Coronavirus live updates: 90yo NSW nursing home resident dies from COVID-19

Another man has died in NSW from coronavirus, making him the 19th death since the pandemic started. Meanwhile, people can be fined up to $11,000 if they use accommodation such as Airbnb without a valid reason. The state government is getting tough as part of severe social distancing measures. LIVE COVERAGE

Billy Freeman and Matthew Benns

less than 2 min read

April 6, 2020 - 6:03PM

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A 90-year-old man has become the 41st person to die in Australia from the coronavirus pandemic, taking the national toll to 41.

He was a resident of the Dorothy Henderson Lodge aged care home in Macquarie Park, in the north-west of Sydney.

That makes him the sixth person from the facility to die from COVID-19, and the 19th in NSW.

It is nothing short of heartbreaking to have another resident lose their life to the virus, said Ross Low, the CEO of Baptist Care, the lodge\s owners.

Meanwhile, People who stay in hotels, Airbnb’s, Stayz or other short-term accommodation could find themselves in jail or fined $11,000 if it is found to be without an essential reason.

NSW Minister for Better Regulation Kevin Anderson said there was no blanket ban on any kind of accommodation, but exceptions are few.

“The NSW Government advice to prevent the spread of COVID-19 has been very clear,” he said.

“As per the public health orders, people must stay home with the exception of a number of circumstances including work and to provide care.

“The NSW Government acknowledges that in these circumstances the provision of short-term accommodation is often critical, particularly for our frontline health workers.”

People can book and pay for short-term accommodation but travelling to them would be a breach of essential travel if they didn't have a prescribed reason

Updates

The coronavirus questions keeping us up at night

Billy Freeman

Online searches around hand sanitiser, the meaning of a pandemic, travel bans, virus symptoms and stockpiling have skyrocketed.

New data says the word pandemic was one of the most active keywords in terms of growth and search volumes from December last year to March.

In NSW, ‘pandemic virus’ attracted a 1344 per cent increase in searches, as the term ‘pandemic meaning’ had an 819 per cent rise, and the question ‘what is a pandemic?’ rose by 1272 per cent.

There was a 510 per cent increase in searches for hand sanitiser and wipes, a 320 per cent rise in search for homemade hand sanitiser, and 366 per cent spike in search for how to bulk buy hand sanitiser.

A 2000 per cent increase in searches for ‘stockpiling Australia’ was seen as was an 800 per cent rise in search for ‘stockpile food list’. ‘Emergency food list stockpile’ had a 300 per cent spike.

The latest snapshot of the coronavirus impact

Billy Freeman

NUMBERS

* Confirmed cases in Australia: 5,795

* Australian deaths: 40 (18 in NSW, 10 in Vic, four in Qld, four in WA, two in Tas, two in ACT). 12 were passengers on the Ruby Princess.

* A quarter of all deaths were in the past two days.

* 96 people are in intensive care, including people in their 30s. 35 on ventilators.

* It's estimated more than 2000 people have recovered.

* 291,000 people have been tested

—

MEASURES

* The federal government has committed $320 billion, or 16.4 per cent of gross domestic product, to combat the virus' health and economic effects.

* A $130 billion JobKeeper program to subsidise wages at $1500 a fortnight for six million workers, for up to six months. Parliament set to approve on Wednesday.

* All registered charities will be able to access the JobKeeper program if they experience a 15 per cent decline in turnover.

* Casual workers will only be able to access the JobKeeper payment if they've been linked to a single employer for at least a year.

* The federal government has arranged commercial flights to rescue more than 400 Australians trapped in South America, for $2550 per person.

* Welfare recovery scheme robo-debt has been frozen for six months.

* Free childcare for people still in paid work in a $1.6 billion package to childcare centres

* All Australians must continue practising social distancing and stay at home unless going out for essentials or exercise.

* People aged over 60 with chronic illness are discouraged from leaving their homes unless they need medical care.

* Popular NSW and Queensland beaches including Manly, Surfer's Paradise, Coolangatta and Dee Why will be closed from Tuesday morning, after Sydney's Bondi Beach was shut last week.

* Still open: supermarkets, pharmacies, banks, public transport, some schools, hairdressers, petrol stations, postal and freight services, bottle shops, newsagents, retail shops. Restaurants restricted to take-away/delivery in most states.

* Closed: schools in Victoria and ACT, gyms, indoor sports venues, pubs, cinemas, nightclubs, casinos, places of worship, theme parks, auction houses, food courts in shopping centres, beauty therapy, tanning, waxing, nail salons, spas and tattoo parlours, galleries, museums, libraries, youth centres, community halls, clubs, RSL clubs, swimming pools, amusement parks, arcades, indoor and outdoor play centres, social sports that involve large groups, outdoor and indoor markets, outdoor playgrounds, outdoor gyms, skate parks.

—

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS

* Scientists from Monash University have developed a test which can determine who is likely to develop coronavirus and how severe the infection will be.

* NSW Police have launched a criminal investigation into whether Australian or NSW biosecurity laws were breached when passengers on the Ruby Princess were allowed to disembark.

* UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson set to be back at work soon after being admitted to hospital.

—

GLOBAL CORONAVIRUS

* Cases: at least 1,274,938

* Deaths: at least 69,498

* Recovered: at least 265,883

*Source: State and federal government updates and Johns Hopkins website

Emily Benammar

Embattled Labor MP Shaoquett Moselmane has quit his role as Assistant President of the Upper House, following comments in which he praised China's handling of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.

Members were informed of the resignation on Monday afternoon.

In February, Mr Moselmane said China had kept COVID-19 “contained,” and declared the disease has only “spread a little”.

Mr Moselmane's resignation comes after Peter Dutton called on him to quit parliament entirely, questioning his allegiance to Australia.

Labor leader Jodi McKay is under increasing pressure to push for Mr Moselmane to resign, but is unable to fire him from his elected position.

Controversial Labor MP quits in coronavirus storm

Billy Freeman

Embattled Labor MP Shaoquett Moselmane has quit his role as Assistant President of the Upper House, following comments in which he praised China's handling of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.

Members were informed of the resignation on Monday afternoon.

In February, Mr Moselmane said China had kept COVID-19 “contained,” and declared the disease has only “spread a little”.

Mr Moselmane's resignation comes after Peter Dutton called on him to quit parliament entirely, questioning his allegiance to Australia.

Labor leader Jodi McKay is under increasing pressure to push for Mr Moselmane to resign, but is unable to fire him from his elected position.

Prisoners give COVID excuses

Billy Freeman

Corrections officers have said prisoners are using the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to avoid time behind bars.

One hardened criminal on a series of robbery and escaping custody charges today told a District Court judge he should be spared jail as inmates at Parklea Correctional Centre (pictured) had resorted to cleaning their own cells with shampoo.

The man said prisoners were themselves cleaning the facility but had not been given any antibacterial products to do so.

Read more in the Inner West Courier here

Flight crew given exemption from quarantine test positive

Billy Freeman

Four Qantas flight crew and a stood-down engineer on a mercy flight from Chile last month have tested positive for coronavirus.

But unlike passengers on the flight they did not have to go into isolation for 14 days when they landed back in Australia because of a Federal Department of Health exemption for flight crew.

Qantas confirmed the four members of the flight crew from Santiago, which landed in Sydney on March 29, were among the 18 crew members it confirmed tested positive for COVID-19 last week.

The Chinese embassy is angry with what it labels "disinformation" surrounding COVID-19

Billy Freeman

Reports over the weekend said Chinese state-owned companies had been ordered to buy up equipment including face masks and protective clothing during January and February.

A spokesperson for the embassy said sections of the media were "keen to defame the local Chinese companies" at the same time as Australian businesses are importing protective equipment from China.

"The Aussie media are misleading the public, maliciously characterised the Chinese companies' purchasing, a purely humiliation move, as 'scandal'," the embassy said today.

"Then how do they characterise the Aussie companies' procurement in China? Another scandal?

"At present what the world needs most is solidarity and mutual support other than spreading disinformation and inciting hatred."

Authorities give COVID-19 wake up call

Billy Freeman

Australians aged in their 30s without risk factors are battling coronavirus in intensive care, prompting a wake-up call from health authorities.

There are 96 people in intensive care, with 35 on ventilators.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly says some intensive care patients are in their 30s.

"This is not just an old person's disease," he said on Monday.

"This is something that can affect the whole of our population and that is why we need the whole of the population to continue to take this seriously."

There have been almost 5800 coronavirus diagnoses in Australia, with 40 deaths.

Police have fined 15 people for flouting social distancing laws in recent times

Billy Freeman

These include –

About 1am yesterday two men were busted trespassing together on the premises of the old Queen Victoria Hospital in Wentworth Falls.
On March 22 a 65-year-old woman returned to Sydney on a flight from Indonesia and was told to self-isolate at home. Then last Tuesday the woman was alleged to be a shopping centre at Grafton. Later that day, police found the woman in her car. She told officers she had been to seven separate retail stores that day, including the supermarket. The woman was fined $1000.
About 2.15am yesterday police found a car parked near bushland. Four women were seen in the vehicle, including three who were lying down in the backs eat. The women told police they had been at a party but had been asked to leave. They were each issued with a $1000 fine.
Just before 11am yesterday, a 32-year-old male and 31-year-old female left their homes at South Kempsey without a reasonable excuse. Police warned both to go home. Later in the day, police found them out again. When asked why, the man said they were ‘bored’. Both were issued with $1000 fines.

Coronavirus slows down Eddie Obeid trial

Billy Freeman

The mining licence conspiracy trial of former state Labor politicians Eddie Obeid and Ian Macdonald will be suspended for five months after struggling to go digital to protect the elderly men against coronavirus.

Eddie Obeid (pictured) and his 51-year-old son Moses allegedly had former resources minister Macdonald corruptly grant a lucrative exploration licence on coal-rich Obeid family land at Mount Penny between 2007 and 2009.

The trio have pleaded not guilty but today Justice Elizabeth Fullerton adjourned their marathon NSW Supreme Court trial until August 31.

It had already been delayed for two weeks in early March in response to COVID-19 public health concerns.

Since first livestreaming proceedings via Youtube on March 27, the proceedings have been marred by connectivity issues and other approaches such as teleconference have also been abandoned.

Obeid, 76, and Macdonald, 71, and their lawyers had already been excused from coming to court as older people and those with chronic health conditions are particularly vulnerable to the deadly disease.

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Coronavirus live updates: 90yo NSW nursing home resident dies from COVID-19

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