Revisiting this blog:
This is Week 8 of lockdown for our region of NSW. Residents of Sydney/Greater Sydney have been in lockdown since July. Apart from being unable to see family and friends, we're lucky to live in a house with a bit of a garden and in a location not too far from a park and the sea, so my regular walking has not been curtailed. Mr 'M' and I have been fully vaccinated since the beginning of September, but vaccination rates (owing to poor supply) have been low in parts of this State (Regional/country areas) and in the rest of the Australia - hence the need for strict lockdown. Today's figures ...
All of NSW for last 24 hours:
Breakdown of the Covid stats for last 24 hours for our region of NSW:
We're told by the State government that some lockdown restrictions will ease once the State reaches 70% 16 years + double vaccinated, but, while the well off Sydney areas might have good rates, many areas outside Sydney have a long way to go. (NSW is three times the size of the UK, so there are logistical issues with vaccine delivery).
If NSW opens up still with Covid cases in the community, the rest of the Australian States (most of whom have Zero Covid cases) will keep their borders firmly shut on us, as they don't want any virus spreading to them, and they do not wish to give up the Covid free lifestyles they currently enjoy. The implications for NSW residents wanting to see family, visit sick and dying loved ones residing in the other States however are immense. Thanks to Covid, Australia is now divided into eight separate little political "entities" - the "(dis)United States of Australia". I need to add here that before British colonisation, there were over 500 Indigenous nations around the continent, all with distinctive culture, beliefs and language, and they all got along pretty well as far as I am aware.
Enough of the politics!