Confused about other countries

[Lissy23]

So I have a friend who lives in Alabama (USA) and another who lives in California. Both of these friends are posting on Facebook pictures of them going out and about with friends. One of them even posted a video from Disneyland, so they’re clearly travelling around as well.

I have another friend in Germany who has recently posted a photo of her travels around with her kids and they don’t appear to be staying at home or only doing essential travel.

Why are we the only ones that seem to be doing this? I know our rates are bad and we’ve messed up a lot, but I thought the states were also not great either? I can’t see any restrictions there whatsoever, except mask wearing. I’m so confused!

I suppose it will all depend on their rates of infections/ deaths and what the individual countries / states restrictions are. I’ve not kept up to date with how anywhere is doing other than Uk and Aus.

The USA will definitely be state by state. Don't know about Germany.
"Australian" rates are a misnomer as state/territories have different rules.

I have a cousin in Long Island New York, friends in Australia and Germany, and my brother lives in South Africa. All seem to be living under much less restrictions. I have a DH and he works from home 24/7, so I have very little interaction with anyone. We saw another couple 23 Dec. Before that we met up with friends in October. I have only seen my Dd twice since last March. It’s so depressing. I hate this existence.

Aren’t some US schools still doing online learning so some states must still have restrictions. Germany is by specified regions too, so some areas may have some restrictions. I thought Germany’s rate was going up recently

Canada have heavy restrictions.

California has had a terrible time with it (see here from mid Jan, although their rates have come down a lot in the last couple of weeks.

People carrying on as normal, and healthcare struggling to cope. Who’d have thought it!

I'm in Singapore. We had a very strict lockdown back in March - May 2020. Since then, restrictions have gradually been lifted so we can now have 8 guests to the home, working 50% in the office, children in schools, out to pubs and restaurants (but they close by 10.30pm). Still social distancing restrictions and masks on whenever you leave the home. We cannot really leave Singapore as have two week quarantine upon return.

Similarly in Australia, there is a strict two week quarantine for anyone seeking to return and essentially only Australian citizens can enter Australia (some exceptions). They have had proper lockdowns where required (Melbourne). In Western Australia they have just had a 5 day lockdown for one case.

Australia and Singapore have been extremely 'on it' and applied tight restrictions when necessary. So life now can pretty much continue on as normal.

I thought Disneyland was clased.

closed.

I live in the states, New Jersey, my teens are in school 2 days a week, and the other 3 days at hone. My husband works in construction and I work for a small local heating company. Both of us are essential business's. We have been going out to work every day apart form a 14 days last March where we had to self quarantine. I am avoiding large shops and going at off hours and wearing a mask. But essentially nothing much has changed here. It's very politically, but people are getting better at wearing masks.

Covid is rampant in my small town, and 1/2 the parents are waging war to get the kids back to school 5 days a week.

People are selfish.

We were always going to be hit badly by this pandemic, regardless of measures, because so many factors went against us. A North-temperate climate, low flu seasons for prior 2 winters (high proportion of vulnerable individuals), high obesity, an international travel hub, covid being in the country since late 2019 (first registered death was 30/01/20) and establishing itself during the winter months, high population density particularly in areas with high deprivation, an underfunded and madly managed healthcare system, and more.

Australia and New Zealand got VERY lucky. Being in the Southern Hemisphere with temperate climates (Australia partly tropical but most live in temperate areas), the virus arrived in their summer months. They would have done pretty well anyway, but their seasonality, along with the location and set-up on their countries, allowed them a longer timeframe to organise and close the borders. They are not the shining example that a lot of people think they are.

The US states are a great test study to show that restrictions have minimal effect. All states have different levels of restrictions, but there are minimal differences in case numbers and deaths between neighbouring states with similar climate conditions and populations.

In the U.K., we’re still in lockdown because the British press and the government have done a splendid job of convincing the public that we’re all dirty germ machines who are all at high risk of death. We have convinced ourselves that lockdowns work, because we’ve put a lot on the line for them. So we must continue with them, because to admit our strategy was wrong would mean that most of it (hand-washing, protecting the vulnerable and investing in healthcare and cluster tracing measures aside) was a waste of time.

There are still loads of restrictions across Europe and elsewhere, don't go by a couple of people's social media

onitcarbonnet the UK is still in 'lockdown' because it's never taken a proper, consistent approach to restrictions. 'Support bubbles', people still going to the office, still on public transport, only just wearing masks. The UK is still not in proper lockdown! Only just starting to enforce quarantine. People in Sumer 2020 were still going abroad on holidays!

It's inaccurate to say Australia/ NZ 'got lucky'. Their governments introduced and enforced true restrictions right at the beginning. The UK is still waiting for its government to get its act together.

Yes the UK leadership has been spectacularly poor. No sign of it improving either.

I’m in Canada and we are under a ‘stay at home’ order which is a lockdown essentially. Schools closed etc.

I'm in Western Australia. We just had a five day lockdown because we had one case of covid. It has been lifted now as we had five days in a row of zero cases. Life here is pretty normal, except for now overseas travel. And interstate travel is risky, as borders can be closed very quickly, and you risj having to do two weeks qurantine.

I do want to correct something that was said upthread though. Yes, Australia was lucky, and had the benefit of watching events unfold in Europe before things got bad here. But they acted quickly, shutting the border hard and fast. Most people can't get their head around your borders still being open. But the virus hit in March/April which is in Autumn, not summer, although admittedly winter here is warmer weather than UK summer, so there is that. Actually it all kicking off as we were going into winter maybe helped as Aussies tend to hibernate a bit when the weather is cooler. So yes, we were lucky, but our State Premiers also acted decisively and quickly, which certainly helped consolidate any luck we had.

No not now !

@MrsTerryPratchett

I thought Disneyland was clased.

Just checked and still closed as of today. I think they're using it as a vaccination center?

@OnItCarBonnet

We were always going to be hit badly by this pandemic, regardless of measures, because so many factors went against us. A North-temperate climate, low flu seasons for prior 2 winters (high proportion of vulnerable individuals), high obesity, an international travel hub, covid being in the country since late 2019 (first registered death was 30/01/20) and establishing itself during the winter months, high population density particularly in areas with high deprivation, an underfunded and madly managed healthcare system, and more.

Australia and New Zealand got VERY lucky. Being in the Southern Hemisphere with temperate climates (Australia partly tropical but most live in temperate areas), the virus arrived in their summer months. They would have done pretty well anyway, but their seasonality, along with the location and set-up on their countries, allowed them a longer timeframe to organise and close the borders. They are not the shining example that a lot of people think they are.

The US states are a great test study to show that restrictions have minimal effect. All states have different levels of restrictions, but there are minimal differences in case numbers and deaths between neighbouring states with similar climate conditions and populations.

In the U.K., we’re still in lockdown because the British press and the government have done a splendid job of convincing the public that we’re all dirty germ machines who are all at high risk of death. We have convinced ourselves that lockdowns work, because we’ve put a lot on the line for them. So we must continue with them, because to admit our strategy was wrong would mean that most of it (hand-washing, protecting the vulnerable and investing in healthcare and cluster tracing measures aside) was a waste of time.

Massive anti-lockdown, well, anti any interventions rant.

Australia, was not " lucky", steps were taken, mistakes made and lessons learned. Oh and bugger off with your ill-informed "analysis". Health is the concern of states and territories, not "Australia".

"They would have done pretty well anyway" ? Meaningless speculation (see above)

Onitcarbonnet - I think you have no idea what you’re talking about in relation to Australia. Best you don’t comment.

Disneyland is closed. Disney World is open.

Disneyland is closed. Disney world in Florida isn't.

The state that has been under restrictions the longest is having the worst time (california). Still their hospitals coped. Florida has been fully open for months and their trajectory has been much the same as California. Hospitals coped there also. Cases and hospitalisations are now dropping in most of the country regardless of whether restrictions and mask mandates are in place.

They are looking to reopen Disneyland soon also as the local economy has been devastated due to the closure

link

France is on a lockdown of sorts - but they had an extremely tough lockdown before (for what it was worth) when they had to have permission slips to leave their homes. They have curfew at the moment from 6pm and schools are open but primary kids need to wear masks.

The Netherlands is on lockdown with curfew from 9pm. Schools are closed (think primary will open next week) and have been since December. Restaurants there can do delivery but not takeaway. No travel outside NL until end of March at least. NL restrictions are now preventative due to the English variant because the "old" version has a low r rate. Governments have seen what happened in London over Christmas and then Ireland and don't want to be in that situation. Problem is, not all populations/voters followed that so many think it's ridiculous!

I was also following Belgium too but stopped that - basically shit there one way or another too.

Love how a thread about what’s going on in Germany and US turned into how Australia just got lucky.