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Live breaking news: Fears grow for Victoria as Holiday Inn cluster grows

A new animation has revealed how easily the coronavirus can spread through quarantine hotels after the latest spike at Melbourne's Holiday Inn.

Alex BlairAlex Blair
@alexblair_1
less than 2 min read
February 11, 2021 - 5:31AM
Terrifying COVID outbreak revealed (Sunrise)

Welcome to Rush Hour, news.com.au's live breaking news blog.

Melbourne is once again on high alert after recording a number of new cases overnight following a concerning development at the Holiday Inn quarantine site. Scroll down for all the updates.

That's it for today's coverage, check back tomorrow and we'll do it all again. 

Updates

Epidemiologist calls for tighter quarantine rules

Australian epidemiologist Tony Blakely has called for tighter hotel quarantine restriction protocols after new evidence pointed to a resident's nebuliser as the potential culprit of the recent Holiday Inn cluster.

A new graphic produced by Channel Seven explains how the Covid-positive guest could have spread virus particles to the hotel's corridor after using the medical device in their room.

"We will see more cases I suspect, hopefully just from people who were in the corridor and not out in the community," professor Blakely told Sunrise this morning.

"One thing I've noticed is we've identified the contact spots just two days after people have been there, so things have been happening very quickly on the contact tracing.

"But back to the nebuliser itself. It highlights the importance of aerosol transmission, and it might be the kick in the pants we need to improve our quarantine system." A nebuliser is a drug delivery device used to administer medication in the form of a mist inhaled into the lungs.

48 residents at the Holiday Inn have been evacuated as authorities undergo terminal cleaning.
Victorian health officials sent out a new public warning on Wednesday night, urging anybody who was at the Sunbury Square Shopping Centre between 3:40pm and 4:30pm last Friday to get a Covid-19 test.

The Department said it was “taking a precautionary approach” after a number of businesses inside the centre were listed as exposure sites.

Fresh footage of US Capitol riots emerges

Tense footage captured from the day of the US Capitol riots has given fresh insight into the confusion and chaos of the historic political event.

Videos of police officers being crushed by the incoming mob, rushing through corridors to warn politicians, and confronting protestors have been brought to light amid Donald Trump's ongoing impeachment trial.

A clip shared by Rex Chapman shows a police officer bounding down a hallway to escort Senator Mitt Romney away from the crowd has gone viral this morning as the world waits for a result from the former president's trial.

Mr Trump has been accused of inciting violence throughout the recent US election process and has since been banned from Twitter for a number of posts questioning the legitimacy of the voting process.

Disturbing Melbourne home invasion caught on CCTV

Chilling footage has captured the moment a man was bashed with a steering wheel lock during a home invasion in Melbourne’s east.

Four intruders, who arrived in a white Subaru Liberty wagon, smashed through the front door of an apartment complex in Heidelberg about 1am on February 2.

Once inside the Powlett Street complex, the men, believed to be armed with a firearm and other weapons, approached an apartment and kicked open the door to gain entry.

They then confronted a man and a woman who were sleeping inside the apartment and dragged the man from his bed.
Police said the 38-year-old was bashed with a steering wheel lock while 36-year-old woman was verbally assaulted and threatened with a weapon.

Police have released a full description of all four attackers and have called on the public to help with their investigation.

Anyone who recognises the men or with information has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

— with Jack Paynter, NCA Newswire

Three rescued on island after surviving 33 days on coconuts

A trio of stranded Cuban seafarers have been rescued after a makeshift flag caught the eye of a passing aircraft on a routine patrol.

The castaways were spotted on an uninhabited island on Anguilla Cay after spending 33 days living off coconuts. One of the rescue crew told the BBC he was "amazed that they were able to survive for so long".

"Unfortunately we didn't have any fluent Spanish speakers but in my broken Spanish I was able to discern that they were from Cuba and that they needed medical assistance. They made sure to stress that they had been on the island for 33 days," Coast Guard official Riley Beecher said.

The group of two men and one woman said they were able to swim ashore after their boat capsized. They were airlifted off the island and taken to a medical facility in Florida and were cleared of any serious injuries.

'New retaliatory action': Iran's chilling warning to USA

Iran’s foreign minister has shot out a warning to the new Biden government and its allies, stating that Tehran will reduce cooperation with International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors if US and European leaders fail to meet the terms of their nuclear pact.

“With the new government in Washington, there is an opportunity to try a new approach, but the current window is closing rapidly,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Wednesday.
“Soon my administration will have to take new retaliatory action, in response to the unfortunate non-compliance of the United States and Europe with their commitments."

Retaliation from the Middle Eastern superpower could include further deviation from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a 2015 agreement signed between Iran and six major powers.

“This can only be avoided if the United States decides to learn from Trump’s maximum defeat, not lean towards it,” he stated.

Relations have been rocky since Donald Trump's move to sanction Iran in 2018 and pull the US out of the JCPOA.

Iran has set a looming February 21 deadline for the US and its allies to make a decision. If an agreement is not met and sanctions continue, Tehran will likely bar international nuclear inspectors from visiting Iranian sites.

Aus Open: Kyrgios the fighter takes five-set thriller

Nick Kyrgios has pulled off a stunning five-set victory over Frenchman Ugo Humbert overnight, going 5-7 6-4 3-6 7-6 6-4 in just under four hours at Melbourne Park.

The Aussie was his usual fiery self, breaking racquets and mouthing off before pulling it together to snag the break in the fifth and advance to the third round.

Kyrgios went on a tirade when a malfunctioning net-cord vibration-detecting device appeared to play up.

“It’s bulls***, look at the score,” he complained to umpire Marijana Veljovic, knocking his racquet on the top of the net.
“It’s ruining the game. It’s ruining the game. You don’t understand it’s f***ing one-all in the fifth set.”

The Canberra product was lucky Veljovic overlooked his outburst, which could have easily earned him a one-game penalty in the crucial deciding set.

Victoria on high alert as new cases confirmed

Victoria’s latest coronavirus outbreak has jumped to eight cases, with authorities bracing for another potential wave of community transmission.

Three workers and two residents at the Holiday Inn, who were both released from quarantine before testing positive, were diagnosed with coronavirus as the state's latest cluster grows.

South Australia has since announced another border closure with Victoria following the recent outbreak.

Health officials sent out a new public warning on Wednesday night, urging anybody who was at the Sunbury Square Shopping Centre between 3:40pm and 4:30pm last Friday to get a Covid-19 test.
The Department said it was “taking a precautionary approach” after a number of businesses inside the centre were listed as exposure sites. It is esitmated thousands of shoppers could be at risk of infection.

“Individuals who attended the shopping centre outside of this timeframe are not considered at risk, but should monitor for symptoms and immediately present for testing if they become unwell,” the Department’s statement said.

48 residents at the Holiday Inn have been evacuated as authorities undergo a process described as "terminal cleaning", and brace for new cases.

Tsunami warning after huge 7.7 earthquake recorded

A 7.7 magnitude earthquake was recorded near New Caledonia at 2.20am today, prompting tsunami warnings for South Pacific islands, New Zealand and Australia’s Lord Howe Island.

The powerful earthquake rocked an area southeast of Loyalty Islands, near New Caledonia.

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology issued an alert on Twitter: “Tsunami confirmed. Observation – Norfolk Island at 2.15am AEDT. “Marine threat warning for Lord Howe Island. Tsunami affecting marine area commencing after 2.45am AEDT Thursday, persisting for several hours.”
— with Andrew Backhouse

Boeing accused of 'publicly lying' about fatal 737 aircraft

A lawsuit filed by Boeing shareholders has claimed the aircraft manufacturer lied about overlooking safety features for its 737 MAX 8 airliner.

The lawsuit also accused the company of participating in a misleading public relations campaign after two fatal 737 crashes in 2018 and 2019.

Boeing’s fleet of 737 MAX aircraft was forced to be grounded as a result of the tragic events. The lawsuit claims Boeing’s board ignored red flags surrounding the 737 MAX 8 and didn’t develop tools to evaluate the safety of the aircraft model.

“Prior to the grounding of the 737 Max, the board failed to undertake its own evaluation of the safety of keeping the 737 Max aloft,” investors told Delaware Chancery Court in a complaint that was made public on Feburary 5th. The board was then accused of “compounded its lack of oversight by publicly lying about it.”

Despite the negative attention and record-long stint on the ground, use of the 737 MAX has resumed with US airline United Air confirming 566 flights this month.

The new development came after Boeing was fined $244 million (USD) by the US government in January for “criminal misconduct” involving two senior employees.

The charges involved the company’s Chief Technical Pilot and their deputy, who were found to have deceived the Federal Aviation Administration on details regarding a new flight control system in the 737 MAX 8’s.

“Boeing’s employees chose the path of profit over candor by concealing material information from the FAA concerning the operation of its 737 MAX airplane and engaging in an effort to cover up their deception.”

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