Current Events > Australia is shutting down non-essential businesses for upwards of 6 months

(+) Yeah! (+)

Six months is too long. Must be other agendas at play.

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MrMallard posted...

But the retail sector for non-essential things like clothes, electronic goods etc. are going to be closed for a possible 6 months or longer.

We are being given 2 seperate payments of $750 for spending to help boost our economy, local or otherwise. Wonder how we will if we can't.

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ColdOne666 posted...

Aussie here. Its crazy atm. Everyones losing jobs. Havent seen a roll of toilet paper for weeks. My job is safe but family members could lose theres.

That's hardcore dude, I'm sorry to hear that. Are you city or country? Things are alright so far on my end, but I live in the country.

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I had to rush back to my home state before the borders closed.

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MrMallard posted...

That's hardcore dude, I'm sorry to hear that. Are you city or country? Things are alright so far on my end, but I live in the country.

Im city all my relatives are country though. I think everyone is gonna get screwed eventually.

This virus is horrid.

Thx for caring.

LightningAce11 posted...

I had to rush back to my home state before the borders closed.

Sounds like you made it. Glad that you're okay, a mad dash like that could have had any number of complications.

Keep us updated on your situation. Last night was, justifiably, a bit of a blind stumble - places I thought were gonna close in my town didn't close, and until the government can refine what they mean by "non-essential" I think there are going to be swathes of towns in NSW that skirt these laws until the final word comes down.

From what I remember from last night, the PM promised to have the full plan within 48 hours. We're just shy of 24 hours, so hopefully everything will fall into place by tomorrow night.

If you could get onto your employer and see what the deal is, you might still be able to finish your freelance work - depending on what it is, of course. And depending on where you're based and what you're doing, you might still be able to do freelance stuff for a while.

You're gonna know better than me, but after seeing so many places still open today, I want to be optimistic and say that the absolute bludgeon to the dome that was last night's shutdown announcement might end up being less severe than it came across as. The borders are still closed, so I think you made the right call there, but I'm hoping that your area of expertise isn't as harshly affected as the pubs are at the moment.

I'm assuming you're crashing with family - how are the people in your life handling the news?

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ColdOne666 posted...

Im city all my relatives are country though. I think everyone is gonna get screwed eventually.

This virus is horrid.

Thx for caring.

np dude. We're all in this together.

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I got home. I like this job and the people I worked with so leaving weeks early stings. I can still work remotely but it ain't the same.

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Only a matter of time before this is the same everywhere

So, I just stumbled onto a news article that might help explain the state of affairs in Australia:

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/health-problems/coronavirus-nsw-victoria-rebel-against -scott-morrison-then-back-down/news-story/085788c27ff93aad879e571c5e956dd0

Here's the rundown:

• The premiers of NSW and VIC both came out with hardline statements against non-essential businesses. They said the same things that I did in the OP - all non-essential activity would be shut down across both states.
• Scott Morrison pre-recorded a bunch of interviews before making his announcement last night. In these interviews, there was no definitive answer on what he sought to achieve, because the premiers hadn't met to discuss what action they were going to take.
• At 9pm last night - not 10 like I've been claiming, which is when I became aware of the news - he announced the shutdown of pubs, churches, concert venues etc. These are the venues that were shut today.
• Today, both the NSW and VIC premiers praised the action and pretended that it was what they were gunning for all along. The VIC premier went as far as to say during an interview that he had "promised to take a big step", and that this "was a step, a baby step, but a step in the right direction". Claiming all the way that this is what he meant by "all non-essential businesses will be shut down".

Basic gist of it is that the premiers put out the most extreme statements, and it appears that the PM talked them down to a fraction of the extreme action they were promising.

Also, funny thing - you know what falls under "essential"? Hair cuts. You can go into a hair salon or a barber and get your hair cut in close proximity to another human being, completely destroying the "social distancing" rule, during what was projected to be a total shutdown of non-essential services. Hair cuts are considered to be an essential service.

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I live in Perth and this is the first time Ive heard about

fake news?

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Turtlebread posted...

I live in Perth and this is the first time Ive heard about

fake news?

Maybe this is more of an east coast thing? Could be a higher concentration over here than in WA, though I remember seeing news about the WA premier this morning in relation to the coronavirus.

If you check the last 5 posts before yours, I provided a link to a news article describing what happened. I also admit that I mixed up news about the AFL delaying their season for 6 months with the shutdown, which is projected to be reviewed each month and adjusted accordingly. That was a fuck up on my part, sorry.

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Forgettable posted...

That's because WA socially distanced itself from Australia long ago.

I'm surprised theyve even heard of coronavirus in Perth tbqh

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I believe it was an East coast thing where the premiers published what their talking points were before the meeting.

Shrug.

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Yeah the whole non-essential wording seems pretty unclear and up to interpretation for a lot of businesses out there. My wife does a weekly class with our baby where they do little activities for the baby to do. They crawl around on toys and stuff. They've lumped themselves in with education and are staying open although they've at least offered online stuff as a choice.

I guess until we're at the point where you can only go out to go to work or get groceries a lot of those middle ground businesses will stay open.

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Stage 2 tonight?

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TreyFlowers posted...

Stage 2 tonight?

Already? I've only got one day left of going to the office lol. It is spreading quickly. Thankfully the train to work is empty but it's still a risk. Hopefully I'll make it.

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Darmik posted...

it's still a risk.

if really have to. fashion a scarf or something to cover mouth/nose might lessen the chance of being infected if there's someone coughing nearby.

trains are very risky right now.
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TreyFlowers posted...

Stage 2 tonight?

A quick Google search revealed a couple of articles stating that the government could be considering "stage two", and might be meeting up to discuss the measures. The only sources making bold, confident claims that "stage two" is gonna be coming down the pipes are the Daily Telegraph and Daily Mail - I seem to remember the Telegraph being a Murdoch rag (though feel free to correct me on this one), and the Daily Mail is a festering shithole.

Live feed of Coronavirus news from news.com.au - which I think might be a Murdoch-owned site, but which works alright as a news source most of the time imo:
https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/health-problems/coronavirus-australia-live-updates /live-coverage/61905509d50066aa5258863f99847d52

Guardian article covering a bunch of world news:
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2020/mar/24/coronavirus-live-news-updates-us-trump-uk-lockdown-global-deaths-cases-covid19-latest-update

A crazy figure from the Guardian: 20% of the global population is apparently in lockdown. A fifth of the population of Earth.

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MrMallard posted...

A crazy figure from the Guardian: 20% of the global population is apparently in lockdown. A fifth of the population of Earth.

we're all locked down and broke.
stage 3 here we come in a few days.
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Wasn't stage 2/3 never actually defined?

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It wasn't, I think it'll be defined by whatever the government agrees on next. Though Scott Morrison has said that if people skirt the rules or if things get worse, he wouldn't be above imposing more "draconian" laws to keep things in line.

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Starmieketone posted...

Yet, schools will still be open.

Teachers will be thrown under the bus in the name of expediency as a source of childcare. Of course, they will be expected to fix the brakes before they disappear beneath the wheels.

*facepalm*

Seriously?! Fucking seriously?!?! They are keeping schools open? Something completely without importance in such an emergency... The single biggest cause of illness spread in modern society! Nitwits like this will make this outbreak ten times worse.
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New rules now in effect

#COVID19: Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced further restrictions and closures that will be enforced from midnight Wednesday. These include;

Food courts to only serve via takeaway.

Auction houses, real estate auctions and open house inspections will no longer take place.

Outdoor and indoor markets (excluding food markets) will be addressed by NSW Government.

Beauty therapists and massage parlours will close.

Tanning, waxing and nail salons will close.

Tattoo parlours will close

Amusement parks and arcades will close.

Play centres will close.

Community and recreational centres, health clubs and fitness centres will close.

Yoga, barre and spin classes will close.

Saunas and wellness centres will close.

Boot camps and personal training will be limited to 10 people maximum.

Weddings will be limited to no more than five people (including celebrant and witnesses).

Funerals will be limited to no more than 10 people.

Family gatherings such as barbecues, birthdays and house parties will not be allowed.

Hairdressers/barbers will be allowed to remain open with four-square-metre distancing requirement and 30-minute appointments only.

Cinemas, nightclubs, casinos, gambling venues, adult entertainment venues, concert venues, stadiums all closed.

Galleries, museums, national institutions, historic sites, libraries, community centres all closed.

Non-essential facilities, community facilities such as halls, PCYCs and places of worship closed.

Schools will remain open.

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Why the fuck is the moron allowing schools to stay open

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Rika_Furude posted...

Why the fuck is the moron allowing schools to stay open

It's basically glorified daycare at this point. He's probably worried that more people will stop going to work if schools are closed. He doesn't give a fuck about teachers apparently.

They could even shut down high schools and move chunks of primary students to high school locations to try and isolate as much as possible but he hasn't even done that.

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Damn, if anyone is gonna have a wedding or a funeral they're gonna have to have it today

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Another announcement happening right now? Someone update this with what it is, I'm at work

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TreyFlowers posted...

Another announcement happening right now? Someone update this with what it is, I'm at work

The PM is meeting with the premiers again tonight to discuss phase 3. I was joking with my mum today about having phase 3 by Friday if the pace keeps up, but it seems more and more likely that this will be the case.

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/health-problems/coronavirus-australia-live-updates/live-coverage/a1ed12f6f00f3fdb23df744a5405ee5f

I just went out to lunch, I always get a kebab on Wednesday since the local joint is closed on Monday and Tuesday. I just got my bank card in the mail after losing my last one drinking, and I was really looking forward to my first card purchase being a kebab for lunch. Sure enough, they were closed - no meat on the rack, no tables out. They've closed up shop.

That article I linked says that a potential 2 million Australians could lose their jobs. They're projecting this to be the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.

I guess we didn't go full lockdown like the UK, where the police have the power to prosecute people for going outside. They flipped into the lockdown like a light switch, whereas we've rapidly sprinted towards the same measures over the course of a week - like a dimmer switch.

I think I would rather have the lockdown right out of the gate, because we got the brunt of what that would look like at the start of the week. The PM just talked the NSW and VIC premiers down to a barely effective phase one, which created mass confusion. And now we're in phase two on Wednesday, and phase three - the originally reported measures from Berejiklian and Andrews - are almost certainly going into effect by the end of the working week. What was the point?

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"What's the point?" sums up Scott Morrison as a person. He's useless.

Bill Shorten and Labour would have done a much better job with this.

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Agreed. Should've locked us down on Sunday.

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The squat churchy bastard's only redeeming quality is that he isn't that sack of shit motorcycle cop Peter Dutton

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is there an aussie level breakdown like the nz chart below? what exactly is essential services? is logistics essential?




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I don't know. To my knowledge it's all been very touch and go.

In other news, Yang Hengjin - an Australian citizen, scholar and pro-democracy blogger who's been detained in China for 14 months - is set to be prosecuted in the next six weeks.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/chinese-government-prepares-to-charge-australian-academic-20200325-p54dq3.html

Funny how the timing works out. We shut everything down and basically grind to a halt to protect our citizens, and China starts processing their political prisoners who they've had under wraps for months or years. There are claims that he's been shackled to a chair and interrogated daily. And the worst part is because of the virus, Hengjin's legal team might not be able to meet him in person to help him make his case.

This is truly despicable.

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ModLogic posted...

is there an aussie level breakdown like the nz chart below?

Nope

ModLogic posted...

what exactly is essential services?

Hasn't been stated yet I don't think. Non-essential for now seems to be places that have people congregating or serve food. So for now 'essential' is "Do you have a job that we currently haven't deemed high risk yet? You can go to work."

Or course some businesses are taking the initiative to close or find alternative measures due to lack of customers.

I think eventually banks and grocery stores will be the only things that remain open to the public. If it's still bad and doesn't improve then eventually you'll only be able to go outside to get groceries or go for an isolated walk and if you can't work from home or have paid leave you're fucked. Hopefully we don't get to that but I think it's likely.

ModLogic posted...

is logistics essential?

I think it will be yeah.

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Well, today was my last day. I was due to finish this work placement on the 7th of April, but the place is getting rid of non-essential personnel.

My position involved washing cars, and a little bit of admin grunt work like shredding and highlighting. It kept me active, and I was actually getting to really enjoy the physical aspect of the job.

I'm not gonna be that hard up, I've got cash tucked away and my rent is cheap. I have friends and family that I can rely on in my support circle, and hopefully I can be a source of support for them during these hard times.

I'm going to be okay. I'm in a good town where there's no confirmed cases of Coronavirus, I have support in my life and I'm in a place where I think I can support others if push comes to shove. I wouldn't be wasting my free time on GameFAQs if I was on the verge of a grand buttfucking - I'd get around to talking about it, but there's a whole list of priorities I would go to first before coming here.

I'm more worried about you other Aussies. You've shared your situations on here, and I want to be able to help you guys through your own hardships.

It's just a massive bummer, is all. I feel like I was getting along with everyone there, and even earlier today I said to myself "another week and a half to go" to pep myself up. I was looking forward to a bit of a break, but I wasn't anticipating this. As much as I want to put my feet up for a while, I'm a little bit shaken up and sad about how it all ended. I went in today, not knowing if I would be there next week, but I wasn't expecting to be cut loose today. Really cut my goodbyes short, but I got to be gracious and thank them for having me, as well as really speak freely about how I've been feeling.

I'll have more time to be online now, so I'll see about keeping this thread a little more active.

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Health experts are saying that Coronavirus might peak in Australia in May or June. The worst case scenario? 100,000 cases in a day.

https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/coronavirus-cases-in-australia-will-peak-in-may-or-june-health-authorities-say-c-761936.amp

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I'm working from home tomorrow and begin my isolation journey. Hope these last couple of days in public aren't the one where I catch it. Currently taking a taxi home with work equipment now. Actually looking forward to working from home. Sorry to hear you lost your job but I'm glad you're keeping high spirits.

I feel more sorry for my wife who is on maternity leave this year with our four month old. She had a good schedule with little social groups and classes but that's all down the drain for who knows how long. At least the daughter doesn't care or comprehend that she only goes outside for walks now.

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RIP traveling everywhere seriously. I fear that this thing will be seasonal and people will at least freak out Everytime they get the flu during the holidays.

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New Zealand on full lockdown

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Jesus at that NZ lockdown! They've got around 100 cases right? So they're not fucking around with this. They're probably going to recover before most countries.

Sure could go for a Jacinda Ardern Prime Minister here right about now.

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Damn dude, that's hardcore. Australia is probably right behind you. Are you gonna be okay with the people you're living with, if you do indeed live with people?

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I'm in Australia. It's just me and my wife, so we'll be fine.

I'm still in the office at work and will be til the government tells us to get out

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At level 4 in NZ right now, how do people get food?

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TreyFlowers posted...

New Zealand on full lockdown

Oh man, i wish that had of happened here. Shut down for a few weeks, and then 2 weeks quarantine coming into the country from then on. Quite scary but then youre through the worst of it and save so many lives

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Holy shit, they closed down the Queensland border. I barely got out of there.

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LightningAce11 posted...

Holy shit, they closed down the Queensland border. I barely got out of there.

if you leave qld with only the coronavirus count yourself lucky. that state should be perma quarantined.

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ModLogic posted...

if you leave qld with only the coronavirus count yourself lucky. that state should be perma quarantined.

As someone who has lived in QLD for 7 years next week, yes it should be

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Supermarkets, fuel stations and pharmacies have been given permission to stay open 24/7 if needed

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