Coronavirus (COVID-19)

[gweidion]

Very sad to hear he died from this damned virus. I hope it wasn't too painful or slow.
And of course Stirling had health issues for years.
I don't think I'll ever make 90.

[fred lever]

I always thought Stirling Moss would never die! He tried hard enough to kill himself driven race cars beyond the cars capabilities.
My introduction to the name was a book "Stirling Moss's Book of Motor Sport" pub 1955 a terrific read for a young boy.  My parents also bought me "The Technique of Motor Racing" by Piero Taruffi again a terrific read and a technical treatise on racing in an era where drifting a car was just being understood.  Taruffi understood the mathematics and physics behind the car and its tyres and applied that very successfully to racing. Moss learnt as he said, "by staying one car length behind Fangio" and closely watching what the Master did! An inspiration to a young boy but i was obviously never meant to be a racing driver because it never happened!
Fred

[JeffH]

Gwen Palmer celebrated her 100th birthday today. W.A. social restrictions killed the idea of a big part to celebrate.
She was determined to celebrate in style and here is what she did.
Coronavirus shut down Gwen's 100th birthday party, so she celebrated in style with a spin in a hot rod instead

[fred lever]

Jeff your tag at the bottom re Football and Barilaro.
Two things, could not agree more,
1/ those football people, players and administrators,  actually think they and their "sport" they are important!
All i see is prima donnas with low IQs playing a "sport" that mainly involves hitting each other and getting away with it being run by graspers that are too old to hit each other.
2/ Barilaro is a rolled gold, first class goose. Typical example of a person rising to the level of his own  incompetence.

In times of crisis people's true colours show, and the whining from a lot of footballers about losing a million dollars or so from their contract prices is breathtaking. My only comment there is fellers, looks like you will have to sell that Ferrari and get a job!
Shame.

Fred.

[autocoupler]

All i see is prima donnas with low IQs playing a "sport" that mainly involves hitting each other and getting away with it being run by graspers that are too old to hit each other.

Hmmmm, I get your point Fred but, I think there are plenty of smart footballers out there who bash each other every weekend, they just need to suck it up at the moment and cop a few hits from other sources, as everyone else is.

[JeffH]

Spoke to some friends today who were recently on a cruise. I have some first hand information now and will summarize what I found out -I can't absolutely vouch for everything though;
•Their cruise was shortened and they returned to Sydney early
•but don't go directly to Sydney, circle around at sea waiting for an available berth
•arrive the day before the Ruby Princess and disembark. Subject to the usual customs formalities plus questions about health and any "flu like" symptoms. Captain had advised passengers (and presumably local authorities) no one on board showing any Covid-19 symptoms
•They were advised they did not need to be quarantined
•Caught train to Lithgow then bus to Gulgong -that is how they went to catch the cruise
•They strictly quarantined themselves for 14 days, not leave the house, depending on family and friends to do food shopping etc. regardless
•During their self imposed quarantine they had regular contact from authorities checking on them.
•As far as we can establish no people -passengers or crew- on that cruise have tested positive.

My thought is that there is certainly a prima facie case for the criminal investigation of the Ruby Princess. The words "criminal negligence" do come to mind.

[Basil]

Yes,its a shocker,especially with its Sister ship quarantined in Japan.

[Goldseeker]

Wife and I just got back to Melbourne via Adelaide and the Sun Princess from a cruise to South Africa and the coronavirus followed us everywhere once we left South Africa.

Before arriving in Adelaide to disembark, the captain of the ship got on the ships PA sytem and read in full the state,ment by the CEO of princess that put shockwaves therough many of the passengers on board.

The ship had berthed in Fremantle and picked up many passengers on a cruise to Sydney via several southern ports including Kangaroo island, Hobart, Melbourne and Sydney.

It sounded like those people continuing on from Adelaide might not get to Sydney ad the ship had all its ports of call suspended by the CRO.

Wife and I departed the ship in Adelaide and got home to Melbourne OK and then resumed a sort of confinement as no reported cases of the virus had been rpoerted on board and the requirement to self isolate had not been made necessary.

Wife and I where lucky as many others who departed on the cruise were quarantined or worried a lot if they might not complete their voyage.

It was a worrying time for all.

[gweidion]

That's two ships they are going to have to burn.
Who'd go on the Diamond or Ruby Princess now, even if it was nearly free?
They still don't know how long the virus can last dormant. It might be like the black death where you can dig it up 700 years later and still catch it.

[Ozcoins]

Wont they just sell and/or rename them and hope no one notices?
There is already plenty of info on the virus lasting different amounts of time on different surfaces.
The most I have seen was 17 days (from the diamond princess).

[Basil]

Wont they just sell and/or rename them and hope no one notices?
There is already plenty of info on the virus lasting different amounts of time on different surfaces.
The most I have seen was 17 days (from the diamond princess).

Yes,normal procedure is to mothball then when the hoop-la has died down quietly sell it on where it gets renamed with a facelift.
The bigger picture is Princess Cruises Co. itself,not a lot of options on what they do,rename of the Business won't help,Journo's have long memories.

[JeffH]

Carnival Corporation owns Princess Cruises, operates eleven different cruise lines. They are likely to shut down Princess Cruises and incorporate the assets into one, or more, of the others.

[gweidion]

Last count I heard was more than 17 days but they were madly disinfecting at that stage. It doesn't live long on copper surfaces and a couple of days or three on stainless steel and plastic. No word how long it lives on leather or other animal products.
All this use of antibacterial sanitizer probably doesn't do much to a virus which isn't a bacteria and isn't exactly "alive".

[Ozcoins]

Do some reading.
The alcohol based hand sanitisers with 60-80% alcohol are considered effective.

[nealeffendi]

Last count I heard was more than 17 days but they were madly disinfecting at that stage. It doesn't live long on copper surfaces and a couple of days or three on stainless steel and plastic. No word how long it lives on leather or other animal products.
All this use of antibacterial sanitizer probably doesn't do much to a virus which isn't a bacteria and isn't exactly "alive".

How thorough is the disinfection? A ship is HUGE and the virus could be anywhere. Also the lifespan of anything is dependant in many variables. Has anyone tested the survival rate that could be extended in fridges and freezers? Having seen cockroach infestations in cardboard fruit boxes inside fridges and having cleaned years of gunk that builds up in fridge door seals I really doubt that the cleaning done by most workers is that thorough. I've even seen cleaning staff use the same mop to wipe down toilet floors and toilet bowls and the same filthy rag to wipe down toilet seats and handbasins ?