Day (08) 02 January

Today I decided to spend sometime discovering what other people have been saying about quarantine. For the uninitiated, the Australian government requires anyone arriving in the country to quarantine at a government run hotel for 14-days with few exceptions. This is amongst the toughest regime in the world compared to the many countries that specify self-quarantine at home. Using news reports and ABS data it would appear that there are about 10-12,000 people in quarantine at any one time. That might sound good for the hotel business but equates to only about 20% of the available hotel beds in the major cities and approximately a 97% drop in arrivals from overseas.

Flicking through Google search results it becomes apparent that most of the news coverage comes from March to July 2020 when Australia first implemented mandatory quarantine. Inevitably the news media focuses on bad news stories, over time these have tended to move from objections to the principle of mandatory quarantine to food and access to fresh air. It is not clear if the level coverage has dropped off because the news media has since moved on or the complaints have stopped. A consequence is that the occasional ‘escape’ can come across as a major incident and reflect badly on a system that overall seems to be working quite well.

Perhaps a more reliable and balanced source of experiential reporting are personal blogs and Facebook groups such as the one for guests of the hotel I am in. Here the comments are largely positive with compliments to the police and armed forces as well hoteliers. A few individuals highlight personal problems though many seem to get resolved satisfactorily. 

Despite the inconvenience I have to conclude that Australia has made the right decision and overall made a good job of implementation. Everyone travelling to Australia knows the situation and whether or not they had a choice to travel were still able to factor quarantine into their preparations. The reality of Coronavirus is that the virus is a moving target. Once we leave our confinement we will join a society living a relatively normal life, most of us having left countries in the midst of a Covid-19 crisis and facing extreme lockdowns. Our quarantine makes a crucial contribution to the pleasant life we will be able to enjoy after 14 days in isolation. Sounds like quite a good deal to me.

Daily facts

Sleep: quality 84%, in bed 8h 44m, asleep 8h 23m

Breakfast: cereals (hurrah)

Lunch: grilled portabella mushroom sandwich, side salad NO DESSERT!!

Dinner: teriyaki eggplant, very small cup cake (similar to yesterday, eggplants must be in season)