How nice that Our Beloved Leader has released a National Plan to transition Australia’s National COVID-19 Response.

Which looks like this

Which looks very much like this one released in March 2020

This is what I had to say about the 3 STEP FRAMEWORK FOR A COVIDSAFE AUSTRALIA last March.

So what is different? Well another step has been added. Apart from that they look very similar.

This time there are catchy names for each phase  – the current one, “Vaccinate, prepare and pilot”, a “Post Vaccination Phase” a “Consolidation Phase” and a “Final Phase”.

There is no timeline (because Scotty likes “horizons”) but more importantly there are no benchmarks. Hopefully they will come via modelling from the Doherty Institute about the level of vaccine coverage needed before governments can move to the next stage.  

So what next? Relaunch of the COVIDsafe app?

The case for business events to recommence now.

Not one transmission case has been linked to a business event. Admittedly most of them have been shut down but there have been a few.

Nor have any been linked to possible super-spreader events such as sporting events or the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

And none have been linked to theatre shows – even with 100% capacity.

So what do these events have in common that should allow them to reopen?

Contact tracing.

Business and theatrical events have had contract tracing processes in place for decades. Here are some examples.

When you book for a conference or expo you provide your name, email and phone number and you are issued with a pass on which is printed your name and a QR or barcode.

This code can quite simply be scanned as you arrive at the venue and also when you move from room to room.

When you book for a theatrical event you also provide your contact details. Your ticket is scanned as you enter the theatre.  Not only are your contact details and date of attendance collected but also the actual seat you were allocated.

The organisers of awards nights, corporate and fundraising dinners, etc. all collect your contact details.  

My experience has been that at all these events the contact tracing, whether by data collection or via government QR scans are strictly enforced.  Not like a lot of the pubs, cafes, restaurant and other venues I’ve visited over the past year.

Immunisation

If you are in New York at the moment you can go to see Bruce Springsteen on Broadway – if you are immunised.

Convention centres, theatres and other venues in Australia could also adopt the No Jab – No Entry policy. Forget the anti-vaxers, it is their choice.

Surely this can be implemented when the vaccine is available to say 50% of the population.

Two quotes from last week are worth noting

NSW health minister Brad Hazzard has some interesting details about this super spreading party event:

“To emphasise just how important vaccinations are, I remind the community that we had a party that was reported at West Hoxton earlier in this outbreak.

I can report that, of the more than 30 people that were at that party, 24 of those people are now positive for Covid-19. And not one of those 24 people were vaccinated.

I could also advise that six health workers who attended that party, who were fully vaccinated, not one of those people has been infected with the Covid-19 virus.

I can also report that there was one aged care worker at the party, who had had the first dose, and that aged care worker was also not infected at the party”.

And from the NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian

“What we will be looking at is until our population is vaccinated and that is why we have a sense of urgency, until at least 80% of our adult population is vaccinated, we can’t have a conversation about what Covid normal looks like.

That is why I am so keen to do everything we can to advocate on behalf of our citizens to ensure not only that we get the supply of doses but also that there are sufficient points for people to get the vaccine.

What we want to do is prevent ever having to go into lockdown again. That is the first issue.

What does life look like when we come out of this lockdown until around 80% of our population is vaccinated? That is why the sooner our population is vaccinated, the sooner our population is vaccinated, the sooner we can get to Covid normal”.