That's all for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age blog today, folks. You can continue following Tuesday's coverage on our website. Thank you for reading. In a recap of today's events:
- NSW, Victoria and Queensland all recorded no new community transmission cases on Monday.
- There are now more than 70 Australian Open players and dozens more staff in 14-day hotel quarantine after a third charter flight into Melbourne was linked to a positive COVID-19 case. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said international players and coaches are not getting special allowances ahead of Australians stranded overseas.
- Health Minister Greg Hunt says Australia is proceeding with extreme caution in the process to gain approval for the Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Following news of deaths in Norway, the Prime Minister and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg have said "safety first" is the mantra for the vaccine's rollout in Australia.
- Children as young as nine returning unaccompanied to Australia are being forced to isolate alone for two weeks in the same quarantine facilities as adults who have mutant strains of COVID-19. Parents told of their shock at a policy change that has children arriving in NSW from overseas being forced into solo hotel quarantine.
- US President-elect Joe Biden plans an early blitz of executive action to reverse some of President Donald Trump’s most contentious policies and tackle the coronavirus pandemic.