Commenting on the story: SA lifts COVID restrictions as variant fears ease

My wife and I returned to Adelaide from a ten day stay in Canberra on Monday and were immediately required to undertake 14 days home quarantine.

This despite there having been no COVID-19 cases in Canberra for almost a year and both of us having had our Astra Zeneca vaccinations (both for me and my wife’s second due this week). We’ve both returned negative on our days one and five tests but are told we have to complete the 14 days. Absurd. – Rob Brennan

While it’s understandable and commendable that South Australia is taking a risk-averse approach to COVID-19, it’s a frustration to those of us in regional NSW that SA, alone amongst states, treats entire states as hotspots rather than just the cities or areas with cases.

One of my kids is at uni in Adelaide, and came home for the holidays the day before SA’s border restrictions were imposed. As a result of SA’s all-or-nothing approach, they are now going to have to head back two weeks early to get quarantined in their college room, despite having spent their time in NSW over 500km from the nearest recent case of COVID.

If South Australia is considering relaxing quarantine requirements for those who have been in cities with recent COVID cases such as Darwin, Perth Brisbane and Melbourne, then it would be great if they could take the same approach for regional NSW, which has been COVID free for much longer than any of those (and indeed, for far longer than Adelaide!).

We’ve never had local transmission in our area, and our last local case (a local who caught COVID in Sydney) was 15 months ago. There are more people in regional NSW than in South Australia, and it makes no sense to treat that huge area as a mere extension of Sydney. – John Kramer

Exemptions given to football teams coming here from places with active Covid, cases but you cannot come to SA from the ACT where there hasn’t been a case of community transmission in over 12 months – this makes no sense.

Sporting teams are not special, they cannot be counted on to follow the rules. Same that someone visiting Cairns has to quarantine on return even though they are far away from Brisbane. Direct flights from unaffected areas would be an easy solution and fairer for all concerned.

The type of restrictions being used in other states restricting entry from specific zones needs to be used. Making restrictions less onerous is better for the people and the economy and might bring us more tourists. – Sandra Matthews

After seven years away it’s Day 14 of Quarantine, and, in the hands of the very obliging and supportive Pullman staff and the assigned SA health workers, some random thoughts on the Covid state of play.

The process for Aussies overseas returning is a complete and utter shambles. There is no such thing as a queue. For a Prime Minister who has repeatedly invoked the “queue-jumping” charge against asylum seekers, it beggars belief that there is no orderly system for returnees.

Genuine returnees have every right to be pissed off after packing, ending rentals, giving employment notice (some taking kids out of their overseas schools) and then being bumped off flights and stranded, only to learn about others going in and out.

If DFAT actually cared, they could easily put up a booking system with  week-by-week slots; all in about five minutes. If every school in the country can do this for every term, booking slots for parent teacher nights, it can’t be that difficult.

Australia is really lagging behind the vaccination percentages overseas. Many, many returning Australians have already had the jab in their host country, yet authorities and staff on arriving home avoid this topic, probably because the vaccination roll-out has been such a disaster here. Health workers quite rightly check quarantinees’ health, (including mental health daily), and you’d think acknowledging those that have been vaccinated would be a good place to start; but it’s not mentioned.

SA Health staff give us four Covid tests; on Days 1,5,9 and 13. Those with an an Australian phone number get a text message of the result. But the bonafide returnees (who obviously haven’t got local sim cards yet), are made to sweat it out. Of course they have our room numbers as well as our emails. It wouldn’t be that difficult to inform everyone of their their test results, not just the local ‘in and outers’.

Hotels around the world have offered ‘non-smoking’ rooms and floors for the last four decades. Except when you’re in quarantine, where at any time of the night or day the whiff of tobacco smoke seeps through the air-conditioning. Isn’t there some system that smokers can be quarantined in their own section of quarantine?

Yes, folks, now in Day 14. Health advice stipulates 14 days quarantine, but we in SA must do 15 days. Everyone knows that most flights are overnight, arriving early morning. All around the world, quarantine starts and ends at midday. Except with SA Health, where it start at midnight. That means the whole first day is not counted; officially ‘Day Zero’. So we aren’t discharged until the sixteenth day, officially ‘Day 15’.

Should have been out at midday today, but now, doing extra time, after four negative tests, it feels like we are actually risking our own health, not keeping others safe. Figure that out. – Peter Trethewey

Commenting on the story: Coming in from the cold: Crows re-embrace old heroes

Great article Michelangelo, giving insight to how things transpired back then.

Awesome to see our past stars coming back to the club. As you said, still A McLeod and S Rehn to go… can’t wait.

The new Crows are learning on and off the field. – Ian Boots