Coronavirus Australia live news: Locked down towers ‘vertical cruise ships’
The federal Deputy Chief Medical Officer is supporting the lockdown of nine housing commission towers in Melbourne.
- ‘Like a prison’: Residents tell of their desperation
- Towers ‘have explosive virus potential’
- Tower lockdowns not seen outside of China
- Overseas daily arrivals capped in NSW
- COVID-19 takes toll on Eden-Monaro by-election
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly says federal authorities are offering support to Victoria amid the Melbourne towers lockdown, likening the towers to “vertical cruise ships”. Victoria has recorded 74 new cases of coronavirus overnight, as it begins a “massive effort” to feed and care for 3000 residents locked down in nine public housing towers, as residents tell of their desperation. Meanwhile, the known global death toll from coronavirus nears 530,000.
AFP 10.40pm: Death toll hits 530,000
The novel coronavirus has killed at least 530,865 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by the news agency AFP on Sunday.
At least 11,296,470 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 5,895,500 are now considered recovered.
The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organisation, probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. Many countries are testing only symptomatic or the most serious cases.
The US is the worst-hit country with 129,676 deaths from 2,839,917 cases. At least 894,325 people have been declared recovered.
After the US, the hardest-hit countries are Brazil with 64,265 deaths from 1,577,004 cases, the United Kingdom with 44,198 deaths from 284,900 cases, Italy with 34,854 deaths from 241,419 cases, and Mexico, now surpassing France, with 30,366 deaths from 252,165 cases.
READ MORE: Scott Morrison ‘has too much power over national cabinet’, says expert
John Ferguson 10.05pm: Millions warned as doors shut on towers
Millions of Victorians will return to lockdown unless the rapid spread of COVID-19 across Melbourne can be stopped, Premier Daniel Andrews has warned.
Read the full story here
Remy Varga 9.30pm: ‘We’re so isolated; it’s like a prison’
Under a grey winter sky, faces peer down from the square windows of nine housing commission towers in inner Melbourne as Victoria Police officers gather below.
With no warning, more than 3000 Melburnians on Saturday found themselves detained inside their homes in one of the most severe lockdown measures implemented in the world during the coronavirus pandemic.
Read the full story here
Tessa Akerman 9.05pm: Towers locked up for residents’ protection: Andrews
Melburnians in locked-down housing estates are being treated like people in aged care centres for their “protection”, Premier Daniel Andrews said as he tries to prevent “people dying in those towers”.
Read the full story here
AFP 8.30pm: Beer flows, masks off as English pubs reopen
The streets of Soho filled with merry drinkers in London on Saturday and the pubs of Manchester were packed as England’s hospitality sector returned from a three-month coronavirus hiatus.
“It feels amazing,” said Leo Richard Bill, a soldier, after getting through the door of one of London’s busiest restaurants on the south bank of the Thames.
“It’s been what, like three months since me and everyone else haven’t been able to get outside and have a good time. So yeah, it feels good to get amongst it.”
Read the full story here
AFP 7.55pm: Pandemic sours July 4 celebrations in US
A surge in coronavirus cases sapped the fun out of July 4 celebrations in the US as the pandemic also accelerated through neighbouring Mexico, the rest of Latin America and South Africa.
Even Europe, which has largely been celebrating reopening, saw some setbacks, with authorities placing 200,000 people back under lockdown in Spain after a spike in infections that underlined how easily hard-won progress can be reversed.
Read the full story here
AFP 7.15pm: Ghana’s President self-isolates
Ghana’s President has gone into self-isolation for two weeks as a precautionary measure despite testing negative for coronavirus, the government said on Sunday, after one of his contacts was confirmed to have the illness.
President Nana Akufo-Addo began his quarantine on Saturday and will work from the presidential villa in Accra, capital of the West African country, the information minister said.
“The President has elected to do so after at least one person within his close circle tested positive for COVID-19,” the minister said.
“(The president) has, as (of) today, tested negative, but has elected to take this measure out of the abundance of caution.”
Ghana has reported more than 19,300 cases of the new respiratory disease and 117 deaths, and has lifted its strict lockdown although social-distancing measures remain in place.
READ MORE: The 11 safest places to holiday overseas
Nick Tabakoff 6.40pm: Andrews isolated from bemused journos
Dan Andrews’ legendary feud with Neil Mitchell is widening as more journalists struggle to deal with the Victorian Premier and his team.
Read the full story here
Imogen Reid 6.15pm: Record global rise in cases
The World Health Organisation has reported a record increase in global COVID-19 cases, with 212,326 recorded in the past 24 hours.
The increase follows a surging number of outbreaks in hotspots in the US, Brazil and India.
India recorded 24,000 cases overnight, while almost 130,000 of the new cases were in the Americas, including the US, Brazil and Mexico.
READ MORE: Andrews isolated from bemused journos
Rachel Baxendale 5.35pm Map of active cases in Victoria
Rachel Baxendale 5.20pm: Full list of Victorian LGAs with cases
Victoria has 239 cases outside local government areas which include postcodes locked down by the Andrews government, meaning 44 per cent of the state’s 543 active cases are in local government areas with no lockdowns.
Wyndham, in Melbourne’s outer southwest, has no locked down postcodes, despite having 60 active cases on Sunday — the third-highest number of any LGA in Victoria and a net increase of 33 since Friday.
Active confirmed cases of COVID-19 by LGA as of Sunday, with change since Saturday in brackets:
*Hume (outer north): 104 (+4)
Wyndham (outer southwest): 60 (+15)
*Brimbank (outer west): 57 (+8)
*City of Melbourne: 51 (+8)
*Moonee Valley (northwest): 40 (+4)
*Moreland (north): 36 (-2)
Whittlesea (outer north): 30 (+2)
Casey (outer southeast): 19 (+2)
Melton (outer northwest): 16 (-2)
*Maribyrnong (inner west): 16
Yarra (inner northeast): 12 (-3)
Darebin (north): 11 (+1)
Hobsons Bay (inner southwest): 11
Port Phillip (inner south): 8 (+1)
Stonnington (inner southeast): 7
Mitchell (central regional Vic, north of Melb): 6
Manningham (east): 6
Whitehorse (east): 5
Boroondara (east): 4
Monash (southeast): 3 (+1)
Greater Dandenong: (outer southeast): 3
Banyule (northeast): 3
Glen Eira (southeast): 3
Frankston (outer southeast): 2
Bayside (southeast): 2
Kingston (southeast): 2 (-1)
Greater Bendigo (central regional Vic): 1 (+1)
East Gippsland (east regional Vic): 1 (+1)
Golden Plains (central west regional Vic): 1 (+1)
Greater Shepparton (northern regional Vic): 1
Maroondah (outer east): 1
Latrobe (Gippsland, eastern regional Vic): 1
Nillumbik (outer northeast): 1
Yarra Ranges (outer east) 1
Knox (outer east): 1 (-2)
Interstate: 2
Unknown: 21 (+6)
TOTAL: 543 (+34)
*Denotes LGAs with locked-down postcodes. The locked down public housing towers are in the City of Melbourne and Moonee Valley.
READ MORE: Melbourne tower lock-downs could have ‘horrific consequences’
Yoni Bashan 4.55pm: Berejiklian urged to close Victoria border
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has been urged to close the border with Victoria over fears that COVID-19 in the southern state might cause a second wave to the north.
With 74 new cases diagnosed in Victoria overnight, NSW Labor leader Jodi McKay said the time had come for NSW to shut its borders or risk a catastrophe for the community.
“We have confidence that the Andrews government is taking appropriate action to contain its COVID-19 spread,” said Ms McKay of the Labor government. “However, our priority must, as always, be the public health of NSW.”
Read the full story here
Rachel Baxendale 4.42pm: Islamic school site of one of Vic’s biggest clusters
An Islamic school in Melbourne’s southwest, outside the postcodes locked down by the Andrews government, is emerging as the site of one of the state’s biggest coronavirus clusters so far.
The Victorian Department of Health and Human Services on Sunday revealed 59 cases of COVID-19 had been linked to Al-Taqwa College in Truganina - up from 33 on Saturday.
The department said previously identified cases had been linked to the cluster on Sunday, in addition to eight new cases.
Another new case has been linked to a separate family outbreak in the same suburb, bringing the total number of cases in that cluster to 14.
Truganina is in the local government area of Wyndham, which also takes in Werribee, in Melbourne’s southwest, and currently has the third-highest COVID-19 case count of any LGA in Victoria.
Despite having 60 active cases of COVID-19 on Sunday - an increase of 15 since Saturday and 32 since Friday, none of Wyndham’s postcodes have been locked down.
Other new cases with links to clusters on Sunday include two new cases linked to the Stamford Plaza hotel quarantine outbreak - in a contracted security guard and a household contact - taking the total number of cases linked to that cluster to 42.
A high proportion of Victoria’s current cases have been genomically linked to the quarantine breaches at Stamford Plaza and another quarantine hotel, Rydges on Swanston, which is associated with a separate cluster of at least 17 cases.
Another new case and one previously under investigation have been linked to the Flemington public housing outbreak, taking the total number of cases linked to that cluster to 14.
There have also been two new cases linked to a family outbreak across at least eight households in Roxburgh Park, in Melbourne’s outer north, taking the total number of cases in that cluster to 28.
Two new healthcare worker cases have been linked to the Northern Hospital Epping Emergency Department in Melbourne’s north, taking the total number of cases linked to that outbreak to five.
Two cases which were previously under investigation have also been linked to the North Melbourne public housing outbreak, taking the total number of cases linked to that outbreak to 13.
Other new cases of note include one in a healthcare worker at the Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s Hospital in the western suburb of Sunshine in a close contact of a known case who was already in quarantine, as well as a case in a healthcare worker at Royal Melbourne Hospital.
It’s believed the Royal Melbourne worker attended the site for one day while infectious, but the department says it is “not aware of any contact with patients” and “a contact tracing process is underway”.
READ MORE: Costly green deals the worst path to recovery
Emily Ritchie 4.32pm: Tensions escalate at Sydney Black Lives Matter protest
Tensions have escalated between protesters and police at a Sydney Black Lives Matter rally, after one protester was arrested for throwing a drink bottle at an officer.
The crowd was shepherded from the Domain to nearby Hyde Park once the peaceful protest ended, where the crowd was subsequently bottlenecked and surrounded by police.
Police were urging people to keep social distanced and move on when a young man threw a bottle at an officer.
He was taken away by a group of officers while protesters chanted “let him go”.
Tensions remained high as protesters were urged to leave but were surrounded by police with seemingly little room to disperse.
As the crowd attempted to leave they were followed by a swathe of police. The crowd is now slowly dispersing throughout the city - with a large group continuing to chant towards Town Hall station.
READ MORE: ‘Why I don’t like Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’
Remy Varga 4.26pm: Virus testing begins inside Melbourne towers
Residents inside public housing tower at 120 Racecourse Road in Flemington have been notified they will soon be tested for the coronavirus.
Workers wearing DHHS shirts stand on the grass outside the Flemington public housing towers. More @australian pic.twitter.com/DOg64SitGL
— Remy Varga (@RemyVarga) July 5, 2020
Almost 24 hours after more than 3000 residents were notified they couldn’t leave their homes for at least five-days, government workers have entered the towers to speak to residents.
READ MORE: Greg Sheridan — Andrews’ four stupid virus mistakes
Tessa Akerman 3.57pm: 94 new coronavirus cases recorded nationwide
The federal Deputy Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly is supporting the Victorian government’s lockdown of “vertical cruise ships”.
Dr Kelly said the current spread of the virus in Melbourne, by community transmission, hadn’t been seen before in Australia and echoed the state government’s message that people should get tested for COVID-19.
“It’s absolutely critical right now in Melbourne,” he said.
Dr Kelly said Victoria recorded 74 cases on Saturday compared with 14 in New South Wales and six in Western Australia.
Aside from Victoria, the remaining cases all were detected in hotel quarantine.
Dr Kelly said he “absolutely” supported the Andrews’ government’s decision of postcode lockdowns and hard lockdowns across several housing estates in Melbourne.
“They are vertical cruise ships in a way,” he said.
“[We] have to take particular notice and particular attention to stop [the virus] spreading.”
Dr Kelly said the situation in Victoria was complex and the federal authorities stood ready to support their colleagues.
“We are totally 100 per cent behind Victoria,” he said.
“They are doing a fantastic job but this is a huge effort. Having so many new cases every day, many of those with large numbers of contacts, we need to talk to all of those people as soon as possible and make sure that people that are infectious are staying at home.”
“These are generally vulnerable people, in terms of other health matters and so forth, and those towers have a large concentration of people in a small area.
“They are vertical cruise ships, in a way, and so we have to take particular notice and particular attention to make sure that the spread is minimised and that people are protected.”
READ MORE: Top unis’ students stranded by ban
Remy Varga 3.51pm: Crowd gathers to protest tower lockdown
Protesters have gathered outside the public housing estate on Racecourse Road in Flemington to protest the hard lockdown.
READ MORE: Victoria is losing the fight
Remy Varga 3.25pm: Shocked tower residents ‘had no time to prepare’
Residents inside Melbourne’s Flemington towers say they were shocked by the immediacy of the lockdown and had assumed they’d have some time to prepare.
One resident, who did not wish to be named, said she had only learned of the lockdown from the news on Saturday before receiving a text from DHHS that said: “COVID testing will begin now”.
Workers wearing DHHS shirts stand on the grass outside the Flemington public housing towers. More @australian pic.twitter.com/DOg64SitGL
— Remy Varga (@RemyVarga) July 5, 2020
She said residents were prohibited from ordering food and she had yet to receive any assistance from the Victorian government.
Victoria Police as well as government workers were preparing to enter the Racecourse Road towers about 3pm on Sunday.
READ MORE: Janet Albrechtsen — Arrogance before the fall for Daniel Andrews
Emily Ritchie 3pm: Sydney BLM protesters claim statue protection ‘shameful’
Indigenous activist Gavin Stanbrook has told a 1000-strong crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters gathered in Sydney it is “shameful” that statues of Captain Cook and Governor Lachlan Macquarie were still standing and being protected in cities across Australia.
“They’re racist, they’re colonisers,” he said to the cheering crowd.
“What does it say about this country that when one statue is threatened, three rows of riot cops are standing surrounding it like two weeks ago? One statue of Governor Macquarie was built in 2013 — when we knew he committed mass genocide. Shame.”
He said it was hypocritical that protests were being heavily policed when football crowds have been allowed to return in their thousands at stadiums.
“They don’t give a s--- about the football or the Saturday markets - they want to shut down the protests because protests work, protests bring about justice.”
Local indigenous drummer and rapper Dobby (Rhyan Clapham) performed a song, encouraging the crowd to sing and clap along, voicing the names of many black and indigenous people who have died in custody in Australia and around the world, including David Dungay Jnr, Tanya Day and George Floyd.
READ MORE: Gerard Henderson — Left quick to eat their own in BLM debate
Robyn Ironside 2.36pm: Queensland nurses deployed to assist with Victoria
A team of 27 Queensland nurses is heading to the frontline of Victoria’s COVID crisis, as the state struggles to cope with a growing outbreak.
Queensland’s chief nurse and midwifery officer Shelley Nowlan said Victoria contacted them on Thursday to ask for help, and by that afternoon 30 nurses had volunteered.
“Victoria wanted a team of 200 nationally, so we’re sending 27 today and we’ll most likely send more later in the week,” said Ms Nowlan.
“It’s a serious deployment. We’re wanting to get a hold on, and contain what’s happening in Victoria for our national health. COVID-19 is very contagious as we can see now by the 18-days of double digit infections.”
The nurses were expected to spend four weeks in Victoria, predominantly staffing mobile fever clinics, and would be required to quarantine for two weeks on their return to Queensland.
AFP 2.27pm: Elon Musk to support Kanye West’s presidential bid
Kanye West, the entertainment mogul who urges listeners in one song to “reach for the stars, so if you fall, you land on a cloud,” announced Saturday he is challenging Donald Trump for the US presidency in 2020.
We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States 🇺🇸! #2020VISION
— ye (@kanyewest) July 5, 2020
“We must now realise the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States! #2020VISION,” the born-again billionaire rapper tweeted as Americans marked Independence Day, with entrepreneur Elon Musk tweeting his support.
He offered no further details on his campaign, four months before the November election.
Trump, criticised for his response both to the coronavirus pandemic and to anti-racism protests, has been lagging in the polls behind his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, for weeks.
Emily Ritchie 1.30pm: 800 Black Lives Matter protesters gather in Sydney
About 1000 peaceful yet unauthorised protestors have gathered at Sydney’s Domain as part of a national day of action for the Black Lives Matter movement, with similar rallies being held across the country.
About 200 police and public health officials gathered to monitor the protest, including mounted police and riot squad, ensuring social distancing measures were practiced.
One police officer told The Australian they would not be issuing move on orders or fines to the gathering crowd so long as public health orders were adhered to.
Protest organisers were handing out face masks and hand sanitiser to the crowd, with one speaker reminding people to keep their distance from one another.
The protest was another in a slew of worldwide rallies amid grown unrest about injustice following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in the US.
Australian protests have had a local focus, calling for an end to high rates of indigenous incarceration and deaths in custody.
The NSW Supreme Court gave the green light for Newcastle’s BLM protest on Saturday, dashing a police attempt to outlaw the event.
Justice Christine Adamson refused an application from the NSW Police Commissioner to prohibit the event organised by Fighting in Solidarity Towards Treaties because it could allow the spread of COVID-19.
Justice Adamson’s ruling means protestors gathering at Newcastle’s Civic Park on Sunday will not fall foul of the police as long as public
READ MORE: Shorten pitches post-crisis manifesto
Graham Richardson 1.23pm: ‘Labor should have had Eden-Monaro in the bag’
It may be a tad premature, and voting is extremely close, but the Liberal candidate in the Eden Monaro by-election is already acting like the winner.
Whichever ways the vote goes, the Liberals will be counting this as a victory.
For someone who entered the race somewhat late, Fiona Kotvojs certainly made up lost ground in a hurry.
The post-election Labor function was a downbeat affair. If your supporters are sitting there slowly sipping on their beers and making polite conversation you know something is not quite right.
When these affairs are raucous you can smell the victory from a mile away.
Labor’s rank-and-file could not hide their disappointment. Richard Marles, forever the strategist, was decidedly downbeat about Labor’s prospects right from the first time the cameras were pointed towards him. He lowered expectations from the get-go.
This should have been a comfortable Labor victory.
Remy Varga 12.51pm: Tower resident says he is yet to be door-knocked
Residents inside Melbourne’s public housing towers say they have yet to be door knocked nearly 18-hours after they were “hard locked down” by the Victorian government.
Abdi Ibrahim lives with his five children, including seven-month-old twins, and partner in a three-bedroom flat in a tower on Racecourse Road in Flemington.
He said he learnt he would not be allowed to leave his home for at least five-days on the 6pm news on Sunday.
“There’s no communication, there’s no one knocking on our door, there’s no one asking us what we need,” he said.
“We are so isolated, you know what I mean, it’s like a prison.”
The Andrews government has said the needs of the 3000 residents of the nine public housing towers would be provided for.
Mr Ibrahim said the family usually went grocery shopping on Sunday and were unprepared for the rapid lockdown.
“Especially when you have five kids all under the age of five-years-old, we need milk and baby formula,” he said.
“What are we going to eat, what are we going to cook?
Mr Ibrahim works for logistics company Linfox and said he had to cancel his 5am shift on Sunday because of the hard lockdown.
“I’m a casual, if I don’t work I don’t get paid.”
READ MORE: Queensland nurses to help Vic outbreak
Christine Kellett 12.40pm: Towers response ‘similar to aged care facility’
The Victorian government says those locked down in public housing in Melbourne are being treated in the same way as those in aged care facilities.
Premier Daniel Andrews said the Community Connector program - a partnership between the government and the Red Cross - would provide a single point of contact for the 3000 residents who are not allowed to leave the towers in Flemington and North Melbourne.
Tony Nicholson, the former CEO of charity group the Brotherhood of St Laurence will be playing a co-ordinating role.
“These towers are being treated in a public health response sense is no different to an aged care facility,” Mr Andrews said.
“This is not going to be a pleasant experience for those residents but I have a message for those residents: this is not about punishment but protection.
“We cannot have this virus spread. We have to do everything we can to contain the virus and that is why you need to be staying in your unit, staying in your flat. It is absolutely essential.
“If we have a large group of people who already have preexisting and underlying health challenges infected with this virus then people will die. It is as simple as that.”
Supplies are being delivered to residents including toys for children, food for pets and methadone for registered drug addicts.
Residents aren’t allowed to take their pets outside however and many residents haven’t received their care boxes despite the lockdown occurring yesterday afternoon.
Mr Andrews refused to commit to a timeframe for the delivery of services.
He stressed the importance of the lockdown in slowing the spread, rather than trying to get to zero new cases.
“No one will be spared the cost of a second wave,” he said.
“It will affect everyone.”
With Tessa Akerman
READ MORE: Chilling evidence of COVID-19’s potency
Christine Kellett 12.14pm: Victoria records 74 new coronavirus cases
Victoria has recorded 74 new cases of coronavirus overnight, as it begins a “massive effort” to feed and care for 3000 residents locked down in nine public housing towers.
Mr Andrews said 53 of the new cases were being investigated.
26 Victorians are in hospital with coronavirus, three of them in intensive care.
Health teams tested 21,000 people yesterday, with 543 active cases of coronavirus in the state.
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer says the situation inside nine Melbourne public housing towers has “genuinely explosive potential” in terms of the spread of coronavirus.
27 people have now tested positive in the towers, 13 in North Melbourne and 14 in Flemington.
Mr Andrews said the 3000 people now locked down in the towers would not be charged rent and those who were employed would each receive a $1500 hardship payment.
“For those households where there is no-one in employment, they will receive a $750 hardship payment,” Mr Andrews said on Sunday.
“And there will be - and it’s already started - public health workers, nurses and others moving throughout each and every one of these floors and each and every one of the towers to test every resident, except of course those who have already been tested and have tested positive.”
“I also want to assure those residents and indeed all Victorians that there has been an enormous amount of work go on right throughout the night in order to provide food, essentials, drug and alcohol support, mental health support, family violence support, physical healthcare and support needed for those who have preexisting medical conditions.”
READ MORE: ‘Martial law’: towers lockdown warning
12.05pm: Airline staff brought in to work at quarantine hotels
Qantas and Jetstar airline staff have reportedly been brought in to work in Melbourne quarantine hotels.
The Herald Sun reports employees of the grounded carriers are helping at several major hotels in the latest major development in the coronavirus containment drama.
Hundreds of the staff will be used to replace private security operators who left in recent days after suspicions security guards were linked to major suburban outbreaks in recent weeks.
READ MORE: Train passenger rushed to hotel quarantine
Remy Varga 11.52am: Public housing residents beg for help
A North Melbourne public housing resident is crying for help while a girl holding a sign that says “help me” has appeared in a window in the public housing tower on Sutton Street.
The man said he was hungry and unable to access food, yelling through a window three from the top, just after 11.30am.
A resident at the Sutton Street public housing tower who was called out for help speaks to Greens leader Adam Bandt. Voice is faint. More soon @australian pic.twitter.com/kTxKNgSBlO
— Remy Varga (@RemyVarga) July 5, 2020
Meanwhile, the girl in the window spoke to Greens leader Adam Bandt, whose federal electorate takes in North Melbourne, about her difficulties securing food.
Mr Bandt earlier told reporters the public housing residents were being treated differently to the rest of the country.
“There’s one simple fact: People in public housing now being treated differently to how everyone else has been treated in this country,” he said.
“They are now subject to restrictions that no one else has been subject to... and I’m to hear that convincing explanation about why decent has also been the treatment thing.”
READ MORE: ‘What will I do for money?’
Remy Varga 11.20am: ‘Tower residents are worried and they’re scared’
Victorian Council of Social Service CEO Emma King said the public housing towers consisted of small flats with high population density.
“You know, they’re not living in luxury,” she said.
“You know it’d be pretty tough for everyone to be told suddenly: ‘You’ve now gone home, you now can’t leave.
“You can’t leave do to shopping of your choice, you can’t leave to get medication.
“People are worried and they’re scared and that’s understandable.
She said community groups had not been allowed to enter the public housing towers since they had been “hard locked down” at 5pm on Saturday.
She said only Victoria police officers and public servants had entered to inform residents they were unable to leave their flats for at least five days.
“My understanding is that public servants are going door to door to explain to people what is happening, particularly given that people are not allowed to leave their homes,” she said.
READ MORE: Supermarkets’ panic buying playbook revealed
Emily Ritchie 11.10am: 14 new NSW cases all returned travellers
There have been 14 new cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in the 24 hours from 8pm Friday to 8pm Saturday, bringing the total number of cases in the state to 3230.
All of the new coronavirus cases are returned travellers now in hotel quarantine.
NSW Health has confirmed the four Newmarch House residents who were tested for the virus yesterday after displaying symptoms of a respiratory illness have returned negative results.
A passenger who arrived in Sydney by XPT train on Saturday morning has returned a negative result. The NSW resident boarded the train in regional NSW, not Victoria, and self-presented with flu-like symptoms upon arrival in Sydney.
There are now 69 cases being treated by NSW Health, one in intensive care but not requiring a ventilator.
There have been 51 deaths in NSW, with 2799 people reported to have recovered from the virus.
READ MORE: Oxford epidemiologist pushes herd immunity
11.06am: Queensland nurses being sent south to Victoria
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced the state will send 27 nurses to Victoria to help that state with its coronavirus outbreak.
Sunday, 5 July – coronavirus cases in Queensland:
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) July 5, 2020
• 0 new confirmed cases
• 1 active case
• 1,067 total confirmed cases
• 390,572 tests conducted
Sadly, six Queenslanders with COVID-19 have died. 1,055 patients have recovered.#COVID19 pic.twitter.com/AmML7qos51
It comes as the state recorded a single active case of COVID-19 and zero new confirmed cases.
READ MORE: Silver lining as flu cases plummet
John Ferguson 10.57am: Victorian government losing the fight to contain virus
The Melbourne public housing shutdown is a clear sign of a government running out of time to contain the virus.
Forget all the cliches about Daniel Andrews and his Cabinet.
The government does not want to be doing this on several key levels, some of them political.
The global pandemic lesson is that the virus spreads rapidly in high density, low socio-economic housing.
Brighette Ryan 10.31am: Box of toys to be delivered to each child in towers
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced his government will deliver a toy and activity box to each child in nine locked down public housing towers in Melbourne.
In a post on Instagram, Mr Andrews said the boxes would be delivered this morning.
“It’s full of books and puzzles. Crayons. Lego. Ideas for exercising at home. Herb and flower seeds – and a special egg carton to grow them in,” the post read.
“No one wants to be in this situation – especially kids with lots of energy.
“But we’ll do whatever we can to make it that little bit easier.”
READ MORE: Chris Kenny — Well governed, now Australia is the odd one out
Joe Kelly 10.09am: Labor claims ‘ugly win’ for McBain in Eden-Monaro
Labor is claiming the win in the Eden-Monaro by-election, with the Manager of Opposition Business Tony Burke arguing the party was “very hopeful” and frontbencher Joel Fitzgibbon saying the result was an “ugly win,” but a “win just the same.”
Speaking on the ABC’s Insiders program, Mr Fitzgibbon said the party needed to focus on lifting its primary vote after Labor candidate Kristy McBain suffered a three per cent swing against her on first preferences.
“We do need to lift our primary vote,” he said. “(But) we were never likely to do that yesterday.”
Mr Fitzgibbon said that Ms McBain would improve on the result at the next election.
The latest count from the Australian Electoral Commission shows Ms McBain winning the seat on preference flows — including from the Nationals Party — with Liberal candidate Fiona Kotvojs winning 37.78 per cent of the primary compared to the ALP’s primary vote of 36.18.
READ MORE: Labor claims the win in Eden-Monaro by-election
Remy Varga 10.00am: Four people wearing hazmat suits enter towers
Four people wearing hazmat suits, possibly cleaners, have entered the “hard locked” public housing tower 120 Racecourse Road in Flemington.
Four people wearing hazmat suits have entered the “hard locked†public housing tower 120 Racecourse Roas in Flemington. More soon @australian pic.twitter.com/7ciXtnLmSb
— Remy Varga (@RemyVarga) July 4, 2020
READ MORE: Balmain bug sparks testing splurge
Remy Varga 9.47am: Angry youth escorted from locked down towers
Victoria Police officers wearing face masks have escorted an angry youth from the hard locked down public housing tower estate in inner Melbourne.
As well, a sign accusing Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews of implementing “martial law” has been stuck to a window.
Officers wearing face masks on Sunday guarded the perimeter surrounding the three towers off Racecourse Road in Flemington.
A youth wearing trackpants was escorted off the estate at around 9am by about five officers.
It is unclear why he was escorted out but under the “hard lockdown” visitors are not allowed.
Meanwhile, officers from the specialist Public Order Response Team are checking the identification of people at the main entrance.
As well, a drug bus and a police van are in position.
The Victorian government announced the immediate hars lockdown of 3,000 residents across nine public housing towers, all of whom are forbidden from leaving their flats for at least five days.
The suburb of Flemington is in lockdown.
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9.15pm: WHO confirms highest case increase since pandemic began
The World Health Organisation has confirmed the highest increase in coronavirus cases in one day since the pandemic began, with more than 200,000 new cases reported in the last 24 hours.
#BREAKING: The World Health Organisation has confirmed the highest increase in coronavirus cases in one day since the pandemic began. #9News pic.twitter.com/Aphjx2wh24
— Nine News Sydney (@9NewsSyd) July 4, 2020
John Ferguson 9.10am: Food, medicine drops planned for tower residents
Health officials are planning an unprecedented response to the coronavirus outbreak in nine Melbourne public housing towers that will include food and medicine drops.
The Victorian government was last night still planning how to execute the operation with food, water and other necessities needing to be guaranteed for 3000 stranded people.
Police gathered in their hundreds in the inner city areas of Flemington and North Melbourne today amid a deep sense of confusion among residents.
Residents are allowed in but not out.
It seems highly likely that there will be a massive testing program conducted in the towers, which contain some of Melbourne’s poorest people, many refugees.
The shutdown of the nine blocks, which are the Sydney equivalent of the Waterloo towers, will last for five days and is being viewed as a “last gasp” attempt to stem the spread of the virus.
Premier Daniel Andrews has not scheduled a press conference for Sunday.
READ MORE: ‘The consequences will be horrific if they get this wrong’
Joe Kelly 8.30am: Tough six months ahead before Finance Minister quits
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has announced his resignation from politics and advised Scott Morrison that he will leave the parliament by the end of the year.
Senator Cormann said there was “another six months or so of hard work” to help navigate a way out of the coronavirus pandemic and “finalise and set in train our five-year plan to maximise the strength of our economic and jobs recovery.”
“We will also need to make the many necessary decisions to re-embark on the important journey of budget repair,” he said.
“So between now and the end of the year I will be working with the Prime Minister, the Treasurer and all of my colleagues on finalising our July Economic Statement, our Budget in October and our half-yearly Budget update in December.”
Read the full story here.
Agencies 7.45am: Britain takes biggests step towards reopening
Pubs, hair salons and movie theatres across England reopened Saturday as part of Britain’s biggest step toward post-outbreak normal, while South Africa and other parts of the world signaled anything but — reporting another day of record confirmed coronavirus cases.
Many people relished the easing of restrictions on public life that had shuttered U.K. restaurants and bars, although a trade group estimated that only about half of England’s pubs elected to open on the first possible day. The ones that decided to start pouring at the earliest hour allowed - 6a.m. — had customers to serve.
“Let’s not blow it now,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said as some in England rushed to restaurants or barbers for the first time in more than three months.
Critics pointed to the experience elsewhere in Europe and in some U.S. states, where the reopening of bars and restaurants is blamed for a spike in infections from patrons losing their inhibitions among strangers and abandoning social distancing after imbibing a few drinks.
Rachel Baxendale 7am: Victorian government warned over tower lockdowns
The Victorian government’s lockdown of occupants of public housing in nine buildings to contain further possible coronavirus spreading has drawn warnings of vulnerability for the disadvantaged, including from the state Coalition opposition.
The Victorian Council of Social Services on Saturday warned of “horrific” consequences if the Andrews government got its lockdown of the nine towers wrong.
VCOSS chief executive Emma King said the public housing lockdowns were a “dramatic move”, but were being done to protect tenants and save lives.
“This is public-health decision, and we don’t quibble with that. The last thing we want is COVID ripping through these buildings, infecting tenants en masse,” she said.
“But we need to make sure these lockdowns are done right, done proportionately and done with sensitivity.
Read the full story here.
Agencies 6.15am: Record infections overshadow US celebrations
The United States has marked its Independence Day in a sombre mood, as a record surge in coronavirus cases, anti-racism protests and an angry speech from President Donald Trump have cast a shadow over what normally are festive celebrations.
Popular beaches on both coasts — normally packed on July 4th — were closed as California and Florida suffer alarming surges in COVID-19 infections.
“You should assume everyone around you is infectious,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti warned.
Across the country, Main Street parades have been canceled, backyard barbecues scaled down, and family reunions put off amid worries about spreading the virus on a day when Americans typically celebrate their 1776 declaration of independence from Britain.
Florida said Saturday it had marked a new daily high in confirmed virus cases at 11,458 -- far more than any other state -- and Miami Beach imposed a curfew and made mask-wearing mandatory in public. Yet some Florida beaches remained open.
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Rachel Baxendale 5.15am: Tower lockdowns not seen outside of China
Victoria’s immediate lockdown of an estimated 3000 residents in nine inner-city tower blocks in Melbourne has been seen rarely anywhere else in the world except China.
Premier Daniel Andrews said no one would be allowed in or out of the tower blocks in Flemington and North Melbourne for the next five days because of a rise in coronavirus cases.
But in the Premier’s dramatic move to try to stamp out the virus — which hasn’t been achieved anywhere else in the world — he has begun a dystopian experiment on the city’s most vulnerable people.
No other democratic country around the world has imposed such draconian house-arrest conditions, which inflicts high psychological stress and anxiety on its people.
Last week 700 meatworkers in North Rhine Westphalia, Germany, were confined to their camps but were able to leave after testing negative to coronavirus, yet the government measures still provoked a small riot.
Victoria now has 509 active confirmed cases of COVID-19 — an increase of 305 since this time last week. One-hundred and three cases were detected in a single day alone yesterday.
There have been 389 cases of COVID-19 in Victoria acquired through an unknown source, including 129 identified in the past week.
Victoria Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt has slammed the Andrews government for giving police no warning that 500 of them would immediately be deployed to enact a lockdown of nine public housing towers in Melbourne.
“Today we have learned that our members will be deployed literally on the doorstep of this escalating health crisis,” Mr Gatt said.
“We were only advised of this move this evening and have demanded an urgent safety briefing from Victoria Police, given the obvious and substantial risk to the health and safety of our members.
Victorian Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien said the spike in cases wasn’t down to bad luck, but “bad decisions”.
READ MORE: Greg Sheridan — Daniel Andrews’ four stupid COVID-19 mistakes
Angelica Snowden 5am: Virus caution adds to by-election count uncertainty
The coronavirus pandemic has heavily affected the vote count in the Eden-Monaro by-election.
A decisive result may not be known tonight as so many prepoll votes have yet to be counted. Applications for postal votes surged due to COVID-19, with 16,595 applications lodged.
Another 43,864 votes were cast at pre-poll.
With 115,000 people registered to vote in the by-election, it is possible half of the electorate voted before polling day.
Read the full story here.
Hannah Moore 4.45am: Overseas daily arrivals capped in NSW at 450
No more than 450 people will be allowed to enter Sydney after landing from an overseas flight each day under new caps that come into effect at midnight on Saturday.
The new caps, granted by the federal government, will limit incoming overseas flights to no more than 50 people per plane, and a maximum of 450 each day.
They were brought into effect after Victoria and Queensland announced they would be charging passengers for their hotel stay, causing many would-be travellers to redirect themselves to NSW for their mandatory two-week quarantine.
READ MORE: Travel must resume, airport boss says
Agencies 4am: World’s known death toll nears 530,000
The novel coronavirus has killed at least 526,663 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 9pm AEST on Saturday.
At least 11,103,630 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 5,715,100 are now considered recovered.
The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organisation, probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. Many countries are testing only symptomatic or the most serious cases.
The US is the worst-hit country with 129,437 deaths from 2,795,163 cases. At least 790,404 people have been declared recovered.
After the US, the hardest-hit countries are Brazil with 63,174 deaths from 1,539,081 cases, the United Kingdom with 44,131 deaths from 284,276 cases, Italy with 34,833 deaths from 241,184 cases, and France with 29,893 deaths from 203,367 cases.
China — excluding Hong Kong and Macau — has to date declared 83,545 cases (three new since Friday), including 4,634 deaths and 78,509 recoveries.
Europe overall has 198,878 deaths from 2,706,195 cases, the US and Canada 138,147 deaths from 2,900,189 infections, Latin America and the Caribbean 124,327 deaths from 2,804,894 cases, Asia 36,998 deaths from 1,431,419 cases, Middle East 17,289 deaths from 801,681 cases, Africa 10,891 deaths from 449,376 cases, and Oceania 133 deaths from 9882 cases.
AFP
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