Australia’s Northern Territory has experienced a recent uptick in Covid-19 in the poorer regions of Katherine. Residents of the small communities Binjari and Rockhole were placed on an extended hard lockdown of two weeks following 9 new positive cases in the Territory – which brings the region’s total count to 35.
This was a blow to these two small communities who had already been dealing with a two-day lockdown and extended power outages.
Some have questioned the wisdom of the move given that Covid-19 often spreads indoors. The Northern Territory’s Deputy Chief Health Officer, Dr. Charles Pain, says he is bracing for even more cases as authorities ramp up testing efforts.
In response to the outbreak, Australia’s federal government has flown in around 20 Australian Defense Force Personnel and army trucks. These personnel are delivering food to the residents of Binjari and Rockhold. They are also been rounding up citizens for a stay at Howard Springs Quarantine Facility.
Among the confirmed cases was a 78-year-old woman. She was taken to the Royal Darwin Hospital and 38 of her close contacts in Binjari were identified and transported to Howard Springs. Notably, the government did not confirm whether these 38 individuals tested positive or merely encountered the woman.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner claimed that the situation posed an extreme threat and worried that the virus may have “seeded to other connected communities further away.”
Indeed, five additional close contacts were identified in Borroloola, a remote community more than 650 kilometers away from Katherine. All five individuals tested negative for Covid-19. Despite this fact, they were rounded up and transferred to Howard Springs.
The remaining citizens are now left to a torturous wait. Mr. Gunner said there was very little chance of Binjari and Rockhole exiting from “any form of lockdown in the next few weeks.” He also made the ominous observation, stating that “[w]hen the lockdown ends, it won’t go straight back to normal.”
Debra Aloisi, the head of the Binjari Community Aboriginal Corporation, says a lack of information has people “very scared.”
“Three weeks’ hard lockdown, they are going to get really, really frustrated and angry.”
Debra Aloisi discusses the situation.
One can’t help but wonder if some of the citizen’s fear and frustration might have something to do with their family members and neighbors being rounded up and taken away to a quarantine camp – and the ever-present threat that they may be next.
Does Australia Give a Glimpse into the U.S.’s Future?
As a U.S. citizen watching Covid-19 tyranny unfold across the globe, from Austria’s lockdown to Australia’s quarantine camps, one cannot help but wonder, could this happen in the U.S.?
The answer is clearly yes if certain government interests get their way. This October, leaders at the 2021 G20 summit in Rome (which includes the U.S.) committed to a vaccination rate of 70 percent by mid-2022 and pledged to explore paths that would accelerate this vision.
“To help advance toward the global goals of vaccinating at least 40 percent of the population in all countries by the end of 2021 and 70 percent by mid-2022, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO)’s global vaccination strategy, we will take steps to help boost the supply of vaccines and essential medical products and inputs in developing countries and remove relevant supply and financing constraints. We ask our Health Ministers to monitor progress toward this end and to explore ways to accelerate global vaccination as necessary.”
G-20 Rome Leaders’ Declaration, page 2 paragraph 4
Meanwhile, over a year ago, the CDC began exploring the “Shielding Approach” to Covid-19. This approach places citizens into two categories: “high risk” and “low-risk.” High-risk individuals are loosely defined as “older adults and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions” such as chronic kidney disease, obesity, serious heart conditions, sickle cell disease, and type 2 diabetes.
The CDC suggests that these high-risk individuals should be “temporarily relocated to safe or ‘green zones’ established at the household, neighborhood, camp/sector or community level depending on the context and setting.”
In a rather terrifyingly clinical outline, the CDC describes that Green Zones should have a dedicated latrine/bathing facility for high-risk individuals and be in line with minimum humanitarian (SPHERE) standards. Their plan also envisions that certain high-risk individuals might operate as caretakers and leaders within a Green Zone Community; that others should be isolated separately; and that minors should be accompanied by “a single caregiver.”
Interestingly, when considering the timeline on a Shielding Approach rollout, the CDC suggested that the plan could serve as a “contingency” should the vaccine rollout not meet expectations or should herd immunity go unachieved. And just like that, “breakthrough cases” and the popular Democratic talking point “pandemic of the unvaccinated” seem much more sinister.
With such plans seemingly simmering in the background, it becomes even more important for citizens, vaccinated or unvaccinated, who oppose vaccine mandates and forced relocations to make their voices heard.
Click here to find and write your local congressman. Here to find and write your state Senator. And don’t overlook local state leaders who may be able to produce legislation like Florida’s that protect citizens against Covid-19 mandates.
Post by CJ Fisher
Time Surf 
In the US the difficulty would be finding people willing to take the risk of Enforcing such Australian-Style Edicts. Any experienced Law Enforcement officer will tell you there is nothing more Dangerous to said officer than an armed individual who is convinced THEY are Right and the LEO is Wrong.
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