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Monday, November 16, 2020

New lockdowns in US; Border closings in Australia

Oregon, New Mexico order lockdowns, other states consider options | Fox News - Peter Aitken:

November 15 - "Oregon and New Mexico governors issued orders for tighter measures in the face of spiking coronavirus cases, including near-lockdown conditions.

"New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham closed statewide in-person services for non-essential activities starting Nov. 16. It will last for two weeks, although that may be extended.

"Oregon Gov. Kate Brown issued a similar order, called a 'Two-Week Freeze.' Starting Nov. 18., most indoor facilities, such as gyms and restaurants will close, and indoor capacity for essential services such as grocery stores and pharmacies will be limited. 'Since I announced a Two-Week Pause one week ago, we are seeing an alarming spike in both cases and hospitalizations,' said Brown. 'The virus is spreading in the community and, every day, it is infecting more and more Oregonians'.... 

"North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum announced a mask mandate that would take effect immediately and run through December.... Burgum ordered all bars and restaurants to limit capacity and suspend service between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo embraced the overnight curfew for dining services, a move the governor said aligns with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. 'We did that with New Jersey on bars and restaurants, with the closure of 10 p.m.,' Cuomo said during a Friday conference call with reporters.... Nevada Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak repeatedly argued that containing the virus is largely up to individuals." 

Read more: https://www.foxnews.com/us/oregon-new-mexico-order-lockdowns-other-states-consider-options


Australia back on COVID-19 alert as cases jump in southern state | Al Jazeera:

November 16, 2020 - "The Australian state of South Australia has reported 14 new coronavirus cases, a dramatic increase from the previous day, prompting other states to tighten internal borders amid concerns of a new virus hot spot. South Australia ended a months-long streak of no COVID-19 infections on Sunday, reporting three locally-acquired coronavirus cases after a worker from a quarantine hotel infected family members, the authorities said....

"Since the neighbouring state of Victoria came out of a lengthy lockdown earlier this month, Australia has had several days of no new coronavirus infections. The country has only recorded near 28,000 coronavirus infections and just over 900 deaths due to strict measures such as international and state border closures, lockdowns, mandatory social distancing and widespread testing and tracing....

"Western Australia, which borders South Australia, ordered new arrivals from the state to undertake mandatory tests and self-quarantine for 14 days; the island state of Tasmania ordered immediate self-quarantine for people who had arrived from South Australia in the past week and the Northern Territory ordered people arriving from the state to enter supervised quarantine. Local media reported passengers arriving from South Australia being in tears when told they would have to go into 14-day quarantine when touching down in Western Australia on Monday morning."

Read more: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/16/australia-back-on-covid-19-alert-as-cases-jump-in-southern-state

UPDATE: According to today's Guardian, the current South Australian outbreak was begun by a care worker who contacted the disease in a quarantine hotel and spread it in the community. Note that the other Australian states' response has been to start packing people, infected and non-infected indiscriminately, into their own quarantine hotels. Good luck with that strategy, Australia. - gd  

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