Electric scooters should be legal to help people travel during the time of coronavirus.

I have to admit I like electric scooters. They're fun to ride and they get you outdoors. As an older person I find the electric scooter as a wheeled recreational device (not riding on roads unless necessary) is safer than riding a bike on the road, but I have to admit, I think there should be guidelines and restrictions on their use.

I feel for a while a lot of people won't feel safe travelling on public transport with larger groups of people, I know I don't, so using an electric scooter for the last few kilometres of a trip to work or the shops will help people get and give them and their family peace of mind.

The following are a list of rules I feel should apply to electric scooters. I know others will see them as road vehicles but I personally don't. I see them as a wheeled recreational device.

1. Everyone should wear a helmet when using an electric scooter for their own safety.
2. Pedestrians come first. Only overtake a pedestrian if there's just one pedestrian. If there's two or more pedestrians walking astride, then dismount from the electric scooter and walk past with the scooter until it is safe to remount. (Upon a scooter rider ringing a bell pedestrians should attempt to move to one side, as they do for bikes on shared paths, so the rider can pass.)
3. Let pedestrians know you're approaching by using a bell, as there's nothing worse than a startled and unpredictable pedestrian.
4. Limit speed to maximum around 10kph or slower when around pedestrians. The current maximum of speed of around 25km/h is OK at other times, although as for any mode of moving, common sense should be used to adjust the speed to suit the conditions.
5. Electric scooters shouldn't be ridden on roads, except for short distances in the same way regular scooters can be ridden.
6. Electric scooters should be treated as a wheeled recreational device and obey the same laws.
7. Electric scooters should be able to be used on bike paths as per a wheeled recreational device.
8. Electric scooters should be able to used on walking paths as a recreational wheeled device.
9. People should not use electric scooters if affected by drugs or alcohol.

By treating an electric scooter as a wheeled recreational device they can be used safely and the rules are well known.

When I see electric scooters on the road it concerns me and it doesn't look safe because of cars. As with wheeled recreational devices, the only time an electric scooter should be used on a road is when it isn't practical to use on the road related area. For example when the road related area is unmade. (Road related has the meaning of not the road but things associated with the road such as naturestrips and paths.)

The one area I haven't quite decided on is whether or not electric scooters should be able to be used in bike lanes. I do think they should be allowed to use a bike lane when the bike lane is well defined. But when bike lanes finish and bikes would normally share the road with cars, this is where I don't feel the electric scooter should be used. In other words, if a bike lane finishes the electric scooter should revert to using the footpath area and not the road.

It should be illegal to use an electric scooter whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The reason is a large percentage of electric scooter users involved in accidents are affected by drugs or alcohol. If you look at the number of electric scooter accidents with a person is using a helmet and not being affected by drugs or alcohol, the number is very low making an electric scooter quite safe. The majority of accidents where people are injured occur when people aren't wearing a helmet and/or are affected by drugs or alcohol.

I thought I'd pen my thoughts on using an electric scooter because I feel the legislation needs to be amended to cater for electric scooter users and electric scooter users need clear guidelines and rules on how electric scooters can be used and integrated into our society.

It also concerns me that local governments are creating laws for electric scooter rental companies so the local councils can make money through fees. The laws should be made for everyone, not just for big companies or local councils to make money. Laws need to be, and seen to be, independent and fair.

As people start returning to work the electric scooter is ideally placed to help people get to work. People can drive close to work and then use the electric scooter for the last few kilometres. This can make getting to work more cost effective. Electric scooters are better than bikes for this purpose due to their size which makes them easy to take into work and to store. Bikes are more difficult to transport and store.

Electric scooters are also better when used with public transport. A small fold-up bike is still far too bulky for use on buses or trams. Yes you can use them in this way but they can easily block access by other public transport users. Even in trains the electric scooter takes up far less space than a bike.

From a security point of view I feel an electric scooter is easier to ensure it is safe and secure. With a bike locked up in a public area there's a high risk of the bike being stolen or damaged. I've tested leaving two bikes locked in public places and both were stolen. Because of the smaller size the electric scooter does not need to be left in a public area and can be generally be secured in the work location.

I hope my thoughts help in some way.

Kelvin Eldridge

Update: 24/05/2020
Below is a picture of my 20" bike folded and in its bag. I tried very hard to keep it close and out of the way of other bus passengers. The bike even though its folder still takes up over half the width of the walking isle. One elderly person still managed to kick it and wasn't happy at all. It's hard to take a folded bike on a bus, but very easy to take a folded scooter, although a folded scooter still does take up some space. I'd much prefer to take a folding scooter over a folding bike onto public transport.

Update: 3 March 2021

Upon further thinking over the idea of electric scooters using bike lanes on roads (not bike paths), I feel for simplicity and safety, electric scooters shouldn't use bike lanes on roads. The temptation for people using bike lanes that end, to continue on the road, I feel would be extremely high.

Interesting article on Victoria's coronavirus cluster using genomic sequencing.

I thought the following article was interesting. The article shows the clusters based on their genomic sequence which as I read it means they've come from the same source. From looking at the number of cases in Victoria this research was done in early April when there were a little over 1,200 cases. The data is from about 75% of the cases.

This data was before the largest cluster in Victoria occurred which occurred at Cedar Meats. If would be interesting to see how the clusters would look with more recent data.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/dozens-of-covid-19-clusters-found-in-victoria-new-report-reveals-20200519-p54ug3.html

The following article was used to estimate the date from the number of cases in Victoria.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/datablog/ng-interactive/2020/may/20/coronavirus-active-cases-australia-data-update-how-many-new-numbers-today-map-stats-statistics-hotspots-postcode-covid-19-deaths-death-toll

I hope others find this article interesting as well.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.mapz.com.au/coronavirusvictoria/

Added links to videos for Speed Cameras and Red Light Cameras in NSW

For Victoria I've been able to record and add dashcam videos for red light cameras and speed cameras to the Speed Camera Locations site located at www.SpeedCameraLocations.com.au. For some locations I haven't yet been able to visit, I've been able to find others have already made videos available of their driving which also include the speed camera or red light camera. For example locations in regional Victoria. I hope to eventually get to the rural areas, but at this stage linking to other people's videos enables people to easily access a video of the location and helps promote the effort of the people who have taken and shared their videos on YouTube.

With border lockdowns across Australia it's unlikely I'm going to drive to NSW or SA anytime soon so finding and linking to videos people have shared from NSW and SA is a good option for people interested in red light cameras and speed cameras in those states.

Last night I added quite a few links to videos for locations in NSW. Please keep in mind sometimes the cameras can be on the opposite side of the road, on the corner opposite as the car is taking the turn, and sometimes, it may be visible on the corner of the street the car is driving across. Whilst I personally like to take videos from the driver's perspective as they are driving through the red light camera or speed camera, in the case of videos created by other people this isn't always possible. My feeling however is it is better to have a video of the location than no video at all.

The following is a list of the locations for the red light cameras and speed cameras added yesterday.

Hume Highway and Hoxton Park Road,Liverpool (Opposite side of road)

Copeland Street / Hume Highway and Elizabeth Drive,Liverpool (Opposite side of road)

Cumberland Highway and Cabramatta Road West Northbound,Cabramatta West

Cumberland Highway and Cabramatta Road West Southbound,Cabramatta West (Opposite side or road)

Cumberland Highway and St Johns Road Southbound,Canley Heights / Cabramatta (Opposite side of road)

Cumberland Highway and Canley Vale Road Northbound,Canley Heights

Cumberland Highway and The Horsley Drive,Smithfield (Opposite side of road)

Merrylands Road and Sherwood Road,Merrylands West (Around corner on opposite side)

Arthur Street and Centenary Drive,Homebush West / Strathfield (In left street)

Homebush Bay Drive and M4 Eastbound On Ramp,Homebush West

Lane Cove Road and Coxs Road Northbound,North Ryde (Obscured by bus)

Lane Cove Road and Coxs Road Southbound,North Ryde (Centre of road)

Ryde Road and Lady Game Drive,West Pymble (Centre of road on other side)

Northern Distributor, between Towradgi Road and Railway Street Southbound,Corrimal

Northern Distributor, between Towradgi Road and Railway Street Northbound,Corrimal

Princes Highway, between Grevillea Park Road and Black Diamond Place Northbound,Bulli

Princes Highway, between Grevillea Park Road and Black Diamond Place Southbound,Bulli

Great Western Highway and Marsden Street,Parramatta

Great Western Highway and Coleman Street / Hawkesbury Road Westbound,Mays Hill

Great Western Highway and Coleman Street / Hawkesbury Road Eastbound,Mays Hill (Opposite side of road)

Great Western Highway and Station Street,Wentworthville

Great Western Highway, between The Valley Road and Sun Valley Road,Valley Heights (Opposite side of road)

Pennant Hills Road, between Castle Street and Bellevue Street Northbound,North Parramatta

Pennant Hills Road, between Masons Drive and Suttor Avenue Northbound,North Parramatta / Oatlands

Pennant Hills Road, between Masons Drive and Suttor Avenue Southbound,North Parramatta / Oatlands

Pennant Hills Road, between Evans Road and Coleman Avenue,Carlingford

Pennant Hills Road and Beecroft Road,Pennant Hills

Pennant Hills Road and The Comenarra Parkway / Parkes Street,Thornleigh

Thomas Street and Metcalfe Street,Wallsend (Opposite side of road)

Griffiths Road and Turton Road,Lambton

Sydney Harbour Tunnel, between Cahill Expressway and Warringah Freeway Southbound,Sydney

Eastern Distributor , between Oxford Street and William Street Southbound,Darlinghurst

Kingsway, between Sylva Avenue and University Road Eastbound

Kingsway, between Sylva Avenue and University Road Westbound (Opposite side of road)

The Kingsway and Port Hacking Road

Captain Cook Drive, between Cawarra Road and Gannons Road

Captain Cook Drive and Foreshore Boulevard Eastbound

Captain Cook Drive and Foreshore Boulevard Westbound (Opposite side of road)

Hopefully you'll find these videos to be useful. You can easily view the video by clicking on the marker for the camera location which takes to the detail page. On the detail page for the camera location are links to the dashcam video if available, as well as other links to the location using Google Maps, Google Maps aerial view, Google Maps Street View.

With videos if the video is short, around 30 seconds to a couple of minutes, it is usually of just the section of road. If the video is long the video is started approximately 15 seconds before the camera is visible and continues for as long as your wish to continue watching. You can rewind and fast forward through the video to find what you are looking for.

One additional change I made yesterday is the marker I use on the map for speed camera locations. The marker is a camera. If the camera has a white lens there is no video. If the camera has a red lens a video is available. The following are two examples of the markers with the red and white lenses.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.SpeedCameraLocations.com.au

New locate speed camera location feature added to Speed Camera Locations site.

One thing I miss when using the Speed Camera Locations site is the ability to quickly find a speed camera or red light camera. Yes you can move around the map, but to me that feels a bit cumbersome. If you don't know the area it can be hard to find the location on a map.

Whenever I read posts on the internet with people having a problem with a speed camera or red light camera, I like to check out the location out and see if the same problem may affect others. I've learnt quite a few things this way I wouldn't have otherwise known. The cameras are often in areas or other states and not in area I'd normally know. An ability to quickly find the location based on the street or suburb would make things much easier.

For that reason I've now added to each of the pages for VIC, NSW and SA, the ability to locate a camera. You can find the locate option underneath the zoom buttons located below the map.

When you click on the locate link you'll go to the  Locate page. On the page you'll be able to enter the location or part of the location. For example you could enter the suburb, street, or part of the suburb or street name. You'll then be presented with a list of cameras which contain the text you entered. From the list of cameras you can now click on the link for the camera and go to the detail page for the camera. On the detail page you can then explore the area where the camera is located using Google Maps, Google Maps aerial view, Google Maps Street View, and if available, watch a dash cam video showing the camera and nearby area.

It should be noted the locate feature is only for the current state you are viewing on the site. The design of Speed Camera Locations is each state is kept separate so the locate feature is also kept separate for each state.

I hope this additional facility makes it easier to use the Speed Camera Locations site.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.SpeedCameraLocations.com.au 

Ruby Princess compared with Cedar Meats coronavirus / COVID-19 outbreaks in terms of percentage infected.

There is no doubt the Ruby Princess coronavirus outbreak has been devastating. I'm always aware when travelling on a cruise there's a probability of getting the norovirus, gastro, etc., but I don't think anyone would have anticipated just how bad the coronavirus would hit cruise ships.

There's been a number of environments where coronavirus outbreaks have been particularly bad. Often these are places where there's a considerable number of people in close proximity for a period of time.

I started to wonder how does the outbreak on the Ruby Princes compare with the outbreak at Cedar Meats. More specifically how many passengers were infected on the Ruby Princess compared with how many staff at Cedar Meats were infected, as opposed to how many additional contacts were infected.

According to the following article with the Ruby Princess there were more than 440 (let's say 440) infected passengers out of 2,700 passengers that were allowed to disembark.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/mar/31/more-than-400-coronavirus-cases-australia-total-ruby-princess-cruise-shipj

So far (as at the 14th of May) Cedar Meats have had 64 staff confirmed with COVID-19. It was earlier reported that all 350 staff were to be tested. New cases may still be identified.

https://www.news.com.au/world/coronavirus/australia/coronavirus-australia-live-updates/live-coverage/09f8ee7d306d3800c277bb0c8aa858db

This now gives us our figures were can compare.

For the Ruby Princess as a passenger, the percentage of passengers infected was 16.2%.

For Cedar Meats as a staff member, the percentage of staff members infected was 18.3%.

This is certainly not the outcome I would have expected. I am sure there have been and are outbreaks that whilst smaller in terms of number, but percentage wise have been far greater than the outbreak on the Ruby Princess.

I don't know about others, but putting things into perspective often helps in making better decisions, to understand what is going on around me.


Kelvin Eldridge
www.Mapz.com.au/coronavirusvictoria/

Update: 16/05/2020
I thought I'd add the statistics for Newmarch House in NSW. According to their site (https://www.anglicare.org.au/what-we-offer/residential-aged-care/residential-aged-care-locations/kingswood/) there's 102 residents and as of May 13,  there were 37 residents (https://thepulse.org.au/2020/05/13/covid-19-statistics-for-nsw-may-13/) who were infected. The percentage of residents infected so far has thus been 36.3 per cent.

Thoughts on the COVIDSafe app

This post has been created to enable me to collect and collate information about the COVIDSafe app which I feel is interesting and may interest others.

When people ask me what do I think about the COVIDSafe app, which usually means in terms of whether they should install it or not, I don't have a clear answer.

In an ideal world where nothing goes wrong you could install anything. But the world isn't ideal and things do go wrong.

Personally I will hold off installing the app. At this stage that's not a big issue because whilst the COVIDSafe app may be available for download and installation, the data cannot get to those who would need to use it to assist with tracking. That part for whatever reason is not yet complete so the whole system is not complete.

For Apple iPhone users the app at this point is of limited value. If the COVIDSafe app is not active and the screen unlocked, the app doesn't work as it should. Apple needs to update their operating system and that's going to happen, but probably only when Apple and Google launch their own contact tracing apps.

I also have a concern on the design of the app which means the large collection of data on Australians will be occurring and to me that is a concern. That COVIDSafe app also collects data that isn't really required and may even be a risk for some people.

The COVIDSafe app is designed to store data centrally on Amazon servers (reportedly costing around three quarters of a million dollars). The data is stored in Australia, but Amazon is an overseas country and as such answers to an overseas country, the United States. Hackers also have no concern for borders. Keep in mind up to 10% of people working in organisations that have access to the data may not be as law abiding as the rest of us. In the 911 bombings Homeland Security found 3% of people were too dangerous to let on planes and up to 10% in total needed to be stopped before being let onto planes. To have access to data that links people to other people at such a detailed level stored online can only be a concern. Thinking it through the design of the COVIDSafe app could have been completely decentralised. All the data gathered could have been encrypted and held on the mobile phone and accessed if and when required by contract tracers. There would be no reason to register any data to use the app. The fact the government has chosen not to go that way means they have reasons for not doing that, that we don't know about.

Data registered with the app is your mobile number, an age range and your postcode. None of this data is necessary if the data was stored locally. In addition, from what I've read, the app stores in the logs for the app the type of phone a person connects to. By inspecting the logs it may be possible to infer who a person's been with, or that they weren't where they say they were. This I've read could be a concern for people in abusive relationships. By collecting any data that's not strictly necessary increases any potential issue significantly. In one article it stated the date, time, distance and duration of time with the contact.

If encryption does work, with an app that stores data locally, when a person's mobile phone connects to a nearby phone, the only data that need be collected could be the mobile number. That mobile number along with any other data such as length of connection, could then be encrypted and stored on the mobile phone. Contract tracers could then use the list of phone numbers to follow up those who had potentially been exposed. All data encrypted and stored locally on the mobile phone. Nothing collected that wasn't necessary and much less exposure.

Today I also say a last minute change in the legislation and this is a reminder we are talking about legislation that can be changed in future and that doesn't mean it won't change.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/virus-app-bill-introduced-to-parliament/7ad5d23f-8b19-4554-a1e5-edb78329dd12

The change was "People could refuse to allow others into their home if they didn't have the app" and that means having or not having the app has started to potentially impose restrictions on people. Earlier it's been mentioned "Under the proposed privacy laws, business owners can't ban or refuse to serve people if they don't have the app", but that begs the question, what about other organisation that aren't business owners such as schools or other government entities. Is it possible we won't be allowed to drive on public roads if we don't have the app installed? Once the government starts including one rule that imposes a restriction or reduces the rights of a person it potentially opens up the ability to impose further restrictions or reducing people's rights. To me this is very concerning.

One piece of information I thought I'd mention is the app uses an ID to store on another person's phone. The ID is stored encrypted. The ID is generated and refreshed after two hours. The problem is if the person isn't connected to the internet the ID does not get refreshed. Some articles have reported two hours is a long time and could be used to track people. If you think about it most trips you take to get somewhere will be less than two hours so with access to the data it may be possible to track people in some form. What this also tells me is the app is communicating with a government run server/service and this can be monitoring our use and in fact the communities use of the app pretty much in real time. My mind starts to wonder what other information can be recorded and collected when a device is using the internet on an ongoing basis such as the IP address. All this metadata is outside that collected by the app and may not be covered by the legislation.

The following are some articles I found interesting and thought others might as well.

https://www.news.com.au/technology/gadgets/mobile-phones/covidsafe-app-data-yet-to-be-used-bluetooth-fix-reliant-on-apple-google/news-story/748f12bdf35179705b6d4e86c2da34db

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/us-access-of-covidsafe-data-not-conceivable-but-legal-advice-not-released-20200506-p54qff.html

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-02/coronavirus-app-currently-not-fully-operational/12208924

https://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/678801/covidsafe-explained-everything-need-know-about-australian-government-coronavirus-app/

https://techsafety.org.au/resources/resources-women/covid-19-tracker-app-advice-for-survivors/

https://www.smartcompany.com.au/coronavirus/covidsafe-tracking-app-secure/

https://www.ag.gov.au/RightsAndProtections/Privacy/Pages/COVIDSafelegislation.aspx


Issues with other apps

I thought I'd raise one issue that may be a concern for some people. I read the COVIDSafe app may interfere with other apps people may run such as a medical monitoring app. If this is possible it may be wise to use the COVIDSafe app on a separate mobile device.

I'll continue to update this post with information I find relating to the COVIDSafe app.

As a final comment keep in mind tha COVIDSafe app gives you one thing you can't get any other way. If the app is working then if someone who has the app is in your vicinity and is later shown to have been infected, your contact details will be available to the health department and they'll be able to contact you. That is a very good benefit as it lets you know you've been exposed and then you can take precautions to protect yourself, your family and others.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.Mapz.com.au/coronavirusvictoria/

Update: 14/05/2020
https://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/business-law/some-improvements-required-covidsafe-bill-parliament

Update: 16/05/2020
Using a Bluetooth scanner app on an Samsung S7 I wanted to see if I could see two Apple iPhones. Without COVIDSafe installed the scanner app did not locate either of the iPhones. Once the COVIDSafe app was installed on each of the iPhones the scanner could detect both of the iPhones and determine one was an iPhone 6S and one was an iPhone 7. Once the iPhone's screened locked and the COVIDSafe app went into the background the scanner could no longer see the iPhones. This leans towards confirming issues with Apple iPhones when the COVIDSafe app is not currently running on the screen.

Update: 21/05/2020
If you haven't updated the COVIDSafe app (perhaps you have automatic updates turned off) it's a good idea to update the app. Found the following information which contains information on updates.
https://www.dta.gov.au/news/next-release-covidsafe-live

Update: 24/05/2020
I've visually checked the files in an Android mobile and not currently found any information that is clear text that would give me information as to what mobile phones are around me. This isn't to say there isn't, but if people are using basic tools in the mobile phone to check folders and files, they may not easily find any information.

Update: 18/06/2020

The following news article shows how the government mislead us as to how effective the COVIDSafe app really was on iPhones when it was released. I still doubt how effective it is on iPhones. If you read the articles you'll see they mention keeping one iPhone unlocked to get moderate performance if the other iPhone is locked. The reality is most people walk around with their mobile phones locked. I doubt COVIDSafe on the iPhone in normal use is effective at all.

https://www.news.com.au/technology/gadgets/mobile-phones/covidsafe-app-worked-less-than-25-of-the-time-on-locked-iphones-at-launch/news-story/ea179d7f13daf70867cceec6a39841b9

However, having said that, what I'd suggest is when you enter an area where's there's other people, open the COVIDSafe app on your iPhone and don't let your iPhone lock. That way you improve the chances of other mobile phones being detected.

Update: 30/06/2020

The following article shows the COVIDSafe app has hardly been used.

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/despite-6-million-downloads-the-covidsafe-app-is-yet-to-detect-any-unknown-coronavirus-contacts

Through my own testing and watching downloads it makes sense the COVIDSafe app isn't getting useful results. First with downloads I can't be sure but based on early numbers of downloads I'd suspect about two thirds are iPhones. I tested an iPhone 7, iPhone 6s and Samsung Galaxy A20 recently and the iPhone 7 was not able to be detected using a Bluetooth scanner if the iPhone was left and locked the screen. In addition I recently visited the Apple store in Doncaster and did a Bluetooth scan. Only one iPhone visible. Not one additional person to alert as a contact in Victoria shows something is seriously wrong and the app is simply not performing. Try it yourself. Download a Bluetooth scanner app and see how many phones around you, you can detect.

What the app needs is visible feedback it is working. Right now you have no idea if it's working or not. Give me a count of the number of devices found around me and how many have been in contact for the required time. If I walk into a restaurant and there's no phone detected that lets me know the app isn't helping me in any way. Currently the blind assumption it's working doesn't cut it for me.

For example if I walk into a restaurant I'd like to think the owner or staff have a phone recording those in the restaurant, including me, so if someone in the restaurant is infected I'd get notified. Right now I can't be sure the app is doing anything useful and the lack of results for contact tracing is confirming it probably isn't doing anything useful.

Update: 9 July 2020

I can't help feeling the COVIDSafe app has been a waste of time and money. The real issue is many Apple users are given a false sense of security when using the app and that is a worry if it encourages them to undertake risky activity because they feel safer. This is an example of where the government has not kept us informed. Apple iPhone users could use a spare Android mobile phone to keep them safer if they knew this was a problem.

https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2020/07/08/covidfail-app/

Apple users should assume the COVIDSafe app does not work until they are given a clear guarantee from the government it does work. The media has picked up that Scott Morrison mentioned the COVIDSafe app once in the last fortnight yet prior to that, it was key to keeping Australians safe. This is a clear indication the government knows more than they are letting people know.

Based on my very rough estimate of downloads stats I'd estimate around two thirds of the roughly six millions downloads have been Apple users. Potentially that means up to 4 million people with an app that doesn't work as promoted. Leaving just two million Android users with a working app. That's going to be under 20% of phone users and far less than is needed for the COVIDSafe app to be useful.

Update: 10 July 2020

The following shares a business and their team's experience with the COVIDSafe app where one team member tested positive. Given that all team members have the COVIDSafe app and spend time together, no one else was notified as a close contact by the Health Department. This is a further indication the COVIDSafe app is not working as we've been told. The one question I would have is, "what type of phones do they have?"

https://www.news.com.au/news/melbourne-man-claims-covidsafe-tracking-app-failed-to-notify-him-about-close-contact-with-positive-case/news-story/9b3b13bf1a9a284fc765c724c3885c9d

Update: 14/07/2020

Another article showing people in high-risk situations not getting alerts.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/coronavirus-covidsafe-tracing-app-labelled-a-failure-after-not-helping-identify-potentially-exposed-people/2698ebf0-31fd-488f-a4e7-2afbb276a303

Update: 3 August 2020

COVIDSafe app finds two cases.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/covidsafe-app-helps-identify-two-new-coronavirus-cases-in-sydney/131d1689-faca-4775-a279-ae2f7e867b04

Update: 10 August 2020

Today the COVIDSafe was promoted for the recent success of finding 544 contacts with two being positive. The trouble is this is exactly the same news that came out a week ago. If you weren't following the news you'd think the COVIDSafe app was finding more contacts. With over 7 million people downloading the app and hundreds of cases in Victoria a day, it's hard to imagine why the COVIDSafe app is not finding more contacts.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/coronavirus-covidsafe-app-nsw-sydney-outbreaks-tracking-hundreds-contacts-health-authorities-tech/047b61ba-7315-432b-a1c3-761a595fe556#close

Update:22 October 2020

I thought this article had some good information on numbers detected by the COVIDSafe app.

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6960916/an-almost-antiquated-phone-technology-has-become-an-unlikely-hero-in-2020/

Locks like there's been 14 close contacts but no cases found in NSW and no cases anywhere else.. With current estimates of COVIDSafe costing close to $6 million, that's lot of money for very little return.

The real irony is the COVIDSafe app could be useful. The worst feature is it offers no feedback it's actually doing anything. However it could easily be used when people go to restaurant or business. That way people don't have to provide their contact details. With visible feedback that would enable people to see they've at least connected with someone such as the owner of the business or a senior staff member. No need to collecting anyone's data.

Update 5 November 2020

COVIDSafe app has been of no material benefit according to the SA Police Chief.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-04/coronavirus-covidsafe-app-effectiveness-questioned-by-sa-police/12846556

Update 5 November 2020

It does look like using mobile phones and Bluetooth for contact tracing isn't cutting the mustard. In a study the Google-Apple API approach was shown their approach did not work on public transport. So it looks like it's not only Australia's COVIDSafe is less than useful.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/z3epje/google-and-apples-contact-tracing-api-doesnt-work-on-public-transport-study-finds

 

Update to Victorian restrictions for coronavirus / COVID-19

Today's the day many of us have waited for, the easing of some restrictions. I think most of us could see nothing was going to change before Mother's Day as to do so, would encourage a very large number of people to go out and meet. Perhaps the best of ideas given the current situation. Yes, it's not popular but that's the way it needs to be.

Today the government has pulled back the restrictions slightly whilst still encouraging us to stay at home if we can. Today's announcement now lets us visit family and friends and have them visit us, up to five people.

For me the main restriction is the ability for family to see each other. I think this should have been possible earlier since most people I know are self isolating, so the risk has been very small. However, just because we're like that and many other people are, there's still a reasonable number of people who aren't and thus the restrictions.

You can find details of the Premiers announcement on the government's website.

https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/statement-from-the-premier-38/

One thing that has disturbed me a little today is Daniel Andrews has stated in Victoria "we've never had any restrictions on how far you can travel". I find that hard to believe. Police have booked at least one person for travelling to exercise with their mountain bike (later withdrawn). Feels like there's a disconnect between what the Premier has said, or not said, and what the police force have been doing. Not a big deal but at least we now know there's no restriction on how far we can travel.

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/health-problems/coronavirus-australia-live-coverage-staggered-work-times-to-avoid-covid-crush/live-coverage/eb19ad9cf818eb8014a3a031deaf3b5a

I also found the information posted by Simon Love (State Political Reporter - Network 10) was very handy. I suspect this would have been the handout provided to reporters. If you click on the image your can view the information in detail and step through the pages.

https://twitter.com/SimoLove/status/1259653489942126592/photo/1

I am honestly still confused as to what people can and can't do.

Can a person sit in a State park and read a book?

What does gathering mean? Can the up to 10 people gathering in public mean they can have a BBQ?

Can I buy takeaway and sit in my car and eat it?

When I see police in NSW driving police cars through parks and telling a person reading a book by themselves to move on, it just concerns me what police will do and how they will interpret the rules. After all, try to fight a $1,600 fine in court if you think you're not doing anything wrong. It's simply not worth your time or the risk where you might even incur a greater court cost.

If you're doing something where you're not in contact with other people there shouldn't be an issue, but that doesn't mean you're allowed to do it.

The statement from the Premier saying there's never been a limit on how far you can travel is only obtained by reporters asking questions. I don't think that should be necessary.


Kelvin Eldridge
www.Mapz.com.au/coronavirusvictoria/

Early cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) I thought were interesting and worth sharing.

I've been reading a number of articles which indicate earlier cases of coronavirus and thought the articles worth recording and sharing with others.

In the following article there were 10,000 athletes who visited Wuhan 20 days before the first case of coronavirus in Wuhan. Many of the athletes became sick. It would be interesting to test the athletes for antibodies to see if any had coronavirus.

https://www.news.com.au/world/coronavirus/health/coronavirus-theory-virus-hit-europe-after-athletes-competed-in-wuhan/news-story/0eff8f20123f23aa445a085a97d8db9b

In the following article a French person had coronavirus in December 2019. The article states it was before the first official cases in Wuhan. Although the above article states the first Wuhan case was in November so there's inconsistency in articles. The French man had no connection to China.

https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/new-evidence-on-french-covid-19-patient-suggests-virus-may-not-have-started-in-china-c-1021446

If I find other such articles I'll update this post with links.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.Mapz.com.au/coronavirusvictoria/

Melbourne Petrol Price Hike Alert - Unleaded petrol increasing to around 119.9.

Two nights ago I noticed the first signs of the petrol price hike. Some petrol stations had increased to 121.9 and others to 119.9. Today it looks like the new price is going to be around 119.9.

The current gate price (think wholesale price) is 89.9. The gate price has been slowly increasing since April 20, when the gate price was 80.5. The price hike for unleaded petrol is around 30 cents per litre which is lower than it has been for many months. Typical price hikes recently have been around 40 cents per litre or more. Perhaps it's because the price of unleaded petrol is low, a 40 cent price increase could really get some bad press.

It's now time to keep an eye on petrol prices and fill up when the price is still low. Also keep in mind the & Eleven Fuel app enables you to lock in 7 Eleven fuel prices for an additional week. Recently 7 Eleven changed their offer so you no longer need to have credit on your rewards card to take advantage of locking in the cheaper petrol prices.

I can't help thinking we're not going to see such low prices, perhaps ever in my lifetime. The coronavirus has certainly had a major impact in many ways.

Even less with a discount voucher.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.PetrolPricesMelbourne.com.au

Deeming Calculator updated with new deeming rates from May 1, 2020

The Deeming Calculator has now been updated to reflect the recent change in deeming rates.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.DeemingCalculator.com.au

Meadowglen Primary School and Cedar Meats Australia coronavirus further information.

Last night I read two articles about positive coronavirus cases. One was for the case at Meadowglen Primary School in Epping and the other for the cluster at Cedar Meats Australia in Brooklyn.

First a big thank you to the management of Cedar Meats Australia for letting the general public know the cluster is related to their workers. It really is good to know as it means we as the general public don't have to guess or worry. Knowledge gives us certainty. The government isn't giving us this knowledge so it really is appreciated when companies and individuals share their story. This is a pandemic. It is no one's fault if they get infected. None of us can help it if we get infected. That's just the way it is.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-04/coronavirus-victorian-cases-climb-cedar-meats-abattoir-brooklyn/12209776

What to me has been interesting is to see the Cedar Meats cluster is related to the Sunshine Hospital case that was reported on the April 29.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-29/coronavirus-patient-sunshine-hospital-and-melbourne-childcare/12198054

The worker from Cedar Meats went into hospital for surgery on Thursday the 23rd of April due to a workplace accident and later developed a cough on the weekend of the 25/26. Four coworkers later tested positive for COVID-19. In all there's no been 43 workers from Cedar Meats to test positive for COVID-19.

Given the Victorian State government is pushing hard to test 100,000 people over two weeks, you have to wonder why they don't test people from companies where there's been more than one person infected.

The second is the retired music school teacher who went into the school to record some videos for online teaching.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-03/coronavirus-victorian-government-to-shut-down-school/12209794

I have to thank The Age and Keith Campbell, the teacher on this occasion, for providing a more complete picture of what happened.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/pub-outbreak-leaves-primary-school-all-shook-up-20200504-p54pqa.html

Why this is interesting it appears Keith was infected at the Eagle bar (Eaglemont Cellars) between the 15th and 17th of March where Keith and his daughter performed as musicians.

Keith's daughter who was in the band with Keith got infected and was tested on the 31st of March and subsequently returned a positive result. Keith's granddaughter who is 9 was also infected and became very ill.

Keith tried three times to be tested but at that time his symptoms weren't considered bad enough to be tested.

The Eaglemont Cellars and Wine Bar have posted a reasonable amount of information relating to the timeline from their perspective on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/EaglemontCellars/posts/2605206636272950?__tn__=K-R

The following article was published about the cluster.

https://www.gold1043.com.au/lifestyle/real-estate-finance/five-cases-of-positive-coronavirus-tests-linked-to-melbourne-wine-bar/

Articles report it is felt the original infections occurred on the 14th of March when there was a birthday party held and there were a number of overseas guests from the UK. I could not find any solid confirmation of the original source being identified. Reportedly 30 cases have now been linked to the pub.

What is good from this article is a couple of things.

1. Testing has now been extended so someone like Keith could be tested and know if they have the virus.

2. Keith has provided an example of his granddaughter who contracted the virus and became seriously ill. This is very important as far too many people believe young people can't be infect or infect others.

3. Keith's test appears to be a false positive due to remnants of the virus in his system. It is important to keep in mind test results can end up being a false positive. If this is the case the school was closed for no reason. It is of course better to be safe than sorry.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.Mapz.com.au/coronavirusvictoria/

Update: 6/5/2020
According to the following article the first case connected with Cedar Meats was on the 2nd of April. The worker had not been at work for four weeks. The second and third cases nearly three weeks later, one being the person who went to Sunshine Hospital.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/melbourne-abattoir-cluster-grows-but-is-it-all-bad-news-20200505-p54q1r.html

Another four cases connected to the Cedar Meats cluster.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-06/coronavirus-cases-in-victoria-rise-including-meatworks-cluster/12218540

Sour Cream & Onion Stacked Chips - Pringles vs Aldi vs Woolworths vs Coles

My first experience with stacked chips was I just had to try out the new Pringles. So different and I wasn't disappointed. It's been a long time since I've had stacked chips (times and interest changes), but then I thought, why not compare the stacked chips from Aldi, Coles, Woolworths and Pringles.

How does Pringles stack up to the others?

The flavour of choice - Sour Cream & Onion stacked chips.

The test team - 7 family members.

Each family member had a pen and sheet of paper and asked to give their feedback on the various stacked chips labelled A, B, C and D. Only I knew which was the Pringles, but I paid no attention to the others.

What was their favourite?

Were there any surprises?

The results

Family member 1 - Me
A - Slightly chewy
B - Slightly light in taste
C - Smaller
D - Nothing stood out
Overall - To me all pretty much the same.

Family member 2
A - Good
B - Better than good
C - Not as good
D - The best
Overall D the best and C the worst.

Family member 3
A - Little salty
B - Good
C - Not salty
D - Not bad. Want more
Overall - D was their favourite

Family member 4
A - More salty
B - Subtle
C - Bland, smaller yellow biscuit
D - Sour cream and flavour, colour.
Overall - D was the favourite and C was their least favourite

Family member 5
A - Thought to be Aldi. Third choice.
B - Strong flavour. Second choice
C - Fourth choice
D - Strong flavour. First choice
Overall - D first choice, C last choice

Family member 6
A - First
B - Third
C - Second
D - First
Overall D was the first choice.

Family member 7
A - Fourth
B - Second
C - Third
D - First choice
Overall - D was the first choice.

Overall D was the first choice for everyone who had a preference. Interestingly a couple of people stated C was their least favourite.

Which chips were which?

A = Aldi - Sprinters Snack Stack Stacked Chips, Sour Cream & Onion, 160g - $1.59
B - Coles - Sour Cream & Onion Stacked Chips, 160g - $1.80
C - Pringles, Sour Cream & Onion, 134g - $4 (on special for $3)
D - Woolworths - Sour Cream & Onion Flavoured Stacked Chips, 160g - $1.80

When everyone was told the Pringles stacked chip was C, there was a surprising outcry of no way. Some saying that was my worst. Quite a few people were shocked. I was quite surprised by the response.

Summary

Whilst this taste test is by no means scientific, from out family members' testing of the stacked chips, the real surprise was the Pringles was the least preferred. The favourite by all six who had a preference was D, which was the Woolworths stacked chip.

Given Pringles costs more than twice as much as the other brands, and is around 16% smaller, the Pringles stacked chips did not stack up well. The Woolworths was the top of the stack.

I hope you've enjoyed the Sour Cream & Onion flavoured stacked chips taste test. Next time perhaps try the Woolworths brand.

I should add this taste test is not sponsored by anyone other than myself. And yes I did get to finish off what was left over. Something I perhaps shouldn't have done.

Kelvin Eldridge

Aldi Titan bar versus Mars bar.

In this test two of us had half an Aldi Titan bar and half a Mars bar.

Person 1 - Blind test
Prefers Titan to Mars
Titan looks better
Seems like Titan has more caramel

Person 2 - Me, knew the products
Both very similar
Titan has a slightly grainy texture but only slight.
Mars a little more gooey
Happy with either
Both sickly sweet

Price information
Aldi Titan bar 60g - 69 cents
Mars bar from Coles 53g - $2, half price special $1

Overall, since the Aldi Titan bar was preferred by one person and equal with the Mars bar for the other person, the Aldi Titan bar could easily be purchased instead of the Mars bar. From a price point of view the Aldi Titan bar is nearly a third of the normal retail price of the Mars bar from Coles and the Mars bar is actually smaller at 53g versus 69g.

Based on this information the Aldi Titan bar is by far the clear winner.

Kelvin Eldridge

Nathan Cleary not fined, but the five women were fined.

I thought it was interesting to read that Nathan Cleary was not fined recently for a gathering at his home, whereas the five women concerned were fined.

https://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-investigating-after-new-videos-of-nathan-cleary-emerge-phil-gould-reacts/news-story/96b4fee28b60e79a243e8db5a136a2b1

The reason given by police was that house belonged to Nathan Cleary. The legislation in Victoria, if I read it correctly, would have meant Nathan Cleary would have been fined if this occurred in Victoria. I decided to read the legislation to see how the legislation in NSW and Victoria differ.

You can find NSW's legislation at the following location.

Public Health (COVID-19 Restrictions on Gathering and Movement) Order 2020

You can find Victoria's legislation as the following location.

Stay at Home Directions (No 4)

Where the legislation differs for this situation is the legislation for Victoria clearly puts the responsibility for not letting people into their home on the resident, whereas for NSW, there's no such restriction. You can find the relevant section in the Stay at Home Directions (No 4) in Part 4, Section 11, Point 3. "During the stay at home period, a person must not permit another person to enter the premises as which they ordinarily reside, unless:", and the activity Nathan Clearly participated in wouldn't have come under the list of exemptions.

I find the differences between the laws interesting as I would not have thought that would be the case. Yes differences for some localisation, but not in overall principle. This really does show that if you're gaining information from the media, you need to pay particular attention to which state the story is about.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.Mapz.com.au/coronavirusvictoria/

NOTE: This post is not legal advice. It is simply my observation as a non-legal person reading the information provided by the government.

Car Versus Public Transport cost comparison has moved.

About a year ago I wrote the Car Versus Public Transport calculator to enable people to easily compare the cost of using a car versus the cost of taking public transport.

For a couple of reasons I've decided to merge the Car Versus Public Transport with the Car Running Cost Calculator. By merging the two calculators it will make it easier for people to find the Car Versus Public Transport calculator. In  addition, since it's necessary to first work out how much it costs per kilometre to use your car, the Car Running Cost Calculator is now more easily accessed from the Car Versus Public Transport calculator.

Kelvin Eldridge
Car Versus Public Transport cost

New coronavirus cases in Victorian Local Government Areas (LGA) - 24/04/2020 - 30/04/2020

The following are the new coronavirus cases in Victoria listed by Local Government Area. Numbers are correct at 11:59pm on the prior day but could change based on subsequent investigation. All figures are as per the Victorian Government's website.

Reported on Thursday 30/04/2020

2 BOROONDARA
1 HOBSONS BAY
1 MELBOURNE
1 MELTON
1 WYNDHAM

Reported on Wednesday 29/04/2020

1 KINGSTON
1 WELLINGTON
1 WHITEHORSE

Reported on Tuesday 28/04/2020

1 BOROONDARA  

1 MOIRA  

1 YARRA  

Reported in Monday 27/04/2020

1 Melton 

1 Port Phillip 

Reported in Sunday 26/04/2020

1 Melton  

1 Stonnington  

Reported in Saturday 25/04/2020

1 Melbourne  

1 Stonnington  

1 Wyndham  

Reported in Friday 24/04/2020

1 Banyule

1 Brimbank  

1 Darebin  

1 Glenelg  

1 Kingston  

1 Moreland  

In the past 7 days the following Local Government Areas have reported cases of coronavirus.

1 Banyule 

1 Brimbank 

1 Darebin 

1 Glenelg  

1 Hobsons Bay 

1 Moreland 

1 Port Phillip 

1 Wellington 

1 Whitehorse 

1 Wyndham 

1 Yarra 

2 Kingston 

2 Melbourne 

2 Stonnington 

3 Boroondara 

3 Melton 

In the past 7 days the following Local Government Areas have no reported cases of coronavirus.

Ararat 

Ballarat 

Bass Coast 

Baw Baw 

Bayside 

Benalla 

Campaspe 

Cardinia 

Casey 

Central Goldfields 

Corangamite 

East Gippsland 

Frankston 

Gannawarra 

Glen Eira 

Golden Plains 

Greater Bendigo 

Greater Dandenong 

Greater Geelong 

Greater Shepparton 

Hepburn 

Horsham 

Hume 

Knox 

Latrobe 

Loddon 

Macedon Ranges 

Manningham 

Mansfield 

Maribyrnong 

Maroondah 

Mildura 

Mitchell 

Moira 

Monash 

Moonee Valley 

Moorabool 

Mornington Peninsula 

Mount Alexander 

Moyne 

Murrindindi 

Nillumbik 

Northern Grampians 

South Gippsland 

Southern Grampians 

Strathbogie 

Surf Coast 

Swan Hill 

Wangaratta 

Warrnambool 

West Wimmera 

Whittlesea 

Wodonga 

Yarra Ranges 

Yarriambiack 

Kelvin Eldridge

www.Mapz.com.au/coronavirusvictoria/

Notes: 

It should be noted this is the residential address when the case was notified and not necessarily the current residential address or the location where the infection occurred. Cases with an overseas address have not been included. Cases with an interstate address are not included. Cases with an unknown address are not included. It is felt these will be resolved and included later in the relevant location.

Travel ban from Italy may have changed the course of the coronavirus in Australia.

At the time and now also looking back, I must admit I was quite annoyed the government didn't move quickly on the travel ban from Italy. It almost felt like the ban was being delayed due to the Melbourne 2020 Grand Prix. Whether it was or not will only be known by the government but perhaps in years to come we may find out.

Thank goodness a team member was infected otherwise the Melbourne Grand Prix would have gone ahead and who knows what level of infection would have occurred.

I think this is where the government got it wrong. If the government used its modelling now and went back and made the decision to ban travel from Italy and implement tighter quarantine measures it would be interesting to see how much the curve would have been reduced. It may even be that we'd have eliminated the virus now.

The huge impact of the Ruby Princess on NSW would likely not have occurred if the bans were started earlier. With an extra week of travel bans the passengers would have no left the ship in such an uncontrolled manner.

The following article appeared on the 11th of March 2020.

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/formula-one-narrowly-escapes-australian-travel-ban-on-italy-20200311-p54918.html

I remember it was frustrating at the time. Add that Scott Morrison was still talking about attending his beloved Sharks NRL match, it appeared he was either keeping up appearances for Australians, or just didn't get it at that stage.

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/formula-one-narrowly-escapes-australian-travel-ban-on-italy-20200311-p54918.html

Thankfully that changed and the government caught up to where they needed to be.

The quarantining of everyone coming into Australia into hotels is where we needed to get to. Asking people to self-isolate just doesn't work because of the nature of a portion of the people. I couldn't help feeling that one thing the government could have done was to compensate people for having their liberty taken away from them. It was necessary for them to be quarantined but it's almost like they were doing the community services. They'd done nothing wrong.

The one thing I feel the government is still doing wrong is not providing the valuable raw data that lets us know what is really going on. Victoria did this for a while. We were informed where infected people had been and we could make sure this had no impact on us. Then all of a sudden the Victorian government stopped providing the information. That to me means something is being hidden from all of us.

Could the governments of Australia do better. Absolutely. However in my mind they've done very well and I'm thankful for the efforts. I'm thankful for those who have been quarantined in hotels. I'm thankful for the many people around me who really are making a considerable effort to self isolate and social distance.

Thank you.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.Mapz.com.au/coronavirusvictoria/

Strange coincidences. Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson.

Ever thought a coincidence you just discovered was so amazing you just had to share it? OK. I thought I'd share a couple of recent coincidences that came about because of the coronavirus.

The first was I was trying to work out the timeline for when Richard Wilkins was infected with the coronavirus. The following is the timelines I could ascertain from the media and other online sources.

Rita Wilson live at Sydney Opera House
Saturday 7 March from 8pm
Richard Wilkins meets Rita after the performance.

Rita attended Channel Nine Sydney studio on Monday 9 March.

Monday 16 March 7 News article
https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/richard-wilkins-tests-positive-to-covid-19-c-746279
Richard Wilkins tests positive

Monday 23 March - Richard Wilkins Facebook account
Day 12 of quarantine still positive. - Indicates self quarantined on possibly Friday 13 March
Tested positive 9 days ago - Indicates tested positive result Monday 16 March as per news article.

Now for those who don't know, Rita Wilson is Tom Hanks wife.

The coincidence. Does anyone recall the name Tom Hanks character (Chuck Norland) gave to his companion, a volleyball, in the 2000 movie, Cast Away.

Yes. Tom Hanks volleyball companion was called Wilson.

The name reportedly came about because the volleyball was made by Wilson Sporting Goods.

I couldn't help feeling there may have been a little chuckle about Tom Hanks wife's last name also being Wilson.

As a final point, if you watch a video of Tom Hanks throwing the volleyball, you'll notice his fingers are quite wide apart. The fingers which become Wilson's hair are close together.

More recently I was saying the word influencer and influenza and couldn't help feeling with my rather slack pronunciation, the two words sound very, very similar. Even their meanings are close, one who spreads the word and one that spreads.

If there's such a thing as a good outcome with the coronavirus, social distancing is affecting the number of laboratory counts of influenza, which as the following article states, is down from 11,159 in March 2019 to 5,435 in March 2020, and that can only be a good thing.

https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/6715247/cold-coughs-flu-and-fever-are-tracking-down-with-increased-social-distancing/

I thought I'd share in case others had experienced such coincidences and thought they were worth sharing.

Kelvin Eldridge

Is a vaccine the only way out with the coronavirus?

Over the past weeks I've read of many things such as herd immunity, flattening the curve, etc, but the one thing I keep reading is the only way out with the coronavirus is for a vaccine to be developed.

I can't help feeling this may be wrong. Why? Because I think back to the recent past. Where's SARS now? Where's the Swine Flu? Where's the Aussie Flu? They're gone. Once the virus runs it's course it's gone. Perhaps they evolve, but basically from the general populations point of view they're gone.

Whilst we did move slower at closing the borders than I feel we should have, and perhaps slower at isolating people returning from overseas instead of relying on people to self isolate at home (which we know human nature means some won't), but overall I feel we've got there.

We need to social distance as a community because there's pockets in our community where the infection exists and there's no way to know where those pockets are until an outbreak occurs.

In time however, if we persist with social distancing and isolation strategies I'm hopeful the virus will die out. Then we need to keep the borders closed until the virus dies out overseas as well.

The one thing I feel that is missing is useful data that lets us know where the public exposure locations are happening right now, each day as the authorities find out. Then we can see if we've been exposed in any of those locations and minimise our chances of infecting others.

Yes the government is providing data daily, but it's what I'd call useless data. It's data that's counting things that's happened, not data that helps us.

Each day in Victoria there's now a relatively small number of new cases of coronavirus. Each of those cases is a person who has recently visited a number of places. All each state government needs to do is to make that raw data available and others will present the data in a form that's useful to the general public. Each day in each state there's potentially only a few dozen to perhaps the low hundreds of data points. If we have access to that data we can then use applications that track where we've been to see if we were at or near any of the public exposure locations. We could at the simplest level just check an online map each day.

My real concern is governments are going to look at technology to track all of us, and frankly that's not the type of data I'd be confident they'd use in ways we'd be happy with. I know where I've been, my car's dashcam lets me know and I'm sure we can all find apps to track our location without providing the data to large organisations that want to mine that data for other reasons. All I need to know is the public exposure locations and I have what I need for myself, my family and my friends. That means everyone who wishes to, would have what they need too.

If I felt I'd been in a public exposure location I'd closely monitor my health for anything unexpected. I'd self isolate (within 5 days there's 95% certainty you've not been infected) and I'm sure the majority of other people would as well.

Right now we have no real data. When we walk out on the street, go to the shops, go to work, we don't know anything about who has been infected around us. What shops they've visited, what trains or buses they've taken, nothing. This creates fear and uncertainty and that brings out the worst in people.

At the moment the state governments are not sharing the public exposure location data. That's a pity. Yet really there's also one other group that could change that tomorrow. Those who are infected. They could easily share the locations they've visited.

Unless we have data really the only thing we can do is assume everywhere is a risk. Every shop, every food establishment, every petrol station. Yet if you think about it, that's absurd. There's only a few dozen or less new cases in each state each day. That's a fairly small number of public exposure locations each day and knowing those locations, would give everyone peace of mind.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.Mapz.com.au/coronavirusvictoria/

NOTE: The ideas and thoughts in this post are mine alone and should not be taken as advice or guidance.

Dettol as a hand sanitiser for novel coronavirus COVID-19

I was chatting to a friend and he mentioned his wife made him up some hand sanitiser. I'd previously noted people using disinfectants and thought I'd share what I knew, as he knew less.

With a few questions I determined his wife had made up his hand sanitiser using Dettol.

In terms of Dettol being effective against the novel coronavirus they makers can’t yet say because the strain of coronavirus virus is so new.

The Dettol site says it should be based on past experience with the group of viruses called coronavirus, but can’t yet say without testing for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

At this point in time I’d stick with the known recommendation of using an alcohol based sanitiser just to err on the side of caution.

https://www.dettol.co.uk/about-us/understanding-coronavirus/

The following article explains why the Dettol packaging can refer to coronavirus before the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

https://www.aap.com.au/dettol-effective-against-known-strains-not-2019-novel-coronavirus/

The World Health Organisation has issued a publication for location production of "handrub", although the recipe is for large quantities.

https://www.who.int/gpsc/5may/Guide_to_Local_Production.pdf

There you go, now you know what I know. Hope it helps in some way.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.Mapz.com.au/coronavirusvictoria/