Covid 19 -

[GO FURTHER]

Originally Posted by Pooka

We did it VIC! Well done. We have beaten NSW, and now WE hold the record for the most cases of the Domicron variant in a single day. 51,356 in one day! Congratulations to the NSW government for "letting it rip", and to all the Victorians who unknowingly participated.

Expect the daily numbers reported to now increase significantly with the RAT self-reporting system via online and phone now opened.

The RAT numbers have been reported by the Department of Health for the first time on Saturday and added to the PCR results.

Just shows that the true number of cases in the community has always been higher than previously reported with PCR testing alone.

Just wait till RAT testing kits are available and in stock everywhere.

[slowsnake]

I suppose the Chemist shops will have to be careful how they stock their shelves!
Make sure they are not near the pregnancy testing kits!..lol
Have folk peeing all over them otherwise!.....

[russellw]

Australia
NSW records 45,098 cases in the current period (a new record high) and the 10-day average growth rate decreases to 1.1734 (from 1.2414) while the actual line is still well above the predictive trend line.



VIC records 51,356 cases in the current period (a new record high) and the 10-day average growth rate increases to 1.3424 (from 1.2436) while the actual line remains above the predictive trend. That’s also a new record high for the country.



Queensland (10,953), SA (3,707), ACT (1,246), Tasmania (1,491) and NT (279) set new daily highs yesterday (7/1).

.. and here is the predictive trend graph for both NSW / Victoria based on cases since Omicron was identified which, for our purposes, will be taken as December 1st.

[MITCHAY]

Holy ****, Vic sending it over GSS did not expect that. Yeah 200k is not that distant after all.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by GO FURTHER

Expect the daily numbers reported to now increase significantly with the RAT self-reporting system via online and phone now opened.

The RAT numbers have been reported by the Department of Health for the first time on Saturday and added to the PCR results.

Just shows that the true number of cases in the community has always been higher than previously reported with PCR testing alone.

Just wait till RAT testing kits are available and in stock everywhere.

Just more evidence as to why the key metric that should be followed is hospitalisations.

More and more cases appearing just means the evidence that the severity is less with Omicron is increasing by the day, as seen in other countries around the world. Not just a little bit, but reportedly 50-70% less severe than delta.

About time the media stopped all the scaremongering and report on the things that actually matter.

I'm not making light of Covid, but we have come a long way since it first hit, and the latest mutation (as with pretty much every virus since the world began) is significantly less severe and for most people it will be no worse than a mild flu. Yes, there will be a percentage that suffer more adverse reactions, but this is no different to a lot of illnesses.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by russellw

Australia
NSW records 45,098 cases in the current period (a new record high) and the 10-day average growth rate decreases to 1.1734 (from 1.2414) while the actual line is still well above the predictive trend line.

image

VIC records 51,356 cases in the current period (a new record high) and the 10-day average growth rate increases to 1.3424 (from 1.2436) while the actual line remains above the predictive trend. That’s also a new record high for the country.

image

Queensland (10,953), SA (3,707), ACT (1,246), Tasmania (1,491) and NT (279) set new daily highs yesterday (7/1).

.. and here is the predictive trend graph for both NSW / Victoria based on cases since Omicron was identified which, for our purposes, will be taken as December 1st.

image

I wouldn't normally jump in to defend some of the numbers here, but its not fair to Vic to include all the RAT results given they are the only state recording them. To keep the graphs accurate you have to compare the same apples and not include the oranges, yes?

[arm79]

Originally Posted by Trevor 57

you are showing your ignorance of the facts with this post, I suggest you get the facts before you post again on this matter

Originally Posted by Pooka

BINGO! It was Dan Andrews government's fault! NOT!!!

Tennis Australia had sent this letter out to all participants of the AO. It states recently recovered cases (after 31 July 2021) are eligible to enter the tournament, according to the Fed run ATAGI guidelines.

Originally Posted by Pooka

You got to love the anti-Dan brigade, coming from the far and wide corn fields of Australia, and even from other parts of the world. All the way from Sydney to Hervey Bay, NZ, South America and even good ol' USA.

Yet it has been acknowledged, a number of times, that the Victorian Government itself gave him an exemption to enter the state and play in the AO.

It's one thing to make an assumption based on what is essentially an information sheet, but completely another to rely on the exemption approval of a government authority. That is something you can hang your hat on.

And as always, any mention of said Victorian government exemption approval is mysteriously missing from the current round of articles... Wherever one looks, no matter the publisher.

Originally Posted by Trevor 57

Anyways, this is my last post on this farcical matter.

You mean like when you disappeared after giving me a serving about the Melbourne protests when I reminded you their origins were from union anti-vaxers protesting vaccine mandates because they weren't allowed to share break huts with vaccinated workers.

[russellw]

Originally Posted by prydey

I'm not making light of Covid, but we have come a long way since it first hit, and the latest mutation (as with pretty much every virus since the world began) is significantly less severe and for most people it will be no worse than a mild flu. Yes, there will be a percentage that suffer more adverse reactions, but this is no different to a lot of illnesses.

I think the jury is out on that one still. It is fair to say that it is killing less people however it is unclear yet whether that's vaccine efficacy, the fact that the average age of cases has dropped by about 25% (thus a less vulnerable range of people) or some other factor.

Interestingly, NSW data shows that unvaccinated people are 6.9x more likely to be hospitalised with Omicron but that's way less than the 25x for the Delta variant - although UK data indicates that the numbers rise dramatically 14 days post booster to about 20x.

More specifically, in the period up to 2/1/22:

1,204 people were in hospital, 30% of whom were unvaccinated.
95 people were in ICU, 48.4% of whom were unvaccinated.
19.9% of all ICU beds were taken by COVID patients.

The hospitalisation rates per 1M people (aged 12+) are:
83.4 for vaccinated and 578.2 for unvaccinated (6.9x) while the ICU rates are 4.7 and 82.5 respectively (a factor of 17.5x).

They don't include mortality data in that analysis.

[russellw]

Originally Posted by prydey

I wouldn't normally jump in to defend some of the numbers here, but its not fair to Vic to include all the RAT results given they are the only state recording them. To keep the graphs accurate you have to compare the same apples and not include the oranges, yes?

While I do agree, the reality is that Victoria is treating those numbers as part of their count and SA, Queensland and NSW will follow suit shortly so we can only work with the numbers we have.

[winkle]

Just read that today’s Victorian numbers include self reported RAT tests for the week. That number was 26,428, but only 5,923 of those results were actually received yesterday.

[russellw]

Data valid as at 00:00 GMT January 7th 2022.

77,886 new cases for Australia (a new record) and 19 deaths so the CMR is 0.304%.

NZ recorded 58 cases and 0 deaths for a CMR of 0.351%.

The UK recorded 178,163 cases and 229 deaths for a CMR of 1.055%.

808,874 new cases in the USA yesterday and 2,629 deaths sees CMR at 1.436%.

Other notable points:
Global cases pass 303M, the last 3M in 1 day;
Global cases set a new daily record with 2,716,051 on 6/1;
North America sets a new daily high with 885,717 cases recorded on 6/1;
South America sets a new daily high with 217,843 cases (yesterday was also a record);
North America passes 71M cases;
Europe passes 94M cases;
Asia passes 86M cases;
The USA passes 60M cases;
Spain and Italy pass 7M cases;
Asia passes the 90th percentile over the 10 day period;

Sao Tome & Principe (265);
Guinea (439);
Greenland (591);
San Marino (608);
Andorra (1,119);
Iceland (1,208);
Mauritania (1,211) – the 5th consecutive day;
Jamaica (1,269);
Cabo Verde (1,469);
Burundi (1,475);
Albania (1,745);
French Guiana (2,170);
Kuwait (2,645);
Montenegro (2,960);
Qatar (3,192);
Mayotte (3,463);
Dominican Republic (5,968) – the 5th consecutive day;
Lebanon (7,974);
Bolivia (11,002);
Sweden (23,877) on 5/1;
Netherlands (34,872);
Australia (77,886) – the 5th consecutive day; and
Argentina (110,533)

... all recorded new highs; those in blue for the second consecutive day and those in red for a third or more consecutive day.

Georgia moves above the 90th percentile for the 10 day period and no countries drop below.

Originally Posted by slowsnake

If DjoCovid was fully vaxxed and legal in Victoria and elsewhere in Australia then ScuMo would of sent his/our private RAAF jet to bring him here, he is a draw card, but that's money talking, not politics or religion, he wants to come here to use what he sees as a "weak" tournament to get an easy world record of most Grand Slams, he's a maggot, and i thought blowflies weren't useful.

Just WOW

[Blue Ice]

[T3rminator]

Originally Posted by arm79

And as always, any mention of said Victorian government exemption approval is mysteriously missing from the current round of articles... Wherever one looks, no matter the publisher.

Why do you think that is? The rhetoric has gone from, its a matter for the Victorian Government, to, here is a "leaked" letter showing its TA's fault, to , there has been no exemption at all, to, its entirely joker's fault . What do you reckon has gone wrong here? Ask yourself how did two others get in on the same papers, and was only later kicked out when it was revealed to the public. Who do you think is at "fault" for the screw up? What an absolute shambles.

We've now got a ridiculous situation where, if you are in the country, and you have had covid in the last 6 months, then our own health advisory group recommends you not to get the jab for 6 months, and you are exempt and treated as fully vaxed in the mean time. But if you happen to be an overseas arrival, the health risk is different. It's not about health now is it? Just making rules up on the go.

[T3rminator]

Originally Posted by winkle

Just read that today’s Victorian numbers include self reported RAT tests for the week. That number was 26,428, but only 5,923 of those results were actually received yesterday.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/v...08-p59mqv.html

On Saturday, Victoria recorded 51,356 new coronavirus cases as well as nine deaths as Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull revealed they had contracted the virus. The government said a backlog of self-reporting from rapid tests drove the record figure after a new reporting platform went live on Friday.

In total 26,428 rapid test-confirmed cases were reported and 24,928 were diagnosed using a PCR test. Of the rapid test positive cases 20,505 were from earlier in the week meaning the total number of positive cases registered yesterday, through both PCR and rapid tests, was 30,851.

[BENT_8]

Things are going to get ugly soon.
Read a tweet and comments during the week from a health care worker from the US.
Omicron is not the mild strain its being presented as and is specifically targetting the heart and circulatory systems with admissions due to heart attack, stroke DVT and Pulmonary Embolism on a steep upward trend.
Even patients who've recovered from initial infection are presenting with sudden complications well afterwards.
Vaxed/unvaxed seems to make little difference.

[GO FURTHER]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

Things are going to get ugly soon.
Read a tweet and comments during the week from a health care worker from the US.
Omicron is not the mild strain its being presented as and is specifically targetting the heart and circulatory systems with admissions due to heart attack, stroke DVT and Pulmonary Embolism on a steep upward trend.
Even patients who've recovered from initial infection are presenting with sudden complications well afterwards.
Vaxed/unvaxed seems to make little difference.

Dr Baxter, head of the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health at the University of Melbourne recently stated;

“And what it (Omicron) made us do is kind of underestimate its ability to disrupt society. It’s important for us to understand that this hasn’t become the common cold.”

Dr Baxter expressed concern about more and more vaccinated people contracting this variant of the coronavirus.

“Part of the reason why it seems milder isn’t because it’s necessarily mild, but because it’s infecting people who have had vaccines.
It’s actually getting around our protection better than some of the other variants. So, in some ways, it’s expanding who it can infect, which isn’t really mild,” she said.

[ford71V8]

Meeting a lot of people who know "someone" who works in a health dept, and the word is things arent as they are being reported.

[arm79]

Originally Posted by T3rminator

Who do you think is at "fault" for the screw up?

The way it's playing out you'd partly have to lay it at the feet Tennis Australia and the Victorian Government, partly at the feet of the airline that flew him in and the rest entirely on Djokovic.

Tennis Australia supplied an information sheet that actually gave true and accurate directions on what is required to enter the country and what needs to be done once inside the country.

For some strange reason TA setup a medical panel with the Victorian Government to assess the second part of the entry requirements for players seeking exemptions, which is detailed in the information sheet, weeks prior to his arrival. It would have been this panel that provided exemption.

We all know his social media post where he wrote he received "exemption permission". It's likely this "exemption permission" was the approval given him by the Victorian government and he has flown here on that basis.

Which is completely contrary to Chairman Dan's stance that NO UNVACCINATED players will be welcome at the AO. Why go to the trouble of being involved in a panel to process exemptions and approving these exemptions given his very public and blunt stance.

Read the sheet from the AO properly. It clearly states there are only 2 ways into Australia. Either be fully vaccinated or have a medical exemption certificate. And this is where it gets very murky.

Read point 2 under the required proof section. It is pi$$ poorly worded. It starts off with ABF requirements then jumps to Victorian requirements. It's that poorly worded that you could assume the both are one in the same. An exemption from the Victorian Government will get you pass the ABF. In reality they should have provided a link to ABF entry requirements as they did in the point above.

But if you go further into the requirements, as directed by Greg Hunt's letter, the smart traveller website and Aus Health website, to obtain quarantine free arrival you will see the medical exemption certificate must:

clearly acknowledge that you have a medical condition which means you cannot receive a COVID-19 vaccination (vaccination is contraindicated)

Then you are at the mercy of the destination state's quarantine and arrival processes. And Big D had already stated not even a quarantined player would be welcomed. Fully vaccinated only!

It's also interesting to note that the Health website states:

Airlines are responsible for ensuring your proof meets these requirements.

Be interesting to know what he showed them that let him on the plane.

So in my mind we have TA providing an information sheet that was very accurate, but murky and misleading in places, and the Vic Government setting up an exemption processing panel, that game him an exemption, even though Dan the Man said exemptions would not be allowed and unvaccinated players would not be welcome. And it was likely it was on this exemption he flew here. Then the airline let him travel without adequate or dodgy proof.

Yet the ABF have been operating on these same medical exemption certificate entry to Australia requirements since the end of November.

Then ultimately it falls on Djokovic. If he has not bothered to check or comply with ABF requirements its on him, as its the travellers responsibility to be in compliance. Maybe he's tried to turn up with dodgy information which they have not accepted.

Originally Posted by T3rminator

We've now got a ridiculous situation where...

As ridiculous as they may be, they are the rules that have been set out. There are simply one set of requirements to enter the country and another set to suit specific circumstances for those already in the country.

The question here is whether the rules have been followed and whether people are playing games with them.

It should also be considered that maybe the ABF took issue with Djokovic's character. He is a known anti-vaxxer and these rules are in place specifically to assist people already in the country with a specific set of circumstances. By trying to circumvent the rules in this way they might have seen as poor character.

Originally Posted by T3rminator

Ask yourself how did two others get in on the same papers, and was only later kicked out when it was revealed to the public.

I'd like answers to that too. If there's been a breakdown at the federal level that allowed that to happen then heads should roll there as well. But we've heard very little about what is going on there.

But the other question here is, how and why was an unvaccinated player allowed past the Dictators vaccinated only requirement. Well the question is not so much how, because we know his government was involved in providing exemptions.

[T3rminator]

Originally Posted by arm79

The way it's playing out you'd partly have to lay it at the feet Tennis Australia and the Victorian Government, partly at the feet of the airline that flew him in and the rest entirely on Djokovic.

Someone gave him a visa to come here, and it wasn't the state gov or TA. No visa, no story. Everything else is just a red herring and good for headlines.

As the former Immigration Department deputy secretary said, by law, the process of granting a visa has to take into consideration the health risk that the arrival poses on the Australian public. They either did or they didn't. The court case is Joker vs Minister for Home Affairs.

Originally Posted by arm79

But the other question here is, how and why was an unvaccinated player allowed past the Dictators vaccinated only requirement. Well the question is not so much how, because we know his government was involved in providing exemptions.

State Governments don't determine who gets past the border gates.

But I agree with you on Vic Gov's back tracking on their No Vax policy for the AO. I'm finding it hard to blame Tiley, he represents TA, his role is to promote the game by having the best players here. Giving him powers to provide exemptions (if that is true) is just dumb, so I don't believe it.

[T3rminator]

The retail and hospitality sectors have taken their biggest spending hit since Delta lockdowns, ANZ says
https://www.businessinsider.com.au/r...r-spending-hit

• National spending levels have plummeted to levels unseen since the Delta lockdowns.
• Shops and cafes have been hit particularly hard, as residents in NSW and Victoria lock themselves down.
• ANZ’s head of Australian economics says “a big issue this time is there is no government support”.

“A big issue this time is there is no government support as we aren’t formally in lockdown. It will be interesting to see how governments, federal and state, respond to this.”

According to ANZ, overall spending in Melbourne specifically, and Victoria overall, is not as low as it was during the prolonged lockdowns of 2020, and is expected to recover faster than it did last year.

The same can’t be said for Sydney though, where ANZ senior economist Adelaide Timbrell suggests interstate travel restrictions have taken a greater toll.

“ANZ-observed spending has also fallen sharply in Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia since the Christmas trading period, with spending in all states a little lower than 2021’s out-of-lockdown levels,” she said.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by T3rminator

The retail and hospitality sectors have taken their biggest spending hit since Delta lockdowns, ANZ says
https://www.businessinsider.com.au/r...r-spending-hit

I work in Sydney CBD and the place is empty much like during the harsher Delta wave.

I feel this year something big will happen in terms of our (or global?) economy. No backup workers, restricted supplies of food, more possible restrictions, many places closed or open only part time etc.

More uncertainty in the Covid rules and restrictions that are constantly changing. Once 'safer' countries in and out of lockdown and border closures.

Chinese / Turkish / crypto economy on the verge of collapse. Kazakhstan up shizer creek, minimal government support in a time where many can't work while food prices and rents going up.

Then there is our world record low interest rates that will be going up sooner than expected to top it off.

Geeze...

[b0son]

Originally Posted by T3rminator

The retail and hospitality sectors have taken their biggest spending hit since Delta lockdowns, ANZ says
https://www.businessinsider.com.au/r...r-spending-hit

Hard to feel sorry for the retail sector. Sales are few and far between (meaningful ones, where the price is actually discounted), many shops charging like wounded bulls, with the cost of a lot of goods up astronomically. For example, I had gimbal/camera which I broke at the beginning of the year and needed to replace. Not once have I seen it below RRP all year. The drawers I bought for our 4wd in 2018 are now DOUBLE the price. I could sell my camper trailer for more than we paid for it two years ago. There's a lot of profiteering going on.

Restaurants may be empty, but deliveries are busier than ever. If a restaurant hasnt adapted in the last 18mths+, well, that's on them.

I dont see the point of throwing money at these sectors. Omicron ain't delta, this will be over in 2-3 weeks. Hospitalisations are already showing signs of peaking.

[arm79]

Originally Posted by T3rminator

Someone gave him a visa to come here, and it wasn't the state gov or TA. No visa, no story. Everything else is just a red herring and good for headlines.

Fair enough, let's venture down that path. I forgot about this before.

To me, from what I can find, covid vaccination status does not form part of the Visa application.

I squirrelled this up on a search from Tennis Australia and it comes from a Tennis Australia website. Have a read and tell me what is missing.

https://wheelchair.tennis.com.au/med...eet-player.pdf

Not one mention of covid vaccination status. Nothing under the Visa requirements section, nothing in the instructions and nothing in the FAQ section. Under the section "What documents must I attach to my
application for a SC408 visa?" it only mentions a passport and invitation letter.

If you go through every page of the Home Affairs site in regards to the conditions and application requirements, there is absolutely no mention of covid vaccination status. There is mention of certain health requirements, which I'll mention below.

What is mentioned on the Home Affairs Covid travel page is:

At the airport

Travellers need to be prepared to present to airlines:

• proof that you meet Australia’s definition of fully vaccinated, or poof that you cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons. For information on proof, see Vaccinated Travellers.

• evidence of the negative pre-departure Covid-19 PCR test undertaken within three days of travel as outlined above.

• evidence that you hold an eligible visa (where relevant)

https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/p...-from-overseas

Given you can apply and be granted a Visa months before travel, why would covid vaccination status be part of it when it could change? And why would there be a requirement to show covid vaccination proof before boarding the plane if it formed part of the Visa?

It obvious covid vaccination status has no bearing on the granting of this type of visa. Proof of vaccination status or exemption is a requirement at time of boarding and entry at customs. Just because he was granted a Visa, likely weeks ago, did not exclude him from having to comply with extra entry requirements at the time.

So it essentially doesn't matter who, how or why he was granted a Visa. Him having one was only part of the entry requirements. They are not intertwined or one and the same.

Originally Posted by T3rminator

As the former Immigration Department deputy secretary said, by law, the process of granting a visa has to take into consideration the health risk that the arrival poses on the Australian public. They either did or they didn't.

I read that same article and after further research would show it was written in a way as to be disingenuous.

The health risk and health requirements refer to a specific list of tests and requirements to meet a minimum health standard. But it only refers to things like TB, HIV and Measles. But no mention of Covid, vaccinations or status.

https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help...tions-you-need

It's also possible there were no health tests required under basic Visa requirements because they have been suspended.

https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help...h-examinations

https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help...h-examinations

The only way of proving or disproving this is to ask someone who was applied for this type of Visa if there were any covid requirements.

But on what the face of the Home Affairs website says, vaccination status is a separate at the time entry requirement and not a requirement of the Visa application process. Supported by the Tennis Australia Visa Information Sheet which makes no mention of covid as part of the application process.

So we come back to, it doesn't matter he had a Visa, because that is only one part of the entry requirement and not conditional on vaccination status.

But it was acknowledged he did receive an exemption from the Victorian Government. It's probable that he believed this exemption would get him past the ABF. Which also begs the question, why did the Victorian Government setup a panel to process exemptions given Big D's public declaration. If he wasn't given an exemption he probably would not have tried entry.

But its also possible he knew all of this and tried his hand anyways. Nothing to lose but everything to gain if it goes favourably.

I'm done. I've said what I wanted to say. If you want to have one more stab go for it, but I suggest we leave it there.

[FairmontGS]

Djokovic’s lavish request denied as tennis boss’ exemption plea revealed

Novak Djokovic had a request from inside hotel detention rejected as a plea from the boss of Tennis Australia comes under scrutiny.

Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley reportedly said the Australian Open’s “viability” depended on unvaccinated players being granted exemptions to compete if they had contracted Covid-19 in the past six months as fresh details about Novak Djokovic’s detention were revealed.

The Age also reports Tiley sent a letter to the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) in November seeking answers as to whether players who had been infected with the virus in the past six months would be exempt from needing to be vaccinated.

“The treatment of players who fall within one of these categories goes to the heart of the viability of the Australian Open,” Tiley allegedly wrote in the letter to ATAGI.

In a letter sent by Department of Health First Assistant Secretary Lisa Schofield to Tiley later in November, it was made clear that “people who have previously had Covid-19 and not received a vaccine dose are not considered fully vaccinated” and they would “not be approved for quarantine-free entry, regardless of whether they have received foreign vaccination exemptions”.

https://www.news.com.au/sport/tennis...dd3a44cb5d3927

[T3rminator]

Originally Posted by arm79

To me, from what I can find, covid vaccination status does not form part of the Visa application.

If vax status does not form part of the visa application, but you can have your visa cancelled because of your vax status, that would be an extremely flawed process. That's fine, "our borders our rules"

Although, my friend's parents had to upload their overseas vax certificate to the immigration portal in order to get a visa recently.

[CoupeKing]

I can't believe Sky News in the UK actually let this air. Someone isn't getting invited to the end of year Christmas party:




Once again, type 'vaccine 100% effective' into your search engine an hit enter.

Now do...
99%
98%
97%
96%
95%
and keep going

[b0son]

Originally Posted by CoupeKing

I can't believe Sky News in the UK actually let this air.

Can't believe a doctor doesnt get the difference between transmission and symptomatic/serious illness. I wonder what his position would be if he'd yet to have been infected, and didnt know whether he was at risk of a benign response or a severe one.

[T3rminator]

Originally Posted by T3rminator

Giving him powers to provide exemptions (if that is true) is just dumb, so I don't believe it.

Apologies Arm79, I was wrong. It appears TA did have the authority to give the exemption. It also appears he had a "document" from the Department of Home Affairs , although its not clear if this is a personalised doc or something his team just downloaded. Vic Gov's role is that they set up the review panel

Of course, this is all his lawyer's submission, they'll still need to prove it.

https://www.news.com.au/sport/tennis...08a2d6e4120351

“The Exemption Certificate also recorded that ... the date of the first positive COVID PCR test was recorded on 16 December 2021, it had now been 14 days, and Mr Djokovic had not had a fever or respiratory symptoms of COVID-19 in the last 72 hours.”

The documents also reveal Djokovic had received a letter from the Department of Home Affairs informing him that his Australian Travel Declaration appeared to meet the requirements.

“The Declaration Assessment told Mr Djokovic that “(his) Australia Travel Declaration (had) been assessed”, and that “(his) responses indicate(d) that (he met) the requirements for a quarantine-free arrival into Australia where permitted by the jurisdiction of your arrival”, that jurisdiction being Victoria,” the documents read.

“Understandably, given that he:

“(1) held a visa unqualified by any relevant condition;

“(2) had received certification of a medical exemption from vaccination from the Tournament organiser, that certification being granted after review by a panel established by the Victorian State Government;

“(3) had received from the Department of Home Affairs a document informing him that he met the requirements for quarantine-free arrival,

The other funny thing is, he claims he tested positive on the 16th, but tweeted on the 18th a photo of him receiving his own stamp at a ceremony

https://twitter.com/DjokerNole/statu...271150592?s=20

[Pooka]

I know I said in my last post that I wouldn't post again on this farcical subject matter anymore, but this cannot be ignored. Last one.

It seems that it wasn't even Greg Hunt who set the new rule in regards to a past infection within the last 6 months would not qualifying for an exemption, even though ATAGI says it would. The new rule seems to have been made up by Greg Hunt's assistant secretary?? The letter doesn't state 'on behalf of the Miniter For Health, Greg Hunt'. It's purely been signed off by the "First Assistant Secretary". Giving the impression Minister Greg Hunt had nothing to do with the decision.

AO's CEO Craig Tiley had contacted Health Minister Greg Hunt and ATAGI for clarification on the matter 10th November. Tiley then received a reply from Greg Hunt's secretary Lisa Schofield stating the rules. Not from Hunt himself. See copy of letter received by Tiley, dated 18 November below.

(Click on pic then click Zoom)


I'm guessing here that Tiley was not too impressed that it was Hunt's secretary replying, stating what the rules were, and not Greg Hunt himself. And he probably let it be known in his reply. And it does sound so by the tone of Hunt's reply. Copy of that letter below.

(Click on pic then click Zoom)


I wouldn't be surprised if some AO applications had already been processed in the meantime, as the cut off date was 10th December. So while all this nonsense was occurring, some tennis players/officials applications could well have already been processed?? Was Novax' application processed before 18th November? Voracova?

Oh, and if the name Lisa Schofield rings a bell, remember when Pfizer HQ admins in New York contacted Greg Hunt directly requesting a meeting ASAP in June of 2020, in regards to a Pfizer vaccine supply deal? And Pfizer were met by a "junior bureaucrat", to put it in Dr Bourla's (Pfizer CEO) own words instead? Yep, that was the same Schofield. Not only did Greg Hunt send his secretary to such an important meeting - instead of attending in person, he also directed Schofield to ask Pfizer for a discount! The nerve!

https://www.theguardian.com/australi...aucrat-instead

The incompetence of this government never seems to amaze.