COVID-19 Update / Australia / 27th, 29th & 30th May

So here we go.....again!
A man spent two weeks in hotel quarantine in South Australia and returned to Victoria in early May and then tested positive.
In the last day, we have seen 12 linked new cases in Victoria, bringing the total number of cases linked to that SA hotel quarantine breach to 26.
One of those people is in an ICU, on a ventilator, and in not a very good way.
In the last day, evidence is they are dealing with a highly infectious strain of the virus which is running faster than they have ever recorded.
There are at least 10,000 primary and secondary contacts who are being isolated.

Therefore from midnight, Victoria will go back into lockdown - for the fourth time.
People can leave the house only for five reasons: caregiving, essential shopping, exercise, essential work and to get vaccinated
A single household can invite only one person into their bubble.
All non-essential stores are to close.
Take-away is still OK.
Masks must be worn everywhere.
Major sporting events will continue, without crowds.
More than 150 sites (including private homes) have been identified as exposure sites.

So South Australia, the Northern Territory, Western Australia, Queensland and Tasmania have now closed their borders to Victoria, or to parts of Victoria.
New South Wales has also released new health advice for Victorian travellers:
Anyone travelling to NSW who has been in Victoria after 4pm today (Thursday) must follow the stay-at-home measures that will apply in Victoria, which were announced by the Victorian government this morning.

As we have mentioned before, hotel quarantine ‘escapes’ have been the major source of outbreaks. While quarantine is federal responsibility, they have so far left it up to the states to manage.

Of course despite rumblings that is a dereliction their duty, they have been quite happy to let this situation ‘run’ to avoid any backlash when situations like this arise.
Time may be running out for them however after this latest outbreak.

Update: 29th May

Today, Saturday, the number of active locally acquired coronavirus cases in Victoria is 35. All are linked to the latest cluster.
There were 56,624 test results received on Friday - the highest single number of tests completed in a day in Victoria since the pandemic began.
There are now 15,000 Victorians in isolation after potentially being exposed to virus.

The 7 day lockdown continues.

Update: 30th May

Five more cases reported overnight.

As of May 28, just under 15 per cent of the population had received their first vaccination dose and about 1.3 per cent had been fully vaccinated, according to The Age ’s COVID-19 vaccine tracker, which is based on federal and state health department figures.
Australia, which Mr Morrison our Prime Minister once claimed was “front of the queue”, ranks 119th in the world for the percentage of its population that has been fully vaccinated.
This is an appalling statistic.

A Late Autumn Date Day

The co driver had to pick up some shoes she had ordered from a little boutique in Moruya so it’s was a good opportunity to have another date day in that area.
The Dowry is a cute little shop full of quirky bits and pieces as well as nice women’s clothing. 

But for me the building is the highlight. It’s an old bank building constructed in 1905 in the Federation style whose facade has been well preserved.

Then, on the way to lunch, we had to of course pass a quilt shop and, surprisingly, make a stop.

Stephs was originally in Moruya but moved to Broulee, a small coastal village nearby, and is doing well there.

Then it was onto Mossy Point just to the north and the cafe there that is situated in the area’s old general store.

It was good to try a new place and it did not disappoint. Great atmosphere, excellent service and delicious food and coffee.

The pulled pork burger with pickled red cabbage, kewpie/sriracha mayo on a toasted bun with lots of beer battered chips was very yummy.

We then took the scenic rural route into Batemans Bay. 

It was my turn to spend a little. 

I always enjoy half an hour at Dan Murphy’s looking through their international wine collection and stocking up on some French, Italian and Spanish bargains.

They came to the party once again.

So then it was home to light the fire, sit back and relax after a great day out and wait for the super blood moon eclipse. 

Photo:@scott.portelli 

Grapes in Late May?

The co driver came home the other day with a bag of white table grapes from the supermarket.
Grapes in May I thought? That’s very late in the year.
They were branded Autumn King.
So I did a bit of investigation.
Autumn King is a late-season white seedless table grape developed by David Ramming and Ronald Tarailo of the USDA-ARS in Parlier, California.
The cultivar, formerly known as C10, was released in 2006 and resulted from the cross of USDA selections A61-20 x B99-131. The parentage of Autumn King is complex and includes Agadia, Blackrose, Calmeria, Cardinal, Divizich Early, Italia, Maraville, Muscat Hamburg, Muscat of Alexandria, Perlette, Sultanina and Tafafihi Ahmur.
The only informative video I could find was American.
Check out the size of the bunches and the high trellising system.  

The cultivar produces medium-sized (0.5 kg), conical to cylindrical- shaped bunches that are medium to well filled. The natural berry size of Autumn King is quite large and without gibberellin or girdling, berry weight can average 8-9 grams or more. Berries are cylindrical to ovoid in shape, and have medium to firm flesh and skin. The berries contain 2-3 aborted seeds which are inconspicuous when eaten and the flavor is described as sweet and neutral.
Autumn King ripens mid-September through to November or about eight weeks after Thompson Seedless, the predominant white table grape.
That’s the USA seasonal range; delete 6 months (or add) for us down under.
There are four licensed Autumn King grape growers in Australia, all in North Western Victoria.

The Mouse Plague

The mouse plague out in western New South Wales in the grain belt has been going for months.

No end is in sight.

We have had a tiny outbreak here on the coast but nothing at all like these poor farmers and their families have experienced

Below is a video for the Australian Broadcasting Commission (our PBS) from their rural program Landline which covers this disaster.