Final Word – Before Lock-down.
When it comes to this virus garbage, I don’t buy it. None of it. Well, hardly any of it. The powers that be are using it as a smoke-screen for other things. What exactly, I cannot tell you as I do not own a crystal ball (or know how to use one). No doubt this will all become apparent in due course. Meanwhile, here in New South Wales, there are more new rules to be obeyed…
Don’t be afraid…
The worst part for me is how they have used this virus to scare people. That is totally unacceptable. With the help of the mass media they have done a bloody good job of frightening the shit out of most people. If you read any of my articles on this scare ‘panic-demic’ you will see that I try to do the opposite. Almost belittling the threat. At least it may appear that way – but not really.
It is not that I am totally unafraid. I am one of the lucky few who has never had the flu (of any kind). Every time they come out with a new scare story, about some new strain that will wipe out x million people world-wide, I do stop and think. Maybe this is the one for me! I will get this flu this one time and the little fucker will finish me off.
But you can’t live your life hiding from something that you cannot see, hear or feel in any way – until you have it (I guess). I fully understand for the elderly or most vulnerable. But how many of those are there? It should certainly not be taking over the lives of everyone. Normality has to be the priority in these cases not hiding away and shutting down whole countries.
Breaking News
The New South Wales government passed new rules last night which effectively put people on lock-down – in everything but name. With some pretty severe punishments if you don’t abide by the rules. However, there are sixteen (16) caveats, nicely referred to as “reasonable excuses” – see below. Reading through the list it does seem as though there is scope for manoeuvre here. It looks like a test of how well you can blag it out with the cops then…
For the record, here’s the full list of reasonable excuses:
- Obtaining food or other goods or services for the personal needs of the household or other household purposes (including for pets) and for vulnerable persons
- Travelling for the purposes of work if the person cannot work from the person’s place of residence
- Travelling for the purposes of attending childcare (including picking up or dropping another person at childcare)
- Travelling for the purposes of facilitating attendance at a school or other educational institution if the person attending the school or institution cannot learn from the person’s place of residence
- Exercising
- Obtaining medical care or supplies or health supplies or fulfilling carer’s responsibilities
- Attending a wedding or a funeral
- Moving to a new place of residence (including a business moving to new premises) or between different places of residence of the person or inspecting a potential new place of residence
- Providing care or assistance (including personal care) to a vulnerable person or providing emergency assistance
- Donating blood
- Undertaking any legal obligations
- Accessing public services (whether provided by Government, a private provider or a non-Government organisation), including social services, employment services, domestic violence services, mental health services, and services provided to victims (including as victims of crime)
- For children who do not live in the same household as their parents or siblings or one of their parents or siblings — continuing existing arrangements for access to, and contact between, parents and children or siblings
- For a person who is a priest, minister of religion or member of a religious order going to the person’s place of worship or providing pastoral care to another person
- Avoiding injury or illness or to escape a risk of harm
- For emergencies or compassionate reasons.
Numbers 1 and 5 look good to me. But with fines of $11,000 or six months’ jail? it’s a bit of a gamble…Watch this space…