Victoria on track to record 16,000 coronavirus cases in the next month
Daniel Andrews has reminded Victorians that a “business as usual” approach won’t be enough to get through the current pandemic. The Premier also warned that despite some progress, there was still a long way to go in the fight against COVID-19.
Coronavirus
Don't miss out on the headlines from Coronavirus. Followed categories will be added to My News.
This coronavirus article is unlocked and free to read in the interest of community health and safety. For full access to trusted news from the Herald Sun and Leader, get a free four-week digital subscription here.
Premier Daniel Andrews has established a Crisis Council to manage the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr Andrews said today he believed a move to stage four restrictions was inevitable, and warned despite a flattening of the curve, there was still a long way to go in the fight against COVID-19.
“I think there will be a stage four,” he said.
“I can’t tell you when this is going to end and I certainly don’t want anyone to think that because we have got some reasonable stability at the moment that we are out of the woods.
“It is not going to be over in weeks, it is going to be months and months.
The Crisis Council of Cabinet will be tasked with implementing the outcomes of the National Cabinet.
It will be chaired by the premier and will comprise seven government ministers.
Education minister James Merlino, treasurer Tim Pallas, transport minister Jacinta Allan, health minister Jenny Mikakos, Attorney-General Jill Hennessy, Minister for Jobs, Innovation and Trade, Martin Pakula and police minister Lisa Neville were all sworn in during a virtual swearing in ceremony today.
They have each been tasked with leading all COVID-19 response activities in line with their individual portfolio responsibilities.
Mr Andrews said the crisis cabinet would operate until September 30 and then be reviewed.
“Business as usual won’t get this done. The government has to change, the public service has to change,” Mr Andrews said.
“We’ve all got to make sure that we bring the best decision making, the quickest decision making, not just to get through the crisis, but to be able to rebuild on the other side of it.”
Mr Andrews also reminded Victorians of the need to stay home.
“If people don’t stay at home. If people don’t make that fundamentally decent civic-minded decision, a decision to be proud of, to stay home and to only go out when you absolutely need to, no health system will cope with this.
“No individual hospital, whether it be a big city hospital or a smaller regional hospital, they will all be overrun. They will all be just swamped by patients and we will have people queuing for machines to help them breathe and that just won’t work.
VICTORIAN DEATH TOLL RISES TO SEVEN
A man aged in his 80s has died in Victoria overnight, bringing the state’s death toll to seven.
Forty nine new coronavirus cases were recorded in Victoria overnight, taking the state’s total to 1085.
The increase was the lowest jump in cases since 42 positive tests were recorded overnight on Monday.
Seven people are currently in intensive care and community transmissions have risen to 62.
Victoria’s chief health officer Dr Brett Sutton said the state had “seen some flattening of the curve” but more needed to be done to protect lives.
**Watch Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews’ press conference in the player above**
“We have gone from doubling our numbers every three or four days to now doubling every seven days so that is an improvement, but we don’t want to be doubling every seven days ongoing,” he told Sunrise.
Concerningly, 59 returned travellers who should be quarantining at home could not be located during police spot checks on Thursday.
Dr Sutton said early signs were promising, but there was a need to see how Victoria tracked in coming weeks with the new social distancing measures in place.
“They are strict but they are in place because we need to get on top of this.”
VICTORIA’S BONK BAN OFFICIALLY DUMPED
Victoria’s bonk ban has been formally overturned, meaning lovers can now legally leave the house to meet their special someone.
Under the government’s updated stay at home directions released this week, couples who did not live together were unable to socialise.
The tough restriction was confirmed by police minister Lisa Neville and premier Daniel Andrews.
But the state’s Chief Health Officer, professor Brett Sutton, later said there would be an exemption for couples living apart.
Today the stay at home directions were officially updated.
Now Victorians are permitted to leave home “to visit a person with whom they are in an intimate relationship.”
MORE NEWS:
REAL ESTATE AGENTS FACE FINES, JAIL FOR SUPER ADVICE
THE WEDDING CHAPEL WHERE BUSINESS IS BOOMING
NEW CORONAVIRUS CASE SPIKE IN MELBOURNE’S EAST
AUSTRALIANS WARNED NOT TO BECOME COMPLACENT
The spread of coronavirus is now at a “promising and encouraging” rate, Prime Minister Scott Morrison says, but he is warning Australians not to become complacent.
Speaking after today’s national cabinet meeting, Mr Morrison said Australia’s curve of new cases was flattening as people followed social distancing rules.
“We need to continue to keep the pressure on, we need to continue to suppress the virus,” he said.
“The changes that you are making, Australia, are working, and we need to keep making those changes … on a sustainable basis in our daily lives.”
He said Australians should expect the current restrictions to last for six months, although that timeline was not guaranteed.
At the current rate of spread, Mr Morrison said the trajectory was “promising and encouraging”.
“But the virus writes its own rules,” he said.
RETURNED TRAVELLERS FAIL TO ISOLATE
Police say 59 returned travellers who should be self-isolating were not home when spot checked on Thursday.
Yesterday police conducted 783 checks on people who should be quarantining after international trips.
Fifty nine people were not home and risk up to $10K in fines under strict self-isolation rules.
A total of 1542 checks were carried out across Victoria on Thursday by Operation Sentinel, the dedicated COVID-19 enforcement squad.
These checks included 390 businesses, 20 “populous” locations and 169 businesses currently deemed non-essential.
Police issued 16 fines yesterday, bringing the statewide total to 39.
These include several brothels found to be performing “non-essential” services.
Police have conducted 11,834 checks since March 21.
SUPERMARKET VIRUS MYTHS DEBUNKED
Heading to the supermarket right now can seem like a daunting task.
They’re full of people and surfaces, any of which could be carrying the deadly coronavirus.
But there’s no need to be fearful, according to health experts, who have debunked common myths and revealed how to shop safely and sensibly as the COVID-19 pandemic rolls on.
HOW LONG SHOULD I SPEND IN THE SUPERMARKET?
Simply put, as little time as possible.
This is because the biggest risk in supermarkets is coming into contact with someone that is infected with COVID-19, Curtin University’s Pro Vice-Chancellor Archie Clements said.
However, it is important to remember that Australia does not have widespread community transmission of the coronavirus.
“The sensible thing to do is to go in, go shopping and get out,” Prof Clements said.
“And not to linger in the aisles.”
Associate Professor Michael Beard of the University of Adelaide’s Research Centre for Infectious Diseases said Australian’s shouldn’t be going to the shops every day.
SPIKE CONCERN OVER COMMUNITY TRANSMISSIONS
The state is staring down the barrel at 16,000 cases of the deadly virus over the next month.
Health Department modelling shows the state’s hospitals will be placed under “enormous strain” if rapidly increasing community transmissions are not quickly reined in, with Dr Sutton confirming there have been 62 community transmissions cases.
Two women, one in her 60s and another in her 70s, died from coronavirus in Victoria on Thursday.
One of the victims is the third death linked to The Alfred hospital’s blood cancer unit, which has left another two vulnerable patients and 10 staff infected in the cluster.
More than Victorian 100 healthcare workers have been infected.
While overseas travel bans and the forced quarantine of returning international travellers have slowed the pace of overall coronavirus cases, the pandemic’s main danger remains the rapidly increasing spread within the community.
The Herald Sun understands the latest projections show Victoria’s cases doubling every seven days, leading to more than 16,000 infections over the next month.
In the past week Victorian community transmission has spiralled by more than 530 per cent.
After a 46 per cent jump on Thursday alone, Mr Sutton told the Herald Sun social distancing measures were more important than ever.
“Now is not the time for complacency. We still have a long way to go,” he said.
“If we become complacent now, this early on, we lose.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has now killed more than 47,000 and infected almost a million people around the world.
State Health Minister, Jenny Mikakos on Thursday announced a widening of coronavirus testing to shift focus from returning travellers to community members.
Included in the new testing priorities were police and correctional personnel, disability, child protection and homeless services workers, and immunocompromised patients.
The latest modelling is behind tough stage three social distancing measures, which are hoped to slow community transmissions.
Australia is still on track to hit the peak of COVID-19 in May-June.
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said a “ring of steel” around the country and strict social distancing measures were helping to flatten the infection curve.
Speaking at Frankston Hospital on Thursday, Mr Hunt said he was cautiously hopeful.
“Our numbers have reduced from 25 to 30 per cent a day, to the low teens, down to now below 10 per cent,” Mr Hunt said of the national infection rate.
UNION ROW BREAKS OUT OVER PROTECTIVE GEAR
Non-medical workers in Victoria’s hospitals are demanding they be given the same protective equipment as doctors and nurses, with their union saying that they won’t carry out tasks they consider dangerous.
The Health Workers Union, which represents most workers in the states’ hospitals, has told the Andrews Government that from Sunday they will advise their members not to do jobs they feel to be unsafe unless they have adequate protective equipment.
The demands were relayed in a meeting between all health unions and the government on Thursday.
HWU Secretary Diana Asmar said receptionists, security officers, food services assistants, disability workers and ward clerks needed the same protection as medical staff.
“Our members are working side-by-side with doctors and nurses who are completely kitted up with personal protective equipment: they are entering the same areas, walking the same corridors and breathing the same air,” she said.
“They shouldn’t be treated like second-class citizens — not by their employers, not by DHHS, not by the health minister — not by anyone.”
She said many of her members were afraid to go to work.
Protective equipment is causing a major headache in hospitals, with anyone who is treating someone suspected of having COVID-19 having to ditch face masks and gloves each time they assess a new patient.
The row comes as a massive container ship filled with medical supplies remains unloaded at the Port of Melbourne because workers won’t touch the Chinese cargo until a 14-day quarantine period expires.
A manifest obtained by the Herald Sun shows the Xin Da Lian contains 4300 boxes of protective gloves, as well as antibiotics, x-ray equipment, medical towels and baby wipes.
Shipping operator DP World said clear advice from Australian Border Force and the Department of Health was that containers could be unloaded with self-isolation measures in place.
The Maritime Union of Australia says workers won’t start to unload containers until the ship has been 14 days at sea from its last port in Taiwan.
FOOTY STAR A FRONTLINE MEDICAL HERO
Footy star Tahni Nestor pictured herself playing in an AFLW grand final this weekend, instead she will be treating patients and dealing with the coronavirus crisis from a hospital emergency department.
North Melbourne defender Nestor was working as a specialist nurse when it was last month announced the women’s competition would be cancelled due to the COVID-19 crisis.
Having her premiership dream torn away was “obviously extremely disappointing’’.
But looking around the emergency department floor at The Austin when the news landed, the full-time nurse and part-time footy trailblazer knew the threat was far more important than sport.
“Work gives me a good perspective,’’ she said.
“This thing at the moment is much bigger than football.’’
MORE NEWS:
HOW AUSTRALIA’S AVIATION INDUSTRY CRASHED WITHIN 30 DAYS
PROPERTY BUYERS PUT STRAIGHT ONTO HARDSHIP PROVISIONS
FISHING BAN CROSSES THE LINE
Fishing is the latest in a long list of recreational activities to be banned under Victoria’s strict stay-home measures.
But confusion continues to plague the tough social restrictions, with a government website contradicting ministerial advice.
Fishing and Boating Minister Jaala Pulford confirmed this week that fishing was not allowed under the stage three restrictions, except for professionals employed to fish.
However, the ban has confused some who regard fishing as a solo activity.
In NSW, recreational fishing has been recognised as a form of passive exercise and is allowed to continue.
Ms Pulford tweeted: “The advice is clear, you need to stay home. There are a lot of sacrifices we need to make, and going out to fish is one of them.
“For some people, fishing is their job — and at this stage that’s OK — however, if you don’t need to go fishing, you shouldn’t be.”
The message echoed Premier Daniel Andrews’ pleas to Victorians that “if you can stay home, you must stay home”.
But the government’s advice is contradicted on its Forest Fire Management Victoria website.
A COVID-19 fact sheet says fishing is allowed as long as social-distancing and mass-gathering rules are followed.
“Forest closures are for campgrounds, not for other uses like firewood collection, hunting, fishing and bushwalking,” the fact sheet says.
Opposition leader Michael O’Brien said inconsistencies in government messaging were frustrating people.
“I understand that this is a fast-moving environment and not every decision will be right the first time,” he said.
On Wednesday, the government backflipped on a ban on couples who don’t live together socialising, after Police Minister Lisa Neville tweeted that you “cannot visit your partner for social reasons”.
But Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton later said there would be an exemption for couples living apart.
Mr O’Brien called on the government to review the recreational fishing ban.
“There’s a lot of people under pressure, there’s a lot of people feeling stress,” he said.
“If we can give people a little bit of an outlet from time to time, to look after their mental health in a way which doesn’t compromise their physical health, we should look to try and do that.”
— With additional reporting by Shannon Deery, Aneeka Simonis