illawarra, making it impossible to be miserable. It is also the birthday of my late father, Winston (1916-2012). The Ruby Princess has still not left Port Kembla with its ailing crew; 2 passengers who returned to the US have died, along with the 19 in Australia. The QueenslandContinue reading “Day 28 Saturday April 18th”
Day 27 Friday 17th April
391,000 tests in Australia they say. 43 new cases (total 6,523) and 65 deaths. NSW picked up 29 more today (total 2,926). The world recorded 2.1 million cases and 145,000 deaths. A review of lockdown provisions for Australia will occur in four weeks. Retail and manufacturing are mooted to be the first sectors to haveContinue reading “Day 27 Friday 17th April”
Day 25 Wednesday 15th April
The IMF (International Monetary Fund) Chief Economist says the world economy may shrink 3% in the worst recession since the Great Depression. It should, however, rebound 6% in 2021, conditional upon many unspecified factors. She predicts the Australian economy to shrink 6.7%. Job listings are already down 50%. Emerging conflict is brewing over whether schoolsContinue reading “Day 25 Wednesday 15th April”
Awesomely Astute 