Australia uses helicopters and the ARMY to enforce its 'Zero Covid' lockdown as thousands of police flood Sydney to enforce the rules and hand out $500 no-mask fines

Australia today used helicopters and the army to enforce its 'Zero Covid' lockdown, as thousands of police flooded Sydney city centre to enforce the rules and hand out $500 fines for those not wearing a mask.

Sirens blared across the city and a draconian message was broadcast from the skies, as millions were told: 'This is public health order —do not break rules —you will be found and fines issued.'

Ministers had tried to eliminate all cases through isolation and closed borders, but just 17% of adults have been vaccinated and concerns are now growing over the virus' growing prevalence across the country.

Today, up to 1,300 police officers swarmed Sydney and set up a network of roadblocks in a massive show of force to avoid a repeat of last week's violent anti-lockdown protest.

Some 250 fines, each worth $500, were issued across the city today, with one man arrested after travelling on trains outside his local government area without a reasonable excuse.

It comes after Prime Minister Scott Morrison had launched a four-stage plan back to freedom but said 80% of adults would have to be vaccinated before the border can begin to open.

Sydney's five million people are under a strict stay-at-home order because of a worrying surge of nearly 3,000 infections since the middle of June.

Authorities have this week outlined even tighter restrictions for some worst-affected suburbs, including mandatory testing and mask-wearing outdoors.

From Monday, some 300 army personnel will help police go door to door to ensure people who have tested positive are isolating.

Australia’s experience actually shows the futility of “lockdowns”, even when done in the extreme manner Australia did it the first time.

The Australian lockdown #1 worked as advertised. They did a number of things that were never done elsewhere (except NZ and Iceland). They contact traced 100%. When assigned to quarantine for 14 days, you got an ankle bracelet and stayed home. If you went out, you got arrested. They banned travel and used the army to enforce it on the state borders.

Most importantly, they banned arrivals from outside of Australia, stranding tens of thousands of Australians, who still can’t go home.

AND, they reopened without incident. By winter 2020 (our summer), they had sports, they had concerts, they had pubs and restaurants, life was normal.

This was a test of the theory that if you did this and did it properly, COVID would be gone. Unlike the USA, where there were no serious attempts at quarantine (except in January 2020 with the first evacuations from Wuhan), no serious contact tracing, no regulation of travel with consequences, Australia would avoid the worst.

But now, the theory is conclusively disproven. And we owe Australia a debt of thanks for doing so.

The OPPOSITE theory is correct, the so-called “dry tinder” theory. Beat COVID down, prevent even one exposure - and only one exposure (two, exactly) more than a year later will blow the whole thing up.

I understand why they want to go back to May 2021, when life in Oz was glorious. But the lesson of Locked Down Australia is that it doesn’t work, COVID just comes roaring back.

Iceland is learning the same lesson right now. NZ may hold out a bit longer.

There’s no way out of this mess.

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