Victorian Covid Outbreak 2021

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1 in 3 of the 450 cases recorded on Saturday were linked to the Construction industry. And all the government says is “the construction industry has been put on notice”. Does anyone see the sheer hypocrisy? The hospitality industry was all but closed down for next to no cases even though it championed the QR code system. Playgrounds were closed because there was a fear parents drinking coffee could spread Covid. But Covid is rampant in the construction industry and nothing happens. Guess why
 

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1 in 3 of the 450 cases recorded on Saturday were linked to the Construction industry. And all the government says is “the construction industry has been put on notice”. Does anyone see the sheer hypocrisy? The hospitality industry was all but closed down for next to no cases even though it championed the QR code system. Playgrounds were closed because there was a fear parents drinking coffee could spread Covid. But Covid is rampant in the construction industry and nothing happens. Guess why

$$$ and votes.
 
1 in 3 of the 450 cases recorded on Saturday were linked to the Construction industry. And all the government says is “the construction industry has been put on notice”. Does anyone see the sheer hypocrisy? The hospitality industry was all but closed down for next to no cases even though it championed the QR code system. Playgrounds were closed because there was a fear parents drinking coffee could spread Covid. But Covid is rampant in the construction industry and nothing happens. Guess why
Does the reason start with U and end in nions?
 
1 in 3 of the 450 cases recorded on Saturday were linked to the Construction industry. And all the government says is “the construction industry has been put on notice”. Does anyone see the sheer hypocrisy? The hospitality industry was all but closed down for next to no cases even though it championed the QR code system. Playgrounds were closed because there was a fear parents drinking coffee could spread Covid. But Covid is rampant in the construction industry and nothing happens. Guess why
If and when this shite is over , will the medical advice suddenly dissapear
 
1 in 3 of the 450 cases recorded on Saturday were linked to the Construction industry. And all the government says is “the construction industry has been put on notice”. Does anyone see the sheer hypocrisy? The hospitality industry was all but closed down for next to no cases even though it championed the QR code system. Playgrounds were closed because there was a fear parents drinking coffee could spread Covid. But Covid is rampant in the construction industry and nothing happens. Guess why
It's economic isn't it?

I thought they'd been clear all along that that lockdowns were a balance of COVID health safety, economic implications and broader health safety (mental health etc.)?

Shutting down construction would have been an enormous problem economically.
 
It's economic isn't it?

I thought they'd been clear all along that that lockdowns were a balance of COVID health safety, economic implications and broader health safety (mental health etc.)?

Shutting down construction would have been an enormous problem economically.
And the hospitality and retail industries doesn't? Closure of ANY industry has economic consequences. I don't think keeping the construction industry open is primarily related to economics. Its about the unions wielding their enormous power. A month or so ago there was 'talk' of construction sites being closed as part of a ramped up response to COVID. John Setka 'spoke' and government responses followed. Surprise surprise, the construction industry remained untouched.

FYI, an estimated 240,000 people are employed in the construction industry in Victoria.

439,000 people are employed in the hospitality and retail sectors.

The hospitality and retail industries contribute three times more to the Victorian economy than the construction industry - $72B v $22B. Think about that
 
And the hospitality and retail industries doesn't? Closure of ANY industry has economic consequences. I don't think keeping the construction industry open is primarily related to economics. Its about the unions wielding their enormous power. A month or so ago there was 'talk' of construction sites being closed as part of a ramped up response to COVID. John Setka 'spoke' and government responses followed. Surprise surprise, the construction industry remained untouched.

FYI, an estimated 240,000 people are employed in the construction industry in Victoria.

439,000 people are employed in the hospitality and retail sectors.

The hospitality and retail industries contribute more than three times more to the Victorian economy - $72B v $22B. Think about that
You can still work in hospitality and retail though. The main difference between the regular operation of these industries and that of construction is the customers, not the workers. That's why stores are allowed to be open for click and collect, and restaurants open for takeaway. If you like, building a house is just a really expensive click and collect, with regards to how the customer is treated.

I'm not opposed to heavier restrictions on construction, but you can't just compare it any random industry, they are different in nature.
 
And the hospitality and retail industries doesn't? Closure of ANY industry has economic consequences. I don't think keeping the construction industry open is primarily related to economics. Its about the unions wielding their enormous power. A month or so ago there was 'talk' of construction sites being closed as part of a ramped up response to COVID. John Setka 'spoke' and government responses followed. Surprise surprise, the construction industry remained untouched.

FYI, an estimated 240,000 people are employed in the construction industry in Victoria.

439,000 people are employed in the hospitality and retail sectors.

The hospitality and retail industries contribute three times more to the Victorian economy than the construction industry - $72B v $22B. Think about that

I'm not the expert. Let me make that clear from the outset.

But with borders closed, hospitality wouldn't be generating $72b would it?

And secondly, construction did stop in scenarios where there was movement. Home renos and all that stuff did stop. But the big stuff where the same people rocked up to the same site everyday went ahead.

Similar with hospitality. Restaurants could still operate in terms of staff rocking up and preparing and cooking food - but the high movement aspect was halted (ie. People coming in and sitting down).


Don't get me wrong, there have been some weird decisions made that from the outer appeared to lack logic. And I also don't doubt that there was politics involved in some of them.
 

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State Government has come out guns blazing today regarding the construction industry, noting they will shut down sites if they need to. Foley and Pallis also noted that the industry was in a position of privilege and that had been abused. As with why construction should be lower risk, I reckon it's pretty clear. It's not heaps of different people coming and going and it's outdoor which is very different to hospitality. I fully get why people in hospitality are angry and it's justified but I reckon the anger should be directed at the idiots that haven't followed the rules on-site. They were insinuating the biggest issues were tea-rooms where workers are not following social distancing and not following mask rules. I'd hazard a guess too that management is doing sweet FA in terms of ensuring symptomatic workers are being sent away to be tested. Probably a bit too late though - having walked past a few sites over the past couple of weeks, it was clear as day that the rules weren't being followed.
 
All types of sites are open - from the big construction jobs, right down to kitchen renovations. Number of people on site limits aren't being followed, mask wearing isn't enforced, check in codes aren't being used. People are moving between sites, constantly. Same goes for off-site industries.
That's not my experience.

They're all open if the property is vacant. If it's not, then only emergency work can be done.
And even then, they're are restrictions in terms of people allowed on-site etc.

Very similar to restaurants and cafes really.
 
That's not my experience.

They're all open if the property is vacant. If it's not, then only emergency work can be done.
And even then, they're are restrictions in terms of people allowed on-site etc.

Very similar to restaurants and cafes really.
That's how it should be, but definitely not what's happening.
 
At the current rate we are due to hit 70% first dose in 4 days (https://covidlive.com.au/vic). We should get some modest easing then - 10km limit the most notable I think.

As for ending lockdown, I speculate that won't come until 80% double dosed, which is harder to predict (function of first doses and what intervals are used)
We are sitting at 40.8% double dose right now, which we sat at for first doses around the start of August (https://chrisbillington.net/aus_vaccinations.html#state). So based on that we should reach 80% double dose about 6 weeks after hitting it for first doses. We are currently projected to hit that in 16 days
 
It definitely gets tricky for government when a minority group that votes for the ALP is linked so heavily to so many cases.

It's also not helpful for anyone to have an us v them mentality grow within the state while that mentality is being fostered between the states.
That was the point I was making several posts earlier. Arguably, no sector had done more to prepare itself for COVID than the hospitality industry. They were the first to use QR and require patrons to provide contact details before QR. They complied with restricted seating arrangements. Yet they were the first shut down. Maybe because collectively this sector does not have the same clout as the construction sector. For 235 days since March 2020 pubs, restaurants etc have been closed to sit down customers in Melbourne. Sure they have been allowed to sell takeaway, that doesn't make ends meet. In my suburb alone two pubs have closed permanently that I know of. Others are on the brink, and who knows how many restaurants will fold. When there is no revenue, but bills to pay, something has to give.

The construction industry is a law unto itself. Maybe what has been going on at constructions sites in recent weeks and months is a microcosm of what has been going on in Melbourne - complacency. With 1 in 3 cases being recorded directly linked to the construction industry the government can no longer turn a blind eye to its mates.
 

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