Zero Covid policy
21 декабря 2021, 15:13 Политика
Япония продлила ограничения на въезд из-за штамма «омикрон»
В страну могут въехать только граждане Японии, аккредитованные дипломаты и иностранцы, имеющие право на проживание
Власти Японии продлили на неопределенный срок въездные ограничения из-за угрозы распространения штамма коронавируса «омикрон». Первоначально запрет на выдачу новых виз иностранцам действовал до конца декабря, отмечает ТАСС.
В связи с тем, что пока нет научной информации о степени заразности нового штамма решено на неопределенный срок продлить соответствующие ограничения, заявил премьер-министр Фумио Кисида.
Сейчас в Японию могут въехать только граждане страны, аккредитованные дипломаты и иностранцы, имеющие разрешение на длительное или постоянное проживание. Допускается также крайне ограниченная выдача виз в так называемых исключительных случаях, в том числе по гуманитарным соображениям.
https://www.bfm.ru/news/488983
Цифровые сертификаты о вакцинации против коронавируса начали выдавать в Японии
20 декабря 2021 07:17
Министерство по цифровизации Японии запустило приложение, с помощью которого можно получить цифровой сертификат о прохождении вакцинации от коронавируса. Об этом сегодня, 20 декабря, сообщает ТАСС.
Приложение находится в бесплатном доступе в каталогах App Store и Google Play.
Выданный цифровой сертификат можно будет использовать внутри самой Японии при посещении ресторанов и массовых мероприятий. На сегодняшний день в стране не действуют никакие ковидные ограничения. Однако в случае ухудшения ситуации власти могут их ввести.
Если в Японии начнет действовать режим чрезвычайной ситуации, цифровой сертификат может потребоваться для посещения заведений общепита группами более пяти человек, а также для прохода на массовые мероприятия.
Кроме того, японские граждане смогут воспользоваться приложением для сокращения карантина при въезде в 76 стран мира, включая Австралию, Великобританию, Вьетнам, Германию, США. России в этом списке нет.
https://eadaily.com/ru/news/2021/12/20/cifrovye-sertifikaty-o-vakcinacii-protiv-koronavirusa-nachali-vydavat-v-yaponii
КОРОНАВИРУС
Генеральный секретарь ООН раскритиковал политику закрытия границ для защиты от штамма "омикрон"
4 ДЕКАБРЯ 2021 10:35
Генеральный секретарь ООН Антониу Гутерриш высказался по поводу решений правительств многих стран ограничить въезд для иностранцев с целью воспрепятствовать распространению коронавирусного штамма "омикрон", считающегося более заразным.
"С вирусом, для которого действительно нет границ, ограничения на поездки, изолирующие какую-либо одну страну или регион, являются несправедливыми, карательными и неэффективными, - написал Гутерриш в "Твиттере".
Он призвал власти государств, принявших такое решение, рассмотреть возможность "других соответствующих и действительно эффективных мер" и, в частности, ввести повторное тестирование для прибывающих на их территорию иностранных граждан.
По последним данным, 70 стран мира в качестве меры эпидемиологической защиты так или иначе закрыли свои границы.
Первой из них стал Израиль, с 29 ноября объявивший режим "туристического карантина" на ближайшие две недели.
В других странах запрещен въезд граждан из государств, в которых были выявлены случаи заражения штаммом "омикрон". Во всех этих странах в "красный список" государств с наиболее высоким риском заразиться этой мутацией были внесены страны южноафриканского региона: Ботсвана, ЮАР, Лесото, Намибия, Зимбабве, Мозамбик, Мадагаскар, Эсватини, Танзания и другие.
Список стран, самоизолировавшихся от Африки, выглядит достаточно внушительно. Так, израильскому примеру последовали: Австралия, Австрия, Ангола, Аргентина, Бахрейн, Бельгия, Болгария, Бразилия, Великобритания, Венгрия, Гватемала, Германия, Гонконг, Греция, Дания, Египет, Индия, Индонезия, Иордания, Ирландия, Испания, Италия, Канада, Катар, Кипр, Колумбия, Куба, Кувейт, Латвия, Литва, Люксембург, Малайзия, Мальдивы, Мальта, Марокко, Нидерланды, Новая Зеландия, Норвегия, ОАЭ, Оман, Пакистан, Парагвай, Польша, Португалия, Россия, Руанда, Румыния, Саудовская Аравия, Сингапур, Словакия, Словения, США, Таиланд, Тайвань, Турция, Фиджи, Филиппины, Финляндия, Франция, Хорватия, Чехия, Чили, Швейцария, Швеция, Шри-Ланка, Эквадор, Эстония, Южная Корея, Япония.
Ранее с критикой политики закрытия границ выступила ВОЗ.
Там заявили, что с помощью подобной меры можно лишь выиграть время, но сама по себе она не может решить проблему распространения инфекции.
"Люди не должны полагаться только на пограничные меры. Наиболее важно медикаментозно подготовиться к новым вспышкам заболеваемости. Пока имеющаяся на данный момент информация говорит о том, что нам не следует менять существующие подходы", - заявил в пятницу на еженедельном брифинге представитель ВОЗ в Тихоокеанском регионе Такеши Касаи.
Под "существующими подходами" он имел в виду массовую вакцинацию и соблюдение элементарных мер профилактики: масочный режим и социальное дистанцирование.
https://www.9tv.co.il/item/37087
29 ноября 2021, 11:53 Общество
Япония закрывает границы из-за нового штамма COVID-19
Государственный институт инфекционных заболеваний страны присвоил «омикрону» самый высокий уровень опасности
Япония закрывает границы из-за нового штамма COVID-19. Как заявил премьер-министр Фумио Кисида, для предотвращения проникновения в страну южноафриканского варианта коронавируса «омикрон» с 30 ноября запрещается въезд всех иностранцев. Также страна отменяет послабления для иностранных бизнесменов, студентов и технических стажеров и вновь приостанавливает выдачу виз, передает «Интерфакс».
Со вторника строгий карантин вводится для японцев, которые возвращаются из стран, где выявлен «омикрон». В частности, десять дней изоляции в специально учрежденных местах должны выдержать те, кто приезжает из стран юга Африки: Малави, Замбии, Мозамбика, Эсватини, Зимбабве, Лесото, Намибии и Ботсваны, а также еще 14 стран, которые не называются.
Государственный институт инфекционных заболеваний страны присвоил «омикрону» самый высокий уровень опасности: «вариант, вызывающий беспокойство».
https://www.bfm.ru/news/487122
21 ноября 2021
В Японии заявили о самоликвидации дельта-штамма коронавируса - Рамблер/новости
В Японии заявили о самоликвидации дельта-штамма коронавируса
Lenta.ru и ещё 8 14 часов назад
Заболеваемость COVID-19 в Японии снизилась после того, как дельта-штамм вируса самоликвидировался. С такой версией выступил профессор Национального института генетики Итуро Иноуэ в разговоре с изданием Japan Times.
Он предположил, что данный подвид исчез из-за постоянных мутаций, которые и «сломали» дельта-штамм коронавируса.
Помимо этого, заболеваемость в Японии могла снизиться благодаря высоким показателям вакцинации и соблюдению мер по защите от инфекции.
Страна била рекорды суточной заболеваемости на протяжении трех месяцев: число заболевших достигало 26 тысяч. На сегодняшний день этот показатель едва достигает 200 случаев.
https://news.rambler.ru/world/47613782-v-yaponii-zayavili-o-samolikvidatsii-delta-shtamma-koronavirusa/
Scientist who warned the world of Omicron variant says China's 'Zero Covid' policy WON'T WORK against super-transmissible mutant strain as city of 13 million is locked down
Tulio de Oliveira is director of the Centre for Epidemic Response & Innovation
Said China's 'Zero Covid' will not work against the super-transmissible variant
Chinese city of Xi-an's 13 million residents were locked down Thursday
Not know what variant is spreading through the city but it's likely to be Omicron
By EMER SCULLY FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 15:28 GMT, 25 December 2021 | UPDATED: 15:52 GMT, 25 December 2021
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10344169/Scientist-warned-world-Omicron-warns-China-Zero-Covid-policy-WONT-WORK.html
Xi'an: Chinese city under lockdown as Covid cases rise
22 December 2021
Image caption,
The city has recorded 143 infections since 9 December
More than 13 million people in the Chinese city of Xi'an have been ordered to stay at home as authorities attempt to tackle a Covid outbreak there.
The northern city has recorded 143 infections since 9 December.
Under the new restrictions announced on Wednesday, only one person per household is allowed to leave home every two days to buy essential goods.
China has a strict zero-Covid strategy, using mass testing and lockdown to stop outbreaks.
The country is on high alert for Covid as it gears up to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in February.
Residents of Xi'an, known for its Terracotta Warriors, are not allowed to leave the city unless they have extenuating circumstances and approval from officials to so do. The restrictions came into effect at midnight on Thursday local time.
It is not yet known how long the restrictions will last.
Millions of tests have been conducted in Shaanxi province, where Xi'an is located.
Long-distance bus stations have already closed and checkpoints have been installed on motorways into the city. A large number of flights from Xi'an's airport have been cancelled.
Non-essential businesses have closed and local government employees have been told to work from home.
Last weekend authorities had already closed indoor facilities such as bars, gyms and cinemas as a precaution, according to state-run Global Times.
Officials say the outbreak is the Delta variant of Covid and have not mentioned Omicron.
State media have been reporting this week that Xi'an is facing a "dual epidemic" as there have been "several reported cases of haemorrhagic fever, a natural epidemic disease with a high fatality rate". However, this is reported as being a "common" seasonal disease in northern China, and predominantly concentrated in rural areas.
China has admitted that Covid-19 remains the "biggest challenge" to the Winter Olympics.
The country, where the virus was first recorded, has confirmed more than 113,000 cases and 4,849 deaths.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-59743487
12:02, 21 ноября 2021
Наука и техника
В Японии заявили о самоликвидации дельта-штамма коронавируса
Japan Times: дельта-штамм COVID-19 самоликвидировался, и в Японии снизилась заболеваемость
Заболеваемость COVID-19 в Японии снизилась после того, как дельта-штамм вируса самоликвидировался. С такой версией выступил профессор Национального института генетики Итуро Иноуэ в разговоре с изданием Japan Times.
Он предположил, что данный подвид исчез из-за постоянных мутаций, которые и «сломали» дельта-штамм коронавируса.
Помимо этого, заболеваемость в Японии могла снизиться благодаря высоким показателям вакцинации и соблюдению мер по защите от инфекции.
Страна била рекорды суточной заболеваемости на протяжении трех месяцев: число заболевших достигало 26 тысяч. В настоящий момент этот показатель едва достигает 200 случаев.
Российский вирусолог, доктор медицинских наук, профессор кафедры инфектологии и вирусологии Института профессионального образования Сеченовского университета Анатолий Альтштейн также оценил вероятность самоликвидации дельта-штамма коронавируса. По его мнению, это маловероятно, однако рациональное зерно в теории японских ученых есть.
https://lenta.ru/news/2021/11/21/likvid/
Why China is still trying to achieve zero Covid
15 November
Medical workers take swab samples on residents in a mass Covid-19 test in the snow in Shandan county in northwest China's Gansu province Saturday, Nov. 06, 2021.
Image caption,
China has stuck by its zero-Covid strategy with mass testing as other countries grapple with living with the virus
Around the world people are getting used to post-lockdown life with vaccines doing the heavy lifting against Covid-19 as restrictions are lifted. In China however, a hard elimination policy remains where the pandemic first began.
A person walks into a five-star hotel to ask briefly for directions and ends up in two weeks quarantine because a guest had some coronavirus contact. One crew member on a high-speed train has close contact with an infected person, and a trainload of passengers is sent to quarantine for mass testing. In Shanghai Disneyland, 33,863 visitors suddenly have to undergo mass testing because a visitor the day before got infected.
Welcome to life in the country which now feels like a perpetual, back-to-zero-Covid world.
China was the first country to impose restrictions to combat this pandemic and it will be one of the last to ease them.
When you speak to ordinary Chinese people in the street, you will find that many do not seem to mind the continued strict anti-virus measures as long as they are kept safe.
I asked one woman whether China should open faster and she said it would be best to wait until the pandemic is sorted out properly because safety is number one.
Another woman heading home from work told me the virus is not completely understood, that vaccines would improve and so, for the sake of social stability, it would be best to hold off opening up.
Not so long ago, other countries like Australia, New Zealand and Singapore were also approaching each outbreak of the coronavirus as something that had to be completely stamped out in the community, sending cities into lockdown until the virus stopped spreading.
The goal was to reach zero local transmissions.
The two things that changed this approach were the emergence of the much tougher to control Delta variant of the disease and, more crucially, reaching high vaccination levels.
High vaccination rates meant people might still contract Covid-19, but not have to go to hospital.
As a result, borders elsewhere are opening to international travel. In China however, visas for foreigners remain hard to come by and Chinese people are still not having their passports renewed after they expire.
Elsewhere, people are "living with the virus". Not in China, where yet another Delta outbreak is being attacked with the same zeal as before the vaccine.
If the official figures are accurate, over 1,000 local transmissions have been recorded since October. The figure is not that high, but the spread is significant, hitting 21 provinces. This matters because even a couple of cases in China will trigger the same strict measures as hundreds or thousands of new infections.
'Not a single infection is acceptable'
The authorities have shown no inclination to alter this approach, even as some Chinese scientists urge a re-think.
Professor Guan Yi, a virologist from Hong Kong University and advisor to the government, has called for a switch from mass nucleic acid tests (which find infections) to mass antibody tests (which might help scientists understand the effectiveness of vaccines).
In an interview with Phoenix TV he said that in the long run, there is no chance that a zero-Covid strategy could work in terms of achieving complete elimination.
"The virus is permanent now," he said. "It's the same as influenza, which will circulate in humans for a long time".
Disneyland Subway station opens in Shanghai, China, as Disneyland and Disneyland Town reopen for visitors after being closed due to COVID-19.
Image caption,
33,863 visitors to Shanghai Disneyland underwent mass testing as a visitor the previous day had become infected
This concept will not come as a surprise to people in other countries. In China however, the government has drilled the population to mobilise to get back to zero cases with each new surge of the virus. Changing this message will be hard.
Asked how much protection China's vaccines might offer against mutant strains of the coronavirus, Prof Guan said that this is something the vaccine producers would have to answer.
He is not alone amongst academics who are now questioning Beijing's direction.
Dr Haung Yanzhong, from the New-York based Council on Foreign Relations, says a key problem is that vaccines cannot achieve what the Chinese government would like them to, making Beijing wary.
"They're not confident about the effectiveness of the vaccines- the ability to prevent infections," he told the BBC, "because actually even the best vaccines can't prevent infections - but the zero-tolerance strategy says we can't accept even one single infection."
Dr Haung added the Chinese government has found itself in a political and ideological bind when trumpeting its successes to its people.
"The zero-tolerance strategy is also part of the official narrative, to claim the success of the Chinese pandemic response model, the superiority of the Chinese political system. So if you give up that strategy, and then you saw the cases increasing significantly, you know that would lead people to question the model."
'A million reasons'
Add to the mix that Beijing has some big events coming up and there is great desire amongst officials to hold them in an environment free of any Covid outbreak.
Most immediately there is the Winter Olympics in February. Tickets have not gone on sale but the goal is to have spectators in the stands.
Next October is the Communist Party's five-yearly Congress, when Xi Jinping is expected to begin a historic third term in office.
Of course, there will always be something on the horizon.
A woman walks past the National Indoor Stadium before an ice hockey match, part of a 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games test event, in Beijing on November 10, 2021.
Image caption,
Sporadic outbreaks of Covid-19 in China is casting doubt on the country's ability fo maintain zero-Covid cases ahead of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics
Another rather bleak interpretation is that General Secretary Xi Jinping and his administration like the idea of reducing foreign influence in China, and the pandemic has provided an excellent excuse to move in this direction.
On social media, some posts by nationalists have decried international influence on "China's" way of doing things.
The emphasis of governance here has certainly shifted from a "reform and opening up" philosophy to one that places the Communist Party at the centre of everything and its leader Xi Jinping at its very core.
Given that other countries have been opening their borders, the BBC asked Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin when his country might do the same.
He replied that China has been watching the experience of other countries and would follow science to make its decisions in light of new variants that were emerging.
Either way, experts close to those in power here are not signalling an imminent end to zero-Covid. In fact, it is quite the opposite.
'Too high' a cost
Dr Zhong Nanshan is seen as something of a medical hero in China. The specialist in respiratory medicine shot to global fame in 2003 for challenging the then-government's line that the Sars outbreak was not so severe.
These days, people - including officials - listen to what he has to say.
In a recent interview, he said China's strict Covid amelioration measures would remain for "a rather long time".
He added that a global Covid-19 mortality rate of 2% was too high for China to accept even with vaccines in place. The cost of opening too quickly was not worth it, he said, adding that China would be watching the experience of other countries under their "living-with-Covid" plans.
It is also important to consider that China's officials can be quite conservative in their approach. It is possible that they plan to "re-open" the country again and are simply in no great rush to do so.
For many of those wanting to enter China or to leave it, they have no choice but to wait and see.
While middle and upper class people may be lamenting the lack of freedom to move about internationally, many ordinary Chinese citizens seem content to allow the government to manage the situation if it keeps them healthy.
In the meantime, mass testing, centralised quarantine, transport controls, high-level surveillance, delivering track and trace as well as strict, localised lockdowns will remain a big part of life in China.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-59257496
The End of New Zealand's Zero-COVID Policy
Many worry it will magnify existing inequalities
A vaccination center sign directs the public during a lockdown to curb the spread of a COVID-19 outbreak in Auckland, New Zealand, on August 26, 2021.
October 28, 2021
Throughout 2020, New Zealand was held up as one of a few countries that had successfully managed to contain COVID-19. It is widely accepted that this achievement stemmed in large part from the government's decision to close the country's borders and to impose strict lockdowns on its residents to suppress community transmission. Although politically risky and dramatically different from the response taken by most high-income countries, what became known as New Zealand's "elimination" strategy, or "zero-COVID" approach, was increasingly accepted by most New Zealanders as necessary.
https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/end-new-zealands-zero-covid-policy
ЗДОРОВЬЕ 27 ОКТЯБРЯ 2021 21:31
С помощью бандитов Новая Зеландия хочет обеспечить вакцинацию 90% населения
Новая Зеландия хочет обеспечить охват прививками до 90% населения, имеющего право на вакцинацию, сообщает The New York Times.
Очень амбициозная цель, которая потребует неожиданного сотрудничества с членами местных банд.
У населения страны один из самых высоких показателей членства в бандах в мире. Хотя в стране проживают всего 5 млн человек, по оценкам полиции, восемь тысяч из них связаны с криминалом. Если при расчете учесть их семьи и других родственников, это число необходимо умножить на 10.
86% населения уже получили первый компонент. Остальные - это в основном маргинализированные группы населения, включая бандитов, с которыми органам здравоохранения труднее связаться.
Поэтому власти решили сотрудничать с лидерами этих банд, чтобы убедить их членов пройти вакцинацию, пишет bfm.ru.
Членство в банде не обязательно означает участие в организованной преступности. В рамках одной группировки некоторые члены являются закоренелыми преступниками, а другие - столпами своего сообщества и лучше всех могут убедить своих соратников и родственников пройти вакцинацию.
https://altapress.ru/zdorovie/story/s-pomoshchyu-banditov-novaya-zelandiya-hochet-obespechit-vaktsinatsiyu-naseleniya-295545
The Delta Variant Is Forcing New Zealand To Find a Safe Way Out of Its 'Zero-COVID' Strategy
October 14, 2021 6:00 AM EDT
Microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles MNZM heads up the Bioluminescent Superbugs Lab at New Zealand’s University of Auckland, where is an associate professor. When the pandemic arrived, she joined forces with Spinoff cartoonist Toby Morris and their award-winning graphics have been translated into multiple languages and adapted by governments and organizations around the world. Earlier this year, Wiles was named the 2021 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year.
https://time.com/6106584/new-zealand-zero-covid-ends/
Battling Delta, New Zealand Abandons Its Zero-Covid Ambitions
The country is changing course seven weeks into a lockdown that has failed to end the outbreak and tested the patience of many residents.
Empty streets in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, during the latest lockdown in August.
Empty streets in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, during the latest lockdown in August.Credit...Michael Craig/New Zealand Herald, via Associated Press
Published Oct. 4, 2021Updated Nov. 8, 2021
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/04/world/australia/new-zealand-covid-zero.html
15 сентября 2021, 03:13 Общество
Владимир Путин подал пример, уйдя на самоизоляцию. Комментарий Георгия Бовта
Особым путем пошли такие страны, как Китай, Новая Зеландия и Австралия, которые хотят свести число заражений к нулю. Но они почти или полностью закрыты от внешнего мира.
https://www.bfm.ru/news/481367
Australia sees record Covid cases with the outbreak set to continue getting WORSE until next week at least despite lockdown measures
Australia's daily cases topped 1,900 for the first time in the pandemic on Friday
The spiralling outbreak is being fuelled by the highly infectious Delta variant
Both Sydney and Melbourne, Australia's largest cities, are currently in lockdown
Officials have ditched their zero-Covid strategy in favour of virus suppression
By CHRIS JEWERS FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 08:33 BST, 10 September 2021 | UPDATED: 09:44 BST, 10 September 2021
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9976771/Australia-sees-record-Covid-cases-outbreak-set-continue-getting-WORSE.html
Why has Australia switched tack on Covid zero?
3 September
image caption Australia is pushing to exit lockdowns, but experts say it has a cautious strategy
Australia has changed its Covid strategy: it's time to leave lockdowns and "come out of the cave", Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said.
With vaccinations accelerating, he says Australians will soon "live with the virus" for the first time - that is, not try to eliminate it.
It's a drastic shift for a country used to seeing very few infections.
What was the strategy?
It was what some dubbed the "Fortress Australia" plan.
Australia aimed to maintain "Covid zero" by blocking foreign arrivals, hunting for every infection, and shutting state borders after outbreaks.
City and state-wide lockdowns have been frequently enacted - sometimes after a single case.
Melbourne, for example, has lived through over 200 days of lockdown in the last two years.
Such measures have drawn criticism for their cost to people's livelihoods and mental wellbeing.
But, until now, they have quelled outbreaks and allowed many Australians to live freely.
So what changed?
The Delta variant upended Australia's playbook. In June, it took hold in Sydney before spreading to Melbourne and Canberra.
State governments plunged their capitals back into lockdown. Currently, one in two Australians must stay home.
It has helped to suppress the spread. In Sydney, the R number - the rate at which the virus is spreading - has dropped from 5 to 1.3.
What is the R number?
But authorities have said Covid zero is no longer achievable.
That's intensified criticism on the Morrison government over Australia's low vaccination levels, with many accusing it of complacency. Mr Morrison had in April claimed vaccinating was "not a race".
But he has now followed the New South Wales state government in saying that vaccinations are Australia's only path to reopening. Victoria - which includes Melbourne - has this week also abandoned Covid zero.
So what's the new plan?
About 36% of Australians over 16 are fully vaccinated - far from enough to exit lockdowns, experts say.
"This groundhog day has to end, and it will end when we start getting to 70% and 80%," Mr Morrison said last week.
But Australia is picking up pace - it is now jabbing arms faster than the UK and US did at their peaks.
At current rates, Australia could vaccinate 70% of its over-16s by mid-October.
The nation has also begun vaccinating children over 12.
Queues of people use a QR code to check in at a Sydney stadium for their vaccination appointment
The nation plans to ease out of lockdowns then, and vaccinated people will be granted more freedoms.
But it will continue testing and tracing, and retain low-level restrictions like mask-wearing and social distancing. Smaller lockdowns will also be a possibility but are considered unlikely.
"The plan that is proposed is actually very thoughtful and careful," says Prof Ivo Mueller, a population health and immunity expert from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne.
"It's not 'Freedom Day', it's not 'let's throw everything out the window and go party' - that's not what's being proposed."
When will international borders open?
That will happen when Australia hits the 80% threshold. But travel will be open to designated "safe" countries only, and to people who are vaccinated.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has said she's aiming for a November reopening, but some experts say it could happen sooner.
"At 80% double dosage, we anticipate allowing our citizens to access international travel and also to welcoming home Australians through Sydney Airport," Ms Berejiklian said this week.
The national plan also allows for "travel bubbles" to safe countries, indicating vaccinated foreign nationals will also be able to enter.
Airline Qantas has flagged re-opening routes in December to the UK, US, Singapore, Canada and Japan.
But is everyone happy?
Polling shows 62% of Australians support the government's reopening plan.
But many Australians baulk at the idea of "living with the virus", after being used to low infection rates.
The government's modelling, prepared by the Doherty Institute, estimates that re-opening at 70% could lead to 13 deaths in six months - provided testing and tracing is at its peak. But that could rise to 1,500 if there are lesser health measures, the projection says.
Covid crisis causes fury in Aboriginal communities
It was only this week that Australia recorded its 1,000th Covid death, the last G20 country to do so.
So psychologically, it's a big change in mind set, says Prof Mueller.
More than 90% of Australia's cases have occurred around Sydney and Melbourne. But six of Australia's eight states and territories have seen little of the virus at all.
"They basically have no transmission and no restrictions, people basically live normal lives so telling them they have to face the virus is really, really hard," Prof Mueller says.
Political fight
So, Covid-free parts of the country disagree with the federal government and other states over strategy.
Under Australia's federalism system, state governments have control over health, policing, and internal borders.
Queensland and Western Australia are now refusing to open their states while Sydney sees more than 1,000 infections a day.
"I just cannot understand why there are people over there saying we should deliberately infect ourselves," Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan has said.
But Mr Morrison argues those states can't hide from the virus forever.
"Most states in Australia need to realise that eventually they have to come off Covid zero, because it's just not sustainable forever," says Prof Mueller.
"You have to start preparing people for what life looks like, you have to start looking for solutions to the problem rather than just stopping at the problem."
What can Australia learn from overseas?
Much can be gleaned from other countries about how to re-open safely and fine-tune risk, experts say.
Could social distancing be a requirement at schools, like they are in France and Mexico? With travel, could Australia adopt rapid diagnostic tests used in Europe and North America? What's the best vaccine passport to allow movement safely?
Experts stress that Australia needs to now focus on vaccinating particularly at-risk groups, such as indigenous communities, before reopening.
Covid crisis causes fury in Aboriginal communities
Watch: How to keep kids safe as they return to school
They note that Australia's reopening plan has also already been shaped by the UK and US experiences.
While Delta has driven infection waves in both nations, vaccinations are vastly reducing serious illnesses and deaths.
"That gives us reassurance that we're on the right track with the vaccines," says Prof Mueller.
Australia's plan to re-open at 80% is a higher bar than the 54% in the UK, where the level of vaccination is now at about 80% of the eligible population. In Denmark, where 70% are vaccinated, almost all restrictions have been dropped.
Singapore, which hit 80% this week, is also ahead in its re-opening plans but is taking a cautious approach like Australia, keeping travel to safe nations and maintaining restrictions like mask-wearing.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-58406526
См. также Как Путина оберегают от коронавируса?
См. также Избыточная смертность
См. также Коронавирус и всемирный заговор
См. также Политкорректность или смерть?
(следующая страница)
Содержание
Япония продлила ограничения на въезд из-за штамма «омикрон»
В страну могут въехать только граждане Японии, аккредитованные дипломаты и иностранцы, имеющие право на проживание
Власти Японии продлили на неопределенный срок въездные ограничения из-за угрозы распространения штамма коронавируса «омикрон». Первоначально запрет на выдачу новых виз иностранцам действовал до конца декабря, отмечает ТАСС.
В связи с тем, что пока нет научной информации о степени заразности нового штамма решено на неопределенный срок продлить соответствующие ограничения, заявил премьер-министр Фумио Кисида.
Сейчас в Японию могут въехать только граждане страны, аккредитованные дипломаты и иностранцы, имеющие разрешение на длительное или постоянное проживание. Допускается также крайне ограниченная выдача виз в так называемых исключительных случаях, в том числе по гуманитарным соображениям.
https://www.bfm.ru/news/488983
Цифровые сертификаты о вакцинации против коронавируса начали выдавать в Японии
20 декабря 2021 07:17
Министерство по цифровизации Японии запустило приложение, с помощью которого можно получить цифровой сертификат о прохождении вакцинации от коронавируса. Об этом сегодня, 20 декабря, сообщает ТАСС.
Приложение находится в бесплатном доступе в каталогах App Store и Google Play.
Выданный цифровой сертификат можно будет использовать внутри самой Японии при посещении ресторанов и массовых мероприятий. На сегодняшний день в стране не действуют никакие ковидные ограничения. Однако в случае ухудшения ситуации власти могут их ввести.
Если в Японии начнет действовать режим чрезвычайной ситуации, цифровой сертификат может потребоваться для посещения заведений общепита группами более пяти человек, а также для прохода на массовые мероприятия.
Кроме того, японские граждане смогут воспользоваться приложением для сокращения карантина при въезде в 76 стран мира, включая Австралию, Великобританию, Вьетнам, Германию, США. России в этом списке нет.
https://eadaily.com/ru/news/2021/12/20/cifrovye-sertifikaty-o-vakcinacii-protiv-koronavirusa-nachali-vydavat-v-yaponii
КОРОНАВИРУС
Генеральный секретарь ООН раскритиковал политику закрытия границ для защиты от штамма "омикрон"
4 ДЕКАБРЯ 2021 10:35
Генеральный секретарь ООН Антониу Гутерриш высказался по поводу решений правительств многих стран ограничить въезд для иностранцев с целью воспрепятствовать распространению коронавирусного штамма "омикрон", считающегося более заразным.
"С вирусом, для которого действительно нет границ, ограничения на поездки, изолирующие какую-либо одну страну или регион, являются несправедливыми, карательными и неэффективными, - написал Гутерриш в "Твиттере".
Он призвал власти государств, принявших такое решение, рассмотреть возможность "других соответствующих и действительно эффективных мер" и, в частности, ввести повторное тестирование для прибывающих на их территорию иностранных граждан.
По последним данным, 70 стран мира в качестве меры эпидемиологической защиты так или иначе закрыли свои границы.
Первой из них стал Израиль, с 29 ноября объявивший режим "туристического карантина" на ближайшие две недели.
В других странах запрещен въезд граждан из государств, в которых были выявлены случаи заражения штаммом "омикрон". Во всех этих странах в "красный список" государств с наиболее высоким риском заразиться этой мутацией были внесены страны южноафриканского региона: Ботсвана, ЮАР, Лесото, Намибия, Зимбабве, Мозамбик, Мадагаскар, Эсватини, Танзания и другие.
Список стран, самоизолировавшихся от Африки, выглядит достаточно внушительно. Так, израильскому примеру последовали: Австралия, Австрия, Ангола, Аргентина, Бахрейн, Бельгия, Болгария, Бразилия, Великобритания, Венгрия, Гватемала, Германия, Гонконг, Греция, Дания, Египет, Индия, Индонезия, Иордания, Ирландия, Испания, Италия, Канада, Катар, Кипр, Колумбия, Куба, Кувейт, Латвия, Литва, Люксембург, Малайзия, Мальдивы, Мальта, Марокко, Нидерланды, Новая Зеландия, Норвегия, ОАЭ, Оман, Пакистан, Парагвай, Польша, Португалия, Россия, Руанда, Румыния, Саудовская Аравия, Сингапур, Словакия, Словения, США, Таиланд, Тайвань, Турция, Фиджи, Филиппины, Финляндия, Франция, Хорватия, Чехия, Чили, Швейцария, Швеция, Шри-Ланка, Эквадор, Эстония, Южная Корея, Япония.
Ранее с критикой политики закрытия границ выступила ВОЗ.
Там заявили, что с помощью подобной меры можно лишь выиграть время, но сама по себе она не может решить проблему распространения инфекции.
"Люди не должны полагаться только на пограничные меры. Наиболее важно медикаментозно подготовиться к новым вспышкам заболеваемости. Пока имеющаяся на данный момент информация говорит о том, что нам не следует менять существующие подходы", - заявил в пятницу на еженедельном брифинге представитель ВОЗ в Тихоокеанском регионе Такеши Касаи.
Под "существующими подходами" он имел в виду массовую вакцинацию и соблюдение элементарных мер профилактики: масочный режим и социальное дистанцирование.
https://www.9tv.co.il/item/37087
29 ноября 2021, 11:53 Общество
Япония закрывает границы из-за нового штамма COVID-19
Государственный институт инфекционных заболеваний страны присвоил «омикрону» самый высокий уровень опасности
Япония закрывает границы из-за нового штамма COVID-19. Как заявил премьер-министр Фумио Кисида, для предотвращения проникновения в страну южноафриканского варианта коронавируса «омикрон» с 30 ноября запрещается въезд всех иностранцев. Также страна отменяет послабления для иностранных бизнесменов, студентов и технических стажеров и вновь приостанавливает выдачу виз, передает «Интерфакс».
Со вторника строгий карантин вводится для японцев, которые возвращаются из стран, где выявлен «омикрон». В частности, десять дней изоляции в специально учрежденных местах должны выдержать те, кто приезжает из стран юга Африки: Малави, Замбии, Мозамбика, Эсватини, Зимбабве, Лесото, Намибии и Ботсваны, а также еще 14 стран, которые не называются.
Государственный институт инфекционных заболеваний страны присвоил «омикрону» самый высокий уровень опасности: «вариант, вызывающий беспокойство».
https://www.bfm.ru/news/487122
21 ноября 2021
В Японии заявили о самоликвидации дельта-штамма коронавируса - Рамблер/новости
В Японии заявили о самоликвидации дельта-штамма коронавируса
Lenta.ru и ещё 8 14 часов назад
Заболеваемость COVID-19 в Японии снизилась после того, как дельта-штамм вируса самоликвидировался. С такой версией выступил профессор Национального института генетики Итуро Иноуэ в разговоре с изданием Japan Times.
Он предположил, что данный подвид исчез из-за постоянных мутаций, которые и «сломали» дельта-штамм коронавируса.
Помимо этого, заболеваемость в Японии могла снизиться благодаря высоким показателям вакцинации и соблюдению мер по защите от инфекции.
Страна била рекорды суточной заболеваемости на протяжении трех месяцев: число заболевших достигало 26 тысяч. На сегодняшний день этот показатель едва достигает 200 случаев.
https://news.rambler.ru/world/47613782-v-yaponii-zayavili-o-samolikvidatsii-delta-shtamma-koronavirusa/
Scientist who warned the world of Omicron variant says China's 'Zero Covid' policy WON'T WORK against super-transmissible mutant strain as city of 13 million is locked down
Tulio de Oliveira is director of the Centre for Epidemic Response & Innovation
Said China's 'Zero Covid' will not work against the super-transmissible variant
Chinese city of Xi-an's 13 million residents were locked down Thursday
Not know what variant is spreading through the city but it's likely to be Omicron
By EMER SCULLY FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 15:28 GMT, 25 December 2021 | UPDATED: 15:52 GMT, 25 December 2021
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10344169/Scientist-warned-world-Omicron-warns-China-Zero-Covid-policy-WONT-WORK.html
Xi'an: Chinese city under lockdown as Covid cases rise
22 December 2021
Image caption,
The city has recorded 143 infections since 9 December
More than 13 million people in the Chinese city of Xi'an have been ordered to stay at home as authorities attempt to tackle a Covid outbreak there.
The northern city has recorded 143 infections since 9 December.
Under the new restrictions announced on Wednesday, only one person per household is allowed to leave home every two days to buy essential goods.
China has a strict zero-Covid strategy, using mass testing and lockdown to stop outbreaks.
The country is on high alert for Covid as it gears up to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in February.
Residents of Xi'an, known for its Terracotta Warriors, are not allowed to leave the city unless they have extenuating circumstances and approval from officials to so do. The restrictions came into effect at midnight on Thursday local time.
It is not yet known how long the restrictions will last.
Millions of tests have been conducted in Shaanxi province, where Xi'an is located.
Long-distance bus stations have already closed and checkpoints have been installed on motorways into the city. A large number of flights from Xi'an's airport have been cancelled.
Non-essential businesses have closed and local government employees have been told to work from home.
Last weekend authorities had already closed indoor facilities such as bars, gyms and cinemas as a precaution, according to state-run Global Times.
Officials say the outbreak is the Delta variant of Covid and have not mentioned Omicron.
State media have been reporting this week that Xi'an is facing a "dual epidemic" as there have been "several reported cases of haemorrhagic fever, a natural epidemic disease with a high fatality rate". However, this is reported as being a "common" seasonal disease in northern China, and predominantly concentrated in rural areas.
China has admitted that Covid-19 remains the "biggest challenge" to the Winter Olympics.
The country, where the virus was first recorded, has confirmed more than 113,000 cases and 4,849 deaths.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-59743487
12:02, 21 ноября 2021
Наука и техника
В Японии заявили о самоликвидации дельта-штамма коронавируса
Japan Times: дельта-штамм COVID-19 самоликвидировался, и в Японии снизилась заболеваемость
Заболеваемость COVID-19 в Японии снизилась после того, как дельта-штамм вируса самоликвидировался. С такой версией выступил профессор Национального института генетики Итуро Иноуэ в разговоре с изданием Japan Times.
Он предположил, что данный подвид исчез из-за постоянных мутаций, которые и «сломали» дельта-штамм коронавируса.
Помимо этого, заболеваемость в Японии могла снизиться благодаря высоким показателям вакцинации и соблюдению мер по защите от инфекции.
Страна била рекорды суточной заболеваемости на протяжении трех месяцев: число заболевших достигало 26 тысяч. В настоящий момент этот показатель едва достигает 200 случаев.
Российский вирусолог, доктор медицинских наук, профессор кафедры инфектологии и вирусологии Института профессионального образования Сеченовского университета Анатолий Альтштейн также оценил вероятность самоликвидации дельта-штамма коронавируса. По его мнению, это маловероятно, однако рациональное зерно в теории японских ученых есть.
https://lenta.ru/news/2021/11/21/likvid/
Why China is still trying to achieve zero Covid
15 November
Medical workers take swab samples on residents in a mass Covid-19 test in the snow in Shandan county in northwest China's Gansu province Saturday, Nov. 06, 2021.
Image caption,
China has stuck by its zero-Covid strategy with mass testing as other countries grapple with living with the virus
Around the world people are getting used to post-lockdown life with vaccines doing the heavy lifting against Covid-19 as restrictions are lifted. In China however, a hard elimination policy remains where the pandemic first began.
A person walks into a five-star hotel to ask briefly for directions and ends up in two weeks quarantine because a guest had some coronavirus contact. One crew member on a high-speed train has close contact with an infected person, and a trainload of passengers is sent to quarantine for mass testing. In Shanghai Disneyland, 33,863 visitors suddenly have to undergo mass testing because a visitor the day before got infected.
Welcome to life in the country which now feels like a perpetual, back-to-zero-Covid world.
China was the first country to impose restrictions to combat this pandemic and it will be one of the last to ease them.
When you speak to ordinary Chinese people in the street, you will find that many do not seem to mind the continued strict anti-virus measures as long as they are kept safe.
I asked one woman whether China should open faster and she said it would be best to wait until the pandemic is sorted out properly because safety is number one.
Another woman heading home from work told me the virus is not completely understood, that vaccines would improve and so, for the sake of social stability, it would be best to hold off opening up.
Not so long ago, other countries like Australia, New Zealand and Singapore were also approaching each outbreak of the coronavirus as something that had to be completely stamped out in the community, sending cities into lockdown until the virus stopped spreading.
The goal was to reach zero local transmissions.
The two things that changed this approach were the emergence of the much tougher to control Delta variant of the disease and, more crucially, reaching high vaccination levels.
High vaccination rates meant people might still contract Covid-19, but not have to go to hospital.
As a result, borders elsewhere are opening to international travel. In China however, visas for foreigners remain hard to come by and Chinese people are still not having their passports renewed after they expire.
Elsewhere, people are "living with the virus". Not in China, where yet another Delta outbreak is being attacked with the same zeal as before the vaccine.
If the official figures are accurate, over 1,000 local transmissions have been recorded since October. The figure is not that high, but the spread is significant, hitting 21 provinces. This matters because even a couple of cases in China will trigger the same strict measures as hundreds or thousands of new infections.
'Not a single infection is acceptable'
The authorities have shown no inclination to alter this approach, even as some Chinese scientists urge a re-think.
Professor Guan Yi, a virologist from Hong Kong University and advisor to the government, has called for a switch from mass nucleic acid tests (which find infections) to mass antibody tests (which might help scientists understand the effectiveness of vaccines).
In an interview with Phoenix TV he said that in the long run, there is no chance that a zero-Covid strategy could work in terms of achieving complete elimination.
"The virus is permanent now," he said. "It's the same as influenza, which will circulate in humans for a long time".
Disneyland Subway station opens in Shanghai, China, as Disneyland and Disneyland Town reopen for visitors after being closed due to COVID-19.
Image caption,
33,863 visitors to Shanghai Disneyland underwent mass testing as a visitor the previous day had become infected
This concept will not come as a surprise to people in other countries. In China however, the government has drilled the population to mobilise to get back to zero cases with each new surge of the virus. Changing this message will be hard.
Asked how much protection China's vaccines might offer against mutant strains of the coronavirus, Prof Guan said that this is something the vaccine producers would have to answer.
He is not alone amongst academics who are now questioning Beijing's direction.
Dr Haung Yanzhong, from the New-York based Council on Foreign Relations, says a key problem is that vaccines cannot achieve what the Chinese government would like them to, making Beijing wary.
"They're not confident about the effectiveness of the vaccines- the ability to prevent infections," he told the BBC, "because actually even the best vaccines can't prevent infections - but the zero-tolerance strategy says we can't accept even one single infection."
Dr Haung added the Chinese government has found itself in a political and ideological bind when trumpeting its successes to its people.
"The zero-tolerance strategy is also part of the official narrative, to claim the success of the Chinese pandemic response model, the superiority of the Chinese political system. So if you give up that strategy, and then you saw the cases increasing significantly, you know that would lead people to question the model."
'A million reasons'
Add to the mix that Beijing has some big events coming up and there is great desire amongst officials to hold them in an environment free of any Covid outbreak.
Most immediately there is the Winter Olympics in February. Tickets have not gone on sale but the goal is to have spectators in the stands.
Next October is the Communist Party's five-yearly Congress, when Xi Jinping is expected to begin a historic third term in office.
Of course, there will always be something on the horizon.
A woman walks past the National Indoor Stadium before an ice hockey match, part of a 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games test event, in Beijing on November 10, 2021.
Image caption,
Sporadic outbreaks of Covid-19 in China is casting doubt on the country's ability fo maintain zero-Covid cases ahead of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics
Another rather bleak interpretation is that General Secretary Xi Jinping and his administration like the idea of reducing foreign influence in China, and the pandemic has provided an excellent excuse to move in this direction.
On social media, some posts by nationalists have decried international influence on "China's" way of doing things.
The emphasis of governance here has certainly shifted from a "reform and opening up" philosophy to one that places the Communist Party at the centre of everything and its leader Xi Jinping at its very core.
Given that other countries have been opening their borders, the BBC asked Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin when his country might do the same.
He replied that China has been watching the experience of other countries and would follow science to make its decisions in light of new variants that were emerging.
Either way, experts close to those in power here are not signalling an imminent end to zero-Covid. In fact, it is quite the opposite.
'Too high' a cost
Dr Zhong Nanshan is seen as something of a medical hero in China. The specialist in respiratory medicine shot to global fame in 2003 for challenging the then-government's line that the Sars outbreak was not so severe.
These days, people - including officials - listen to what he has to say.
In a recent interview, he said China's strict Covid amelioration measures would remain for "a rather long time".
He added that a global Covid-19 mortality rate of 2% was too high for China to accept even with vaccines in place. The cost of opening too quickly was not worth it, he said, adding that China would be watching the experience of other countries under their "living-with-Covid" plans.
It is also important to consider that China's officials can be quite conservative in their approach. It is possible that they plan to "re-open" the country again and are simply in no great rush to do so.
For many of those wanting to enter China or to leave it, they have no choice but to wait and see.
While middle and upper class people may be lamenting the lack of freedom to move about internationally, many ordinary Chinese citizens seem content to allow the government to manage the situation if it keeps them healthy.
In the meantime, mass testing, centralised quarantine, transport controls, high-level surveillance, delivering track and trace as well as strict, localised lockdowns will remain a big part of life in China.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-59257496
The End of New Zealand's Zero-COVID Policy
Many worry it will magnify existing inequalities
A vaccination center sign directs the public during a lockdown to curb the spread of a COVID-19 outbreak in Auckland, New Zealand, on August 26, 2021.
October 28, 2021
Throughout 2020, New Zealand was held up as one of a few countries that had successfully managed to contain COVID-19. It is widely accepted that this achievement stemmed in large part from the government's decision to close the country's borders and to impose strict lockdowns on its residents to suppress community transmission. Although politically risky and dramatically different from the response taken by most high-income countries, what became known as New Zealand's "elimination" strategy, or "zero-COVID" approach, was increasingly accepted by most New Zealanders as necessary.
https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/end-new-zealands-zero-covid-policy
ЗДОРОВЬЕ 27 ОКТЯБРЯ 2021 21:31
С помощью бандитов Новая Зеландия хочет обеспечить вакцинацию 90% населения
Новая Зеландия хочет обеспечить охват прививками до 90% населения, имеющего право на вакцинацию, сообщает The New York Times.
Очень амбициозная цель, которая потребует неожиданного сотрудничества с членами местных банд.
У населения страны один из самых высоких показателей членства в бандах в мире. Хотя в стране проживают всего 5 млн человек, по оценкам полиции, восемь тысяч из них связаны с криминалом. Если при расчете учесть их семьи и других родственников, это число необходимо умножить на 10.
86% населения уже получили первый компонент. Остальные - это в основном маргинализированные группы населения, включая бандитов, с которыми органам здравоохранения труднее связаться.
Поэтому власти решили сотрудничать с лидерами этих банд, чтобы убедить их членов пройти вакцинацию, пишет bfm.ru.
Членство в банде не обязательно означает участие в организованной преступности. В рамках одной группировки некоторые члены являются закоренелыми преступниками, а другие - столпами своего сообщества и лучше всех могут убедить своих соратников и родственников пройти вакцинацию.
https://altapress.ru/zdorovie/story/s-pomoshchyu-banditov-novaya-zelandiya-hochet-obespechit-vaktsinatsiyu-naseleniya-295545
The Delta Variant Is Forcing New Zealand To Find a Safe Way Out of Its 'Zero-COVID' Strategy
October 14, 2021 6:00 AM EDT
Microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles MNZM heads up the Bioluminescent Superbugs Lab at New Zealand’s University of Auckland, where is an associate professor. When the pandemic arrived, she joined forces with Spinoff cartoonist Toby Morris and their award-winning graphics have been translated into multiple languages and adapted by governments and organizations around the world. Earlier this year, Wiles was named the 2021 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year.
https://time.com/6106584/new-zealand-zero-covid-ends/
Battling Delta, New Zealand Abandons Its Zero-Covid Ambitions
The country is changing course seven weeks into a lockdown that has failed to end the outbreak and tested the patience of many residents.
Empty streets in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, during the latest lockdown in August.
Empty streets in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, during the latest lockdown in August.Credit...Michael Craig/New Zealand Herald, via Associated Press
Published Oct. 4, 2021Updated Nov. 8, 2021
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/04/world/australia/new-zealand-covid-zero.html
15 сентября 2021, 03:13 Общество
Владимир Путин подал пример, уйдя на самоизоляцию. Комментарий Георгия Бовта
Особым путем пошли такие страны, как Китай, Новая Зеландия и Австралия, которые хотят свести число заражений к нулю. Но они почти или полностью закрыты от внешнего мира.
https://www.bfm.ru/news/481367
Australia sees record Covid cases with the outbreak set to continue getting WORSE until next week at least despite lockdown measures
Australia's daily cases topped 1,900 for the first time in the pandemic on Friday
The spiralling outbreak is being fuelled by the highly infectious Delta variant
Both Sydney and Melbourne, Australia's largest cities, are currently in lockdown
Officials have ditched their zero-Covid strategy in favour of virus suppression
By CHRIS JEWERS FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 08:33 BST, 10 September 2021 | UPDATED: 09:44 BST, 10 September 2021
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9976771/Australia-sees-record-Covid-cases-outbreak-set-continue-getting-WORSE.html
Why has Australia switched tack on Covid zero?
3 September
image caption Australia is pushing to exit lockdowns, but experts say it has a cautious strategy
Australia has changed its Covid strategy: it's time to leave lockdowns and "come out of the cave", Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said.
With vaccinations accelerating, he says Australians will soon "live with the virus" for the first time - that is, not try to eliminate it.
It's a drastic shift for a country used to seeing very few infections.
What was the strategy?
It was what some dubbed the "Fortress Australia" plan.
Australia aimed to maintain "Covid zero" by blocking foreign arrivals, hunting for every infection, and shutting state borders after outbreaks.
City and state-wide lockdowns have been frequently enacted - sometimes after a single case.
Melbourne, for example, has lived through over 200 days of lockdown in the last two years.
Such measures have drawn criticism for their cost to people's livelihoods and mental wellbeing.
But, until now, they have quelled outbreaks and allowed many Australians to live freely.
So what changed?
The Delta variant upended Australia's playbook. In June, it took hold in Sydney before spreading to Melbourne and Canberra.
State governments plunged their capitals back into lockdown. Currently, one in two Australians must stay home.
It has helped to suppress the spread. In Sydney, the R number - the rate at which the virus is spreading - has dropped from 5 to 1.3.
What is the R number?
But authorities have said Covid zero is no longer achievable.
That's intensified criticism on the Morrison government over Australia's low vaccination levels, with many accusing it of complacency. Mr Morrison had in April claimed vaccinating was "not a race".
But he has now followed the New South Wales state government in saying that vaccinations are Australia's only path to reopening. Victoria - which includes Melbourne - has this week also abandoned Covid zero.
So what's the new plan?
About 36% of Australians over 16 are fully vaccinated - far from enough to exit lockdowns, experts say.
"This groundhog day has to end, and it will end when we start getting to 70% and 80%," Mr Morrison said last week.
But Australia is picking up pace - it is now jabbing arms faster than the UK and US did at their peaks.
At current rates, Australia could vaccinate 70% of its over-16s by mid-October.
The nation has also begun vaccinating children over 12.
Queues of people use a QR code to check in at a Sydney stadium for their vaccination appointment
The nation plans to ease out of lockdowns then, and vaccinated people will be granted more freedoms.
But it will continue testing and tracing, and retain low-level restrictions like mask-wearing and social distancing. Smaller lockdowns will also be a possibility but are considered unlikely.
"The plan that is proposed is actually very thoughtful and careful," says Prof Ivo Mueller, a population health and immunity expert from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne.
"It's not 'Freedom Day', it's not 'let's throw everything out the window and go party' - that's not what's being proposed."
When will international borders open?
That will happen when Australia hits the 80% threshold. But travel will be open to designated "safe" countries only, and to people who are vaccinated.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has said she's aiming for a November reopening, but some experts say it could happen sooner.
"At 80% double dosage, we anticipate allowing our citizens to access international travel and also to welcoming home Australians through Sydney Airport," Ms Berejiklian said this week.
The national plan also allows for "travel bubbles" to safe countries, indicating vaccinated foreign nationals will also be able to enter.
Airline Qantas has flagged re-opening routes in December to the UK, US, Singapore, Canada and Japan.
But is everyone happy?
Polling shows 62% of Australians support the government's reopening plan.
But many Australians baulk at the idea of "living with the virus", after being used to low infection rates.
The government's modelling, prepared by the Doherty Institute, estimates that re-opening at 70% could lead to 13 deaths in six months - provided testing and tracing is at its peak. But that could rise to 1,500 if there are lesser health measures, the projection says.
Covid crisis causes fury in Aboriginal communities
It was only this week that Australia recorded its 1,000th Covid death, the last G20 country to do so.
So psychologically, it's a big change in mind set, says Prof Mueller.
More than 90% of Australia's cases have occurred around Sydney and Melbourne. But six of Australia's eight states and territories have seen little of the virus at all.
"They basically have no transmission and no restrictions, people basically live normal lives so telling them they have to face the virus is really, really hard," Prof Mueller says.
Political fight
So, Covid-free parts of the country disagree with the federal government and other states over strategy.
Under Australia's federalism system, state governments have control over health, policing, and internal borders.
Queensland and Western Australia are now refusing to open their states while Sydney sees more than 1,000 infections a day.
"I just cannot understand why there are people over there saying we should deliberately infect ourselves," Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan has said.
But Mr Morrison argues those states can't hide from the virus forever.
"Most states in Australia need to realise that eventually they have to come off Covid zero, because it's just not sustainable forever," says Prof Mueller.
"You have to start preparing people for what life looks like, you have to start looking for solutions to the problem rather than just stopping at the problem."
What can Australia learn from overseas?
Much can be gleaned from other countries about how to re-open safely and fine-tune risk, experts say.
Could social distancing be a requirement at schools, like they are in France and Mexico? With travel, could Australia adopt rapid diagnostic tests used in Europe and North America? What's the best vaccine passport to allow movement safely?
Experts stress that Australia needs to now focus on vaccinating particularly at-risk groups, such as indigenous communities, before reopening.
Covid crisis causes fury in Aboriginal communities
Watch: How to keep kids safe as they return to school
They note that Australia's reopening plan has also already been shaped by the UK and US experiences.
While Delta has driven infection waves in both nations, vaccinations are vastly reducing serious illnesses and deaths.
"That gives us reassurance that we're on the right track with the vaccines," says Prof Mueller.
Australia's plan to re-open at 80% is a higher bar than the 54% in the UK, where the level of vaccination is now at about 80% of the eligible population. In Denmark, where 70% are vaccinated, almost all restrictions have been dropped.
Singapore, which hit 80% this week, is also ahead in its re-opening plans but is taking a cautious approach like Australia, keeping travel to safe nations and maintaining restrictions like mask-wearing.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-58406526
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