mike carey

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Australia has done over 100K tests and there are less fewer than 1,000 cases. Each negative test is not news in the way that each positive test is (although in some countries positive tests have moved from the 'news' column to the 'statistics' column). The exception is when the person who is tested is famous and the fact that they are being tested becomes public knowledge. Bear with me while I contradict what I just said, and note that there was a news item here this afternoon about an overseas tour group that was tested, with 10 positive tests, four negative and four still awaiting results. As others have noted, the criteria for who will be tested are quite strict so you won't be tested unless you have specific risk factors, and even with those limitations on who is tested, the negative rate is over 99%.

Yes, he does some great sketches.

A pandemic effect I hadn't seen coming, an acceleration of movement to a cashless economy. Cafés and hospitality venues (yes they are still open here, although social distancing rules apply) are increasingly insisting on electronic payment, to the extent that it was a topic of conversation on the ABC's morning program in Canberra. Owners don't want either the hand contact between staff and customers required for cash transactions, or staff handling potentially contaminated currency. The inevitable question that was raised was that currency is 'legal tender for all debts' so businesses can't refuse cash payment. Well, yes and no. If you have a contract, then you can insist on cash if the contract didn't specify otherwise. So if you order a coffee and nothing is said, they have to take your money (in theory), but if there's a sign 'electronic payment only' that's the contract you've accepted.

A sign of these times, I used to cough to cover up my farts, now I fart to cover up my coughs.

This is about one thing our government is changing, but it's a mechanics of government in the time of pestilence issue not a political one. The federal and all the state and territory governments have deferred this year's budgets from next month to October. Here the budget is both the government's plan for the next year and also a big formal announcement of the program in Parliament. Unlike the US, it's not a wish list the way the president's budget is, but a plan that it is pretty much sure to be able to implement because it has a majority in the House. There are two reasons for its deferral, it removes the need for a lot of planning across government departments and the personal contact that involves, but critically, at this stage it's impossible to make realistic plans about what will happen in the next three months much less for a year.

Yup, only toilet paper. It is produced to specifications that ensure that it breaks down quickly when it's in water. Tissues and paper towels are designed to be tough so they don't tear or dissolve while they are being used for their intended purpose, so they break down slowly in sewers and can block them. If you use anything other than toilet paper, don't flush it, put it in the bin.

Thanks Oliver. This had been becoming increasingly likely over recent weeks, and I thought inevitable for a few days now. I see above that Palm Springs, like some other areas in the country, has imposed shelter-in-place rules. (In this country, we haven't gone that far, and the states, not local governments, hold this authority. They have been coordinating their arrangements through regular conference calls between the PM and the state and territory premiers and chief ministers.) Australia and New Zealand have both followed the lead of Canada, and in the last hour announced that the borders will be closed inbound to all other than Australian and New Zealand citizens and residents respectively. We live in interesting times. I look forward to the end of this, and to some catch up travel, and ultimately to the 2021 event. Stay safe, all.

It's certainly a fixation here, it was the first thing to disappear off shelves and when it was gone people panic bought other things. Not cottage cheese, ffs! I've seen posts on the socials about toilet paper in Canada and the UK to start with.

I totally screwed up my attempt at humour with this post. Edited to say what I meant to say.

I was simply referring to the supermarket shelf stripping in the TP aisle.

My view, and it is likely to be seen as a left wing perspective is that if corporations of 'national significance' want to receive government assistance in times like this, it should be on the condition that the money is invested as equity funding and for it to use the leverage it has to reduce or even eliminate obscene levels of executive salaries and bonuses (even claw back those paid recently when the corporation failed to prepare for what caused it to need a bail-out), or even to use it to further government employment objectives.

As we descend towards ever tighter restrictions, and greater uncertainty, one small 'light at the end of the tunnel' has emerged. Qantas has reduced its international capacity by 90% and domestic by 60%, but haven't said yet what would be left. However, I just received an e-mail from them to say that elite status will be extended by 12 months, a welcome gesture as I thought mine was about to drop regardless of this crisis. I realise, of course, that his is small beer compared to the bigger issues that COVID-19 presents to us.

I just saw that on TV here. Great look.

In the first couple of days of Australia's Great Toilet Paper Crisis I heard a psychologist explain that in a crisis, people want to feel in control and they latch onto anything where they can be 'in control'. What that 'thing' is can be completely random, and in this case, was it ever!

Wut? Hoarding toilet paper? That's a new one. Ed: Fuck, I blew that, I meant to say 'hoarding toilets'.

Yesterday one, and today all the grocery chains here have implemented the same policy, albeit with slightly different definitions of who it included (and different levels of checking those arriving). The first morning was mayhem in some shops. One guest on a nightly panel show, who is wheel-chair bound and needed a support worker with her said she was pushed and jostled my able-bodied seniors. Effing boomers!

That's brilliant, but with some sharp edges about the US. I'm deeply disappointed that the temperatures used are not the same (38C isn't the same as 101.5F), but what do I know, they might have really done their research and those are the respective national definitions of a fever. I'm not about to research that point!

An annual policy is a good idea, although some credit cards have included insurance if you use them to pay for your trip. In this case they might all be of no use because they generally exclude pandemics and terrorism among other things. If you have insurance of any sort it's worth asking the question of your provider, of course. I agree that it's a bad business look for a hotel to decline to refund deposits in this sort of situation but an independent operator may be simply unable to afford to do so (unlike a corporate chain). In any case I'm waiting a bit to see if travel and other restrictions in CA become so draconian that operators are forced to offer refunds, or at least to transfer deposits to another stay.

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Well, I've seen those people signing so hearing impaired people can follow what's being announced (well, except when 45 is speaking, but I digress), and I'm here to tell you that you can't do that while you're washing your hands.

Yep, and we can do that now. Cheap (or old) washcloths and that bleach bucket instead of toilet paper.