No new local cases, four hotel quarantine cases linked to Australian Open
The NSW Premier had another crack at the Andrews Government, saying Victoria’s border restrictions should have been lifted “quite a while back”.
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New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has lashed out at the Victorian Government saying state border restrictions should have been dropped “quite a while back”.
In a daily press conference where the NSW government confirmed six new local cases of COVID-19, Ms Berejiklian said Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews had not made contact with her about potential areas of Sydney being able to travel to the southern state in the coming days.
The new cases in NSW are linked to a man who was identified as a positive case on Saturday, however the state’s government is urging for an increase in daily testing rates to ensure there are no further outbreaks.
Ms Berejiklian said the border closures between Victoria and Sydney are against Commonwealth health advice, which on Sunday confirmed there were no COVID-19 hot spots in Australia.
“He‘s not been in touch with me at all but I also say that (border opening) should have occurred quite a while back because we don’t have a hot spot in New South Wales,” Ms Berejiklian said of her Victorian counterpart.
“We are, of course, dealing with a result of an outbreak from a month ago, but I think everybody would agree closing a border of such significance is a really big deal and I stress that we waited until Victoria had in excess of — I think it was 180 cases they had the day after we announced the border closure.”
Victoria and all other states and territories closed borders to Greater Sydney following the northern beaches cluster outbreak which occurred just before Christmas.
“I can‘t understand why the border was closed in the first place and why the attitude of certain governments is what it is,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“There isn’t anywhere in Australia that’s currently being designated as a hotspot.
“So why shouldn’t people be able to return home? And why shouldn’t Australians be able to move around freely?”
People from greater Sydney are not allowed to enter Victoria without an exemption or permitted worker permit.
Those trying to enter via land border will be turned away, but those trying to cross the border via land or sea will face a fine of up to $4957.
If Mr Andrews follows through on his suggestion of easing border restrictions to Sydney, the city would likely become an orange zone, which would require all those crossing the border to apply for a permit and be tested within the first three days of arrival.
MORE CASES LINKED BACK TO AUSTRALIAN OPEN
No new local cases of coronavirus have been recorded overnight, but yet another case has linked back to the Australian Open flight crisis.
There are now four positive cases associated with the tournament, including three people on a flight from LA — a flight crew member, a coach, and a broadcaster.
Meanwhile, a coach on-board a second flight, from Abu Dhabi, also tested positive.
There are about 120 close contacts in isolation, all of whom must complete the mandatory 14-day stay.
COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria Commisioner, Emma Cassar, said there had been no changes to the original outbreak response plan outlined to Tennis Australia — and relayed to players and their teams — prior to the start of the tournament.
“The rules for close contacts haven’t changed and there is no other way that you can consider this,” Ms Cassar said.
“If you are on a plane for 16 to 24 hours with air that circulates throughout the plane, you are a close contact. That hasn’t changed.”
She said it was made “very clear” to all involved.
Meanwhile, two people — a player and support staff member — have received an official warning for breaching the hotel quarantine restrictions.
Ms Cassar said one incident of “challenging behaviour” involved a person who shouted other guests a meal of Uber Eats — which is allowed — and then opened his door “praising himself for his great efforts”.
The second was a player who tried to have a conversation with a “training mate down the hallway” by opening their front door.
Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley said organisers were going to consider what to do with players’ preparation to try to work out what was “fair” for everyone.
The news is another setback in the Open’s build-up, which has been dogged by major challenges and is still dealing with significant public backlash about why it is going ahead.
Read the full story here.
MINISTER DEFENDS AUS OPEN PLAN
Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily D’Ambrosio, said of the seven cases reported in hotel quarantine on Sunday, two were connected to the Australian Open.
Both were foreshadowed on Saturday and are non-playing staff.
The remaining cases are return travellers and one flight crew member not associated with the tournament.
Positive cases who flew into Melbourne on the Australian Open chartered flights have thrown the tournament into chaos.
Ms D’Ambrosio addressed controversy surrounding the positive results, with any players, officials and other passengers on board the flight considered close contacts and required to complete 14-days in mandatory quarantine.
“We know that COVID knows no bounds and no boundaries, whether you’re a first class tennis player or a spectator in the audience,” Ms D’Ambrosio said.
She defended the handling of the grand slam and added that “really clear protocols and really clear rules were set from day one” for anyone flying into Melbourne for the tournament.
“This is about keeping everyone safe,” Ms D’Ambrosio said.
“We need to keep to the clear health advice. It’s far from ideal but COVID is not ideal … Rules are rules, no matter who you are.”
Ms D’Ambrosio said players in quarantine were being made “as comfortable as they can be” with exercise equipment being delivered to their rooms.
Medical officers are in the process of identifying whether the positive cases are first-time positives or they are just “viral shedding” and no longer infectious, as in American Tennys Sandgren’s situation.
STRANDED VICTORIANS CLOSE TO RETURN HOME
Victorians stranded in Sydney by COVID-19 have been given hope of a return home, after Premier Daniel Andrews flagged a change to restrictions within days.
People in Brisbane were finally allowed to fly to Melbourne from 6pm on Saturday, after the area that had been hit with COVID-19 lockdowns was altered from a “red” zone to “orange”.
Under Victoria’s traffic light system for travel, only people in orange or green zones can get a permit to return home or visit without an exemption.
They must then get tested for coronavirus within three days, and quarantine at home until a negative result.
People who have been in Sydney’s red zone within 14 days are banned from Victoria, but can seek an exemption on compassionate grounds.
Mr Andrews said he recognised the toll this had taken but said it was necessary to keep the virus at bay.
“We do hope that in the next couple of days we will be able to dramatically shrink the red zone, so turn a number of those local government areas orange, just as we have done with Brisbane,” he said.
“This is not a matter of locking Victorians out of their own state, it’s about keeping the virus out.”
Opposition spokesman David Davis said the government had made a “silly set of decisions” around borders and accused it of overseeing a bungled system.
“I think he had panicked and is now … stepping back from his very harsh arrangements that were clearly not working,” he said. Mr Davis said the back-pedalling was partly a result of allowing international tennis players into Victoria while residents were still stranded interstate.
There were no new locally-acquired cases of coronavirus recorded across Victoria on Saturday, with more than 14,900 people tested in the previous 24 hours.
Three cases were detected in the state’s hotel quarantine. There are now 26 active cases across the state.
Chief health officer Professor Brett Sutton said the Brisbane situation was now “looking good” after community transmission from the city’s Grand Chancellor hotel outbreak was limited to two people — a quarantine cleaner and her partner.
PERMIT SYSTEM ‘DECIMATING’ VICTORIAN TOWNS’ TRADE
Tourism chiefs are pleading with the Victorian Government to make New South Wales border towns free-travel zones, amid fears its new permit system is “decimating” Murray River trade.
Some regional tourism operators and traders have reported a 75 per cent dive in discretionary visitor spending since the introduction of the ‘traffic light’ travel permit system, while an average 25 per cent drop is being experienced across the board as holidays are cancelled.
Victorian Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) chief Felicia Mariani said businesses on both sides of the Murray River were being hurt by the ‘orange light’ classification of New South Wales border towns, under the Victorian Government’s new permit model.
Under the system, while travel from green zones is unrestricted, touristsentering Victoria from orange zones must take a coronavirus test within 72 hours of arrival and quarantine until they get a negative result.
Ms Mariani said visitors to border towns typically spent time on both sides of the river; often staying in accommodation on the NSW side while enjoying the attractions, restaurants and shops on the Victorian side.
Now unable to move freely between twin towns like Albury-Wodonga and Echuca-Moama, they were increasingly delaying or cancelling their holidays and Victorian tourism operators – already hurting from 2020 COVID lockdowns – were again paying the price, she said.
Echuca traders and tourism bodies wanted to see Moama reclassified green, Ms Mariani said.
“Tourism is the region’s second largest industry, employing more than 18,000 people and worth $2 billion to the local economy. The industry is seeking … to find some way to salvage their peak season … snap border closures have wreaked havoc on holiday plans … when these changes occur the tourism industry is deeply affected but our border towns reliant on tourism feel the pain most significantly.”
Murray Regional Tourism chair Wendy Greiner said visitors wanted free access across the river and the orange classification of towns on the NSW side had created “enormous difficulties” because one community had been split in two.
“Without that green light, it’s just decimating … creating a lot of uncertainty and confusion and stopping people from visiting,” Ms Greiner said.
Chief executive of Echuca-Moama Tourism Kathryn McKenzie said some traders on the Victorian side of the river had reported a drop in discretionary spending of up to 75 per cent since the traffic light permit system was introduced.
Other businesses said they were putting off staff because of the drop in visitation.
One tourism operator on the NSW side of the river had just paid back $400,000 in cancellations, she said.
“Another smaller motel told me they just lost $15,000 and even our visitor centre, that takes accommodation bookings, over just five days has given back more than $7000 because of cancellations,” Ms McKenzie said.
Early surveys of Echuca tourism businesses indicated trade had dropped by an average 25 per cent because of Moama’s orange status, she said.
Directors of Echuca-based business Murray River Paddlesteamers Craig and Rohan Burgess said tourists sometimes “crisscrossed” the river a number of times a day.
“With Moama being classified orange now, it’s such a palaver and just all too hard so they’re cancelling and deciding to go to Daylesford or down the coast instead,” Craig Burgess said.
His own river cruising business usually docked on both sides of the river, he said.
A government spokesman said decisions about COVID-19 border restrictions were based on health advice and took into account advice from other states, the number of active cases and outbreaks and information on how those outbreaks were being managed.
“More recently, the presence of the highly infectious UK variant can play a role in determining restrictions on interstate travel,” the spokesman said.
While residents of border communities only had to show photographic ID and evidence of a current address to cross the river, it was different for visitors.
People from red zones, such as Greater Sydney, are not allowed to enter Victoria at all without an exception, exemption or work or transit permit.
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