COVID-19: NSW cuts international arrivals by 50% from 1500 to 750 per week temporarily

Gladys Berejiklian, NSW Premier has cut the number of international arrivals in half due to the staff costs of thousands of police and health workers required to run the hotel quarantine program which only records a few COVID-19 positive cases.

Presumably, these resources can be better deployed on policing health restrictions and used at testing and vaccination centres.

The Premier also said the cut to international arrivals was only temporary, lasting for a month. She is prepared to look at home quarantine once the state reaches vaccination targets – now expected in mid-October.

2PAXfly Takeout

This is another timely reminder to wear your seatbelt when seated. Holding you close to your seat will protect you from the sort of injuries sustained on this flight, when unsecured passengers flew to the ceiling of the aircraft, and then came crashing down once the ‘drop’ ceased.

The hope will be that this is an anomaly – a ‘freak accident’ in casual parlance. If it is a systemic error either mechanical or electronic, then this is a larger concern for the airlines that fly Boeing Dreamliner 787 aircraft. Let’s hope it isn’t. If it is, it will pile on the woes to Boeing’s existing stack.

This is not good for international repatriations, or for airlines flying into Australia.

Interestingly this decision appears based on economics, not health advice.