Victoria's Chief Health Officer has admitted authorities still haven't tracked down "patient zero" in the alarming Chadstone Shopping Centre cluster.
Fronting the media today, Prof Brett Sutton said there were now 11 coronavirus cases linked to Chadstone's Butcher Club, with the entire team currently in quarantine.
One of those cases is linked to a family of nine from Frankston, who are now in "supported accommodation".
But Prof Sutton said there were still no clues regarding patient zero in that cluster.
"We don't know. We don't know. The butcher seems to be – or the setting seems to be a subsequent site of infection or transmission. But who the index case was in this whole cluster is unclear," he said.
"As soon as cases are identified, linked to settings, they are shut down, cleaned and the close contacts are told to quarantine.
"When an individual identifies they have worked at a work setting, and there are contacts in that work setting, that's when it is shut down."
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has joined a number of other leaders in sending a message of support to US President Donald Trump, who this afternoon tested positive to COVID-19.
A spokeswoman for Mr Morrison told The Sydney Morning Herald that he "has sent a private message to the President wishing him a speedy and full recovery".
Picture: AAP/Mick Tsikas
Mr Morrison's UK counterpart, Boris Johnson – who himself had a near-death experience with COVID-19 – also tweeted out a message of support to the US leader.
"My best wishes to President Trump and the First Lady," Mr Johnson said.
"Hope they both have a speedy recovery from coronavirus."
Dan 'fought to conceal' curfew's illegality
Frances Vinall, NCA NewsWire
The Victorian Government tried "covering up" key legal advice by releasing a version that redacted embarrassing paragraphs, a court has heard.
The Supreme Court of Victoria this week ordered the Government to release legal advice it received on the state's former 9pm-5am curfew.
Picture: Jake Nowakowski
The order came as part of an ongoing trial challenging whether or not the curfew breached human rights.
On Friday, barrister Marcus Clarke QC, who is acting for the woman who brought the lawsuit, said the unredacted version of the legal advice revealed the Government had "cherry-picked" what it want the public to know.
The lawsuit names then-deputy public health commander Michelle Giles, who was filling in for a man on leave when she signed the order authorising an extension to the state's curfew from September 14.
Australians have spent much of 2020 adapting to an ever changing set of rules and restrictions, in an attempt to stem the spread of coronavirus.
Our exercise regimes, our travel plans, our dining habits, and even our romantic endeavours have been guided since March by health advice, often with different caveats depending on the state and territory where you reside.
Picture: iStock
It goes without saying that as the year’s worn on, some regulations have been received better than others – though it’s not just the more controversial rules that have made us question the status quo.
From “vertical consumption” in SA to “designated dancers” in NSW, these are some of the bizarre COVID-19 restrictions that amuse and baffle even the best of us.
NSW Health is racing against time to track down passengers on a Jetstar flight from Melbourne to Sydney who had special permits or quarantine exemptions, after a person on the plane tested positive to coronavirus.
There were 47 people on JQ510, which left Melbourne at 11am on September 27, who did not undergo mandatory quarantine.
Those deemed close contacts of the case have been advised to immediately get tested and isolate for 14 days and stay isolated for the entire period, even if a negative test result is received.
Picture: NCA NewsWire/Gaye Gerard
A spokesman for NSW Health said there is “no ongoing risk of infection to the general public”.
The plane case was announced as part of Friday’s new cases, a traveller from Victoria in hotel quarantine.
The majority of passengers on the Jetstar flight are already undertaking mandatory hotel quarantine.
Friday marked a full week for New South Wales with no community transmission, as Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced she would open the border to the state if it could achieve 28 days with no community transmission.
Two new cases in SA
Ahead of restrictions easing at midnight, South Australia has reported two new cases of COVID-19.
Both cases – a man and a woman in their 20s – are returned travellers from overseas, and are currently in hotel quarantine.
"Both cases have been in medi-hotels since their arrival and while we await further testing to confirm whether they represent active cases," it said in a statement.
The two were not travelling together, and are the state's only active cases – bringing SA's total infection tally to 470.
Trump tests positive for coronavirus
US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania have both tested positive for the coronavirus.
Mr Trump announced the news on Twitter.
They went into quarantine and got tested today after one of the President’s closest advisers, Hope Hicks, contracted the infection.
Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!
Ms Hicks, a former White House communications director who returned to the administration as a counsellor to Mr Trump earlier this year, travelled to and from this week’s presidential debate in Cleveland, Ohio with him.
She was also aboard the President’s helicopter, Marine One, for a trip to Joint Base Andrews yesterday. And she was aboard Air Force One for Mr Trump’s visit to Minnesota, where he held a political rally.
Its parent company Collins Foods made the "difficult decision" after sales were slow to recover from the peak of COVID-19 impacts.
About 600 employees have been offered redundancy packages and some staff will be deployed to its KFC or Taco Bell operations.
The Sizzler restaurants closing are located in Queensland at Mermaid Beach, Loganholme, Toowoomba, Maroochydore and Caboolture; in Western Australia in Innaloo, Kelmscott and Morley; and in New South Wales in Campbelltown.
Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein is providing a COVID-19 update for his state now, and has announced his state will reopen its borders to "safe and low risk COVID states" from October 26.
"Jurisdictions are determined based on a number of factors including the period of time they have gone with low or no cases," Mr Gutwein told reporters.
"At this stage, low-risk states include South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland, the two territories (NT and the ACT), and New South Wales is looking very promising as well."
Picture: Zak Simmonds
Mr Gutwein said for now, however, NSW would remain "under advisement for the next week or so" before it's definitely included as a "low risk" state.
"I want to stress if at any time the situation changes in these jurisdictions and the advice is that the risk is increasing or too high then we won't hesitate to change this decision," he said.
"As we have consistently said, we are simply not prepared to put Tasmanians at risk and the border restrictions will remain in place.
"The date of the 26 October will give Tasmanians certainty as they plan for the end of the year but also importantly provide a date for our airlines to work to ensure we have access to our state, particularly through as many direct routes as possible which don't rely on commuting via Tullamarine (Melbourne Airport).
"My understanding is that there is real interest from the airlines based on our engagement with them in terms of direct flights to Adelaide, to Brisbane, to Canberra and Sydney, should we open to New South Wales."
Deputy PM reprises his role as matchmaker
During his trans-Tasman travel announcement, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack once again used "finding love" as an incentive for people – this time to New Zealanders – to pick fruit in regional Australia.
"If Jacinda Ardern, the prime minister in New Zealand, wants to have Australians going to New Zealand, then that will be up to her and New Zealand as to how those arrangements can be put into place and under what conditions they can be put into place, but as I say: Northern Territory and New South Wales, very much open," Mr McCormack told reporters.
Picture: Mick Tsikas/AAP
"We welcome those New Zealanders coming here and it could well be that indeed some may avail themselves of this because we've got work to be done in agriculture and if that opportunity is there too they might even come over here and find love."
Earlier this week, the Deputy PM copped backlash online after claiming young unemployed Aussies should pick fruit for the sake of a "great Instagram moment" and the possibility of meeting "the love of their life".
"If you know somebody who might be on the coast who might be lounging around with a surfboard, tell them to come to the regions," he said, while speaking at the Regional Australia Institute on Wednesday.
"Tell them to bring their mobile with them, because it would be a great Instagram moment for them to get up the tree, pick some fruit, who knows they might take some friends with them, they might make new friends, they might meet the love of their life."
Sutton in fiery exchange with reporter
Anthony Piovesan, NCA NewsWire
Brett Sutton has faced fresh claims that a butcher shop where workers became infected with COVID-19 was allegedly still trading despite being linked to an outbreak at the time.
A journalist questioned the Chief Health Officer on why the Butcher Club was open and trading on Wednesday, after the DHHS provided an update where two of that day’s 13 cases were linked to the Butcher Club at Chadstone.
Picture: Daniel Pockett/NCA NewsWire
“I was at Chadstone on Wednesday. That butcher was still trading? Should it have been?” the reporter asked.
To which Prof Sutton said: “As soon as cases are identified, linked to settings, they are shut down, cleaned and the close contacts are told to quarantine.”
The journalist pressed: “But I was there Wednesday. We knew Wednesday that the Butcher Club was linked to a concern there at Chadstone and cases at Chadstone. I saw it. It was still open, trading.”
Prof Sutton replied: “Yeah. I don’t know what the specific details (are) that were known at that time, but when an individual identifies they have worked at a work setting, and there are contacts in that work setting, that’s when it is shut down.”
One Aussie state has revealed its next move on a major vaccine development project – which promises to change the way it responds to future health challenges.
