As COVID-19 approaches its second year, the excitement is fading away. Both fear and skepticism still exist, but there is also a growing group of people who are simply tired of it all.
The lockdowns and masks are starting to wear thin. We were promised a normal life if we just went along with all the policies, flattened the curve, wore the bloody masks, reported any neighbors that weren’t on board, and yet we are expected to jump through any additional hoops despite our compliance.
I can predict where the world’s politicians will go with this in 2022.
On one hand, we see headlines stating that the flu is making a comeback after taking a little time off. In the United States, flu hardly showed up:
- October 2019 – April 2020: 24,000 – 64,000 flu deaths
- October 2020 – April 2021: 646 flu deaths
There is some indication that things are getting back to “normal”. I would present that things were not ever that far out of normal; we just had the identification standards changed. The CDC has removed the PCR COVID test amidst claims that it can not differentiate between COVID and the common flu; not sure I buy this, but it could certainly explain why flu diagnosis last year went to almost zero.
Some jurisdictions still freak out over each variant around the world, however. New Zealand has a “Zero COVID” approach, where lock-downs and curfews were implemented as the main measure against the virus.
Omicron, the most highly mutated form of SARS-CoV-2, has caused an explosive epidemic wave all around the world over the past two months. Omicron can now be infected by those with previous COVID-19 infections and natural immunity as well as those who have been fully vaccinated and just a small number who are resistant to COVID-19.
New Zealand is probably wasting its time, as despite strict health protocols in place to try to prevent its spread, nearly two-thirds of the staff based at the Princess Elisabeth Polar Station in Antarctica are infected with COVID-19.
Read that again: this is despite being fully vaccinated, passing multiple tests, quarantining, and living about as far from civilization as can be had.
In With a view to moving away from those measures, Prime Minister Ardern suggests the following:
“The new COVID-19 Protection Framework sets a pathway forward that rewards the rapidly growing number of vaccinated New Zealanders with more freedoms to go about their lives safely.”
She goes on to explain how her Red-Orange-Green policies could encourage people to get vaccinated when they go to a bar, restaurant, gym, or attend social gatherings. Making use of the basic freedoms of private citizens as a carrot to lure those who are still ambivalent about the vaccine.
I wrote about the return of our basic rights being used as “special rewards for compliant citizens” here.
The Australian government still enforces lockdowns and curfews in some jurisdictions. Anyone who violates them is heavily fined. They are sometimes placed in quarantine camps. Sydney spent nearly one-third of 2021 under lockdown. Between June 27th and October 11th, people had to prove their vaccination status and possess permits to even enter rural areas:
State police will fine up to A$5,000 ($3,700) anyone breaching stay-at-home orders or for lying to contract-tracing officials, said state Premier Gladys Berejiklian. Previously breaching quarantine orders had carried a A$1,000 fine.
IA fine is imposed upon you if you misrepresent your COVID test status even slightly. Haley Hodgson lost her job and spent two weeks at Howard Springs, a “quarantine camp” under strict lock-down orders.
Even going outside was impossible for her. She was confined to her room. Three tests were performed, and she never tested positive for COVID during her two weeks; she was still ordered to stay there the full time.
It is likely that she was sent there as a punishment for lying about being tested for COVID when she was not. A two-week camp was held for her without any trial or formal charges.
People are not paying these fines because they are so onerous. Queensland has a task force called SPER (State Penalty Enforcement Registry) which collects these fines and fees.
“Queensland Treasury established SPER about two decades ago and, by this month, it had $1.29 billion in debt on its books and was recovering more than $50 million each month.”
As of now, the department is responsible for collecting over $5.2 million AUD in unpaid fines, as well as over $5.7 million AUD in quarantine costs. Homes are being seized, accounts taken, wages garnished.
“SPER said enforcement for people who failed to pay their fines ‘may include garnishing bank accounts or wages, registering charges over property, or suspending driver licenses‘.”
Private debt collection companies were hired to collect the $5.7 million due to travelers who were placed into quarantine hotels they never booked. More than 2,000 travelers collectively owe this amount.
The actual headline reads:
Thousands of Australians with unpaid fines for breaking COVID rules have their homes seized, bank accounts raided and licenses canceled as government chases $5.2million
Taxation or criminalization are the two options available to the government as they both bring in revenue. The latter, however, with the right finesse and delicate placement can build whole political careers.
People are being interned without due process by the Australian government. There are no formal charges against them, just suspicions. They are detained for weeks for not being truthful about a COVID test.
This is Australia’s iteration of civil asset forfeiture.
Question is “How can the US believe that these things aren’t possible when we are watching these very nightmares incubate both overseas and at home?”
It’s not likely here, I could see it happen in Dem Cities. Our saving grace is that we are separate States. You’re not going to get all the States to agree with this malarkey.