As it happened: Victoria heads in lockdown, positive case at Wallabies match, NSW records 65 new cases

Thank you for reading our live coverage of the day’s events. If you are just joining us now, we’ve had some major developments in the past few hours. Here’s what you need to know now (thanks to Michaela Whitbourn for putting much of this summary together before ending her stint):

• Victoria will enter a snap five-day lockdown from 11.59 tonight until 11.59 next Tuesday in a bid to control the spread of COVID-19 across the state, which is linked to the outbreak of the highly transmissible Delta variant of the virus sweeping across Greater Sydney. The state has recorded 18 new cases of COVID-19 in the community over Wednesday and Thursday, including four new cases today.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced a snap five-day lockdown for the entire state.Credit: Getty

• Of Victoria’s 18 COVID-19 cases, 13 are linked to an outbreak at the Ariele apartments complex in Maribyrnong that was visited by removalists from Sydney who were infectious with the virus. The other five are linked to a family of four from the City of Hume who returned recently from NSW. One member of that family visited a Coles supermarket and infected a friend.
• The four new cases in Victoria today include three cases linked to the Geelong v Carlton game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday, July 10, which was attended by a confirmed coronavirus case from the Ariele apartments (a man in his 60s). These cases are of concern to Victorian health authorities because the new cases did not know the man in his 60s and did not sit with him at the MCG.

The MCG has been listed as a COVID exposure site for the Carlton-Geelong match last Saturday.Credit: Getty Images

• Late on Thursday, it emerged that an infected person also attended the Wallabies game against France on Tuesday night at AAMI Park in Melbourne.
• Tasmania responded to the growing COVID outbreak in Victoria by banning anyone who has been in Victoria on or since July 8 from travelling to the state. Quarantine and other requirements will be in place for those granted exemptions as essential travellers, including Tasmanian residents. Anyone who arrives before the declaration takes effect at 12.01am on Friday will be allowed to enter Tasmania unless they have spent time in identified high-risk premises.
• South Australia has also tightened its travel restrictions. From midnight, essential travellers and South Australian residents entering the state from Greater Melbourne, Geelong or Bacchus Marsh will be required to quarantine for 14 days. Travellers from other parts of Victoria must be tested for coronavirus on days one, five and 13, but do not have to isolate if their first test result is negative. The 70km bubble for border communities remains in place.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Thursday.Credit: James Brickwood

• NSW recorded 65 new local cases of COVID-19, 28 of which were infectious in the community. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian is predicting higher case numbers tomorrow and says “we need to get that 28 number as close to zero as possible. Unless it comes down we can’t get out of lockdown.” Greater Sydney is in the third week of a lockdown of at least five weeks. Ms Berejiklian says “the fact that we haven’t seen thousands and thousands of cases is a win for NSW... Had we not go known lockdown there would have been thousands and thousands of cases in NSW today.”
• Late on Thursday, three paramedics connected to Liverpool ambulance station in the COVID-19 hotspot of Sydney’s south-west have tested positive to the virus, as have three workers on a major infrastructure project in Sydney’s inner west, the Westconnex Rozelle interchange site.

This is Mathew Dunckley signing off on the blog for the evening. Broede Carmody will be with you from 6am tomorrow, the first day of Victoria’s five-day lockdown.

NSW Health is advising of additional dates and times to previously announced venues of concern. Anyone who has attended the following premises is a close contact and must get tested and isolate for 14 days since their last day at the site, regardless of the result, and call 1800 943 553 unless they have already been contacted by NSW Health:

• Greenacre - D&M Excavations - 19 Bellfrog Street Thursday 1 July All day to Wednesday 14 July All day
• Greenacre -Hanson Concrete Australia - 18-20 Bellfrog Street Thursday 1 July All day to Wednesday 14 July All day
• Emu Plains - Lennox Village - Corner of Great Western Highway and Lawson Street Saturday 10 July 4pm – 4.45pm

Anyone who attended the following venues at the times listed is a close contact and must immediately get tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result, and call 1800 943 553 unless they have already been contacted by NSW Health:

• Seven Hills - Alpha Medical Centre - Shop 69/224 Prospect Highway Monday 12 July 2.15pm – 4.30pm Tuesday 13 July 8am – 5pm Wednesday 14 July 8am – 5pm
• Green Valley - Penna’s Green Valley Pharmacy - 174 Green Valley Road Saturday 10 July 1.05pm – 1.15pm Sunday 11 July 3.15pm – 3.25pm

Anyone who attended the following venues at the times listed is a casual contact who must immediately get tested and isolate until a negative result is received. Please continue to monitor for symptoms and immediately isolate and get tested if they develop:

• Smithfield - VIP Auto Repair -1/3 Victoria Street Tuesday 13 July 11.20am – 1.30pm
• Condell Park - The Discount Drug Store - 50 Simmat Avenue Monday 12 July 11.25am – 11.35am
• Lakemba - Best Price Supermarket - 126 Haldon Street Sunday 11 July 12.55pm – 1.05pm
• Wetherill Park - XS Coffee - Shop 9A, 1183-1187 The Horsley Drive Sunday 4 July 10am – 10.30am
• Northbridge - 110 Collective/ Ritual Coffee Traders - 160 Sailors Bay Road Monday 12 July 8.30am – 9am
• Belrose - Taste Baguette, Glenrose Village - 56-58 Glen Street Tuesday 13 July 8.10am – 8.20am Wednesday 14 July 10.30am – 11am
• Belrose - Woolworths, Glenrose Village - 56-58 Glen Street Wednesday 14 July 10.30am – 11am
• Belrose - Lawrence Dry Cleaners, Glenrose Village - 56-58 Glen Street Wednesday 14 July 10.30am – 11am

NSW Health is advising of additional times to previously announced venues. Anyone who attended the following venues at the times listed is a casual contact who must immediately get tested and isolate until a negative result is received. Please continue to monitor for symptoms and immediately isolate and get tested if they develop:

• Fairfield Aldi, Fairfield Forum - 4 Station Street Monday 5 July 12.30pm – 12.50pm
• Fairfield Heights Fairfield Heights Pharmacy - 275 The Boulevarde Monday 12 July 4.30pm – 6pm

Anyone who attended the following venues at the times listed must monitor for symptoms and if they occur get tested immediately and self-isolate until you receive a negative result:

• Riverwood - Galluzzo’s Chemist - Shop 11, 14/247 Belmore Road Monday 12 July 10.50am – 11am
• Belrose - Glenrose Village - 56-58 Glen Street Tuesday 13 July 8.10am – 8.20am Wednesday 14 July 10.30am – 11am
• Emu Plains - Aldi, Lennox Village - Corner of Great Western Highway and Lawson Street Saturday 10 July 3.45pm – 4pm
• Emu Plains - Lennox Village - Corner of Great Western Highway and Lawson Street Saturday 10 July 3.45pm – 5pm
• Hurstville - Muffin Break, Hurstville Westfield - Park Road, Hurstville Monday 12 July 9.45am – 9.55am Tuesday 13 July 9.45am – 9.55am
• Engadine - Cincotta Chemist Engadine - 1097 Old Princes Highway Monday 12 July 12.25pm – 12.40pm

The Federal Government and Victoria have reached agreement on economic support measures to assist people and businesses affected by the state’s snap five-day lockdown.

Commonwealth funding will be available to workers in a number of areas declared as being hotspots by the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Paul Kelly.

The areas declared as hotspots late Thursday by Professor Kelly are Greater Melbourne, Moorabool Shire, City of Greater Geelong, Borough of Queenscliff and Surf Coast Shire.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says disaster payments of $375 would be available to anyone in those areas who lose between eight and less than 20 hours of work.

A payment of $600 would be available to workers who lose more than 20 hours during the period of the lockdown.

He said there will be no liquid assets test applied to eligibility for these payments.

Information about the COVID-19 Disaster Payment can be found on the Services Australia website here www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/covid-19-disaster-payment

Mr Frydenberg said the Victorian Government has agreed to provide significant additional economic support to businesses, from day one of this lockdown period.

More details of the Victorian support measures are expected to be announced on Friday.

We have just recently had official confirmation from Melbourne & Olympic Parks about our earlier report that a person with coronavirus attended the Wallabies test match against France at AAMI Park on Tuesday night.

The organisation said in a statement it was working with the Department of Health to support contract tracing and more information would be issued “in due course”.

“AAMI Park is closed and intensive cleaning of the venue is underway,” the statement said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has voiced support for NSW and Victoria as they attempt to bring outbreaks under control and said he had some sympathy for their decision to move to home schooling in response to the spread of the delta strain of the coronavirus.

Mr Morrison had last year argued strongly for children to remain at school but he said this year the position was not as “clear cut”.

I’m not kidding if this thing gets into the community like we’ve seen overseas, then people will die

Prime Minister Scott Morrison

“Then, it didn’t affect younger people, it didn’t affect children, and certainly not in terms of serious illness and barely you could even detect its infection,” he told Sky News.

“Now, sadly, under the Delta variant that is not the same situation, and it does have an impact on younger people in that way and that’s terribly unfortunate and that just makes managing COVID all that more complicated now. “

Mr Morrison said the schools policies were about limiting movement to lessen the chance the virus would spread.

“Now, I don’t agree that you can eliminate this thing and anyone who thinks they can eliminate this thing is kidding themselves, and that is not the national policy, it’s not the policy of national cabinets, not the policy of my government,” he said.

“But I must admit, dealing with this Delta variant, there is a bit of trial and error going on here ... We’ve got to work [out] how we can positively deal with this, because I’m not kidding, if this thing gets into the community like we’ve seen overseas, then people will die.

“We can’t kid ourselves that this thing is, has somehow become, it’s not deadly anymore, it can’t result in our hospitals being choked, this could happen if it gets out of control.”

Mr Morrison said that was why it was important to make vaccination rates as high as possible and everyone who wanted a vaccine could have one by the end of the year.

The Victorian Health Department has updated its advice for anyone who attended the Cartlon v Geelong clash at the MCG on Saturday, adding a new tier-1 exposure site related to the match and upgrading other sections of the stadium to a tier-2 exposure level.

The Percy Beames Bar on level 2 of the members’ reserve has been listed as a tier-1 site and anyone who was at the bar between 4pm and 4.30pm or 5.20pm and 5.50pm on July 10 needs to call the Department of Health, test immediately and isolate for 14 days regardless of the result.

Meanwhile, all sections of the members’ reserve between 4pm and 8pm – not just level two – have now been classed as a tier-2 exposure site, meaning anyone who was there at the specified times needs to isolate until they test negative for COVID-19.

The Health Department also reminded those who attended the match that the route 70 tram that departed Flinders St/Swanston St at 3.46pm and arrived at the MCG at 3.53pm on July 10 and the Young & Jackson pub (opposite Flinders Street Station) between 2.40pm and 4.10pm on Saturday were both tier-1 exposure sites.

Almost 20 locations have been added to Victoria’s official exposure site list since 6pm this evening, taking to the total number of venues to 109.

And three Coles stores, one at Victoria Gardens shopping centre in Richmond, another in Williamstown and a third at Westfield Southland in Cheltenham, were listed as tier-2 locations.

The official list of exposure sites can be found here.

We asked readers to tell us how they feel about the Victorian lockdown and, looking through them, it’s clear this latest one is a blow for many of you.

Here’s a selection of some:

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Tears, tears and more tears for my kids. The 6 year old is so upset at missing more school, and does not understand why the 4 year old still gets to attend kinder. For me, I work from home, and doing so while home schooling is near on impossible and has massive detrimental effects on my own mental health and ability to deliver what I need to deliver in a work sense - Bianca

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No gym means the blues - Zee

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Means I may not be able to go and see my granddaughter in Tasmania who has progressive cancer she is 33 I don’t know how long she will be with us have booked flights accomodation and hire car but looks like will have to cancel it all - Diana

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I work in aged care, so work continues but the residents will see visiting restrictions reinstated which is very difficult for them. Once again will be leaving my kids at home to school themselves. Could always be worse...we could be living or dying in India, Indonesia, just about anywhere else. A bit of perspective will help see us through...and would everyone please go and get vaccinated?!! - Shannon

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A close friends wedding has been cancelled for the second time. A little friends surprise birthday party has been cancelled. Eid alAdha will be lonely for the Muslim community on Tuesday. One of our most important religious celebrations cannot go ahead after all the preparations have been put in place. It is like cancelling Christmas. I am beyond devastated this time. I have been in tears since the announcement. Other snap lockdowns have not upset me this much. Missing Eid is so devastating - Nashwa

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I am a chef working for Melbourne’s largest hospitality agency (casual labour). I had cancelled work/ no work for FIVE weeks over the recent lockdown. I lost considerable income and my husband and I had to redraw from our home loan to pay bills and groceries. I had one hours work cancelled tonight and tomorrow’s (Friday shift) cancelled. This was around $250.00 income. I will lose a TWO week consignment I had for next two weeks which is a loss of more income. It is starting to affect my mental health. My remote learning grader sixer is a positive person however ’hates homeschooling” (quote). Viruses exist. Analyse the cause (zoology). And we are fed up with the 5 kilometre bubble what is the point? - Rachel

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NRL players were on Thursday night fuming after the Queensland government backflipped on a promise to bring their families to Queensland on Saturday.

The NRL has obtained the letter sent by NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo to the players on Thursday night, informing them that plans to bring their families into the state had been postponed.

NRL players are fuming at QueenslandCredit: Getty

The Herald and The Age understand the Queensland government has been criticised by the public for providing the players’ families preferential treatment.

The government has told the NRL it will not consider the group application and has asked for hundreds of individual applications to be submitted.

The NRL is confident families will still be allowed into the state some time next week, but a number of players told the Herald they were sceptical.

Families of players from Newcastle and Canberra will travel into Queensland on Saturday as planned.

“Dear players, officials and families,” Abdo said in a letter. “The Queensland government has tonight advised that they will not provide an exemption for families from greater Sydney to travel to the Gold Coast on Saturday. It means you will not be travelling as planned on Saturday, but it does not mean you will not be able to reach Queensland. The government would now like more individual information and more information about our quarantine facility and COVID-safe plans before they approve our submission.”

Read the full story here.

South-west Sydney has rapidly become the epicentre of the city’s COVID-19 outbreak, after cases were initially centred in the eastern suburbs.

This great data shows just how quickly cases exploded in the south-west, particularly in the Fairfield local government area.

On June 30, Fairfield had recorded just three cases, rising to 25 on July 7.

But just a week later on July 14, the outbreak had really taken hold in Fairfield, with total cases now sitting at 319.

Canterbury-Bankstown has the second highest number of total cases with 109 infections recorded as of July 14, up from 31 cases the week before.

Since June 16 there have been 929 cases across the state meaning more than a third have occurred in Fairfield.

In the week to July 14, cases increased by 572.