Victoria records 282 cases, 25 deaths, making it Australia’s deadliest day
After a testing blitz sparked by mounting case numbers, coronavirus infections in Victoria’s regional cities are beginning to fall — but the state’s death toll is still yet to reach its peak. Here’s why.
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Australia has recorded its deadliest day with 25 Victorian lives lost to coronavirus over the past 24 hours and 282 new cases recorded.
Premier Daniel Andrews said all of the deaths were people aged 60 and over, with 22 of the 25 linked to aged care facilities.
The latest deaths include a man in his 60s, four women and three men in their 70s, six women and four men in their 80s, and four women and three men in their 90s.
In total, 216 deaths have now been linked to aged care facilities, while there have been a total of 334 deaths across Victoria during the pandemic.
There are currently 657 Victorians in hospital, with 44 in intensive care, and 32 currently on a ventilator.
Mystery cases have increased by 148. And across Victoria, there are 7474 active cases, which include 1064 healthcare workers, 2009 in aged care and 87 in disability facilities.
Meanwhile, two rule-breaking golfers are among the latest Victorians to be fined by police for breaching coronavirus restrictions.
Victoria Police issued 216 fines in the past 24 hours, including 27 to people not wearing masks and 89 for curfew breaches.
The latest Victorians to be fined include:
• Two men playing golf at a closed Mornington Peninsula golf course. The men admitted to police they had climbed the fence to gain entry;
• A man driving to Rye to stay overnight at his holiday house;
• A man and woman driving in the Knox area who said they were returning from selling a mobile phone in Reservoir but were found to have meth, ecstasy, cannabis, and GHB in their vehicle;
• A man and woman stopped on Ferntree Gully Road on their way to Boronia (more than 20km from their home address) to pick up a pair of shoes they had purchased; and
• A man in the Wyndham area who broke curfew to buy doughnuts.
Authorities are confident the number of daily new cases will continue to fall further as the effects of the latest lockdown laws are realised.
The number is now trending consistently lower than it had been in the lead-up to the introduction of stage four restrictions.
The current drop in numbers has been attributed to stage three restrictions and mandatory mask regulations.
Mr Andrews said numbers had started to fall in regional areas, with 436 cases across the state’s regional local government areas.
There are 155 active cases in Geelong, 47 in Bendigo and 28 in Ballarat.
“I think they are relatively stable from yesterday,” Mr Andrews said.
“The number at 436 is down considerably but there should be no sense of complacency coming forward to get tested is the most important thing to do.”
Mr Andrews said there was good cause for people to be hopeful about the future.
“We can’t afford for any sense of complacency to creep in here. We just have to keep pushing forward each and every day,” he said.
“This is a long way from over.”
More than 1.75 million tests have now been conducted in Victoria.
An additional $20 million funding for family violence services was also announced on Monday, citing the increased risk of domestic violence because of stay-at-home restrictions.
Minister for Prevention of Family Violence, Gabrielle Wiliams, said more than 550 people had been charged with more than 4000 family violence offences during lockdown.
Mr Andrews said the boosted investment into family violence services, would allow family violence service providers to adapt services under stay-at-home restrictions.
“Home has never been more important. With this package, we’re helping more victim survivors stay in their own homes, while perpetrators are kept in full sight,” he said.
WHY VICTORIA’S DEADLIEST DAY IS STILL TO COME
Victorians should brace for the possibility of even higher daily death tolls over the coming week, despite falling daily case numbers.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Nick Coatsworth the “wretched virus” often saw people “deteriorate” between a week and two weeks after they began showing symptoms, meaning worse numbers could still be on the way.
“That is an indicator that your severe disease will peak around about one to two weeks after your numbers in the community will peak,” Dr Coatsworth said.
“It’s entirely possible that we will see more deaths from COVID-19 Victoria.
“That daily number could exceed 25.”
He said every number represented a family mourning a loved one and that should serve a reminder to everyone how important it was to stick with measures implemented to slow the spread.
“We need to continue the stage four restrictions, bringing the community transmission under control and of course the number of severely affected Australians and Australians dying COVID-19 will follow and go the right direction,” Dr Coatsworth said.
More than 50 Australians were in intensive care units with COVID-19 on Monday.
WHO WAS RUNNING HOTEL QUARANTINE SCHEME?
Government ministers will be among the many witnesses to front an inquiry into Melbourne’s hotel quarantine system.
Tony Neal QC said in his opening remarks the confused and complicated structure of the program, which was initially set up in 48 hours, left agencies unclear on who was actually running the show.
The evidence would show there were “multiple and potential overlapping” roles between various agencies responsible for delivering the quarantine system, he said.
Follow the coverage and watch live here.
QUESTION MARK OVER COUNCIL ELECTIONS
High-level talks are continuing over the fate of council elections scheduled for October in Victoria.
Delaying the elections due to the coronavirus pandemic.is growing as an option, but there is still a chance they could be held as planned.
While the polls will be held by postal vote, groups like the Municipal Association of Victoria and many councillors say that proper campaigning will be almost impossible under shutdown conditions.
It’s believed that intense talks are under way inside government with advice given by the Chief Health Officer crucial to the final decision.
Last week, Premier Daniel Andrews said it was possible the elections would be delayed due to the pandemic.
Nillumbik deputy mayor Peter Clarke said campaigning needed “clear air” and the elections should be pushed back to March next year.
“To do anything earlier is not allowing, full, fair and democratic elections,” he said.
TRINITY COLLEGE YEAR 12S TEST POSITIVE
Two year 12 students from Trinity Grammar in Kew have tested positive for the coronavirus.
Principal Adrian Farrer wrote to parents on Monday afternoon to alert them.
The latter says the boys are “asymptomatic and feeling quite well”.
The boys have not had been at the school since July 23 — nearly four weeks ago — and have not had contact with any staff or students.
Accordingly, the school is not required to conduct any contact tracing or further cleaning measures.
The letter states: “We are providing this information to the school community to reassure you that the health authorities have indicated that no further action is required.
Obviously, the boys will not return to school until their isolation period is over and they have tested negative,” Mr Farrer said.
“This is a reminder to us all to continue to practise social distancing, wear our masks consistently and wash our hands frequently in order to keep each other safe in these extraordinary times.”
The Department of Education website says 29 schools ARE currently closed.
These include Geelong Grammar Toorak campus, Emmanuel College in Altona North, Kyneton High School, Thornbury Primary and Concord School in Bundoora.
HAMBLETON HOUSE RESIDENT DEFIES GUARDS
Thirteen residents are still inside the troubled Hambleton House and will be taken to hospitals later today, regardless of whether they have coronavirus.
A coronavirus outbreak has been reported at the facility, and neighbours and local businesses have been shocked to see residents leaving and mingling with people without face masks.
At least 10 people were removed from the property on Sunday, after five residents and a staff member were infected.
Worried local businesses have been disinfecting their premises after fears infected residents have visited.
One local said no information had been given by DHHS and staff had not been door knocking the community.
“We don’t know if we should be self isolating or not. No one wants a repeat of the hotel (quarantine) situation.”
There is only a single police car outside the facility — but there were none present when a resident walked out earlier Monday morning.
A resident at the 25-bed facility defied security guards and social distancing rules and left the facility without a face mask.
The man emerged from a side entrance of the Albert Park building and walked down Montague St towards St Vincent Gardens.
Four security guards attempted to speak to the man, but he ignored them and continued walking away.
Five security guards remain outside and more are arriving, along with Victoria Police.
Specialised teams in hazmat suits, including nurses and doctors, were deployed on Sunday to help transfer them to other treatment centres.
The state government intervened after reports residents were wandering in and out of the facility.
The remaining residents are expected to be removed this morning.
Hambleton House is a private supported residential service for people with mental health issues.
More than 60 staff and 81 patients have contracted the virus in Victorian disability facilities.
TENSIONS RISE OVER DISABILITY RESPONSE
The Victorian and federal governments are again at loggerheads, this time over the response to outbreaks in the state’s disability facilities.
On Sunday, the state government revealed the commonwealth had rejected multiple pleas for help, including an invite to set up a joint task force similar to that being used in the aged care crisis.
On April 8, Victorian Disability Minister Luke Donnellan wrote to the federal government flagging the need for a crisis accommodation response team. But the state government says the call was ignored by federal Disability Minister Stuart Robert.
Mr Donnellan wrote again on July 28.
The state government has indicated the request was never officially responded to, but claim Mr Robert declined to be part of the joint task force.
The latest spat comes after simmering tension between state and federal governments.
Mr Robert rejected the state government’s claims, saying the commonwealth had been a formal member of the Disability Rapid Response Group since July 29, and had also announced extra temporary measures for NDIS participants and service providers.
“Right now, because of the significant support from the commonwealth, an NDIS participant is four times less likely to contract COVID-19 than the Victorian general public,” he said.
Mr Andrews has previously said the state and federal governments remain on good terms, however, but behind the scenes the commonwealth is frustrated over his constant finger pointing.
MOVEMENT ‘BUBBLES’ COULD CHANGE BORDER CLOSURE
Movement “bubbles” for essential workers could be part of a deal being finalised by the NSW and Victorian governments amid growing pain for farmers in border communities.
A solution for farm workers stuck on either side of the border was on Sunday being finetuned after Scott Morrison wrote to Daniel Andrews and his NSW counterpart Gladys Berejiklian.
The Prime Minister offered to work with them, along with other state premiers, to enable movement of “essential economic workforce”, including agricultural workers.
Without a solution, all Australians risked soaring grocery prices and farmers along the border faced financial ruin, according to federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud.
“We drew lines on the map of Australia 100 years ago around states and they become arbitrary lines but people in regional areas don’t worry about state borders — they operate businesses in a geographical area,” Mr Littleproud told the Herald Sun.
“A lot of those communities grew around those borders but rely on a lot from the other side. That’s why you can create localised bubbles in regional areas if health officials would sit down with these communities, look at the science and work through it.”
Victorians did not need to worry about going without food but prolonged supply chain disruptions would lead to increased prices on some items, Mr Littleproud added.
Victorian Farmers Federation President David Jochinke said hard border closures were “another kick in the guts” for farmers who had already suffered through drought, fire and floods.
“If we don’t get sorted in the immediate future we are once again jeopardising a whole season’s worth of production for those farmers,” Mr Jochinke said.
Mr Andrews on Sunday said a solution was imminent for farmers near the NSW border.
“That’s what I am working towards”, Mr Andrews said.
“That’s what Gladys and I have talked about on a number of occasions and I am very grateful for that. We all help each other because a problem in one jurisdiction is ultimately a problem for all of us.” After dismissing the prospect of an agricultural permit on Thursday, Mr Andrews on Sunday said it was a live idea.
“Completely free movement is probably unlikely because the border is closed for good reasons and we don’t want this spreading, but I am actually quite positive we will get a positive outcome on this … but there is a little bit more work to do,” Mr Andrews said.
The agreement between NSW and Victoria could be announced as soon as Monday.
— With Susie O’Brien, John Masanauskas, Tamsin Rose and Alex White
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