The NSW Government has closed Bondi Beach after the number of people on the famous sands exceeded Australia's outdoor-gathering limit imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

• Pictures of a packed Bondi Beach on Friday went viral online
• People making the most of Sydney's warm weather have been widely criticised 
• Gatherings of more than 500 people in outdoor areas are banned in Australia

The closure is temporary and the measure will extend to other beaches if social-distancing rules, which have banned non-essential outdoor gatherings of more than 500 people, are being flouted. [note: the rule now is a crowd of two persons..]

NSW Police Minister David Elliott ordered the beach to be shut on Saturday afternoon.

It came after many people made the most of warm weather in Sydney on Friday, descending on the tourist hotspot.

Pictures of the large crowds went viral online, attracted widespread criticism, and drew the ire of Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt and other officials.

Read more:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-21/bondi-beach-closed-over-crowds-am...

See also:

http://www.yourdemocracy.net.au/drupal/node/37184

Meanwhile:

Antarctica has experienced its first heatwave, with scientists fearing the long-term damage it could have on plants, animals and ecosystems.

Extreme maximum and minimum temperatures were recorded over January 23 to 26 at Casey research station in Antarctica's east, ticking the classification for a heatwave.

Record high temperatures were also reported on the Antarctic Peninsula.

The minimum temperatures at Casey were above zero while maximums were above 7.5 degrees Celsius.

The highest maximum recorded at Casey was 9.2C on January 24, which is nearly 7C higher than the mean maximum for the station.

The morning after clinched the record for highest minimum of 2.5C.

Principal scientist from the Australian Antarctic Division Dana Bergstrom says the hot summer would most likely lead to long-term disruption.

"Most life exists in small ice-free oases in Antarctica and largely depends on melting snow and ice for their water supply," Dr Bergstrom said.

"Melt water flooding can provide additional water to these desert ecosystems, leading to increased growth and reproduction of mosses, lichens, microbes and invertebrates.

"However, excessive flooding can dislodge plants, and alter the composition of communities of invertebrates and microbial mats."

Dr Bergstrom said if ice melts completely early on, then there will be drought for the rest of the season.

Higher temperatures can also cause heat stress in plants and animals that have adapted to cold Antarctic conditions.

Further studies are needed to understand the full impact of the heatwave.

Read more:

https://www.victorharbortimes.com.au/story/6704276/first-heatwave-record...

Worrying times if you are a penguin...

The age group most represented in Australian statistics for confirmed cases of Covid-19 are people in their 20s, because they are the group most likely to travel or party with returned travellers, experts have said.

Data updated daily by the federal health department shows that 11.3% of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Australia are among people aged 25 to 29, followed by 9.5% in those aged 60 to 65 – the cruise ship cohort – and 9.3% in those aged 20 to 25.

People aged 80 and older account for just 2.7% of the confirmed cases of Covid-19 but 47% of the deaths. As of 31 March, 19 people have died after testing positive to Covid-19 in Australia. The youngest was a 68-year-old man from Queensland, although a 36-year-old Australian man who had tested positive to Covid-19 died in a hospital in Iceland earlier this month.

Read more:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/31/australians-in-their-20s-h...

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See: https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2020/05/13/coronavirus-eu-summer-holidays/

Read from top

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Joachim Giehl has never experienced a trip like this before. In early June, he became one of the first German tourists to head across the Brenner Pass this summer. "It was like being in a disaster movie," says the businessman from Munich. There were hardly any other cars on the road and the rest stops were all but deserted.

Then he made a stopover in Venice. There were only locals far and wide, otherwise he and his family, who followed in a second car, had the place to themselves. "Glorious," says Giehl.

Now, he is sitting at Rimini's Grand Hotel and looking quite satisfied. Ahead of the Pentecost holiday, he talked to friends about possible holiday destinations, but many were still afraid of traveling abroad and preferred to stay in Germany. "Now everyone wants to go to Sylt," says Giehl, referring to the popular island in the North Sea. Meanwhile on the Adriatic, Giehl, his wife and their three children enjoy the miles of beach, the palm trees in the park and the hotel salons that are more than a century old. All without the crowds.

The only thing disturbing the peace and quiet in the lobby is a disinfection squad, armed with spray bottles, that briefly covers the red velvet sofas in a fine mist. That and a camera team eager to film one of the few other guests, the rock star Vasco Rossi, beloved in Italy. "Nothing exists. Everything is fantasy," is written on the wall in the Fellini Suite, where Rossi is currently staying.

Read more:

https://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/alone-on-the-adriatic-the-it...

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Note the cartoon at top is not far off the mark as demonstrated by the picture above... In many of the EU "resorts" one has to pay for a spot on the beach... In the picture above, it's most likely that the umbrellas have been placed to maintain "social distancing"... Now, imagine Bondi beach with this caper: A REVOLUTION! A revolution similar to when 200,000 people protested on the beach about turds floating in the sea due to the substandard sewage works which were then fixed by the government of the day... I remember...

See also: http://www.yourdemocracy.net.au/drupal/node/37184

An English beach has declared a "major incident" after thousands of people flocked there during Britain's hottest day of the year, ignoring public health warnings over coronavirus.

• Thousands flocked to Bournemouth beach during hot weather, ignoring social distancing guidelines
• The local council declared a 'major incident' and asked people to return to their homes
• The UK has been in a strict coronavirus lockdown since March 23

Local authorities in the popular beachside town of Bournemouth have urged people to leave the town after it became "stretched to the absolute hilt" during a second day of a heatwave as temperatures hit 33C.

Fears over the spread of coronavirus between people packed on the beach, as well as gridlocked roads, illegal overnight camping, rubbish left on beaches and alcohol-fuelled fights forced Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council to act.

"We are absolutely appalled at the scenes witnessed on our beaches, particularly at Bournemouth and Sandbanks, in the last 24-48 hours," Council Leader Vikki Slade said in a statement.

"The irresponsible behaviour and actions of so many people is just shocking and our services are stretched to the absolute hilt trying to keep everyone safe."

Most of the UK, which has a coronavirus death toll of more than 43,000 people, has been in a strict lockdown with social distancing measures since March 23, but those restrictions are due to be relaxed on July 4.

With pubs still closed, many people have been heading to parks and beaches to meet friends and drink alcohol, in some cases ignoring advice to remain two metres apart.

Read more:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-26/major-incident-declared-as-thousands-flock-to-uk-beach-heatwave/12394772

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The scenes of people enjoying the sunshine on Bournemouth Beach has led to a ludicrous over-reaction by those who seem to want us to stay home forever in fear of a virus which in Britain has clearly petered out.

What to do on a day of glorious sunshine and when the temperature is a tropical 33 degrees Celcius?

Answer: Throw your swimming costume, suntan lotion and a bottle of water into a rucksack and head to the coast. And that’s what lots of people did. Cue cries of "it's outrageous" from those whose entire lives seem to be spent searching for things to be outraged about.

Some background. Britain has been in "lockdown" since March. It's been a grim time. Man is a social animal, and socialising is one of the things we're told we can't do.

"Social distancing is here to stay" announced the chillingly robotic Home Secretary Priti Patel in May.

City centre pavements are marked with "Keep your distance!" signs. The level of control over the citizenry makes the old East Germany look like a libertarian's paradise.

So in the circumstances, is it surprising that many people decided on Thursday they'd had enough and set out for the "freedom" of the beaches?

The pearl-clutching New Puritans and COVID-cultists didn't like that at all. "The scenes on Bournemouth beach make Britain look like the jackass of the world", one newspaper columnist wrote.

The beachgoers were called "vile idiots" by the "absolutely appalled" Liberal Democrat leader of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council, which declared a "major incident".

Now normally if you read a "major incident" had occurred you'd think there had been a terrorist attack or some other dreadful disaster. Now it seems lots of people on the beach is a "major incident". That's how crazy Britain has become under the new COVID religion.

Read more:

https://sputniknews.com/columnists/202006261079727961-in-the-uk-of-2020-people-going-to-the-seaside-on-the-hottest-day-of-the-year-is-a-major-incident/

Read from top...

As many countries ease lockdown restrictions, residents are returning to old spaces that now feel unfamiliar. The places themselves did not change – but from wearing masks to avoiding crowds, the way we are allowed to navigate them is going to be radically different. 

Many of these changes may remain for some time. Even once the spread of coronavirus is contained, the risk of a new wave of contagion will remain as long as a vaccine is not available, which may take between nine months and two years. Moreover, scientists say, new, equally destructive diseases could paralyse humanity in the future, just as the coronavirus has done in 2020. 

For those who work on planning our future cities and public spaces, the pandemic is both a daunting threat requiring immediate measures – and an opportunity to rethink how we live, move, and get together.

You might also like:

• How do you build a city for a pandemic?
• Why coronavirus may make the world more accessible
• How staying indoors affects your immune system

Humans don’t cope well with isolation. Multiple studies analysing the outcomes of quarantine during past epidemics found that it severely affects mental health, sometimes even resulting in post-traumatic stress disorder. Restoring social spaces as soon as it’s safe to do so is more than a financial priority, experts say. It’s a way to look after people’s wellbeing and help their recovery after a global health crisis.

Read more:

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200527-coronavirus-how-covid-19-could-redesign-our-world

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He has been branded an elitist who wants to turn Australia’s best-known beach into a private and expensive European-style party den.

Janek Gazecki says his proposal to rope off a small section of Bondi Beach and charge visitors $80 to enter his Amalfi Beach Club actually democratises Australia’s most famous stretch of sand.

‘‘It’s not elitist to give people an opportunity to enjoy the beach in a different way,’’ he says. ‘‘It’s diversifying the use of the beach.”

An author, avid fisherman, polo entrepreneur and former lawyer, Mr Gazecki says he will not be fobbed off by Waverley Council, which initially deemed the project unsuitable. Council staff are considering a revised bid from Mr Gazecki’s company to run the club between February and May next year.

‘‘We’re certainly going to take this process very seriously, we’re going to look at it very closely to make sure that it is being addressed rationally and in a way that is procedurally correct,’’ he says.

The accusation of elitism clearly rankles Mr Gazecki, who arrived in Australia as a child speaking broken English after the death of his mother.

Sitting in the living room of his Bondi house he shares with wife Natalie and their four children, the 47-year-old paints a very different picture of his beach club from the proposal that outraged talkback radio and social media last week.

‘‘It’s family-friendly, it’s not like an Ibiza club,’’ he says. ‘‘It’s fine dining, but in a casual context.’’

Mr Gazecki’s older children – Indigo, 10, and Blaise, 8 – wander past as their father responds to critics such as 2GB’s Ben Fordham, who said the plan was ‘‘just not something we do in Australia’’. Ten’s The Project described it as ‘‘some wanky European-style beach club’’.

Mr Gazecki dismisses talk of ‘‘privatising’’ beaches and charging people for access as hysteria. ‘‘It’s open to everyone,’’ he says. ‘‘It’s 80 bucks for food and alcohol effectively – cheaper than any restaurant in Bondi.’’

A brochure for the beach club says its target market are locals, ‘‘who wish to experience their favourite beach in a luxurious hospitality context, as well as the high end demographic from greater Sydney, within the 30 to 60 age demographic’’.

In a letter to Waverley Council’s general manager, Mr Gazecki says exercise, jogging and swimming ‘‘currently dominates beach use to the exclusion of many other interest groups, such as those who seek a refined cultural and culinary experience embodied by premium beach clubs’’.

The letter calls the beach club a ‘‘democratic proposition’’ that will increase dining opportunities, while serving alcohol on the sand in ‘‘a controlled premium environment’’ poses no greater danger to the community than alcohol consumption at nearby restaurants.

The concept draws on Mr Gazecki’s experience running polo events at locations such as Centennial Park.

Like many people in the hospitality and entertainment sector, the pandemic froze Mr Gazecki’s business and led to the cancellation of polo matches.

‘‘We were struggling with finding ourselves in a position where we were prohibited from generating an income to support our family,’’ he says.

‘‘It’s not sustainable for us to just sit on our hands.’’

Read more:

SMH 11/10/2020

Throw this guy out in a shaff bag... OUT!

Read from top.

See also: http://yourdemocracy.net.au/drupal/node/37184

http://www.yourdemocracy.net.au/drupal/node/35658

In the Sydney Morning Herald yesterday, the lazy editors republished an old toon by Leunig. Great cartoon, you can see it on this line of blog, but a bit "been-there-done-that"... I would suggest the SMH in its wisdom would take some cartoon from this site and go full bore — and I don't mean boredom hopefully... Meanwhile: August 5 2021…

Say this toon would be appropriate for example:

fire

or this one:

skirt