Your conclusion "These restrictions will go on for years" is correct. In fact as long as we support these sociopathic bullies it will never stop.
This was never about the new "Common cold" variant it was always about power.
Every sitting politician should be removed without exception and let us promote some new rules. Any pandemic will result in a limit on any or all government payments. $40k p.a. limit on all political and public service pay and pensions and all allowances suspended.
If it cost one dollar to politicians it would be over in the blink of an eye.
Roll on rioting in the streets!

Yes. What pathetic people we are to put up with loss of freedoms. I agree with JBowyer, without the riots. But they will come. They already have in countries where freedoms are not taken for granted as they are in Australia.

Agree!! Given the mutations, may have to find another way beyond endless annual vaccinations to just lessen the severity?

One wonders if, given this thing creates antibodies. We can't attach some new age antiviral to a treatment that seeks out and destroys any element of the virus while not harming the host?

Of interest is a new breath test that seems to reveal both cancer and covid?

Perhaps indicate a new pathway to completely eradicate all the strains almost as soon as the sampling of sewerage systems reveals a new strain has migrated to these shores.

And will continue to do so until the drongos in charge get it through their unusually thick skulls that the way forward must include island quarantine for the infected/inoculation/routine multiple testing of staff and temporary island population.

Supported by total rolling island-hopping evacuations to eliminate any further transmission. And just allow sunlight to do what solar radiation does best! Disinfect the infected. Assisted by good natural convection reliant ventilation of all structures!

Many of which would be relocatable, polycarbonate glasshouses/shadehouses? Fresh food! Something to do with idle hands while passing time? Vacuum towers would allow the extraction of voluminous CO2, which could be used in the glasshouses to purge them and eliminate the bugs after pollination!

I mean the staff would need around a month or three on other isolation islands to eliminate their ability to carry the virus back to the mainland as would truly effective elimination of the virus in any host carrier!

Our west coast has dozens of completely uninhabited desert islands That only need water to turn them into habitable quarantine stations that could be transformed with MS thorium reactors and deionisation dialysis desalination.

MS thorium reactors would then guarantee 24/7 power and an endless supply of the alpha particle, bismuth 213. Which can be attached to this or that cancer antibody without harming the volunteering infected.

And use bismuth 213 as a smart bomb that destroys any trace of the virus in minutes? As it does with some cancers!? Worth a look?
Alan B.

From a political perspective, all this COVID disruption has made the fifty percent of the population owning property, even more wealthy.

Good’ol Gladdy in NSW found a few stray taxpayer dollars (after scorching $30m for her ex boyfriend to play with his land developer mates with), to wave around in front of cameras, during the making of an advertisement encouraging more free giveaways to the wealthy in solar panel subsidies.

Whereas...poor struggling home owners in Byron Bay, lament the fact the homeless are arriving at the tourist jewel from all points of the compass, disguised as back packers.
It’s just not fair on them they cry..(IE Gladies worthy people without solar panels adorning roof tops).

Ah...the Covid fall-out is so unfair.

Dan

Well, COVID took us by surprise so there was no time to apply the democratic process. Emergency textbooks existed to a reasonable degree on the medical side, but not on the ethical side.

Now is the time to sit back and work out well in advance the ethical aspects of handling future emergencies (not only pandemics), as well as approach the common people and poll for our preferred emergency-strategies within the limits of the ethical considerations.

So what are the ethical guidelines:

1) It is legitimate for people to protect themselves and act in self-defense.
2) Nothing else, other than self-defense, allows anyone to hurt or encroach on the freedom of another (note that whether and when it is acceptable for anyone to limit another's freedom in self-defence, is beyond the scope of these guidelines).
3) It is legitimate for people to form or join groups for the purpose of increasing their mutual ability to protect themselves. States (and the governments that run them) are an example of such groups.
4) It is legitimate for people to deposit some of their personal powers in the hands of such groups.
5) It is legitimate for people to forego some of their freedoms and invest them in such groups.
6) Groups (including states) have no more powers to act than the sum of the powers that were [freely] invested in them by their members.

In conclusion:

1) Nothing grants a group (including states) a right to defend those who never asked for its protection. However, when full knowledge is unavailable, it is alright for a group to protect others whom it diligently and honestly believes that on the balance of probabilities would have sought its protection if they could be heard.

And similarly:

2) Nothing grants a group (including states) a right to limit people's freedoms without their authorisation. However, when full knowledge is unavailable, it is alright for a group to limit the freedom of others whom it diligently and honestly believes that on the balance of probabilities would have authorised it to do so if they could be heard.

[continued...]

[...continued]

How do these general principles apply in the specific case of this article:

It is illegitimate for government to unconditionally order all people not to dance.

However, a government may reasonably order that people either:

1) Do not attend weddings where dancing occurs; or
2) Immediately after dancing in a wedding (or participating in a wedding where dancing occurs), return home directly and remain there for 14 days ; or
3) After dancing in a wedding, remain only (if at all) in the company of like-minded people who also accept this limitation, until properly isolating for 14 days sometime in future.

Along with that, those who intentionally take options (2) or (3), may not even consider calling a public ambulance if they become ill (until they isolated for 14 days with no symptoms).

Now just because an order is legitimate does not imply that it should necessarily be issued - whether and when such orders ought to be issued and how far apart (if any) must dancers be in that case, should be subject to the democratic process where it is discussed in principle and documented well before a pandemic starts.