Autralian hospitals

[*kazumi*]

I heard on TV the other day that hospitals are gearing up for the pandemic and are not seeing people for selective surgeries etc.  I was in the next room, so I was not sure if I misunderstood, and have not been able to find more about it.  Anybody heard anything?  I suppose to see a surgeon about my knee operation in couple of weeks. 

I will try to call them on Monday, but it is not easy to get through in the best of times.

[imastawka]

Like the people who lick their fingers to open the plastic bags and then start picking up and putting down the produce.

I asked a lady one time, after seeing her do that, if she'd like me to lick her tomatoes for her.

If not, then stop licking your fingers!

[davewil1964]

I rub the bags in my hands. That opens the top. Usually.

[icyfroth]

---

@imastawka wrote:

Like the people who lick their fingers to open the plastic bags and then start picking up and putting down the produce.

I asked a lady one time, after seeing her do that, if she'd like me to lick her tomatoes for her.

If not, then stop licking your fingers!

---

Which is why I always wash my tomatoes before I eat them. And other fruit and veges that don't need to be peeled.

[imastawka]

You'd be a fool not to.

Even before this madness happened.

[domino-710]

---

@imastawka wrote:

You'd be a fool not to.

Even before this madness happened.

---

Know something- I have a bit of a problem - with washing hair.

Yep, hair.

Once a week - kind of does me in.

Shower - wet it - wash it - whatever.

I worked with a person - who would carry one of those tease combs - metal end - she would scratch her do - lol

never got over that one.

[brerrabbit585]

You'd better not come to my house for tea then.

[icyfroth]

---

@imastawka wrote:

You'd be a fool not to.

Even before this madness happened.

---

So get over it if ppl lick their fingers to open their produce bags.

[icyfroth]

---

@domino-710 wrote:

---

@imastawka wrote:

You'd be a fool not to.

Even before this madness happened.

---

Know something- I have a bit of a problem - with washing hair.

Yep, hair.

Once a week - kind of does me in.

Shower - wet it - wash it - whatever.

I worked with a person - who would carry one of those tease combs - metal end - she would scratch her do - lol

never got over that one.

---

Once a week should be enough for washing the hair. No need to wash it every shower.

[rogespeed]

---

@myoclon1cjerk wrote:
" 

@ myo, You say we can't compare ourselves to China but why compare us to Spain? We'd probably have had a higher number of Chinese coming in here when travel was still unrestricted but we don't have anything like Spain's 11,000 cases"

True,but why compare us to China and say we're only going to have 1500 or so cases?. x hours ago we had 456 cases. 3 hours later it had jumped to 565 according to reports I read. How much higher will it be by say, Sunday?

---

South Korea seems to be  useful country to evaluate for effective procedures - their infection rate has flattened out  

[rogespeed]

---

@chameleon54 wrote:

---

@rogespeed wrote:

---

@chameleon54 wrote:

---

@rogespeed wrote:

---

@chameleon54 wrote:

Two confirmed cases in our town in the last 24 hours. All sports clubs have shut down and the local bakery said it was the quietest day they had experienced since opening 3 years ago. The supermarkets are still getting trashed though. The local Woolies looked like something out of a Russian movie when I went in there today.

---

And when the stimulus bonus gets disbursed .... 

---

Went to the remote farm today and stopped at the local supermarket. They still had everything except Toilet paper and hand sanitiser.

Those country people seem to be a lot calmer and more understanding of how panic buying will bring everyone down. Its the sense of community that has been lost in the more urbanised areas. Too many people seem to be only interested in looking after themsleves in the cities. 

---

Same here in far nothern VIC - the self-stackers were out in the afternoon doing their thing - not looking very happy though .I did not venture far enougth instore to check out the paper. Toilet paper is manufactured in Australia so supply is no problem.

Been no explaination as to why the chronic shortage.

There is something about this that alludes me.

  I suppose in smaller towns there is the possibility of farmer's markets opening every weedend and people being mobilised to sell home made goods and home grown food items as well as the usual commercial farmer's produce on offer - sort of natural backlash againgst the supermarkets  

It is still mainly the very small and hobby farmers who take produce to farmers markets, along with a few commercial operators who produce niche, specialised products. The vast majority of commercial farms are highly geared to produce very large quantities of raw produce that is then sold under forward contracts to processing and packing companies who also have forward contracts to supply international buyers and the local supermarket chains. The few dollars a commercial producer might make from a farmers market would not put even a small dent in their operating budgets which are usually measured in hundreds of thousands or often millions of dollars.

Most commercial farms are highly labour efficient and the time and energy required to prepare small quantities of produce and then sit at a market stall all day simply would not make effective, efficient use of their time. This might all sound a bit grim, but it is the reason Australia and the world has such inexpensive food available for all in the supermarkets. If farmers cut back and went small again, inefficiencies would run riot and food prices would increase very substantially.

---

---

Farmers markets have been closed due to the 500 rule or whatever -

i suppose they could have arranged 500 at a time to wonder through like sheep along a fenced off maze past the stalls starting outside and ending outside the grounds