Coronavirus NSW: Sydney hotel guard fined, three new cases
The Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher is asking Prime Minister Scott Morrison to look outside an Oxford University COVID-19 vaccine because of “ethical concerns.”
NSW
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Leaders of the Anglican and Greek Orthodox communities have joined Catholic Archbishop Anthony Fisher in raising “ethical concerns” about the Oxford University coronavirus vaccine because it stems from an aborted human foetus.
Archbishop Anthony Fisher, Archbishop Glenn Davies and Archbishop Makrios Griniezakis have urged Prime Minister Scott Morrison to pursue other vaccine options after the PM last week signed to purchased 25 million doses of the leading UK vaccine candidate.
The vaccination – being made in conjunction with UK drug manufacturer AstraZeneca has been made using a kidney cell from an aborted foetus.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, the leaders have asked for assurance that the use of the Oxford vaccine will not be mandatory, no pressure will be put on people to go against their religious views and get the vaccine and the government will ensure a “ethically uncontroversial alternative” is found.
“Many will feel deeply conflicted whichever way they go. You may be aware that for some people the Rubella vaccine already presents such a moral dilemma,” the statement said.
The letter builds on Archbishop Fisher’s earlier post on social media expressing similar concerns where he said he would still be vaccinated if the Oxford University vaccine is the only option, but would be “troubled” by it.
“I, for one, don’t think it would be unethical to use this vaccine if there is no alternative available. To do so would not be to co-operate in any abortion occurring in the past or the future. But I am deeply troubled by it,” he said.
“Of course, many people will have no ethical problem with using tissue from electively aborted foetuses for medical purposes.
“Others may regard the use of a cell-line derived from an abortion performed back in the 1970s as now sufficiently removed from the abortion itself to be excusable.
“But others again will draw a straight line from the ending of a human life in abortion, through the cultivation of the cell-line, to the manufacture of this vaccine. They won’t want to be associated with or benefit in any way from the death of the baby girl whose cells were taken and cultivated, nor to be thought to be trivialising that death, nor to be encouraging the foetal tissue industry.”
“Whether this vaccine is successful or not, it is important that the government does not create an ethical dilemma for people … There are currently 167 vaccines being researched, many of which do not use foetal cells in their development.
“Along with the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney and the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Australia, I have written to the Prime Minister Scott Morrison, asking the government to pursue similar arrangements for alternate vaccines that do not raise the same ethical concerns, so that Australians will have a choice when it comes to vaccination.”
Archbishop Fischer urged Catholics to voice similar concerns to their local members.
THREE NEW CASES IN NSW
Anyone who lives or works in southwest or western Sydney has been urged to come forward for a COVID testing blitz, with Premier Gladys Berejiklian warning the state is “not out of the woods” yet.
While NSW is “at the tail end” of a “critical period” following a surge in Victorian cases, the Premier said, “we have to stay extra vigilant”.
There were three cases detected in NSW yesterday after the state reached a milestone two million tests. Of the cases, two were returned travellers, and one is a Liverpool Hospital healthcare worker who was a close contact of a previous case.
The person had already been in isolation during their infectious period.
Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant reminded NSW residents on Monday that testing is free through Medicare.
“So come forward for testing in any of our public clinics, any of our hospitals, or go to our website for those clinics and treatment for COVID and the tests associated with COVID our free,” Dr Chant said.
Appearing in southwestern Sydney alongside a number of community leaders, Ms Berejiklian urged local communities not to worry about coming forward and said “your privacy will be safeguarded”.
The Premier acknowledged that “there are cultural concerns and differences in the way people come forward,” but “we just want to tell everybody not to worry”.
BUSINESS LEADERS PLEAD FOR CONSISTENCY
Top Australian business executives have pleaded with every state and territory government to better co-ordinate domestic border closures as the current “inconsistent” scheme destroys jobs and cripples the economy.
In an open letter to Prime Minister Scott Morrison, State and Territory Premiers and Chief Ministers the Business Council of Australia chief executive Jennifer Westacott has called for clarity on the “patchwork of inconsistent” rules that “ignore the reality” of how businesses operate.
“The rapid and piecemeal implementation of complex and inconsistent domestic border restrictions in response to COVID-19 is impacting families, destroying jobs and crippling the Australian economy’s ability to recover from this pandemic,” she said.
Ms Westacott said the Council accepted states had the right to ease restrictions at different paces depending on medical advice, but described many current measures as “arbitrary and lacking time frames and review or end dates”.
“The administration of domestic border controls varies significantly across the country with massive differences in processes for border pass applications, quarantine requirements, and essential worker/ traveller exemptions,” she said.
This has caused unintended consequences and exposed Australians to unnecessary risk. It has also significantly impacted on health services, local communities, supply chains, and the ability of businesses to safeguard and create jobs.”
Ms Westacott said a “transparent and easily understood” set of nationally consistent principles was “urgently needed”.
“This would allow states and territories to apply a uniform set of internal border controls in response to outbreaks or changes in conditions.
SYDNEY HOTEL GUARD FINED TWICE
A Sydney hotel quarantine security guard has been fined twice for failing to self-isolate after contracting COVID-19.
The man, aged 22, underwent a COVID-19 test last Thursday August 20 and was instructed by health officials to go home and isolate for 14 days.
The man allegedly ignored the advice and travelled to Burwood Westfield later that day where he spent two hours on a shopping spree, allegedly visiting a number of stores including a Kmart and Woolworths between 6-7pm.
The next day he allegedly left his home again, this time to visit Service NSW Burwood between 2.30pm and 3pm.
Anyone who attended the above venues during those times are considered casual contacts and are not required to self-isolate but must monitor for symptoms.
The man underwent a second test at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital later on the Friday and again at about 8am on Saturday August 22, when he was informed he had returned a positive result.
He was transferred to a NSW Health COVID-19 quarantine facility where he will stay for the remainder of his quarantine period.
Dr Chant said NSW Health had identified “his level of infectiousness at that time was very, very low”.
About 10pm yesterday (Sunday 23 August 2020), police issued a Campsie man with two fines for not complying with Noticed Direction.
In a separate incident over the weekend, a licensed venue on Darlinghurst Road, Potts Point, was fined $5000 for breaching Public Health Orders.
On Saturday August 22, police officers attended the venue and found it had an incorrect COVID-19 safety plan, no marshal present, and mingling patrons with no physical distancing.
Meanwhile, Tangara School for Girls will reopen Monday after being shut for two weeks.
The school was the source of one of the biggest outbreaks in NSW with 27 cases linked to the school.
The Cherrybrook catholic school reopens despite the cluster still growing, with a household contact of a Tangara case testing positive on Saturday.
A statement on the school’s website says daily cleaning has been undertaken while shut to remove any risk of further infections.
VICTORIA COVID CASES CONTINUE TO DROP
Victoria’s coronavirus cases have fallen by almost 100 as the state recorded 116 new infections on Monday, its lowest daily total in almost six weeks.
Tragically there were 15 new deaths bringing the state’s death toll to 430, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed on Monday.
“The group of 15 is made up of three females and five males in their 80s, our females and two males in their 90s, and one female in her 100s,” Mr Andrews said.
“All 15 of these fatalities are linked to aged care outbreaks. There are 629 Victorians in hospital, 31 of those receiving intensive care and 17 of those 31 are on a ventilator.
There are 4028 cases with an unknown source.
Victorians is at the halfway point of its six-week lockdown, with the harsh measures set to come to an end on September 13 but some restrictions could be in place for 12 months.
“That is the legal instrument that allows rules about face masks, about COVID safe work plans in workplaces large and small, that is the legal instrument that sits behind density limits in pubs and cafes and restaurants. Things like a positive person, someone who has got this virus, and required to isolate at home,” Mr Andrews said.
“Before September 13 (we) will extend the state of emergency provisions within the public health and wellbeing act for a maximum of a 12 months. So that means it will be a total of 18 months. The six months we have already been through plus a further 12 months.”
FEDERAL MP IN ISOLATION
Queensland based Labor MP Terri Butler is self isolating awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test following contact tracing investigations for a cluster in her state.
“I’ve learned that I’m one step removed from someone who was at a contact tracing site last week,” she said.
“To be cautious I have left the parliament and have had a COVID test. I’m self-isolating while I wait for the result.”
Ms Butler travelled to Canberra for the fortnight sitting period starting Monday and will quarantine for two weeks upon return to Queensland in line with the state’s guidelines.
NSW LEADING AUSTRALIAN RECOVERY FROM COVID-19
Harsh border closures and Victoria’s horror coronavirus wave are stifling economic recovery, with NSW emerging as the strongest state carrying the rest of the country.
Treasury modelling shows a staggering 315,000 people in NSW without a job or working zero hours have regained employment since the worst of the pandemic in April, even after being isolated by other states.
About 69.4 per cent of the jobs either lost or reduced to no hours across the state during the first lockdown have restarted, while Victoria has clawed back just 44.3 per cent and Queensland only 39.2 per cent.
NSW has carried the country’s recovery, with its efforts to reopen the economy contributing 46 per cent of the total jobs returned despite the state only being responsible for 32 per cent of national employment.
The NSW effective unemployment rate – including people who left the workforce or have no hours – has dropped from a peak of 15.8 per cent in April to 8.5 per cent in July.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said there was a “long way to go” through the crisis with data showing job recovery “may be slowing as state border closures have been tightened.”
“We know the road to recovery will be bumpy as we have seen with the setback in Victoria,” he said.
“However, the jobs recovery across the rest of the country gives cause for optimism that through containing the spread of the virus and reopening the economy we will get through this.”
NSW recorded just four new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday having conducted more than 26,400 tests. Two of the coronavirus cases were returned travellers in hotel quarantine, one person was linked to the Apollo Restaurant cluster and another was a hotel security guard.
Meanwhile in Victoria there were another 17 deaths and 208 positive cases recorded, with 20,747 tests conducted.
The successful easing of restrictions in NSW while maintaining a strong contact tracing system to suppress coronavirus outbreaks has been heralded as the “gold standard” for others to aspire to.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said NSW had been under “the most pressure of any state and territory” but have had “magnificent” results.
“In terms of the hope it gives to Australians, that the suppression strategy can be successful pursued,” he said after National Cabinet met last week.
“I think they demonstrate the way forward as to how these things can be managed.”
A new report by Deloitte surveying the “sentiment” of Australia’s chief financial officers to be released today (MON) has found the coronavirus crisis has wiped out business confidence with the global economic downturn fuelling a “drastic” drop in optimism.
Although 53 per cent of CFOs remained “optimistic” about the future, about three out of four expected their companies’ revenues to fall in the second half of 2020 and get even worse in 2021.
Many of those surveyed agreed the pandemic had opened them up to new trends, with 70 per cent more accepting of flexible working arrangements than pre-COVID.
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