Coronavirus Australia live updates: WA Premier to open border to NSW, Victoria

Millions of Australians will be able to be reunited with loved ones by Christmas with one Aussie state expected to finally open its borders within weeks. 

WA Premier Mark McGowan is today expected to announce the opening of his state's borders to residents of NSW and Victoria for the first time since early April.

 

 

The exact reopening date is not yet known, although it is widely expected to be before Christmas.

It will be the first time residents of the county's two most populated states will be able to enter WA since the borders shut on April 5 as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

However, Mr McGowan is expected to keep the WA border closed to South Australia following a recent outbreak there.

"The Chief Health Officer still has concerns about South Australia," Mr McGowan said on Monday, although he praised Victoria's "remarkable" effort in stopping the spread.

Follow our live coronavirus coverage below.

Updates

6:34 am December 1, 2020 Highlight

State set to open after eight brutal months

WA Premier Mark McGowan is today expected to announce the opening of his state's borders to residents of NSW and Victoria for the first time since early April.

The exact reopening date is not yet known, although it is widely expected to be before Christmas.

It will be the first time residents of the county's two most populated states will be able to enter WA since the borders shut on April 5 as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

However, Mr McGowan is expected to keep the WA border closed to South Australia following a recent outbreak there.

"The Chief Health Officer still has concerns about South Australia," Mr McGowan said on Monday, although he praised Victoria's "remarkable" effort in stopping the spread.

6:26 am December 1, 2020 Highlight

Aussie neighbour's grim virus news

Vietnam has recorded its first locally transmitted case of coronavirus in almost three months.

According to Reuters, a 32-year-old man who is related to a flight attendant who contracted the illness after returning from Japan a fortnight ago tested positive on Monday.

It is the first local infection in 89 days, sparking a tightening of screening efforts and contract tracing in a bid to prevent an outbreak.

6:18 am December 1, 2020 Highlight

Aussie border finally opens

The Queensland border has finally been opened to Sydneysiders and Victorians.

The long-awaited rule change meant that from 1am last night, millions of Aussies have been able to be reunited with loved ones in the Sunshine State.

While Queensland was opened to the rest of NSW last month, those from the state capital have been barred for months on end.

Around 6000 interstate travellers are expected to enter Queensland today, with airports bustling for the first time in months as Sydneysiders and Victorians prepare to board flights.

South Australians remain barred from Queensland.

From 1am tomorrow, Queensland will open to Greater Sydney and Victoria and anyone who has travelled here from those places will be able to leave hotel quarantine.

— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) November 30, 2020

2:35 am December 1, 2020

Date for key vaccine landmark

US firm Moderna could issue the first COVID-19 vaccinations as early as 21 December 2020 the company's CEO said in a statement.

Stéphane Bancel said if the regulatory approval process goes smoothly the first patients could get jabs before Christmas.

It comes as the company was due to file for emergency authorisation of its vaccine in the United States and Europe on Monday, after full results confirmed a high efficacy estimated at 94.1 percent.

The news follows Thanksgiving weekend that has led to fears the US could see a "surge upon a surge" of virus cases, which are already at record highs.

More than 265,000 Americans have died from the disease and 93,000 are currently hospitalised.

“We believe that our vaccine will provide a new and powerful tool that may change the course of this pandemic and help prevent severe disease, hospitalisations and death,” Mr Bancel said.

If the US Food and Drug Administration agrees the vaccine is safe, the first of two doses could be handed out by 21 December. The company joins American pharmaceutical Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech in having applications pending in the US.

A third vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca has also proved effective in phase three trials but has not yet been approved by regulators.

The Moderna vaccine, which was co-developed with the US National Institutes of Health, is being studied in a clinical trial with more than 30,000 participants across the United States.

Trial results show the Moderna vaccine was generally well tolerated by subjects, with the most common side effects including injection site pain, fatigue, muscle pain, joint pain, headache, and redness at the site.

These increased in frequency and severity after the second dose in the vaccinated group.

– With AFP

5:20 pm November 30, 2020 Highlight

'Useless' QR system carks it on first day

Anthony Piovesan, NCA NewsWire

The Victorian government launched its QR (quick response) code check-in system on Monday following weeks of criticism that an absence of the contact tracing tool was putting Victorians at risk.

And on the first day of its rollout Victorians are already citing issues, with Melbourne resident Lachlan Thomas unable to register after multiple attempts.

“It’s such a simple form – your name, email, phone and tick a couple of boxes and that’s it – yet there’s still issues,” he said.

Read the full story here.

3:21 pm November 30, 2020 Highlight

Queensland border to stay closed to SA

Parts of South Australia will be the only areas of Australia not yet able to enter Queensland without having to complete 14 days of hotel quarantine.

While the Sunshine State's hard border with greater Sydney and Victoria will finally come down tomorrow, Queensland's chief health officer Jeanette Young said SA still poses too much of a risk.

"Although we've reviewed the situation in South Australia and it looks good, they're not at 33 cases related to that cluster, they still are continuing to have cases and areas of concern," Dr Young said today.

Picture: Annette Dew

"Most of the states and territories in Australia still have some limitation on movements from Adelaide to their state, so we will continue that here in Queensland and continue to review it over the next week."

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the measures will remain in place for at least another seven days, adding she accept's Dr Young's advice.

"We want to make sure that everything is perfectly safe when we can lift those borders, and we do have that aspiration that everyone can travel freely for Christmas," Ms Palaszczuk said.

2:41 pm November 30, 2020 Highlight

'No advice' that mask rules will change in Victoria

Earlier today, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews reminded residents in his state that the risk of potential virus transmission is highest when indoors, after the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry called for further easing of mask use in offices.

"There's social distancing in the office, so the need for the mask, when you're sitting down, we would argue is not there," the chamber's Paul Guerra said.

Picture: NCA NewsWire/Daniel Pockett

Thousands of Victorians returned to work today – some for the first time since March – with Mr Guerra saying that some businesses had said the difficulties of wearing a mask in the office had delayed their return to work.

But Mr Andrews told reporters today that while further announcements about restrictions will be made this Sunday, public health advice still supports the role masks play in reducing the risk of potential transmission.

"I've got not advice to say that the mask rules will change," he said.

"We all have to recognise, inside (is) 20 times more dangerous than outside.

"This is an insurance policy, the discomfort of wearing a mask is nothing compared to the discomfort of shutting the place down again. I just don't want to get to that."

2:26 pm November 30, 2020 Highlight

Confusion over man who 'breached quarantine'

South Australian health authorities have backflipped on previous claims that an infected man who visited multiple Adelaide stores did so while breaching quarantine.

The man, in his 30s, is believed to have caught the virus after attending the Intensive English Language Institute at Flinders University.

Speaking during yesterday's press conference, Chief Health Officer Professor Nicola Spurrier said it was her understanding the man was in quarantine after being identified as a casual contact of a known case.

"Unfortunately they did not spend the whole time in quarantine and at one point they were out and about on a particular day," Professor Spurrier said.

She went on to criticise the man's actions, saying posed a "significant risk" to others.

However, it seems health authorities are backing away from claims the man ditched quarantine, with Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Emily Kirkpatrick today saying he did "the right thing".

As part of being identified as a casual contact the man was not ordered to go into a period of quarantine, instead he was told to get tested for coronavirus and then take another test 12 days later.

He returned a negative result after the first test but received a positive result on the day 12 test.

"He was given information via a text message advising him to get tested and go into isolation," Dr Kirkpatrick said.

"Further advice was then not given to this individual after he received his negative test result and my understanding is he has assumed he is then free to move about the community.

"This person has done the right thing, got tested on day one and 12 and were part of a casual contact group with a lower risk profile."

Ms Kirkpatrick admitted the situation is "quite confusing".
Anyone who attended the following locations at the below times have been ordered to immediately get tested and isolate until they receive a the result:

• Flinders University Sturt Campus 13 Nov-28 Nov
• Big W Brickworks 22 Nov 12:15-12:50pm
• Foodland Norwood 22 Nov 1:20-2:00pm
• Kmart Kurralta Park 22 Nov 2:45-3:10pm

1:43 pm November 30, 2020 Highlight

New rules for SA to kick in at midnight

From midnight tonight a new COVID restrictions will kick in across South Australia.

From 12.01am on December 1 people will be required to wear masks when visiting medical facilities across the state. Masks are also strong encouraged in situations where people can't practice social distancing.

The change comes after no new COVID-19 cases were recorded across the state overnight.

A number of previous restrictions will also be eased across the state tonight, including:

– All border restrictions being lifted.

– Customer limits for general trade in licensed premises can be removed if businesses have a QR code check in system.

– The one person per four square metre rule will remain for indoor activity but will increase to one person per two square metres in outdoor venues, with stand up drinking also allowed.

– Funeral limits will be increased to 150 people, along with weddings and private functions.

– Gatherings over 1000 people and nightclub venues require an approved SA Health COVID management plan.

– Community sport can resume.

– Home gatherings will remain at a maximum of 10 people.

11:53 am November 30, 2020 Highlight

Victoria unveils new hotel quarantine system

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has assured residents that the government has "learned lessons" from the state's previous hotel quarantine failure.

"We know that there are many lessons that have to be learned in relation to hotel quarantine, and we have learned those lessons, from Victoria and experiences in Adelaide, and experiences in Sydney," Mr Andrews said on Monday.

"Breaches of hotel quarantine are not unique to Victoria, we have to be focused on the best system, the stronger system, to keep Victorians a safe to protect this precious thing that we have built."

The premier's assurances come as Victoria is set to resume accepting international arrivals from December 7, with 160 residents set to return and quarantine in Victoria each day.

The hotel quarantine system has been restructured with a new administrative team dedicated to keeping the system running safely.

"This will be done as safely as possible, but we all have to acknowledge that there is no quarantine system that can be built with zero risk," Mr Andrews said.

"There will always be some residual risk, some would say that it is inevitable that there will be outbreaks, that there will be cases, the key point is to make sure that we have the stronger system in place to lockdown any outbreak, to shut that down, without having to shut down the suburbs, or metropolitan Melbourne, or the entire state.

"We are confident we will be able to do that because of the planning, the learnings, and the experiences here at around Australia."

The ADF will also be supporting police in ensuring COVID protocols are followed.

All staff working in the quarantine system will work at one site only, in a bid to reduce the risk of the virus spreading.

Mr Andrews also noted all staff will be exclusively employed or contracted for the quarantine system, meaning no private security contactors or people working second jobs.