A Whale Breaching
Don't ask why
Don't ask how
Don't ask forever
Love me now
This love of mine
Had no beginning
It has no end
I was an oak,
Now I'm a willow
Now I can bend
And tho' I'll never
In my life see you again
I still stay
Until it's time for you to go
Buffy St Marie
The law of the jungle was already here. They spoke of "the kindness of the Lord" but as far as he was concerned there was little kindness in any of it. There was a destiny. And nothing would stand in the way of that. There was a way of seeing humans that was multi-generational; and outside time. There was a kind of custodial concern, but not in any normal sense. The Tale of the Deceitful Woman dissolved into other Parables. And yes, we fought for a future.
Grace, elegance, beauty, it was the beauty that transfixed them.
In the end there was only one way to deal with the hypocrisy of the human chattels, and that was to ignore them.
They had destroyed their own country, these people; and took no responsibility.
It was a matter of established trust, something these people were incapable of understanding, the apparatchiks and yes men, those who served their masters as their primary impulse, puffed themselves up inside their own positions and their established authorities without any thought to the consequences of their own actions.
"The bigger problem..."
Well, there were lots of them right now. Like how the hell they were gong to dig their way out of the hole the political class had dug for them.
How they were going to survive the lawless streets.
How they were gong to survive the collapse of their own social structures, the ones which had benefited them so greatly, with their government funded jobs so perfect for born yes men, the ones so perfect for the likes of them.
You only needed an IQ of 125 or so to climb, crawl or slime your way up most bureaucracies.
In other words, they were governed by an ideocracy; as Plato argued was the basic flaw in the idea of democracy.
But in the end even to denigrate them was boring; a waste of time when there was little time to be wasted.
We ran on a different schedule. We had different aims.
You had not the time. We had not the patience. Leave it there.
We weren't here to save your skinny white ass.
NEWS
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-28/berejiklian-defied-doherty-modelling-on-unvaccinated-freedoms/100496220
NSW has recorded 863 COVID-19 infections and seven deaths after Premier Gladys Berejiklian defended the government's stance on denying freedoms to the unvaccinated before December.
Key points:
The Premier said life would be "very difficult indefinitely" for the unvaccinated
NSW Police said it would not be regularly checking people's vaccination statuses
The Victorian Premier said his government would be watching how the situation in NSW unfolds
As the rolling seven-day average of daily cases continued to trend down, the NSW government also announced stay-at-home orders for the Tweed and Byron Shire government areas would be lifted at midnight.
The snap lockdown was linked to a crew member connected to reality show I'm a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here who travelled from Sydney and allegedly breached public health orders.
However, Health Minister Brad Hazzard said health authorities were monitoring other NSW regions which had seen an increase in cases including Port Macquarie, Kempsey and Muswellbrook.
"There's more work to do … but I'm putting the community on notice that there may be a further announcement today in regard to [those three] areas," he said.
"We just need to make some final decisions … in the meantime, my strong advice as Health Minister to all the residents in those areas is to be very cautious where you're moving."
Catch up on the main COVID-19 news from Tuesday with a look back at our blog
Earlier today, Ms Berejikilian said her government went harder on people who are unvaccinated by defying health modelling which recommended allowing them to fully participate in society before December.
NSW's new COVID freedoms
The NSW government yesterday unveiled the COVID-19 freedom roadmap which would come into effect once 80 per cent of the eligible population aged 16 or over had received both doses of the vaccine.
Included in the restrictions that will ease at 80 per cent are allowing 10 visitors at a home and being able to stand and drink in pubs.
People who remained unvaccinated would be excluded from those restrictions projected for the second-half of October.
Any person who had not received both doses of the vaccine would remain under lockdown until at least December 1.
Ms Berejiklian, in response to criticism that she was giving people an option to not get the jab, said she took a tougher stance than what key health advice recommended.
"No matter what decision I announced yesterday, I would've been criticised," Ms Berejiklian told ABC News Breakfast on Tuesday.
"The Doherty report recommended from 80 per cent that unvaccinated people participate in society. We said no, we're going harder and more conservative.
"I anticipate in a couple of weeks' time, we'll have at least 90 per cent of the adult population with a first dose. When you sign up for the first dose, you're going to sign up for the second one."
Earlier, the Premier told Channel 7's Sunrise life would be "very difficult indefinitely" for the unvaccinated.
"Even though the government is saying unvaccinated people might have other rights from December 1, a lot of airlines have said they will not carry anybody who is not vaccinated," she said.
"A lot of businesses have said they will not accept anyone who is unvaccinated."
https://www.novafm.com.au/news/breaking/nsw-roadmap-to-recovery-released-including-restriction-changes-for-the-rest-of-the-year/?
So close!
NSW has a clear path to follow out of the pandemic and lockdowns, with the roadmap for easing restrictions at the 80 per cent double dose target revealing a brighter future for the community.
From the Monday after NSW hits the 80 per cent (aged 16 and over) double dose vaccination target, eased restrictions will allow those who are fully vaccinated to have up to 10 people visit their home, participate in community sport, and access hospitality venues (where drinking while standing up will be allowed indoors). All premises will operate at 1 person per 4sqm indoors, and 1 person per 2sqm outdoors.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the 80 per cent roadmap will also remove the limit of fully vaccinated guests for weddings and funerals, and remove customer caps for personal services such as hairdressers.
“Vaccination remains our ticket to freedom so we need to work even harder to get jabs in arms, to help stop the spread, minimise outbreaks and ensure people are protected when we open up.”
Given updated health advice, adjustments have been made to the 70 per cent roadmap. Regional travel will now not be allowed until 80 per cent (fully vaccinated only), and a booking cap has been introduced for hospitality venues of 20 people per booking.
It is currently estimated at Monday 11 October will mark 70 per cent double dose vaccination for NSW. This will allow some opening and lifting of restrictions for those who are vaccinated.
The space between 70 and 80 per cent is estimated to be “only a couple of weeks” but may see a surge in cases.
What will the 70 per cent freedoms look like? Visit this guide from NSW Health.
80 PER CENT ROADMAP
Under the Reopening NSW roadmap at 80 per cent, the following freedoms will apply only to fully vaccinated adults (16+) and those with medical exemptions (staff and patrons).
Gatherings in the home and outdoor public spaces
– Up to 10 visitors will be allowed in a home (not including children 12 and under)
– Up to 20 people can continue to gather in unregulated outdoor settings
– Up to 200 people can attend COVID Safe events
– Up to 500 people can attend controlled (ticketed and seated) events
– Community sport permitted
– Those who are not fully vaccinated may only gather outdoors in groups of 2 people.
Venues including hospitality, retail stores and gyms
– Retail stores can operate at one person per 4 sqm (those who are not fully vaccinated will continue to only have access to non-critical retail via click-and- collect)
– Personal services such as hairdressers, spa, nail, beauty, waxing, tattoo and massage) can operate with one person per 4 sqm (uncapped)
– Hospitality venues can operate with one person per 4 sqm inside and one person per 2 sqm outside, with the requirement to be seated while drinking indoors removed. Group bookings will be limited to 20 people. Those who are not fully vaccinated can only access hospitality settings for takeaway
– Gyms and indoor recreation facilities (excluding indoor pools) can operate with one person per 4sqm, capped at 20 people per class.
Major outdoor recreation facilities
– Major recreation outdoor facilities including stadiums, racecourses, theme parks and zoos can operate with one person per 4 sqm, capped at 5,000 people (or by exemption).
Entertainment, information and education facilities
– Entertainment facilities (including cinemas, theatres, music halls) can operate with one person per 4 sqm or 75 per cent fixed seated capacity (whichever is larger)
– Information and education facilities (including libraries, galleries and museums) can operate with one person per 4 sqm
– Amusement centres and nightclubs will remain closed.
Working from home
– Employers must continue to allow employees to work from home, if reasonably practicable
– Employers must require employees who are not fully vaccinated to work from home, if reasonably practicable.
Education
– Return to school with COVID Safe measures on 25 October (as previously
announced).
Weddings, funerals and places of worship
– One person per 4sqm (uncapped) for weddings with dancing permitted and eating and drinking allowed while standing. Those who are not fully vaccinated may only attend weddings with a maximum of 5 guests (no receptions)
– One person per 4 sqm (uncapped) for funerals. Those who are not fully vaccinated may only attend funerals with a maximum of 10 people
– Churches and places of worship can continue to open with one person per 4 sqm, with no singing. Those who are not fully vaccinated will be allowed.
Travel
– Unrestricted trips between Greater Sydney and Regional NSW will be permitted
– Caravan parks and camping grounds can operate, including for those who are not fully vaccinated
– Carpooling is permitted. Those who are not fully vaccinated can only carpool with their household.
Masks
– Masks will remain mandatory for all indoor premises and settings, except children under 12
– Only hospitality staff will be required to wear a mask while outdoors
CHANGES FROM 1 DECEMBER 2021
On Wednesday 1 December 2021, the following settings will apply to all NSW citizens, regardless of their vaccination status:
Gatherings in the home and outdoor public spaces
– No limit on the number of visitors to a home
– Density will shift to one person per 2 sqm for indoor and outdoor settings
– No limit on the number of people who can attend informal outdoor gatherings
– COVID Safe plan required for outdoor events with more than 1,000 people
– Community sport permitted for all people.
Venues including hospitality, retail stores and gyms
– Retail stores can operate at one person per 2 sqm
– Personal services such as hairdressers, spa, nail, beauty, waxing, tattoo and massage can operate with one person per 2 sqm
– Hospitality venues can operate with one person per 2 sqm inside and outside, with no seating required for eating and drinking
– Gyms and indoor recreation facilities, including indoor pools, can operate with one person per 2 sqm (uncapped)
– Intimate services can open with one person per 4 sqm
Major outdoor recreation facilities
– Major recreation outdoor facilities including stadiums, racecourses, theme parks and zoos can operate with one person per 2 sqm.
Entertainment, information and education facilities
– Entertainment facilities (including cinemas, theatres, music halls) can operate with one person per 2 sqm
– Information and education facilities (including libraries, museums and galleries) can operate with one person per 2 sqm
– Amusement centres and nightclubs can open with one person per 4 sqm.
Working from home
– Working from home will be at employer’s discretion.
Education
– All year groups return to face-to-face learning. Weddings, funerals and places of worship
– One person per 2 sqm for weddings with dancing permitted and eating and drinking allowed while standing
– One person per 2 sqm for funerals
– Churches and places of worship can operate with one person per 2 sqm,
with singing permitted.
Travel
-Domestic travel, including trips between Greater Sydney and Regional NSW
– Caravan parks and camping grounds can operate
– Carpooling is permitted
– Quarantine settings for vaccinated arrivals will be altered. A cap on
unvaccinated travellers may remain.
Masks
– Masks wearing will be mandatory while travelling on public transport, on planes and at airports, and for front-of-house hospitality workers
– Mask wearing is not required when outdoors.
For further information about the Reopening NSW roadmap, go to www.nsw.gov.au/COVID-19.