Covid-19 update

[ngakonui grass]

PM making much of''''go hard go early'''

Besides sounding like my sex life,she is wrong.

They didn't go hard early enough.

When they did in their words go hard go early they allowed 3 cruise liners to dock in nz and disembark passengers after the announcements had been made.

SELF ISOLATION what a load of rubbish.

[LookingForValue]

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12318673&fbclid=IwAR0av_9kRVXtLQUsUSuNjkei3wA38dyx-RHLPPZxrjMz5hyNDf9gZ0HFs8c

[Midnight Caller]

Go hard go early!? Sounds more like a changing room talk before the Hurricanes run out!Sorry Hesi ,couldn't resist😁

With the pubs now closing here,I'm really worried for the people of Glasgow.Hardip my corner shop (dairy/off licence)man is all smiles in these restricted times.

Be safe people

[Hesi]

I looked up a few stats

117 people die every day in NZ

150,000 people die every day around the world, two thirds age related conditions

Approx 4,000 people die everyday in road related accidents around the world

Morbid, I know, sorry

[VC!]

29 minutes ago, Midnight Caller said:

With the pubs now closing here,I'm really worried for the people of Glasgow.

Q)What do you call a Cat with a tail in Glasgow

A)Tourist

Hopefully the pubs in Govan are still rocking

[VC!]

I can’t see this virus being contained until they find a vaccine 

In the meantime I suspect Mental Health will become a real issue the financial burden loss of jobs crime, suicide 

[Midnight Caller]

1 hour ago, VC! said:

Q)What do you call a Cat with a tail in Glasgow

A)Tourist

Hopefully the pubs in Govan are still rocking

14 day lockins!😁 Bootlegging,has that ever stopped ?

[Maximus]

22 hours ago, ngakonui grass said:

PM making much of''''go hard go early'''

Besides sounding like my sex life,she is wrong.

They didn't go hard early enough.

When they did in their words go hard go early they allowed 3 cruise liners to dock in nz and disembark passengers after the announcements had been made.

SELF ISOLATION what a load of rubbish.

self isolation works if it is done Singapore style ie prison if you are caught out. Mate of mine is a publican - i wont say where - he was talking to two Polish visitors having lunch at his pub the other day (after the border restrictions were imposed) -they were travelling around NZ as normal, with not the slightest regards for the rules. And two Poms doing the same.

Edited March 21, 2020 by Maximus

[Hesi]

The Herald really needs to have a long hard look at itself in all of this, all behind the paywall

 

An Auckland-based subsidiary of American medical technology company Vital Software has developed an online platform to self-diagnose coronavirus, designed to reduce the pressure on hospitals and medical facilities.

Vital Software launched its "Covid-19 checker" at

 

 

To continue reading this article and to support great journalism

---

Subscribe now and get 50% off for the first 8 weeks

 

 

 

Took me about a minute to find the site and risk checker software

https://vitaler.com/

[Hesi]

RV statement on COVID-19

Racing.com Staff@Racing

2:36pm

, (

Racing Victoria will wait until after Sunday night’s National Cabinet meeting before determining what the increased measures mean for racing in Australia.

Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, on Sunday morning announced enhanced measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus, including advice to ban non-essential travel between states.

Soon after, South Australia announced that anyone entering the state after 4pm Tuesday would be forced to self-isolate for 14 days, joining Tasmania and the Northern Territory in taking such measures.

In a statement, RV said it would be in a better position on Monday to assess what impact it would have on racing not only in Victoria, but Australia.

“We note that the National Cabinet is meeting this evening to further discuss domestic measures in the battle against the COVID-19 coronavirus,” the statement read.

“We’ll be seeking further guidance from Government and our medical experts following tonight’s meeting as to what any new measures, including recommendations around domestic travel, mean for Victorian racing and our stakeholders.”

On Sunday afternoon, Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews, announced that he would implement a shutdown of non-essential activity in Victoria.

"I will inform National Cabinet tonight that Victoria will proceed over the next 48 hours to implement a shutdown of all non-essential activities across our state to combat the spread of coronavirus," Andrews said in a statement.

"This is not something that we do lightly, but it's clear that if we don't take this step, more Victorians will contract coronavirus, our hospitals will be overwhelmed and more Victorians will die.

"Victorians will still be able to go to the supermarket, the bank, the pharmacy and other essential stores, like petrol stations and convenience stores. Freight, logistics and home delivery are also considered essential and will remain open.

"I will also inform National Cabinet that school holidays will be brought forward in Victoria, starting on Tuesday the 24th of March.

"All measures to be implemented by Victoria are consistent with the health advice provided by the Victorian Chief Health Officer.

"The decision whether to reopen schools after the Term 1 holidays will likewise be determined following advice from the Chief Health Officer.

"I will have more to say on these measures tomorrow morning."

[Hesi]

I would say that means racing ceases

[Hesi]

I picked this off the Guardian Australia website which has no paywall.

I note the Melbourne Age and Sydney Morning Herald have no paywall(I can't recall if they used to and have dropped it for the moment).

Meanwhile the NZ Herald continues with its low grade of print that they parade off as journalism

 

How is the virus affecting people?

Guardian Australia spoke with Prof John Wilson, president-elect of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and a respiratory physician.

He says almost all serious consequences of Covid-19 feature pneumonia.

Wilson says people who catch Covid-19 can be placed into four broad categories.

The least serious are those people who are “sub-clinical” and who have the virus but have no symptoms.

Next are those who get an infection in the upper respiratory tract, which, Wilson says, “means a person has a fever and a cough and maybe milder symptoms like headache or conjunctivitis”.

He says: “Those people with minor symptoms are still able to transmit the virus but may not be aware of it.”

The largest group of those who would be positive for Covid-19, and the people most likely to present to hospitals and surgeries, are those who develop the same flu-like symptoms that would usually keep them off work.

A fourth group, Wilson says, will develop severe illness that features pneumonia.

He says: “In Wuhan, it worked out that from those who had tested positive and had sought medical help, roughly 6% had a severe illness.”

The WHO says the elderly and people with underlying problems like high blood pressure, heart and lung problems or diabetes, are more likely to develop serious illness.

[mardigras]

I know it sounds a bit clinical, but from the beginning to me it has always been about the system, not the virus. Yes, the virus will kill people, but far beyond that is the impact it will have if our systems cannot cope with the virus.

That's where the steps to reduce the rate of infection are needed to reduce the impact on our health systems/infrastructure. A million cases in NZ is not an issue for me, except that a million cases in too short a timeframe will likely have a % requiring full medical assistance. At that level, we will not meet demand and then the death rate will likely escalate (along with the infected case rate).

It's been my stance from day one (as per earlier posts), nothing has changed that view at this stage. Which is why I don't buy into the panic - even though with the media frenzy and social media frenzy, it's easy to see why it is happening.

[Hesi]

Yes I agree, and even though they were a bit slow of the mark, all the initiatives are about what you say, flattening the curve.  We've learnt 2 new phrases in the last month, self isolation and social distancing.

You can't control social media, it can be very ugly at times, but mainstream media like the Herald, have been woefully inept, and probably done more damage than good, they have acted like scaremongerers

We have a very astute young woman in our household, a millenial, who refuses to read the online media.  If she wants to know what the situation is with Covid-19, she checks the Department of Health website

 

[Freda]

Yes,  pragmatic assessments there.

I'm not given to panicking, but stupidity and complacency annoy the shit out of me.

Have we done enough?  No way,  IMO.     Can't blame the PM entirely,  as I have said earlier,  I think she is a good soul with compassion and empathy - but she is reduced to taking what is, IMO,  very average advice from her Ministry of Health.   Everywhere else,  exhortations are to test,  test,  test -   and act,  don't dither.     Please self isolate.. ?   really?   if you feel like it,  of course,  there is no compusion and no follow- up,  unless someone then becomes ill.    Too late,  way too late...we still have tourists floating around happily ignoring advice, flight attendants and pilots are still arriving and flying out on short turn-arounds..

I had a young Japanese man arrive at the stable gate three days ago.    Stop there,  I told him,  tell me what you want from over there.  Poor guy looked most upset.  Turned out he had been working at Orana Park, and was looking for a horse job.  How long have you been in NZ ? I asked him,  just under one month,  he replied.   Have you not heard about the Corona virus?  Oh,  yes,  it isn't bad in Japan....I wasn't about to debate that with him,  I told him that racing may shut down,  he should stay where he was for now and try again in a few months.  Off he went on his bike.

Either he was a very good liar,  or he was, as he claimed,  unaware that he shouldn't have been mixing and mingling.    And,  if that is the case,  no one at Orana Park bothered to make him understand either.

Schools are, in some areas, unable to get sufficient soap, sanitizers, paper towels....someone from the Ministry came on to the radio this morning announcing that there were plenty of supplies and all was in hand.   But in the time I was listening, three principals phoned in, very upset that there were sniffly children coming to school and not even the means to clean surfaces and wash hands.   

Racing  [for once]  I think is doing its bit,  but - some of those owners and public who couldn't watch in person last Saturday were across the road at the Racecourse Pub in front of the T.Vs.

[Hesi]

1 hour ago, barryb said:

Is she adopted Hesi?.  Hahaha.

My son's fiancee, and she'd run rings around you

Unfortunately, she does not like racing.  Simple response was, what happens to all the horses once they finish racing

[Hesi]

I thought some of this data was great, in getting your head around things

https://informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/covid-19-coronavirus-infographic-datapack/

[LookingForValue]

 

[Maximus]

Mustelidian Thinking: (cue long pause)

• we have to slow this down as much as possible because we don't have enough testing kits, not enough hospital beds, doctors and nurses to handle a high rate of hospitalisation - if, as Mardy's report says, around 6% of cases are severe, that's manageable IF and only IF the rate of infection is controlled by lockdown  and mandatory quarantine (not just self-isolation) of returning Kiwis over the next few weeks.
• We have 170 ICU beds in the entire country  if, say 6% of cases require ICU, then the system will 'do an Italy' if we have over 3,000 positive cases. Right now we are at 66 cases; only 2 so far have required hospitalisation, I think.
• The keys, in my opinion, are: A: how many people, who have been flouting self-isolation 'requests' in the first half of March, have spread the virus throughout the country? Is it possible to trace them all, and eve if we do, they will have infected between 2 and 3 people each on average; and B: will Jacinda place all returnees from now in QUARANTINE ? a la Devonport and other Govt-controlled facilities.
• My instinct tells me lockdown will be announced before the end of this week - they are probably using this week to prepare as many schools as possible for online learning and timing lockdown as neatly as possible to include the school holidays and Easter.

MM

Edited March 23, 2020 by Maximus

[mardigras]

Racing shut down now anyway. Well from Wednesday or Thursday due to Level 4.

[Hesi]

 A picture for the ages, ignore Robertson, he always looks smug

Reminds me of 2 lines of lyric from Spandau Ballet's best song, Through The Barricades

I see it in her face, that's turned to ice 
And when she smiles she shows the lines of sacrifice

 

 

[Hesi]

5 minutes ago, barryb said:

Every time you post you confirm you are still a Labour dickhead Hesi

What are you going to do with all that spare time now Barry, whitebaiting?

No racing

No restaurants

No shopping

No air travel

 

[Hesi]

Covid 19 coronavirus: Horse racing bosses appealing to keep tracks and stables open

24 Mar, 2020 5:00am

 5 minutes to read

 

 

Play Video

Covid-19 coronavirus: What you need to know about Monday's big developments.

NZ Herald

 

By: Michael Guerin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Racing industry bosses are appealing to keep training tracks and stables open as a national horse welfare issue looms.

Horse racing, like the rest of the country, is set to come to a crashing halt on Thursday when the Covid-19 alert level 4 comes into effect, although racing itself stopped yesterday, with no meetings of any of the three codes going ahead today or tomorrow.

The TAB will continue to operate, offering betting on overseas sports events and, more importantly from a turnover point of view, Australian racing.

That and Hong Kong racing will now be the focus for any Kiwis who enjoy their racing, as Australian racing has survived its Government's latest restrictions, with racing there to continue for now but with no crowds and no crossing of borders.

 

The loss of horse and greyhound racing for at least a month will be felt hard by those inside the New Zealand industry, few of who have meaningful cash reserves and the shutdown raises an enormous array of future problems, many of them financial.

But the most immediate issue racing bosses will seek clarity on today is the welfare of the horses and dogs.

New Zealand has thousands of racehorses and horses in training to become racehorses and they need to be looked after daily.

Unlike domestic pets, they can't come live in people's homes. They have strict diets, exercise regimes and need controlled and safe living environments.

They also need their stables cleaned, medical needs seen to and even their shoes replaced, all of which are essential to preserve their health.

If stable and farm workers can't go to work, the health and even lives of horses could be endangered.

 

 

 

"That is the first and most important focus for us now," said New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing chief executive Bernard Saundry.

"The horses have needs and we need skilled people to look after them. At that most basic level, they have to be fed and their stables cleaned, they are all health issues.

 

"But so, too, is their exercise. It is potentially dangerous to have a fit and healthy horse, and then stop working it and leave it in a stable."

 

Photo / Brett Phibbs.

So the three codes will appeal to the Ministry for Primary Industries today to declare training tracks, stables and farms used to train horses essential work places.

That may confuse some non-racing people who will question why a racing stable should stay open on a basic level while their business has to close.

The simplest explanation is this: would you tell the staff at Auckland Zoo they can't go to work and leave the animals to fend for themselves?

Right. Then it's really pretty simple.

Already there is the problem of the huge financial hardship the racing industry is going to be put under at all levels. The loss of TAB turnover will severely impact racing codes and clubs for years and that will quickly effect the stakes racing clubs can offer.

Less stakes means less money to pay bills and plenty of the ordinary New Zealanders who own racehorses as a hobby or passion are also set to lose their jobs or undergo severe financial pressure.

So some will struggle to pay their horse trainers, who in turn may struggle to pay staff, who are tax-paying members of the economy like most other people.

So this isn't a racing problem, this is an economic problem, no different to the hospitality industry or any other in New Zealand.

Racing bosses will try and advise industry participants as soon as possible on what measures the MPI deem appropriate for training tracks, stables and farms while they will also work with horse people and dog trainers on what assistance is available from the Government for their loss of earnings.

But the problems are only beginning. What happens if 100, or 1000, horse and dog owners realise they can't afford to pay their horse bills next month? That raises the very painful question of what happens to those horses and dogs.

Trainers do their best to re-home retired horses and dogs but there are only so many homes to be found. Unless racing can return soon, there are going to be horses and dogs who have nowhere to go.

Racing bosses are confident the industry can return to racing with the very strict protocols which were already in place if and when the Covid-19 alert reverts to level 3.

The goal now is for them to be ready to act on that as soon as it happens, whether next month of further away. Because thousands more New Zealanders will lose their job unless racing starts up again inside a few months.

And to do that, the horses and dogs, the stars of the show, need to be fit, healthy and in training.

If that isn't allowed to happen, they will ultimately be the first victims in racing's sad chapter in their national tragedy.

RACING'S DARKEST DAY

•

All New Zealand horse and dog racing finished for at least a month yesterday.

•

Industry bosses are now fighting to keep training centres open for animals and staff.

•

If that is not allowed it will create an enormous animal welfare issue.

•

The economic impact on the racing industry will be brutal but could be lessened by horses and dogs staying in training to allow a quicker resumption when the Covid-19 alert level returns to 3.

 

[Hesi]

Even though racing does not produce essential items like meat and dairy etc etc, I guess they need to be treated as a primary industry and have exemption as an essential workplace.

No different to a farm, where work must go on, purely from the aspect of animal welfare

[mardigras]

It's covered from my understanding.

Primary industries, including food and beverage production and processing	Any entity involved in the packaging, production and processing of food and beverage products, whether for domestic consumption or export
	Any entity involved in relevant support services, such as food safety and verification, inspection or associated laboratory services, food safety and biosecurity functions
	Any entity providing veterinary services
	Any entity whose closure would jeopardise the maintenance of animal health or welfare standards (including the short-term survival of a species)

But to me, that should be done after taking all steps to remove as many horses as possible from stables to a point where the need for human interaction is minimised (i.e horse spelling).

Only those horses that can't be homed elsewhere for the duration should be able to have the basic minimum contact to maintain the health and well being of the animal (as above).

That may mean some training centres are required for the purpose of basic animal exercise (not training for race readiness). I don't think the intention is to provide a means to keep a horse trained to the point of race readiness is part of the requirement to maintain the animal health and welfare.

Edited March 23, 2020 by mardigras