In Adelaide, we've had two only cases of coronavirus reported: Chinese Nationals, who slipped into the country apparently to buy real estate, thereby closing down a real estate office for two weeks and probably ruining the chance of sale for the owners of the properties they visited, at least for the virus hysteria period, however long it lasts.

These two characters, now quarantined in hospital, claimed that they had been nowhere else but the properties they visited and the family home they stayed at. However, their mobile phones tell a different story. The health authorities are not disclosing just where these people have really been - they probably don't want any further hysteria.

Radio talk back has come up with a couple of incredible stories. A 'Chinese doctor' has reported that a patient refused to shake her hand. Would a doctor really report that? Would a patient enter the room of a doctor if he or she thought that doctor was diseased?

Another yarn has a 'Malaysian student' reporting that a 'white man' deliberately sat himself down beside her on a bus and advised where she should take her dirty little, virus-ridden self. Would a redneck who couldn't distinguish between a Malay and a Chinese really put his ignorant self at risk by sitting next to a disease carrier?

Nonsense from some race obsessed nitwit.

More credible are reports that China Town is deserted, and Chinese restaurants with high non-Chinese clienteles are closing up or struggling.

While it is highly unlikely that long term Chinese living in Australia, even born in Australia, have had any contact with coronavirus unless they have visited China recently, hysteria has taken over. Chinese look different, so they are to be avoided.

So much for the "successful multiculturalism" myth and relativism that has quickly disappeared for people who look Chinese or Asian of some sort.

Our local small town has a community Face Book page and a few days ago someone with a Chinese name made a post about how it is racist to call the a corona virus the “ Chinese virus” and that we are all horrible people etc. As one local pointed out, no one ever complained that the Spanish Flu was a racist label.
If the virus does become the pandemic that health authorities fear, then we will see a further breakdown in the “ multiculturalism “ everyone claims exists around the world.
People have always been tribal and that becomes increasingly obvious in times of danger.

Are people aware that the Black Death in Europe in 1348 and the Spanish Flu had their origins in China. And of course SARS in 2003. Seems like there is something about that part of the world where viruses like to evolve (This is one for the historians to work out.)

Because Sydney has a very large Chinese population whose members are in transit between Sydney and their ancestral homeland I for one have been avoiding places where there are lots of Chinese. Why run the risk that I could get infected by someone who just got back from China?

I have been told that Chatswood, Rhodes, Eastwood, Cabramatta, Hurstville, etc., where Chinese make up to 90% of the population, are basically deserted because people are trying to avoid contact with the Chinese. Again, why run the risk?

I haven't used public transport for the last 2-3 weeks because half of the people using public transport in Sydney are Chinese. Again, why run the risk?

I haven't eaten in cafes and restaurants where Chinese frequent or prepare food. Again, why run the risk?

I don't think taking precautions against being infected by someone who has picked up coronavirus from a recent trip to China is being anti-multicultural. I see it as just common sense.

It'll be interesting to see if Fiji, PNG & some of the other small Nations will go ahead with engaging China's help if Australia doesn't cough up.
Now is the chance to talk to these nations about the amount of foreign aid from Australia & how much is not enough. Let them take in the Chinese fleeing from Wuhan, I'm sure they'll pay the prices asked !

I'm surprised there is a need for Qantas to bend over for the Chinese wanting out of China, when our own Government couldn't suck hard enough to make it happen, against the bleeding obvious stupid it was, as China itself was quarantining its own cities.

"...Look mommy, there is a Chinese man flying through the air, heading towards Sydney.
No Billy, that's only Scott Morrison breathing in!..."

Dan

Dear Mr. Opinion,

«Seems like there is something about that part of the world where viruses like to evolve»

Most likely, the indiscriminate eating of animals.

In the case of the current outbreak of coronavirus, it is probably of snakes.

Also Ebola and AIDS from Africa - bats and monkeys.

The bible instructs that if one really must eat animals, though ideally one should not, then they should be of lower risk: of beasts - only those that both chew their cud and have split hooves; of those who live in water - only those that have fins and scales; of birds - a long list is excluded, essentially of birds of prey; of creepy-crawlers, only 4 species are allowed. It also instructs to first let all blood out and use salt to ensure that none is left.

Mr 0,

The spanish flu originated in North America not China, and given your attitude towards the Chinese I doubt that you have spent any time with them.

Note that given the tiny no of infections in Aus, the odds that anyone even chinese has the virus yet is miniscule.

Shadow Minister,

You might be wrong there because it appears that researchers have traced the Spanish Flu virus to Chinese workers hired by the Allies to work on the Western Front during WW1. It appears they might brought the virus with them from China.

What happens when China brings the coronavirus under control? Does Australia reopen its borders to free travel between Australia and China with something like an average of ten thousand Chinese entering Australia each day.

Of course China will never be able to eradicate the virus and small incidences or outbreaks will occur from time to time. The virus will just lay dormant until the conditions are right again for an outbreak and health authorities will have to remain vigilant. So there will be people in China who will continue to be afflicted by the coronavirus. It will just be kept under wraps and not spoken about by the Chinese authorities.

So is this a ticking bomb for a city like Sydney with a very large Chinese population many of whom travel frequently between Sydney and China? It will only take one infected person to come in from China and introduce the virus into Sydney's densely populated Chinese communities. From there it can travel throughout the city by people going to and from their workplaces, shopping centres, etc. Next thing Sydney has a major outbreak.

For me, I see a ticking bomb just waiting to explode in our faces. And I think it is a time bomb that Australia's authorities are incapable of defusing.

And I think it is a time bomb that Australia's authorities are incapable of defusing.

Well, at least not as long as there are voters such as the author of the above sentence !
This nation needs thinkers & doers not tinkers & ooohers' !

individual,

So obviously you don't see any issues. Just reopen the borders, forget the coronavirus ever happened, and start refilling Australia with Chinese even if there is a risk that some of them might be infected by the coronavirus.

Isn't it funny how those on the loony Left have created problem after problem yet they always see themselves as the ones with the solutions ! When they get into Govt it's the Coalition that gets blamed !

individual,

It's because they don't want government in their lives any more. They're just sick of government being in their lives. They just want government out of their lives!

Sound familiar. Guess which Coalition loony I took that off.

Guess which Coalition loony I took that off.

Spoken like a true parrot !

Squawk! Squawk! Scotty want a cracker. Scotty want a cracker.

I just heard through the grapevine that the coronavirus lies dormant for longer than 14 days. Apparently it might be 4-6 weeks for a lot of people infected.

The worry there of course is that some people pass the 14 day isolation test only to be released into the general population where 2-4 weeks later they become ill but in the interim they are asymptomatic carriers spreading the virus.

So much for asking people returning to Australia from China to self-isolate for 14 days if that's the case.

This time next month, the media will stop obsessing about natural viral population control (always thwarted by medical science) and return to thrashing George Pell, whose appeal will be heard by the High Court on 11th. March.

A new alarm has 'leading researchers' saying that "The coronavirus could infect billions of people if it’s not contained soon, according to leading researchers".

With a billion people of its own could China, the source of coronavirus, be receiving a tap on the shoulder from Mother Nature? With humans being too stupid to control population, could it be that a 'power' that many of us scorn, is getting serious? Or, could it be that we just need to realise that diseases of all kinds, that researchers are scrabbling for cures to all the time, are the inevitable results of human laxity and unwillingness to call a halt to excesses in everything, including people.

ttbn,

Is there any truth in the Commonwealth lifting the travel ban on Chinese nationals this weekend?

Misopinionated,

The Black Death plague may have originated in central Asia, more specifically in what is now Mongolia. Maybe one or two thousand miles from China. Check out Fernand Braudel's chapter in his 3-vol work, on plagues.

Joe

Loudmouth,

Brian Fagan in one of his recent books (I don't recall which) has said that it started in southwest China, piggy backed its way along the Silk Road to the eastern Black Sea ports, hopped aboard an Italian trading vessel, and entered Europe via (if I recall properly) Genoa in 1348.

Which of Braudel's books are you citing?

If you have a look at the Wikipedia graph at bottom of p.5 in Will Sydney become another Wuhan? you will see that the numbers of infections in China just jumped from 44,653 on 11/2/2020 to 59,493 today (12/2/2020) i.e. +33%.

Up to 11/2/2020 they seemed to have it under control and then for some reason it has broken out again. What happened?

Chinese are flouting their travel ban by going overland to Lao and Thailand before flying out from Bkk

If Australians were a tad more patriotic the Chinese would be looking elsewhere to spread their wings & money !
Don't blame the Chinese for greedy, unpatriotic Australians !

individual,

I totally agree with you.

The Chinese have been brought in not for their culture but for their money.

Now they can start bringing in the coronavirus.

I just saw on the news that a Vietnamese town of about 10,000 people has been place under quarantine due to an outbreak of the coronavirus.

So looks like it has broken out of China and heading our way. All we need to do now is lift the ban on Chinese coming into the country to speed it on its way.