Canberra to Go into Lockdown

Lockdown from 5pm today, initially for 7 days. See https://www.covid19.act.gov.au/news-articles/seven-day-lockd… for current details.

Schools closed unless you really need to send your child in. Self-access online resources are available for students. Teachers will spend the week preparing for online learning again for if the lockdown is extended.

If you live in some postcodes around Canberra you are allowed to come in for essential reasons (eg grocery shopping if can't be done in NSW). Expect to be stopped by police if you have NSW license plates and have to supply ID to prove you live in the list of postcodes. Anyone not living in these postcodes will be fined/arrested/sent home.

There are 4 cases currently (one mystery case and 3 close contacts).

So sad. My birthday is tomorrow and I had lots of fun things planned for the weekend. Happy birthday to me 😭

Comments

  • +113

    Canberra in lockdown is probably less boring than canberra out of lockdown

    • +2

      Better back in your box.

    • -2

      And ABSOLUTELY nothing of value was lost….

  • +9

    Join the club

  • +11

    Anyways, an advance Happy Birthday!

    • +3

      Good morning, today, is the day.

      🥳🤩🎂🎉

      • … to celebrate. Mother and daughter …

  • +4

    For your Birthday, you can have a relaxing and peaceful day browsing on OzBargain. Best present ever.

    • +5

      That's true. I had been sort of hoping for a lockdown so I could work at home. But then felt guilty for wishing for it as there are people that can't work from home and live pay to pay and it will be terrible for them

      • Is this entire thread begging for birthday wishes and a brag that you got what you wanted?

        • I regret adding that but it was just what I was thinking at the time

  • Seems a bit unusual when no cases have been announced?

    Not sure why they haven't done a ring of steel yet though… NSW is a national disgrace for not putting one around Sydney.

    • +4

      A case has been announced.

    • +1000

      I knew Regional NSW and ACT would eventually be affected by this. There are apparently on 14 roads in and out of the Sydney basin and a simple check point (possibly done by the ADF) would have hopefully prevented most unnecessary travel.

      • +5

        Honestly the ring of steel in Melbourne had plenty of holes in it.

        But it’s about the perception. If you have a checkpoint and a chance of getting caught that sneaky trip to the beach or snow all of the sudden looks a lot less enticing.

        • yeah, you'll never have 100% coverage but it should limit the leaks to one or two cases rather then multiple cases like what happened this week.

        • +2

          Doesn't help when you have a Sydney judge actively exploring the loop hole

      • +7

        prevented most unnecessary travel

        Gladys and her government has allowed heaps of loopholes.

        • +6

          Like going to Bunnings and Ikea during lockdown…

          • @jv: Looking at flat-pack furniture is essential.

      • Considering how much freight is moved on the Hume and Pacific Highways, I don't think check points on those arterials are feasible. The other smaller roads out, sure, but not the two main roads north and south out of Sydney. I guess you would just chuck a bunch of highway patrol vehicles on there with plate scans and pull over as many people as possible for checks in personal vehicles that's not from the area.

        • +6

          You could just wave the trucks through and stop cars? Most truckies would have travel exemptions anyway.

          • @stirlo: Yep, anything smaller than a B-Double gets pulled over.

          • @stirlo: And if the road is backed up a few kms because of the checkpoint?

            • +2

              @Trance N Dance: Why would it be? How many essential people are travelling in and out of Sydney? People moving around is what spreads the virus in the first place.

          • -1

            @stirlo:

            Most truckies would have travel exemptions anyway.

            Doesn't mean they're not carrying the virus…

        • Random checks with stiff penalties, just like most policing.

          You’ll never stop 100%, but this would stop the vast majority, at minimal cost and disruption. The odd Covid cases popping up outside Sydney indicate a lot of people are leaving Sydney (unless COVID positive residents are knowingly travelling, which is unlikely)

    • NSW is the good standard, never forget Morrison congratulated then for staying open and here we are.
      The to clear out the liberal party and hopefully something can be salvaged from the parts but what is currently in Canberra is a joke.

  • +2

    I'll remember to send you a happy birthday tomorrow!

  • +4

    Happy Birthday!

  • +3

    Could of just called the post 'Canberra to face critical toilet paper shortage!'

    • +2

      I frankly don't understand why people go out for toilet paper whenever there is a lockdown.

      Amazon does deliveries. I had my toilet paper stacks delivered during Prime Month.

      You don't have to be out and about with people panic buying and it's easier to get it delivered than to grab it from a mall or something.

      • +1

        And you're at home. If you run out of paper then the shower is an option.

        Back in February 2020 there was a thought that we'd run out because we imported it from China, but it turns out that's not correct, we make most of it here, the only supply issue is possibly the plastic packaging that it comes in, and there are alternatives to that. Every since then people have associated lockdowns with toilet paper hoarding and shortages - and this has been a self fulfilling prophecy.

        • +2

          Or just get 3 seashells…

      • +1

        Imagine what would happen if there was a pandemic of actual diarrhoea!

        • Imma gonna get a bidet installed then

  • +2

    Happy birthday, cat.

  • +4

    My birthday is in May. Last year, it was just my partner and I (lockdown).

    This year, I was going to celebrate with my friends, had organised catering, cake… but we went into lockdown days before, so I had to cancel everything at very short notice. Based on my previous experience in Victoria, I asked the cook to wait as much as she could before starting preparing the food; We cancelled the order, and I was happy to have my friends over in July.

    Yes, it's annoying, but you get used to that. Hopefully, people get vaccinated, and we all get out of this shit soon.

    Enjoy your birthday as you can, and postpone the fun things.

  • +2

    Hippo Birdies for Friday! :+)

  • +2

    Hopefully it keeps you all safe!

    Have a happy birthday regardless.

  • +1

    Stupid 'Rona - crashed your party …literally 😠

    Enjoy your birthday & welcome to the non-exclusive club 😃

  • +2

    Happy birthday Quantumcat

  • +3

    Sorry Canberra.

    • -4

      You should be…

    • Did you pass it on, Mr Dog?…

      • No, just on behalf of all the selfish idiots, like that dimwit from Sydney that spread it to Newcastle etc.

  • +1

    Happy birthday :)

    Hopefully you can enjoy something next week and hopefully this snap lockdown is all they need for the COVID under control in ACT.

  • It only needs one case to declare lockdown.
    Protect at all cost the Pollies in the territory. 😷🤣

    • +2

      I mean the one case was out at a bar until 4:45am on Sunday and then went to the Canberra outlet center, pretty reasonable to assume he’s been in contact with a lot of people from across town.

    • +1

      Most politicians fly in fly out for when they need to be here. There's half a million regular peeps we gotta look out for

      • +1

        You can keep the pollies there permanently, thanks 😉

    • They all left

  • +1
  • +1

    Up to 4 cases now, this could get worse before it gets better.

    • +1

      If it keeps quadrupling, they'll be in a big mess in a week…

      Day Cases
      1   1
      2   4
      3   16
      4   64
      5   256
      6   1024
      7   4096
      
      • +1

        Thanks Einstein!

      • +1

        Looks like computer things… memory size?

        • Yes, you keep multiplying the number 11.

        • +2

          That's power of 2, and quadrupling something is basically increasing the power of 2 by 2.

          They use power of 2 a lot in computers, because binary.

          • +1

            @iridiumstem: Very discriminative of the non-binary computers…

  • -4

    Yeah people are dying apparently and Op is worried about a birthday lol.

  • Good to see all the polis flying out last minute

  • +1

    Happy birthday!

  • +2

    Happy Friday the 13th birthday .

    • Friday the 13th

      Werecat?

  • +12

    _ _ ____ _ _ _ _ | | | | | _ \(_) | | | | | | | |__| | __ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ | |_) |_ _ __| |_| |__ __| | __ _ _ _ | __ |/ _` | '_ \| '_ \| | | | | _ <| | '__| __| '_ \ / _` |/ _` | | | | | | | | (_| | |_) | |_) | |_| | | |_) | | | | |_| | | | (_| | (_| | |_| | |_| |_|\__,_| .__/| .__/ \__, | |____/|_|_| \__|_| |_|\__,_|\__,_|\__, | | | | | __/ | __/ | |_| |_| |___/ |___/

    …………………………………………………………………………………………………

  • +4

    If you flash your gov badge you can skip lockdown or take a trip through the closed borders to Hawaii

  • -2

    So do the Canberra Public Servants get a special allowance for WFH like the ones in Melbourne did last year?

    • +1

      What did the ones in Melbourne get? I'm not a public servant but do work in a gov dep

    • +1

      What allowance? Lets see some proof…

      • +1

        our council gave a pay rise of about 10% to staff to work from home.

        • +1

          Which council is that? A pay rise in covid times seems very unusual…

          • -1

            @stirlo: For federal or local government they would get a certain budget and don't have to worry about profits being less

            • +1

              @Quantumcat: They still have a budget. It’s not like they were given an increase. In fact federal pay rises were frozen for six months.

              Most councils froze rates for COVID and have a rate rise cap (3%pa). Not sure how any could afford a 10% pay rise.
              Without evidence this just seems like one of those Facebook rumours with no substance.

        • -1

          Wow that's nice!

        • Still waiting on some proof JV…

          • -1

            @stirlo: Proof of what ?

            • @jv: Your council giving a 10% pay rise for working from home.

              If it had really happened it would definitely be in the media somewhere. So without proof we can all know you are full of it…

              • -2

                @stirlo:

                Your council giving a 10% pay rise for working from home.

                Yep, the said so about a year ago…

                To pay for the 'extra cost' of working from home.

              • -2

                @stirlo:

                would definitely be in the media somewhere

                It was… That's how I found out about it.

                • @jv: Yet, no proof. How unsurprising from you…

                  • -3

                    @stirlo:

                    Yet, no proof.

                    As I said, I read it last year…

                    search if you like… There were a few councils in Melbourne doing it.

    • Most of the public servants worked from home for a couple of months last year.

    • +3

      Federal public servants got nothing for WFH anywhere in aus. Half the agencies were insisting people attend the office in hot spots regardless of public health advice

      • +3

        Actually they got a pay cut.

        The scheduled pay rise in the employment EBA was cancelled.

  • +3

    Happy Birthday Quantumcat! Sorry to hear that your plans got ruined, but hope you can at least grab some bargains instead :p

  • +1

    Compair to VIC, it is nothing. We are in 6th lock down and expand one more week. No golf is painful. From next week I planned 3 weeks holiday to play golf two month ago but from the first week I am in lock down and it is likely expand more. I am pulling my hair…argggggg

    • -1

      We are in 6th lock down and expand one more week

      Will be at least another two weeks.

      Did you hear about the Dan stuff up again about the previous lockdown.

      That guy at Moonee Valley caught it because people coming to be tested for COVID were told to use the same toilet facilities as the testing staff. Eight cases came directly from that brain fade by this government…

      • I want to break my golf clubs and need bold treatment after lockdown. I am sick of masks too as I use everyday all day for my job. My mental is melting down by lock down. SAD…

      • Oops.

      • +1

        Yeah. Let's blame the premier of the state because someone used the same God damn toilet.
        What's wrong with you?

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