Are you in Australia? Have you changed your behaviour as we have so few cases?

[Ozgirl75]

I’m in Sydney and I think we had a total of 4 new cases countrywide yesterday.

We are still at home etc but I must say I’m feeling a lot more relaxed now and I’m seeing loads more people out and about. I had my hair cut yesterday and the shopping centre was fairly normal. Roads were pleasingly quiet at 5pm though - almost the best of both worlds!

[janeskettle]

RO ticking up in the past few days. We need it consistently below 1 in order to control coronavirus, and we had it there.

It's 1.11 as of yesterday.

RO is also called the growth factor of the virus, and is a number worth keeping an eye on.

Consistently above 1, and we're losing control of the outbreak again, as each person with the virus is infecting more than one person, rather than less than one person when RO is below 1.

I think it's likely that complacency is responsible for the uptick in RO.

[squeekums]

We need the exhange of people and equipment with California and that probably isn't going to happen this year

Good point, hadn't even considered that.
I've long been vocal about stripping funds from armed forces and to tax churches, money made can set aus up with a world class firefighting fleet of equipment. Something we know we NEED every summer

[timeisnotaline]

@janeskettle where do you track r0? I don’t think I’ve seen it on the dashboards I look at.

[Percivalthebabyspider]

Nope, kids and I are still self isolating and will for a fair while longer.

[FruChoc]

@timeisnotaline the ABC news site has the r0 listed in sidebar

I would like to see it one step further - broken down by states. With border closures like WA, NT and SA and recording very very low numbers (or none in NT case) for days/ weeks it Is largely determined by eastern state numbers.

[StartupRepair]

Have you downloaded the app? We did.

[bluetongue]

Yep, app downloaded.

I really hope that the app combined with the increased testing and continuing low numbers in South Australia can get some more businesses re-opened soon. Would be fantastic to go out for brunch again.

I’d also like to see playgrounds open again here. It’s crazy that I can take my dog to a dog park but parents can’t take their children to a playground (especially as schools are open in SA.)

[Weenurse]

Respiratory Dr I work with says we need to stay as we are for a few more weeks.
Victoria here, people are getting out and about more these days.
Please stay home, we are not NSW. We are not opening up yet.

[Ozgirl75]

We’ve downloaded the app too. I already share so much info with apple, google etc that it’s just one more thing and at least this will actually be some benefit.

[GADDay]

App downloaded here

[Ginandplatonic]

Lots of people on my Facebook feed expressing privacy concerns about the app - which must be the very definition of irony.
I have been staying home still, really only been going to the supermarket/grocer every few days - where else is there to go after all? But like a lot of you feeling less nervous about catching it while there. We have had almost no cases in the last week in my part of Tassie (not the NW obviously!), My local supermarkets have wound back their queuing/social distancing procedures a bit which makes it feel a bit more normal.

[timeisnotaline]

Lots of people on my Facebook feed expressing privacy concerns about the app - which must be the very definition of irony.

This thread was quite helpful on the app design. twitter.com/matthewrdev/status/1254336105203200000?s=21

[Londonlassy]

Downloaded the App. If it helps life return to some semblance of normal I’m in.

[FruChoc]

Also downloaded app today. Am pleased take up rate seems to be high so far. Am personally not concerned re privacy issues.

Our Kids started back at school today. A very small country school. Hand sanitizer at the gate (kids applied on entry and exit). Lots of hand washing and desk spacing. Cleaners on site all day. A very positive experience and kids very happy to be back! Most parents I spoke too had at least one child really nervous about coming back (it's been hard to navigate/shield kids from the uncertainty around school attendence) but by days end - all smiles.

[Ginandplatonic]

@timeisnotaline I didn’t understand a word of that Twitter thread but he sounds like he knows what he’s talking about! I’m not concerned about the privacy of it - it makes zero sense to be on any social media, or a member of supermarket (or any other shop/airline) loyalty schemes, or do any of the myriad other government controlled functions online and quibble about this one. The health record thing on the other hand I do have concerns about...

[Zippetydoodahzippetyay]

I've downloaded the app. As someone else mentioned, between Facebook, apple, google maps etc I'm already giving away so much info, why worry about this app when it is for such a good cause. At the moment I hardly go anywhere anyway apart from antenatal appointments (husband does the grocery shopping once a week), but if use of this app helps manage the viruses spread and ease restrictions then I'm happy to be part of it.

[FruChoc]

@timeisnotaline thanks for that link. It was interesting and explained away some concerns.

I then got stuck down the Prof. Peter Doherty & Dan Murphy twitter rabbit hole. Such a good laugh...😆

[BaruFisher]

I would download the app only my phone is still attached to the U.K. App Store. Don’t want it to bugger up all my other apps if I change stores.

[SnowsInWater]

We have all downloaded the App. Anything we can do to try and get lockdown (safely) relaxed is worth it. DD has taken to greeting me every morning with "only x days before I go back to school".

[janeskettle]

timeisnotaline

The ABC tracks it.

mobile.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-26/nsw-health-report-tracking-coronavirus-covid-19-cases-in-schools/12185582?pfmredir=sm&sf233211901=1&utm_medium=spredfast&utm_content=sf233211901&utm_campaign=fb_abc_news&utm_source=m.facebook.com&fbclid=IwAR2tPbYZadvHnfq-PrrXMsgcnpsFak0bzlbagXmMKDQNGRsf7wo_PDgveQM

Sorry about copy and paste.
Scroll down to half way down the article, and it's there.

It's dropped below one again as of 27/4, thank goodness.

What I really want to find is the RO for Sydney. I'd imagine its higher than the national RO.

[janeskettle]

Weenurse

I'm in Sydney but I'm following VIC advice, as I have more trust in Andrews and your CMO. I like that they are ramping up testing to try to find any hidden community transmission and THEN relaxing restrictions.

I think NSW is likely to have higher numbers of community transmission than VIC, but at least if VIC find its negligible, it's a guide from the state that is most like ours in terms of having a major capital city.

[janeskettle]

I hope people know that the app just makes contact tracing a bit more efficient.

It's not a silver bullet.

I think it's a valuable tool, but that's all it is. And it's one among many we need right now.

An app didn't save Singapore from a second outbreak and tougher lockdown, and countries like the Netherlands have decided against an app as not worth the benefit.

[Ginandplatonic]

@janeskettle yes of course we know that. It’s an app. What else could it possibly be?

Singapore is a different situation because its second wave started in migrant workers in crowded accommodation. We don’t have anything like that kind of population density. At some point restrictions need to be eased, particularly if infection rates remain so low. And then we need to track what happens, which the app will assist with - particularly since they changed the definition of “close contact” from anyone with 15 minutes exposure in one go, which is relatively easy to remember, to 15 minutes cumulative exposure. Which is much harder to pinpoint and remember.

[Koalablue]

I'm in Perth.
We're self isolating.
Now I have to decide to send 13 year old to school tomorrow or not. Gov says yes school email says yes but maybe not normal teacher a d bring laptop as it will be mainly online.

[Ginandplatonic]

It’s a difficult decision isn’t it? I think I would send mine if our school was open, but they are still doing online learning, so I don’t need to make it at this stage.