Australia news LIVE: Sydney records 35 new cases of COVID-19; no new cases in Victoria

It’s been a day dominated by COVID-19 headlines around the country, whether it’s rising case numbers (NSW) or easing restrictions (South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania).

Here’s everything you need to know, and what to watch tomorrow:

• All eyes will be on NSW’s COVID-19 numbers at 11am tomorrow. Premier Gladys Berejiklian says the next few days will be “absolutely critical” as authorities work to contain the spread of the highly infectious Delta strain of the virus. Thirty-five new cases were recorded on Monday, seven of which were infectious in the community. A further four were in isolation for only part of the infectious period. It’s too early to tell if a two-week lockdown in Greater Sydney can end on Friday.
• Victoria has enjoyed its fifth day of zero cases of community transmission of the virus but restrictions affecting travellers in “red zones” such as Sydney are not expected to be lifted any time soon. Victoria’s COVID-19 response commander, Jeroen Weimar, has urged Victorian residents to return now from interstate red zones to start their 14-day home quarantine.

Victoria’s COVID-19 Commander, Jeroen Weimar.Credit: Jason South

• Western Australia is monitoring a COVID-19 positive case detected in a crew member on a Singaporean vessel off the Geraldton coast. He is now in Perth and will be included in tomorrow’s COVID numbers. The state recorded no new local cases on Monday and will move to its second stage of relaxed restrictions on Tuesday.
• South Australia has re-opened its border with Victoria but is still closed to travellers from NSW, Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Premier Steven Marshall says the COVID-19 numbers in NSW are worrying and there will be no change this week to that border closure, but NT and WA may benefit from eased restrictions from Thursday.
• Tasmania has lifted the high-risk declaration that applies to parts of Western Australia and the Northern Territory, allowing travellers from those areas to enter the state without quarantining for 14 days.

I’m Michaela Whitbourn, signing off on the blog for the evening. Thank you for reading. My colleague Broede Carmody will be back at the helm tomorrow morning to keep you informed of the latest news and views from 6am.

Chris Barrett, south-east Asia correspondent for the Herald and The Age, and Karuni Rompies, assistant Indonesia correspondent, are reporting on an unfolding crisis in Indonesia as the country recorded a daily record of 55 deaths linked to COVID-19 on Sunday and 27,233 new cases.

South-east Asia’s biggest country is now facing an oxygen supply crisis that has already turned catastrophic, they report.

A medical worker wheels an oxygen tank to be used to treat patients at an emergency tent erected to accommodate a surge in COVID-19 cases, at Dr. Sardjito Central Hospital in Yogyakarta on Sunday.Credit: AP

When the liquid oxygen supply ran out at the Dr Sardjito Central General Hospital in Yogyakarta over the weekend, 33 people died before it could be restored.

In Bandung, the Al-Islam hospital closed its doors on Sunday due an oxygen shortage while others were forced to open and close based on supplies.

COVID-19 testing levels are well below the World Health Organisation standard and, amid a COVID-19 positive rate as high as 43 per cent in Jakarta, the situation in the fourth most populated country appears to be rapidly deteriorating.

Read the full story here.

Queenslanders who want a Pfizer vaccination against COVID-19 have been warned they might have to wait until October at the earliest because of supply issues.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk revealed on Monday that 139,875 Queenslanders had registered to get the Pfizer vaccine, and she encouraged more to sign up through the Queensland Health website.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.Credit: Getty

However, she also said people could wait months for their jab.

“You will be given a booking but the booking may not be until October or November because that is when all the supply comes in from the federal government,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“I just need everyone to be patient and if we do get extra supply in, Queensland Health will contact you and we will be able to move your appointment forward.”

Read the full story here.

NSW Health has just issued some additional COVID-19 exposure sites in western Sydney, following interviews with new cases today.

Anyone who was at Rydalmere Aldi on Thursday from 8am to 3pm or Friday from 2pm to 8.30pm should immediately get tested and self-isolate for 14 days after a confirmed case worked while infectious.

Shoppers who have not been contacted by NSW Health should call them on 1800 943 553.

In addition, anyone who was at Auburn’s Pindi Supermarket on Queen Street on Tuesday from 5.40pm to 5.50pm should immediately get a test and self-isolate until they receive a negative result.

Health advice has been updated for patrons of Club Marconi at Bossley Park. After previous advice focused on the club’s gaming area, NSW Health is now asking anyone who was at the club from 2pm to 8.30pm on June 25 or 26 to get a test and self-isolate for 14 days. They should also call NSW Health if they have not yet been contacted.

Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne has acknowledged the halved cap on international arrivals on commercial flights is an added difficulty for Australians trying to return home from overseas.

“It’s certainly a very challenging environment and I know that there are many Australians and many families who will be dealing with this news and this change,” she said, speaking on radio 2GB on Monday afternoon.

“Of course, this is a very difficult time for many Australians, still.”

Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

On Friday Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the number of commercial arrivals into Australia would be halved from 6070 to 3035, until the country reaches the second stage of the new four-phase roadmap back to normal.

He confirmed that means the cap is likely to remain at its lower number until early next year, and the Commonwealth would put in place extra repatriation flights to make up for some of that drop in commercial places. The Commonwealth-run flights are not subject to the cap.

Senator Payne said 20 repatriation flights are planned for between now and September, all flying into Howard Springs in the Northern Territory.

“They are coming from a number of locations - from Europe, from India,” she said.The Minister encouraged any families concerned about whether the cap affected their return plans to contact the consular emergency centre.

If you’re wondering how Sydneysiders are navigating the latest lockdown in NSW, it seems they’re behind a growth in demand for cakes, pastries and other sweet indulgences (quelle surprise).

Billie Eder and Amelia McGuire have interviewed the founders of Sydney-based Japanese cheesecake business 15centimeters - who set up shop when COVID-19 hit in 2020 - and surveyed the wider scene when it comes to the edible crutches propping up inhabitants of the harbour city in lockdown 2021.

Naoka Kojo, co-creator of 15centimeters, prepares cheesecakes for baking. Credit: Kate Geraghty

“It’s 10 times busier than usual. We had 300 cake orders last week,” 15centimeters co-founder Caddie Mao said.

Read the full article here.

If you’re just joining us, here’s what you need to know now:

• NSW recorded 35 new cases of COVID-19 overnight. Twenty-four of the cases were in isolation for their entire infectious period while four cases were in isolation for part of their infectious period. A further seven cases were infectious in the community.
• NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says the next few days will be “absolutely critical” in determining whether Greater Sydney’s lockdown is extended beyond this week. The new cases today included three people who attended a small party at the Meriton Suites in Sydney’s Waterloo on June 26 – the first evening of the lockdown. NSW Health has now urged anyone who visited the hotel between 7pm that night to 8pm today to get tested immediately and isolate until they receive further advice.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Monday.Credit: James Brickwood

• Victoria recorded no new cases of COVID-19 for the fifth day in a row, but the state’s COVID-19 Commander Jeroen Weimar said residents currently in higher-risk parts of Australia, designated as “red zones”, should return to Victoria as soon as they “reasonably and safely can”.
• South Australia has re-opened its border with Victoria but remains shut to NSW, Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
• Western Australia has moved to lighter restrictions in Perth and Peel after recording no new COVID-19 cases overnight. Masks are still mandatory at indoor public venues, including in the workplace and on public transport.
• The number of COVID-19 cases linked to SummitCare’s Baulkham Hills aged care home in north-west Sydney increased by two cases to five today. At least one unvaccinated worker contracted the virus last week and attended the home while infectious. Four of the five cases were vaccinated. Unvaccinated staff continued to work at the facility, chief operating officer Michelle Sloane said today. “Up until seven days ago we were unable to insist our staff are vaccinated, and the government mandated it on June 28,” she said.

South Australian Premier Steven Marshall announced today that restrictions on people travelling to the state from Victoria would be lifted immediately.

He said there would be “no changes” as of yet to border closures affecting NSW, Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia, but further decisions could be made on Thursday about WA and the NT.

“Of course, we see the numbers in NSW still fairly worryingly high, so certainly no changes in NSW this week,” Mr Marshall said.

“We’re now up to a total of 465 exposure sites in NSW. We’re just not willing to take chances at this point in time.”

He urged South Australians to get tested if they felt unwell, saying it was not worth taking the risk.

“When you are eligible to have that vaccination, please get it done,” Mr Marshall said.

West Australian Premier Mark McGowan said the state recorded no new local cases of COVID-19 overnight and would move to lighter restrictions from midnight.

“From midnight tonight, Perth and Peel will be [moving] to ... light transitional restrictions,” Mr McGowan said, describing it as a “safe and sensible step forward” for Western Australia.

WA Premier Mark McGowan.Credit: Hamish Hastie

“Masks will still be mandatory at indoor public venues, including in the workplace and on public transport. Masks will not be required outside where physical distancing is possible, or when undertaking vigorous exercise indoors or outdoors,” he said.

“People should still use common sense and take a mask with them whenever they leave home. There will be a 30-person limit in all homes, all indoor private gatherings and a 150-person limit for outdoor private gatherings.

“Higher capacity will be allowed in venues. We will return to the two-square-metre rule and the 150-patron limit for restaurants, cafes, pubs, bars, casinos, and public venues.

“In a welcome change, standing service will now be allowed.”

Weddings and funerals will also be allowed up to 150 guests.

Mr McGowan said a crew member on a bulk carrier called the MV Emerald Indah, off the coast of Geraldton, had tested positive for COVID-19 and was transferred to Perth today.

“His case will be included in tomorrow’s case numbers. While this is less than ideal, we want to reinforce there is no current health risk to the Geraldton community. All other crew members are reported as being well.”

Read more here.

After three people who attended a party at an inner Sydney hotel on the first evening of the city’s lockdown tested positive to COVID-19, NSW Health has asked anyone who has visited the hotel since then to get tested.

People who were on any level of the Meriton Suites at 30 Danks Street, Waterloo, for any amount of time between 7pm on Saturday 26 June and 8am today must immediately get tested and isolate until you receive further advice from NSW Health, the ministry said in a statement.The alert covers anyone who was at the hotel, including guests, staff and contractors.

The ministry also issued two new alerts for public transport routes in western Sydney. Passengers on the 827 bus from Liverpool to Elizabeth Hills between Moore Street at Crawford Lane and Regentville Drive before Aviation Road on Tuesday morning, departing at 8.30am, should immediately get tested and self-isolate for 14 days.

In addition, commuters who took the train from Parramatta Station to Liverpool Station on Tuesday from 7.23am to 7.49am should also immediately get tested and isolate until a negative result is received.