Victoria records 10 new coronavirus cases as real reason for lockdown fine spike revealed
Victoria has recorded 10 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, including five people from a single household. It comes as a major reason for Victoria Police issuing thousands more lockdown fines than its interstate counterparts has been revealed.
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Victoria has recorded 10 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, including five people from a single household.
The new spike comes as Chief Medical Officer, Professor Brett Sutton revealed a further three cases were in hotel quarantine and another was detected in a Rydges on Swanton staff member.
The new Rydges on Swanton diagnosis brings the staff total to two and the pair’s links to return travellers’ cases at the hotel is being investigated.
In total, there are still 61 active cases in Victoria while eight remain in hospital with three in intensive care.
None of the new cases are linked to aged-care facilities.
It comes as major reason for Victoria Police issuing thousands more lockdown fines than its interstate counterparts has been revealed, as the state prepares to further ease its coronavirus restrictions.
The insight was offered by Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton, who explained to 3AW why Victoria Police issued nearly 6000 fines, almost five times more than New South Wales’ figure.
“Some people say we’re doing too much, others say we not doing enough,” Mr Ashton said.
He went on to reveal alleged criminals caught in the act “accounts for a lot of these fines”.
Mr Ashton also said a spike in tip-offs over the Easter weekend accounted for a sizeable portion of the fines.
In total, Victoria Police has issued 5957 fines compared to 1290 in New South Wales and 2069 in Queensland.
WHY PUBS MAY NOT REOPEN ON JUNE 1
The State Government has created an online COVID-19 training program to ensure businesses can reopen safely, however the online course will not be available for employers and employees to access until June 1 — the same day pubs can reopen.
AHA Victorian chief executive Paddy O’Sullivan said staff should be given earlier access to the training.
Meanwhile, pubgoers can toast the end of shutdown with discounted beers under a Carlton & United Breweries scheme giving away 2000 kegs.
CUB has pledged to donate $2 million worth of booze to pubs and clubs struggling through the pandemic –— doubling its initial $1 million target when it launched the “For the Love of Your Local” campaign last month.
Punters can pre-purchase beer vouchers from participating venues and CUB then matches each voucher, meaning it works out to two pints for the price of one.
The aim was to provide an immediate cash investment for pubs and entice more customers to return to their local pub and redeem vouchers once lockdown restrictions were eased.
The hospitality industry has also been lobbying the Federal Government to freeze the excise duty on alcohol, which was due to rise in August.
The Australian Hotels Association has met with the government demanding either a freeze or scrapping of the tax for booze at restaurants or clubs.
Association chief executive Stephen Ferguson described the excise as a hidden and expensive tax.
He said 42 per cent of the retail price on a carton of beer and 57 per cent of the retail price on a bottle of whisky or gin was tax.
“At a time when consumers are returning to pubs, clubs, restaurants and cafes, they should not face new hidden tax increases,” he said.
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann would not comment on whether the government was open to freezing the alcohol excise.
Victorian pubs have been shut for two months but can reopen for up to 20 patrons from Monday, June 1, provided they offer dine-in meal service and can apply social distancing measures.
The customer limit will increase to 50 people from June 22 and 100 people by mid-July.
More than 2000 venues have signed up for CUB’s For the Love of Your Local campaign, including 785 in Victoria.
CUB chief executive Peter Filipovic said he encouraged more venues to sign up. He said the sector faced enormous challenges and some pubs were unlikely to open their doors until restrictions were relaxed even further.
“The fact is many of these beloved venues won’t make it through this crisis without extra help,” he said.
“So we’re calling on Australians to help save their local and get free beer in the process.”
YOUNGEST LIFE CLAIMED, HOTEL CASES SPREAD
A worker from a Melbourne quarantine hotel has tested positive for coronavirus as a 30-year-old Queensland man became the nation’s youngest COVID-19 victim.
The Rydges on Swanston hotel worker was one of eight Victorians confirmed with coronavirus on Wednesday, raising the state’s total to 1618 — including 60 active cases.
Rydges is being used to quarantine returned travellers and is not open to the public, however the cause of the employee’s infection is still under investigation while “relevant parts” of the hotel are being thoroughly cleaned.
An investigation has also been launched in Queensland after 30-year-old miner Nathan Turner died overnight on Tuesday and later tested positive to COVID-19. He is Australia’s youngest victim.
Authorities are examining whether a Rockhampton nurse who worked at an aged care home while unwell could be the source of his infection.
It is understood the nurse broke health orders when she drove almost 200km from Rockhampton to Blackwater to see a sunset before she was positively tested for the virus.
Although the man and his partner had showed COVID-19 symptoms prior to his death, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk revealed he also suffered other health issues.
Meanwhile, the abattoir at the centre of Victoria’s biggest coronavirus outbreak is set to return to full operation today.
Cedar Meats, which has been linked to at least 111 coronavirus cases, has announced it will restart all aspects of its business, including processing livestock, this week.
All staff cleared by the Department of Health to return to work were called to a meeting at the Brooklyn plant on Wednesday.
Cedar Meats general manager Tony Kairouz said about 300 workers would restart this week.
“I am really looking forward to having the Cedar family back together,” Mr Kairouz said.
“As a management team we have spent the last few weeks working closely with DHHS and WorkSafe to ensure that we are returning in the safest possible manner.”
A cluster at Lynden Aged Care in Camberwell grew to three cases on Wednesday after two staff members tested positive.
Close contacts of the aged care workers have been identified and quarantined, while the facility has been in lockdown since the first case on May 19.
Lynden chief executive Carolyn Panassie said both employees were asymptomatic and in self-isolation.
“We are doing everything we can to stop the spread.”
YOUNG ADULTS TAKE HEAVIER MENTAL HIT
A sharp surge in the number of young adults suffering from severe psychological distress has been attributed to the lockdown and unemployment.
One in five adults under 24 are now suffering from psychological distress — up 50 per cent from 2017, according to a new study of 3155 Australian men and women by the Australian National University.
If sustained, this level of severe psychological distress could lead to “adverse clinical outcomes including hospitalisation due to self-harm and higher deaths by suicide,” ANU Associate Professor Ben Edwards said.
The research, the first of its kind to compare mental health data before and after the coronavirus, shows young Australians aged 18 to 34 are “significantly worse off in terms of mental health than those who are older”.
Severe distress for adults aged 25 to 34 climbed from 11.5 per cent in February 2017 to 18 per cent in April 2020.
“Reductions in employment opportunities are having a significant impact,” Prof Edwards said, adding Millennials and Gen Z didn’t have the “financial buffer older Australians have”.
TRIALS BY JURY SET TO RETURN MUCH EARLIER
Jury trials will soon be back in Victoria months earlier than expected as the state’s justice system gets ready to return to normal.
New jury trials were suspended indefinitely in March in the wake of the global pandemic.
But Supreme Court Judge Lex Lasry revealed on Wednesday the courts were hopeful trials could resume sometime after the mid-year break in July – much earlier than previously anticipated. The Herald Sun understands the courts are quietly confident trials will resume before the end of winter.
A Supreme Court spokeswoman said the courts had been working together to see how they could safely resume trials.
“That planning includes making sure they can accommodate physical distancing requirements and have spaces in which jurors, in particular, feel safe and comfortable,” she said.
“The courts will be consulting with the legal profession and others in relation to those arrangements and restarting in a measured way.”
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