OzFclass

What's the buzz, is the current COVID shenanigans likely to cause issues for the two wonderful programmed events ?

https://www.canberrarifleclub.org.au/ac ... ships-2021

While I've booked my hotel and travel, I'm expecting it to be cancelled. Sadly, it would not surprise me if the lockdown in NSW equals or exceeds the 4 months seen in Victoria last year.

While it's easy to be an expert in retrospect, Australia's response to COVID has been abysmal. Having a Prime Minister saying "This is not a race", sending a junior buyer to negotiate with Pfizer in July 2020 and missing that boat, having ATAGI base their vaccine safety recommendations on 1) Australia not having COVID and 2) the assumption that Pfizer is much safer than AZ (it is not), not building custom quarantine centres well outside our population centres... We have squandered our geographic and 2 summers advantages.

It is line ball as to whether any measures can contain COVID in NSW. It may be a case of too little too late. Of the 111 cases today 52 are linked to known cases, but 59 cases have an unknown source (ie community transmission). There were reported to be 29 of those cases active in the community while infectious.

In my opinion, the R0 (number of new people 1 case infects) of the original Wuhan variant was understated at 2.7, however with Delta the R0 is said to be 6 (quite possibly higher), so those 29 infectious people wandering around are predicted to have infected 29*6=176 others and there we have the problem - exponential growth. What we are seeing today represents what was happening last week and the week before when tighter restrictions were not in place.

What we need to see is the number of unknown source cases falling, as well as the number of infectious but active in the community cases falling. We are not seeing that yet so I expect it to get worse before it gets better.

Still on my calendar Josh. End of October is a long time away in Covid terms.

Really , the ONLY answer for our country is to get vaccinated as soon as possible. I had my second dose of astra 6 weeks after my first, just to get it done. My wife is also fully vaccinated, and my younger son in the USA. My older son is 32 and has not been vaccinated yet. If you can get a vaccination now then I would urge you to do so, because its the only way to reduce the more serious effects of the virus, and thus reduce the even more serious social and economic effects of the political reactions to the virus.

Hey Josh,

I just had a thought, if we all fly into Canberra, then maybe we can isolate at the range and make it a 14 day shoot

Still on my list for this year. Only time will tell, fingers crossed.

That's an awesome suggestion Bartman, on second thought, I really hate reloading...

Fingers crossed, ACT host an awesome Queens.

This event still isn't listed on the NRAA's calendar and it is nowhere to be found on the NRAA sight.

Neither is there any record of the last teams event in 2019…

Surely the NRAA are considering pulling this event or at least rescheduling given the situation in NSW at the moment?

Personally I think the NRAA are kidding themselves if they are trying to push this. There is no way shooting is so imperative it needs to happen with the covid situation around the country. The risk to shooters for loss of income due to flights being cancelled and the risk of potential quarantine and isolation costs, not to mention the chance someone in the shooting fraternity gets sick and possibly dies. It’s just not that essential.

Its unlikely that anyone from sydney will get to shoot before the end of the year

macguru wrote:Its unlikely that anyone from sydney will get to shoot before the end of the year

Unfortunately it's looking that way.

The SA Team has reluctantly withdrawn from the event and has proposed for the event to be postponed for twelve months.
Cheers Mark

Willow it gives me no joy to say it, but people have to be realistic. The only way politicians will get the nerve to reopen Sydney is when the vaccination rate gets over 80%, at least. Agree or disagree its just a fact. Infection rates might drop but don't count on it. If the VAX rate is 80-90% and people are still getting infected then at least they wont die. Then they will be forced to open up before we have a major economic depression. SO FFS GET VACCINATED NOW if you live in a lockdown area.

Two days shooting and two weeks quarantining is not a good ratio for enjoyment. I think that anyone driving into the ACT for the event will have trouble returning if things continue as they are. It makes things difficult for accommodation and travel arrangements to be made. I doubt if the NSW team would be allowed in to the ACT to compete at this stage.Regards Malcolm.