Well, the Queensland Government has removed all restrictions on folks entering Queensland. We were promised that would happen when 90% of the population was vaccinated. That figure has been reached. Hopefully we’re inching towards becoming Australians again, instead of being Queenslanders. Mind you, I’m not in a hurry to go interstate. You never know what those pollies are going to do.
Being double or even triple vaccinated does not mean that we’re immune to the disease, just that we won’t get as sick. In most cases, anyway. Pete and I, and most of the people here, wear masks to the shop. We’re certainly well past the age of thinking we’re bullet-proof.
To be honest, I don’t know what else governments can do. The vaccine can only do so much – we’re dealing with a virus. Viruses mutate and vaccines, like the annual flu vaccine, have to change to match. We’re going to have to live with it and those of us who are older and/or carrying other health conditions will have to continue to be extra careful. That said, life is for living, not closeting oneself at home just in case.
The business with Novak Djokovic lingers on. He was allowed into Australia after appealing against the cancellation of his visa, but it seems he wasn’t altogether truthful about his movements. His entry application stated he hadn’t travelled elsewhere in the fortnight before coming to Australia. That wasn’t true. He went to Spain while positive to covid What’s more, he conducted a face to face interview with a French sports reporter without telling him he had covid, and he did not isolate himself in Belgrade when he learned he had covid. A lot of people are not happy with Mr Djokovic’s conduct.
I watch the show Border Security from time to time. I can imagine some of the travellers in that program trying to argue that sorry, I ticked the wrong box, it was an honest, human mistake. Oh, and it wasn’t me. My agent filled it in. And I’m a tennis player, number one in the world. I suspect they would have been given the requisite ten minutes’ thinking time for a reason why their visas should not be cancelled. Not many of them had access to a string of lawyers, either.
I don’t think the case has been well handled but it seems quite a few other tennis players are questioning why he was being allowed to stay. They had to meet the conditions of entry, what makes him special? A poll conducted by The Australian newspaper indicated that around 85% of the people who took the poll felt Djokovic should be sent packing. I have to agree. Players’ health should come first. Even if they are all vaccinated that does not make them immune. Moreover, most Australians are heartily sick of ‘elite’ people being able to get around the rules that everybody else has to deal with. I was pleased to hear that Djokovic’s visa has been withdrawn. But, of course, he’s wheeled the lawyers in again so we’ll be hearing about this for a few days longer.
The fourth cricket test in Hobart has turned out to be very entertaining. England must have been cock-a-hoop with the Aussies at three for twelve. But even with the top four batters out for two tenths of not much, the boys bounced back. It’ll be interesting to see what the English batters can do on a pitch that must remind them of home.
On the home front, we went for a walk on our beach the other day. It was dead low tide and we watched a dad teaching his little girl how to fly a kite.
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