Note to Australia: be more French in the COVID-19 war

I think a crucial point is the use of disposable gloves when food shopping. I’ve seen people pick up fresh produce with their bare hands and then put it back. What are they thinking? Are they stupid. Any food outlet should be providing disposable gloves and strong signage about what you can and can’t do.

I expect when the final figures are in we will know the quality of the Australian response. At present the figures for total cases, deaths and new cases, adjusted for population look much better than France . We also have a much higher test rate. I sometimes feel we are rather too quick to bag our own country.

I totally agree with Noel McKay, have a look at the statistics @ 10th March. I know where I prefer to b

Hi Andrew
I think your point is very valid. A hard lockdown is essential to get control of the growth rate. If some people are sacrificing while others run around spreading the virus, little is achieved. Contrary to some of the comments, you can't catch the virus if you are not in contact with other people or keep your distance from them and what they touch. Bonne chance.

"A hard lockdown is essential to get control of the growth rate.":

Vaccination would be better. Inoculation next best. Chemoprophylaxis next to that.

Inoculation might be happening through natural spread of infections with a mild strain. But seems that no one is surveilling for that possibility.

You have taken this comment out of context.

Listening to the Prime Minister today reporting on his National Cabinet meeting I personally felt very proud to be Australian. I agree with him that the only place I want to be in present times is right here. I was in Europe three weeks ago and saw the need to get back home quickly. Luckily I managed to get a flight back, went into 14 days quarantine and happily came out symptom free.
I do feel that every Australian should be behind both State and Federal governments right now and avoid the temptation to criticise. For the most part, even the Opposition is managing to do this.
Best wishes to everyone

There was no need for the virus to be in Australia - how hard would it have been initially to quarantine flights like the rest of the world was - instead of posting a sign "if you've come from Wuhan and have symptoms please get it checked out".

Even now we're still bumbling around deciding what businesses stay open, how long you can spend at the hairdressers, how many can attend a wedding, funeral or boot camp. It's an embarrassment.

Forget France, look at the UK. Everyone goes home except essential workers on 80% of their wage, Government pays for it.

Australia, being the land that prides itself on the "sickie" and generous social welfare, is way behind the times in this regard.

Unfortunately it is the nature of our federation.

And of course our reliance on our politicians.

Avoiding the diseased while buying food, consulting doctor, emailing family, walking familiar tracks.

What is different from a normal day for the retired.

Maybe the Prime Minister will order lockdown tonight? ( long after the horse has bolted). It appears Australia is more interested in commerce than health. Queensland border is closed, many people, backpackers, migrant workers and grey nomads are travelling to NSW, many may be infected?
At times like this shouldn't there be one strategy for the whole country? I despair, everyone should be self isolating.

You (and you alone) are responsible for your well-being and by extension, the well-being of others. Now, what are you going to do about it?

Appreciate the article, but to be honest I think guys like this are part of the problem. Hanging laps around the neighbourhood with the dog sound swell and all, however, Mother Nature does not care about it being "real tough on the family". Bunker down, head out for essential supplies when required and repeat. There is no need to wait to be told what to do.

And as far as I can tell, initial lockdowns in Italy began on 21 Feb. How one rationalises a holiday to France in light of this who knows. Perhaps southern Italy is out of reach? Perhaps the holiday was already paid for? (See: Mother Nature). Perhaps it was already underway and couldn't be avoided - warranted. But this was not the only mistake. There was also a failure to correctly evaluate the decision to leave and return home (if there was such an opportunity). [My understanding is that the author lives in the UK].

I'm not just having a crack at the author here. It seems that people just do not get it. I have met health workers here in Melbourne catching public transport to work because they have not been told otherwise. I have met neighbours of mine, medical professionals, who applauded the Scouts adherence to "social distancing", despite an increasing rate of kids being reported as infected at the local school (which remains open - a separate discussion, mind you). And don't get me started on the AFL.

Dear "biggus",
Thank you for taking the time to make a comment. Regrettably the editor's description of this as a holiday trip was inaccurate; it was in fact a long scheduled return to Australia from the UK, via France. There was no discretion around the timing of leaving the UK; retreat was not an option; nor was three any discretion around the timing of re-entry to Australia, which is being driven by Australia's own quarantine requirements around animal movements. No flexibility has been offered around this, COVID or not.

As a result most of your assumptions and assertions are inaccurate (and a little prejudicial); this was not a reckless jolly into a known virus hot zone. Events unfolded very rapidly after our arrival.

This article was also in no way a request for sympathy! It narrates an unfortunate set of events to be sure, but many Australians are similarly caught in foreign countries and experiencing much worse than me. Its main purpose was to describe objectively what life in a very tight lockdown looks like, and by implication comparisons with what Australia has done so far.

Nor am I criticising what the Australian federal government has done so far. The French president has far greater powers than an Australian prime minister to implement policy, for a start. And the economic cost to France, its people, and society of its confinement totale policy will be certain and astronomic, while the benefits are uncertain. It is an exceptionally tough trade-off to make.

Hi Andrew, thanks for commenting, I have changed the description from a 'holiday'.

Thanks for the response Andrew. (Graham and Chris also).

I do not envy anyone with difficult decisions to make. Medical practitioners, business owners, politicians, people that keep things going for the rest of us, etc. And I think the truth is no one really knows how this will play out; what will work, what won't. What (and who) will survive and won't. From the information available, it just seems as if "we" (society) are going to be entering into a very difficult time. And of course I have the deepest sympathy for those who are currently subject to misfortune, and for those who may encounter it in the future. It's clear that a lot of people are doing their best with what they've got.

While blog commenting is not my preferred form of discourse, I suppose my intent was to highlight the responsibility we (can) have over our own predicament. Now, of course context matters - being caught in transit is very different to being on a holiday. And I would suggest that we perhaps have less control over things than we'd often like to admit. I'm sure the gods would attest. But we certainly have agency as individuals, and this in turn will influence our fate. That is my appeal.

I wish you and your family all the best (and Charlie the dog).

Biggus, re: AFL; the masses don't have their bread and circuses, that's what the politicians don't realise they need to keep them happy.

I spent some time in France last year and l found the French people l met polite and also had a sense of their place in the World, that they were part of something bigger than themselves. As one gentleman told me proudly, ‘We brought diplomacy to the World’. I think these traits will help France get through this. Australians seem to think that our actions are without consequence and fail to see the bigger picture, ultimately everything is interconnected. We rely on each other to survive.