Yet another week ends with the world dealing with the Coronavirus.
Move into a ‘Permanent’ Abode
From a personal perspective, this has been a big week. For the first time since May 2012, I am now living a ‘fixed place of abode’. I have taken a 3 month lease a unit on the Brisbane River in the suburb of New Farm.
The unit is very small, but it is ideal for me. It is fully furnished, including a TV and vacuum cleaner. It doesn’t have a balcony, but it does have a great view of the Storey Bridge and the CBD. It is close to cycle paths and the New Farm Park. There is a shopping centre about one kilometre away and the there are lots of cafes and restaurants in the area.
I am pleased to be in Brisbane at this time.
Things are Getting Better in Australia
As far of the virus is concerned, it appears that Australia is starting to get it under control. The number of new cases has been steadily declining across the country. This is particularly pleasing to see in NSW which has been the hardest hit State.
Given the reduced number of cases, all of States and territories are starting to relax some of the restrictions on movements and the operations of businesses.
Confusion over Schools
One area that appears to very confused is schools. The Federal Government, Morrison in particular, appears to be very keen for the schools to start operating as ‘normal’.
He is basing his comments on ‘expert’ advice which apparently says that there is no evidence of children becoming ill with coronavirus and there is limited risk of teachers becoming infected.
It seems that the States and Territories don’t necessarily agree. There has been a study in NSW that does indicate something along those lines. The NSW government in planning a phased re-opening of schools with revised arrangements, for example staggered school hours. It seems that schools will essentially remain closed in Victoria for the next term. South Australia and Western Australia seem to be keener on schools opening.
It is all very confusing and must be a problem for both parents and students.
Trump
One of the features of Trump’s ‘presidency’ has been his ability to constantly surprise everyone with his level of stupidity and ignorance. I won’t even bother giving past examples before this crisis.
In previous posts on the coronavirus, I have mentioned Trump and his incompetence and ill-informed comments including his advocacy of the use of a malaria drug as a treatment for the virus.
On the 23rd of April Trump gave his most bizarre White House Briefing yet.
An official from the Homeland Security Department was ask to speak about some research the Department had undertaken. The official is not a scientist.
The official talked about research that showed the impact of heat and light, and disinfectants on the coronavirus. It showed that both heat and light killed that virus when it was in the air. It also showed that disinfectants, such as bleach killed the virus when is on surfaces.
Once he heard this, Trump started ‘spit balling’ about the possibility of using light and disinfectants “inside the body” against the virus.
Of course, this provoked almost universal uproar and condemnation.
To make matters worse, Trump tried to counter the criticism by claiming that he was simply being sarcastic. This was obviously a lie.
It was interesting to note that Trump cut his next briefing short and refused to take any questions.
This episode may be a pivotal point in Trump’s political career. I know that has been said before, however this is really a ‘Biggy’.
Impacts on Business
The coronavirus crisis is having a huge impact on the economy. There are forecasts going around that the economy will be suffer bigger declines than were experienced in the Great Depression in the 1930’s.
One thing can already said; that is that the increase in unemployment, certainly in the advanced countries like the USA, UK and Australia has been far more rapid than was the case in the 1930’s. In the Great Depression, the peak in unemployment was in 1935, fully 6 years after the initial stock market crash.
In this economic down turn, the impact of the loss of jobs has largely been mitigated by government intervention with wage subsidies and increases in unemployment benefits. It is still yet to be seen how long this government largess will last and whether it will be enough.
Virgin Airlines
There has however, been a high-profile business casualty in Australia. That casualty is Virgin Airlines. The company is almost completely owned by overseas shareholders including Singapore Airlines, and Chinese and Middle Eastern interests. The founder of the Virgin Group, Richard Branson only owns 10 percent of the airline.
The board of Virgin Airline Australia decided to put the company into voluntary administration.
There is no doubt that other businesses in the transport and tourism industries are going to struggle to survive this crisis.
Tracing App
Last night, Sunday the 26th of April, the Australian government released an ‘app’ to assist with the tracing of people that may have become in contact with people with the virus.
This is somewhat controversial. There are overtones of ‘Big Brother’ in the use of such technology.
I have decided to download that the app, notwithstanding the fact that the government has been less than completely transparent about how it works and the privacy safeguards. I would have preferred that it was that subject and specific piece of legislation and independent oversight.
Australia v NZ
In a previous post, I talked about the approach New Zealand is taking with respect to the coronavirus. They are going for total eradication.
This can be contrasted will Australia’s less rigorous approach. There is a program on ABC TV tonight about how that two countries are going. It will make interesting viewing.
Links
Photos and Videos of My Unit
Trump’s ‘Disinfectant’ White House Briefing
The GOP getting Nervous
Trump trying to Deny what he Said
The Approaches taken in Australia and NZ Compared
The Australian Government’s Tracing App
billrider2013 