Coronavirus Australia live news: Infected teens linked to 11 Brisbane venues; Police catch up with virus denier Eve Black
A shopping centre, restaurants and a church are among 11 venues Queensland contact tracers have linked to two teens who returned from Melbourne with COVID-19.
- Third new case in Queensland
- Every Victorian case to be door-knocked
- Victoria records nine more deaths
- Queensland bars Sydneysiders
- NSW records 19 new cases
- New case hits Westfield mall
Welcome to live coverage of the continuing coronavirus crisis. Coronavirus sceptic Eve Black has been dramatically arrested in Melbourne. Daniel Andrews says every Victorian case will be door-knocked after 29 people were caught out not being at home when they were meant to be isolating. Queensland has shut the border to residents of Sydney . Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced the new restrictions after two teenagers – who returned to the state on July 21 from Melbourne, via Sydney - became the first people with Covid to be in the community since May. Victoria has recorded 295 new cases of coronavirus in the 24 hours to Wednesday — the lowest daily tally for nine days.
Yoni Bashan 11.20pm: Sydney hotspot residents urged to stay home
All the residents of Sydney’s COVID-19 hotspots are being urged to put themselves into self-imposed lockdown, with Premier Gladys Berejiklian encouraging them to “reduce their mobility” in the coming weeks while testing continues at pop-up clinics.
John Ferguson 10.45pm: Fears over testing at nation’s ground zero
Residents of Australia’s coronavirus pandemic ground zero have fallen well behind testing levels of other local government areas that have suffered sharply fewer cases.
Angelica Snowden 10.10pm: Infected students close school
Another school will be closed in Sydney’s west after two high school students contracted COVID-19.
In a post on Facebook Mayor of Fairfield Frank Carbone confirmed the Freeman Catholic College students in year nine and year 12 “tested positive” but have “minor symptoms”.
“Both students haven’t been attending class since last Thursday,” he said in a post about the Bonnyrigg Heights school students.
“Freeman Catholic College will commence online learning from tomorrow and until Friday 7th August.”
He said contact tracing was being conducted by NSW health to inform some students that they are “close contacts” and they will have to self-isolate.
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Angelica Snowden 9.40pm: ABC stars forced into isolation
The stars of the ABC News Breakfast program will be missing on Thursday after their floor manager’s wife tested positive to COVID-19, sending them into self-isolation.
Hopefully this is just a short break in transmission - @mjrowland68 @SciNate and I won’t be on @breakfastnews Thurs. Our fabulous floor manager Jo’s wife has Covid-19. She’s ok but Jo is now being tested. Since we hang out so much we’re going to self-isolate till we know more
— Lisa Millar (@LisaMillar) July 29, 2020
Host Lisa Millar said in a tweet she hoped it would only be a “short break in transmission”.
“Our fabulous floor manager Jo’s wife has Covid-19. She’s ok but Jo is now being tested,” she tweeted.
“Since we hang out so much we’re going to self-isolate till we know more.”
The program’s other host, Michael Rowland, tweeted that the “ABC has made the decision the presenting team should also self-isolate”.
Some news (1/3)@LisaMillar, @SciNate and yours truly won't be presenting @BreakfastNews tomorrow. The wife of our fabulous floor manager Joe has tested positive to Coronavirus and, as a close contact, he too has today had a test. As we all work closely with Joe every morning,
— Michael Rowland (@mjrowland68) July 29, 2020
“This goes above and beyond Health Department requirements, but this precaution is being taken for the wellbeing of other ABC staff in Melbourne, and in the interests of public safety,” he tweeted.
READ MORE: Bags of trouble: teen trip ends in coronavirus cluster
Angelica Snowden 9.10pm: Alert over Sydney pub
NSW Health has updated its alert for patrons who visited a pub in Sydney’s southwest.
The authority now believe a COVID infected patron visited Pritchard’s Hotel in Mount Pritchard on July 24 between 5pm and 7pm.
They previously thought the person dined at the venue last Thursday between 7pm and 7.45pm.
“Anyone who attended Pritchard’s Hotel at this time should get tested if they have any symptoms of COVID-19,” NSW Health said in a statement.
READ MORE: Business calls for big boost to R&D
Angelica Snowden 8.35pm: Elite school closed
A selective school in Sydney’s inner-west will be closed tomorrow over a possible coronavirus case.
Fort Street High School informed parents, staff and students on Wednesday night it’s campus in Petersham will be closed on Thursday after NSW Health advised them “a person” connected with school may have contracted the virus.
“We wish to advise that Fort St High School will be non-operational for on-site learning tomorrow, Thursday 30 July 2020,” the email read.
“The person concerned is being tested and the results will be confirmed tomorrow.
The school will be “thoroughly cleaned” on Thursday and students will shift back to remote learning.
The school said it will wait for the test result to determine when on-site learning could resume.
READ MORE: ADF door-knock to find isolation dodgers
Mackenzie Scott 8.10pm: Brisbane venues visited by infected teens
Two 19-year-olds with COVID-19 were on the move in Brisbane for eight days after arriving home from Melbourne on July 21.
Health authorities have urged anyone who attended the following locations to isolate for 14 days.
July 21: Virgin flights VA863 (Melbourne to Sydney) and VA977 (Sydney to Brusbane)
July 22-23: Parklands Christian College, Park Ridge, between 9:30am and 6pm
July 23: Madtongsan IV Restaurant, Sunnybank, from 7pm to 9pm
July 23: Heeretea Bubble Tea Shop, Sunnybank, at 9.25pm
July 23-24: YMCA Chatswood Hills Outside School Hours Care, Springwood
July 23-24: Primary Medical and Dental Practice, Browns Plains, between 3.30pm and 5:30pm
July 26: Peak Thai Restaurant, Springfield, between 6.30pm and 9.30pm
July 27: Cowch Dessert Cocktail Bar, Southbank, between 1pm and 5pm
July 27: P’Nut Street Noodles, Southbank
July 28: African Grocery Shop, Station Rd, Woodridge
July 28: Primary Medical and Dental Practice, Browns Plains, between 12.25pm and 12.30pm
July 28: Chatime Grand Plaza, Browns Plains
READ MORE: Sydney hotspot residents urged to stay home
Mackenzie Scott 7.30pm: Infected teens visited 11 Queensland venues
A shopping centre, several restaurants and a church are among 11 venues Queensland contact tracers have linked to two teens who returned from Melbourne with COVID-19.
The 19-year-olds were on the move for eight days with symptoms after arriving home from Melbourne on July 21, visiting several suburbs in central and south Brisbane while infecting a family member along the way.
Queensland chief health officer Jeanette Young said she was disappointed by the duo’s behaviour.
“A lot of people are going to be inconvenienced and I do apologise to those people for what is now going to occur. But, we know that if we act really fast now, we can stop this spreading further and causing more inconvenience,” Dr Young said.
“There are going to be shopping centres, a school and restaurants that are all going to be closed now for at least 48 hours while we arrange a deep clean of thoise facilities and contract trace people who have attended.”
Boarding Virgin flight VA863 from Melbourne to Sydney on July 21, police allege the girls took a connecting flight to Brisbane on flight VA977 and lied on their border declarations about their previous travel.
One of the girls went to work at Parklands Christian College at Park Ridge, near Logan, where she is employed as a cleaner, on July 22 and 23. Principal Gary Cully confirmed the school was closed for cleaning on Wednesday despite the teen having called in sick for several days in the lead up to her positive test result.
A nearby YMCA, which hosts Chatswood Hills State School’s Outside School Hours Care, was also closed after it was linked to the third case.
The evening of July 23 was spent at Madtongsan IV Restaurant at Sunnybank, south of Brisbane. One of the girls ate out at Peak Thai Restaurant several days later on Sunday, July 26.
In a Facebook post, the owners of the Thai restaurant confirmed the store was closed for a deep clean on Wednesday, labelling the closure “devastating”.
“As a precaution and protection to our valued customers we have taken the initiative to close down the restaurant for today to do major deep cleaning,” said a statement.
“We have also had the staff working on that day to do the mandatory 14 days self isolation and handed over the customers registration form who had dined in to the health department so they can be contacted.
“Rest assured we are taking this very seriously and will follow government procedure and precautions to protect our customers and the public.
Retail landlord Mirvac said Orion Shopping Centre, which houses the Thai restaurant, will continue to operate as normal.
On Monday afternoon, one of the teens travelled to Southbank, in the centre of Brisbane, and attended Cowch Dessert Cocktail Bar between 1pm and 5pm and the restaurant P’Nut Street Noodles.
A spokeswoman for Cowch said the owners had not been notified by Queensland Health and only found out the business had been named through media reports. They have since contacted authorities for guidance and were cooperating with tracing efforts.
Pop-up clinics have been established at Orion Springfield Central Shopping Centre and Parklands Christian College. Local fever clinics at Logan Hospital and QEII Hospital are operating with extended hours.
READ MORE: AFL alert to Queensland border closure before Berejiklian
AFP 7.05pm: HK reels as tough restrictions implemented
Hong Kong is on the verge of a “large-scale” coronavirus outbreak that could overwhelm hospitals, its leader warned on Wednesday, as authorities implemented their toughest social distancing measures yet in a new blow for the economy.
From Wednesday all residents in the densely packed city of 7.5 million must wear masks when they leave their homes while restaurants can only serve takeaway meals.
No more than two people from different households can gather in public with fines of up to HK$5000 ($902) for those who breach the new emergency rules.
The latest measures pile fresh misery on a finance hub that was already mired in recession before the pandemic began thanks to the US-China trade war and political unrest last year.
Figures released on Wednesday showed the city’s economy shrank by 9 per cent on year in the second quarter — the fourth contraction in a row.
More than 1000 infections have been confirmed since early thnis month — more than 40 per cent of the total since the virus first hit the city in late January.
“We are on the verge of a large-scale community outbreak, which may lead to a collapse of our hospital system and cost lives, especially of the elderly,” Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Wednesday.
“In order to protect our loved ones, our healthcare staff and Hong Kong, I appeal to you to follow strictly the social distancing measures and stay at home as far as possible.”
READ MORE: Coronavirus is back with a vengeance in places where it had all but vanished
Victoria Laurie 6.31pm: Border closures offer ‘minimal extra protection’
Border closures offer “minimal additional protection” against COVID-19 infection, according to an infectious diseases expert giving evidence on the third day of Clive Palmer’s Federal Court bid to tear down Western Australia’s hard border.
Professor Peter Collignon was giving evidence under tough questioning from principal legal advisor to WA’s Attorney General, Joshua Thomson.
Mr Palmer claims the McGowan government’s hard border stance is unconstitutional because it restricts the free movement of Australians across the country.
The state argues that it has not had any community transmission since April 12, and that closing its borders is a major part of its success in controlling the pandemic.
Professor Collignon, who was challenged by the WA legal team about his expertise despite preparing an expert report for the federal government’s legal team, said the benefits of closing down state borders were “fairly small compared to all the other interventions.”
He said physical distancing, contact tracing, limits on public gatherings and strict hotel quarantining of international arrivals were a more effective combination of measures.
“My view remains that the relative contribution of closing borders, especially to areas of similar infection, is minimal.”
Mr Palmer yesterday repeated his claim that the McGowan government’s continued lockdown would “destroy the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people for decades”.
Federal Attorney General Christian Porter said the state government’s approach over its hard border was risky.
“If you maintain an all-or-nothing approach, you run a very high risk that you will have the High Court determine against you in the long run,” he said.
Professor Collignon was accused by the WA Solicitor-General of “advocating” on behalf of the federal government. He was asked what credentials he had to comment on the personal, social and economic impacts of the state’s border closure.
Professor Collignon denied that he was advocating for a particular point of view, but agreed that he should not have used those terms in his report.
“I think they were entirely my own thought processes, I can’t attribute the blame to anyone else,” he said.
He said he was concerned about WA’s hotel quarantine security, in which three individuals had tested positive, and believed WA’s border lockdown has made people relaxed and less vigilant about physical distancing.
He said it could lead to a risk of faster spread of virus transmission if an infected person enters the state. That claim was rejected by three medical experts appointed to the court case, including WA chief health officer Andy Robertson.
Dr Robertson said WA’s hotel quarantine was “every bit as robust” as other states, and a large number of interstate and international returning travellers were kept in separate hotels from other patrons.
The third day of the high-profile Federal Court hearing came against the background of Queensland’s decision to extend its border ban on Victorians to any person coming from greater Sydney.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced the new restrictions after two teenagers – who returned to the state on July 21 from Melbourne, via Sydney - became the first people with Covid to be in the community since May.
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Remy Varga 5.55pm: Viral Melbourne conspiracy theorist arrested
The Melbourne conspiracy theorist who went viral after filming herself berating a police officer at a lockdown checkpoint has been arrested over the incident.
In dramatic scenes on Wednesday, Eve Black’s windscreen was broken after she refused to cooperate with Victoria Police officers before being arrested at 1.55pm on Princes St in Carlton.
Ms Black filmed herself refusing to cooperate with a Victoria Police officer on July 23, saying in the video she wanted to “stand up for not only (her) own rights but the rights (of her) brothers and sisters here on earth”.
A Victoria Police spokesman confirmed officers were wishing to speak to Ms Black over the checkpoint incident with the young woman refusing to produce her driver’s license or explain her reason for travel.
“Upon being intercepted, she was asked to provide her name and address which she refused to do. Police then directed her to produce her driver’s licence and explain her reason for travel, which she also refused to comply with,” he said.
“This led to police arresting her. During the arrest, police were forced to break the woman’s car window as she refused to speak to them, wind down her window, or step out of the vehicle.”
Ms Black has been released pending summons for traffic-related offences, failing to produce a licence, failing to produce name and address, and breaches of the Chief Health Officer’s directives.
READ MORE: Sydneysider ban as virus stalks east
Angelica Snowdent 5.30pm: Bondi Surf Club closed: members ate at virus-linked restaurant
Bondi Surf Club is currently closed after a number of its members visited the Apollo restaurant last Thursday — linked with a NSW COVID outbreak.
President of the iconic surf life saving club Brent Jackson confirmed four members visited the Greek restaurant in inner Sydney last Thursday.
“Three of 4 have negative test results and we are awaiting the last result,” he said.
“We have closed the club to members.”
He said after a NSW public health alert was issued on Monday night (and escalated on Tuesday) instructing anyone who visited the venue between July 23 and 25 to self-isolate, the club was shut.
“We did not want to jeopardise the ability of Emergency Callout crews to use the club and thus we have cleaned and will not reopen to general members until the last members results are known,” he said.
A pop up COVID-19 testing clinic is located just under 100m away from the surf life saving club.
READ MORE: Inflation dives as rent. petrol tumble
Mackenzie Scott 4.50pm: Qld closes school YMCA after new case
Queensland’s latest coronavirus case has forced the state’s health department to temporarily close Chatswood Hills State School and the YMCA Chatswood Hills Outside School Hours Care, where the third woman works, for cleaning.
Authorities have advised people who also attended any of the eleven locations frequented by the two teens to self isolate.
21 July 2020 - Virgin flights VA863 – Mel - Syd and VA977 – Syd - Bne
22-23 July 2020 (9:30am-6pm) - Parklands Christian College, Park Ridge
23 July 2020 (7-9pm) - Madtongsan IV Restaurant - Sunnybank
23 July 2020 (9:25pm) - Heeretea -Bubble Tea Shop - Sunnybank
23 - 24 July 2020 - YMCA Chatswood Hills Outside School Hours Care - Springwood
23 - 24 July 2020 (3:30-5:30pm) - Primary Medical and Dental Practice - Browns Plains
26 July 2020 (6:30-9:30pm) Thai Peak Restaurant - Springfield
27 July 2020 - Cowch Dessert Cocktail Bar - Southbank
27 July 2020 - P’Nut Street Noodles - Southbank
28 July 2020 - African Grocery Shop - Woodridge (Station Rd)
28 July 2020 (12.25pm-12.30pm) - Primary Medical and Dental Practice - Browns Plains
28 July 2020 - Chatime Grand Plaza - Browns Plains
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Angelica Snowden 4.35pm: Third new case revealed in Queensland
Queensland has reported one extra COVID-19 case this afternoon, taking the state’s daily tally to three.
UPDATE: A third woman, aged 22, has tested positive to COVID-19 today. She is a known close contact linked to the cases reported this morning. Contact tracing is underway on all new cases.
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) July 29, 2020
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk confirmed a 22-year-old woman contracted the virus.
“She is a known close contact of one of the two cases reported this morning,” she tweeted.
“Contact tracing is underway on all new cases.”
It is the third case to be reported in Queensland today and comes after Ms Palaszczuk announced she would close her state’s borders to Sydneysdiers from August 1.
READ MORE: Border ban as Sydney cases spread east
Peter Lalor 4.25pm: AFL ahead of NSW premier on border closure
When the Queensland premier shut her border to Sydneysiders she blindsided her NSW counterpart, but the AFL was a step ahead. Read more here
Remy Varga 4pm: No plans to relax restrictions, premier says
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said today it was too early to think about whether restrictions could be lifted early.
“I’m not reading too much into any day’s numbers,” he said. “Obviously it’s always pleasing when there are less numbers than more but at the same time trends are not made in one day,” he said.
Victoria recorded 295 cases on Wednesday after recording a record 532 on Monday.
Mr Andrews said the outbreak was in part by people failing to self-isolate while they waited for test results.
“There are still significant numbers of people who have symptoms who are going to work and that’s why my consistent appeal is for those people not to do that.”
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Remy Varga 3.40pm: State death toll more than half national figure
There have now been more coronavirus deaths in Victoria than the rest of Australia combined, with the state’s death toll reaching 92 on Wednesday.
COVID-19 has claimed the lives of 84 Australians outside of Victoria, with the national toll at 176.
Rachel Baxendale 3.20pm: A breakdown of the latest virus cases
The local government area of Brimbank, in Melbourne’s outer west, now has more than 600 active cases of coronavirus, after recording a net increase equal to half the state’s net increase in active cases on Wednesday.
Brimbank now has 603 active cases - a net increase of 32 active cases since Tuesday.
Victoria recorded its lowest net increase in active cases in more than three weeks on Wednesday, with 64.
Every daily net increase has been larger than Wednesday’s since July 7, when there was a net increase of 22 active cases.
These numbers are variable, as they depend not only on the daily increase in case numbers, which on Wednesday was 295, but also on the numbers of recoveries and deaths.
Despite Monday representing a record number of new cases, with 535, it was the second-highest net increase on record at 309.
This compares with July 17, almost a fortnight ago, when there was a record net increase of 334 active cases from 428 new cases.
The only other double digit net increase in cases was in Whittlesea, in Melbourne’s outer north.
Greater Geelong, in regional Victoria and outside the Melbourne Stage Three lockdown, recorded a net increase of nine cases to 44.
Victoria now has 195 active cases of COVID-19 across 26 regional Victorian local government areas, not including the locked down Mitchell Shire, up from 163 active cases across 20 LGAs on Monday.
When the Melbourne and Mitchell Shire lockdown was imposed on July 9, there were 14 active cases across six LGAs in regional Victoria.
A swathe of single new cases have been recorded in LGAs across western Victoria since Monday, including one in Ararat on Wednesday, and single new cases in Northern Grampians, Southern Grampians, West Wimmera and Warrnambool on Tuesday.
Active confirmed cases of COVID-19 by LGA as of Wednesday, with net increase since Tuesday in brackets:
#Brimbank (outer west): 603 (+32)
Wyndham (outer southwest): 532 (-3)
#Hume (outer north): 392
Whittlesea (outer north): 352 (+18)
#Moreland (north): 282 (+8)
#City of Melbourne: 276 (-11)
Melton (outer northwest): 253 (+8)
#Moonee Valley (northwest): 214 (-4)
Casey (outer southeast): 186 (+1)
Yarra (inner northeast): 158 (+3)
#Maribyrnong (inner west): 149 (+6)
Banyule (northeast): 144
Greater Dandenong: (outer southeast): 130 (+6)
Darebin (north): 103 (-1)
Yarra Ranges (outer east) 80 (-3)
Hobsons Bay (inner southwest): 78 (-2)
Monash (southeast): 63 (+4)
Whitehorse (east): 59 (+1)
Kingston (southeast): 56 (-1)
*Colac-Otway (western regional Vic): 54
Boroondara (east): 51 (-7)
Port Phillip (inner south): 48 (+1)
*Greater Geelong (southwest regional Vic): 44 (+9)
Stonnington (inner southeast): 43 (-6)
Knox (outer east): 41 (+3)
Glen Eira (east): 40 (+2)
Nillumbik (outer northeast): 39 (-1)
Maroondah (outer east): 38 (+5)
Manningham (east): 38 (-2)
Frankston (outer southeast): 31 (+2)
Bayside (southeast): 31 (+1)
Cardinia (outer southeast): 25 (-3)
Mitchell (central regional Vic, north of Melb): 14 (-1)
*Moorabool (western regional Vic): 12 (+1)
Mornington Peninsula (outer southeast): 12
*Greater Bendigo (central regional Vic): 11
*Macedon Ranges (central regional Vic): 11 (-1)
*Ballarat (western regional Vic): 10
*Golden Plains (western regional Vic): 8 (+2)
*Horsham (western regional Vic): 7
*Latrobe (eastern regional Vic): 6
*Glenelg (western regional Vic): 6
*Baw Baw (eastern regional Vic): 3
*Surf Coast (southwest regional Vic): 3
*South Gippsland (eastern regional Vic): 3 (-1)
*Mount Alexander (central regional Vic): 2 (+1)
*Bass Coast (southeast regional Vic): 2
*Loddon (northwest central regional Vic): 2
*Swan Hill (northwest regional Vic): 2
*Ararat (western regional Vic): 1 (+1)
*Campaspe (northern regional Vic): 1
*Mansfield (northeast regional Vic): 1
*Northern Grampians (western regional Vic): 1
*Southern Grampians (western regional Vic): 1
*West Wimmera (western regional Vic): 1
*Wodonga (northeast regional Vic): 1
*Warrnambool (southwest regional Vic): 1
*East Gippsland (east regional Vic): 1
Interstate: 10
Overseas: 1
Unknown: 72 (-4)
TOTAL: 4839 (+64)
*Denotes LGAs outside the Melbourne metropolitan/Mitchell Shire lockdown
#Denotes LGAs with postcodes locked down from 11:59pm on July 1
Source: Victorian Department of Health and Human Services
READ MORE: AFL alert to Qld border closure
Remy Varga 3.10pm: Latest Melbourne tower numbers revealed
The number of cases linked to public housing towers in North Melbourne and Flemington has decreased by three, while the number of cases linked to public housing towers in Carlton has decreased by two.
Remy Varga 2.49pm: Victorian aged care linked cases top 800
There are 804 active cases of the coronavirus linked to aged-care outbreaks, according to DHHS data.
As well, there remain 502 healthcare workers who are currently battling the coronavirus, with Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton clarifying on Wednesday there may be some overlap of aged-care and worker data.
Estia Aged Care Facility in Ardeer has been linked to 91 cases while 89 have been linked to St Basil’s in Fawkner.
Another 86 cases have been linked to Epping Gardens with 79 cases linked to Kirkbrae Presbyterian Homes in Kilsyth.
READ MORE: Crisis not immediate inquiry fodder
Rachel Baxendale 2.34pm: People aged in 20s in Victorian ICU beds
Three people in their 20s are in intensive care in Victoria with coronavirus on Wednesday.
There are also two people in their 30s, two in their 40s, and 12 in their 50s, as well as 14 in their 60s, seven in their 70s and one in their 80s.
Many of those in hospital but not in intensive care are also young, including a child under nine, two people aged 10 to 19, seven in their 20s, 11 in their 30s, 12 in their 40s, 21 in their 50s and 33 in their 60s.
Following the evacuation of many COVID-19 infected aged care residents to hospitals, there are now 53 people in their 70s, 91 in their 80s and 35 aged 90 and above in hospital but not in intensive care.
There are 307 people in Victorian hospitals with coronavirus on Wednesday, including 41 in intensive care.
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Adeshola Ore 2.06pm: Queensland virus teens ‘irresponsible, thoughtless’
The Australian Medical Association’s Vice President Dr Chris Zappala has slammed two Queensland teenagers who brought coronavirus into the state from Victoria.
Queensland health authorities earlier today said two 19-year-old women who travelled from Victoria had allegedly provided false information on their border declaration pass. They did not quarantine and had spent eight days in the community upon their arrival.
HOTSPOT UPDATE: Greater Sydney is now a declared COVID-19 hotspot.
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) July 29, 2020
From 1am Saturday, no one from Greater Sydney will be allowed into Queensland.
We’re acting quickly and putting the health of Queenslanders first.#covid19au pic.twitter.com/8rgVcr3Fry
Dr Zappala said it was “irresponsible and very thoughtless behaviour.”
“We can’t do more than plead and make the case, but ultimately if that fails that’s why we have penalties and we need to be unflinching in applying those,” he told 2GB radio.
The two women are now facing a criminal investigation after they allegedly lied to authorities about their recent trip to Melbourne.
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Adeshola Ore 1.56pm: AFL teams scrambling after Queensland border move
Queensland’s decision to close its doors to Sydney has forced two NSW AFL teams to alter their plans for the rest of the season.
Greater Western Sydney and Sydney Swans were already scheduled to play their next two games in Queensland, but they will now not be able to return home after round nine. They will now fly to the AFL Queensland hub earlier than planned.
Last month, ten Victorian AFL teams were forced to move interstate because of the state’s outbreaks.
The NRL is seeking reassurance from the Queensland government it will be exempt from the border closure.
READ MORE: NRL seeks clarity on borders
Adeshola Ore 1.49pm: New Zealand records two new cases
New Zealand has reported two cases of coronavirus in returned travellers in ‘managed isolation’ facilities.
All of the country’s 23 active cases are from returned travellers. New Zealand’s last community transmission case recorded over 80 days ago. Today’s new cases returned from the Philippines via Hong Kong and Afghanistan via Dubai.
New Zealand’s borders are closed to non-residents, with anyone who enters required to spend two-weeks in quarantine.
There have been 1209 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in New Zealand and 22 deaths.
READ MORE: NZ opposition leader’s raised eyebrow
Remy Varga 1.43pm: Door knockers bust absent Victorians with virus
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says 29 people have been busted not at home by government door knockers checking confirmed cases of the coronavirus were isolating.
Announcing the number of door knockers, made up of state government workers and the ADF, would increase from 58 to 90, Mr Andrews said the team would knock on every case positive case of the coronavirus.
Every single Victorian who has tested positive for coronavirus to receive a knock on the door. #springst #auspol â¦@theheraldsunâ© pic.twitter.com/nv2fYmpdp7
— Shannon Deery (@s_deery) July 29, 2020
“Everybody who gets a positive result from the laboratory by an ADF and DHHS team,” he said.
“That’s not just about compliance but making sure every single positive case knows and understands what we’re asking them to do.
Mr Andrews said the 29 people who were not home after being door knocked were referred to Victoria Police.
READ MORE: Distressing, but sector performing well: PM
Remy Varga 1.29pm: Andrews on aged care: ‘I made my views clear’
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says he won’t be providing further commentary on the aged care sector, which is overseen by the federal government.
Saying Victorian nurses had already completed 400 shifts at aged care facilities in the state, Mr Andrews said he’d already made his views clear.
“I’ve made my views clear on why we’ve needed to step in, that was yesterday, I’m not interested in running any further commentary,” he said.
“I was asked a question on a very personal level and I answered it…
“There are some settings where there are really significant challenges and you know I don’t think anyone could read some of the coverage and be pleased about some of the instances.
A war of words broke out between the state premier and federal Health Minister Greg Hunt after Mr Andrews said he wouldn’t send his mother to an aged care facility yesterday.
Seven of the nine coronavirus deaths confirmed on Wednesday are linked to aged care and around 80 of the residents from St Basil’s in the north Melbourne suburb of Fawkner have been moved to hospital.
Mr Andrews said conversations on the aged care sector and whether it needed to be reviewed could wait until after the pandemic.
“There are other processes that are going on,” he said.
“I am far more focussed on defeating this virus The other issues will be there to be dealt with by others at the appropriate time.”
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Kieran Gair 12.24pm: Albanese: ‘Virus exposing aged care weaknesses’
Anthony Albanese has accused Scott Morrison of failing to act on “weaknesses” in aged care after the catastrophic outbreak of COVID-19 at western Sydney’s Newmarch House brought the shortcomings of some nursing homes into sharp focus.
The Opposition Leader said the coronavirus outbreak that is currently affecting 77 aged care facilities in Victoria had “exposed” longstanding issues plaguing Australia’s troubled aged care system.
“The Newmarch issue was there for all to see in Sydney a while ago and the federal government does need to get on top of this (because) they are responsible,” Mr Albanese said on Wednesday.
Mr Albanese said casual workers or people employed in insecure work would likely choose “putting food on the family table” instead of “doing the right thing” by staying at home if they happened to develop coronavirus-like symptoms.
“It’s insecure work that is causing a great deal of issues leading to transmissions,” he said. “It shouldn’t have taken a pandemic for the government to really acknowledge the weaknesses that are there in the aged care system.”
He said Australia’s privately run aged care facilities were still struggling to cope with major “staffing issues”, despite an interim report of the royal commission into aged care revealing last year that more than half of nursing homes are understaffed.
“We’ve had an interim report from the aged care royal commission that has shown quite horrific statements that should have prompted much faster government action,” he said. “The fact is there have been multiple warnings about these weaknesses.”
Mr Albanese also weighed into the contentious debate over state borders ahead of a three-day trial in which Clive Palmer is challenging Western Australia’s hard border.
“Let’s be very clear, I’m with Mark McGowan on the WA border issue and I’m not with Clive Palmer and Scott Morrison,” he said.
“The actions of Marck McGowan as Premier of WA have served his state well.”
Mr Albanese said he didn’t “buy” the Prime Minister’s explanation for why the Commonwealth government had joined the court action against WA’s border closure.
“I don’t buy this issue that the Prime Minister says he had no choice but to join in supporting the Clive Palmer legal appeal,” he said. “This is about politics.”
READ MORE: Palmer tests state’s border exemptions
Adeshola Ore 12.45pm: Where the new NSW cases are
NSW Health has confirmed a COVID-19 positive child who attends Bayanami Public School attended the site while infectious on Friday, July 24.
The school is closed today, with cleaning and contact tracing underway. Close contacts will be required to self-isolate for 14 days from July 24.
NSW’s 19 new cases on Wednesday included:
- Ten are associated with Thai Rock restaurant in Wetherill Park
- Three are linked to a funeral gathering
- Two are linked to Thai Rock at Potts Point
- One case is a staff member at the Apollo restaurant in Potts Point
- One is linked to the Crossroads Hotel cluster in Casula
- Two returned travellers in hotel quarantine
There are now 85 cases of coronavirus associated with the Thai Rock Wetherill Park restaurant.
A total of 57 cases are linked to the Crossroads Hotel outbreak, 18 to the south-western Sydney funeral clusters and seven in the Thai Rock Potts Point outbreak.
The Batemans Bay Soldiers Club remains at eight cases.
READ MORE: Inflation dives as childcare, rent, petrol tumble
Rachel Baxendale 12.35pm: Healthcare infections nearly treble in a week
The number of active coronavirus infections in Victoria’s healthcare workers has skyrocketed in the past week, from 187 a week ago to 502 on Wednesday.
There has been an increase of 88 cases in the 24 hours to Wednesday alone, up from 414 on Tuesday.
The state’s total cases have risen to 9304.
READ MORE: Mobile data umasks ‘ghost town’ in lockdown
Brent Read 12.25pm: NRL urgently seeks clarity over borders
The NRL is urgently seeking clarity from the Queensland government after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk declared the state’s borders would be closed to anyone from greater Sydney.
The NRL has previously been given exemptions by the Queensland government to fly teams into the state and is hopeful that will remain the case.
However, they confirmed they were still waiting on further information from the Queensland government over the ramifications of the latest decision, which will result in the state’s borders being closed from 1am on Saturday.
Officials at Rugby League Central have drawn up contingency plans for a range of scenarios, including any decision by the Queensland government to close borders.
If they are unable to gain an exemption, the NRL would likely be left with two choices. One would involve relocating all NSW clubs to Queensland.
The other more likely option would be to move the clubs currently based in Queensland to NSW. The second option would be the more cost-effective for the game.
READ the full story here.
Remy Varga 12.00pm: Nine deaths take Victoria toll to 92
Victoria has recorded nine more deaths, bringing the death toll to 92 and the toll from aged care to 49. Premier Daniel Andrews on Wednesday confirmed that seven of the nine deaths were from private sector aged care.
They included two people in their 70s, five in their 80s, one in their 70s and one in their 60s.
Mr Andrews also confirmed 295 new cases, a marked drop from Monday’s horror high in the 500s.
Mr Andrews said Victorian nurses have already worked 400-shifts at aged care facilities, assisting the federal government in managing the sector outbreak.
READ MORE: PM points finger at Victoria
Adeshola Ore 11.55am: Gyms to register COVID-19 safety plans
Gyms across NSW will be required to register a COVID-19 safety plan and have a dedicated hygiene marshall on duty at all times under new rules.
Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello said the measures would come into effect from Saturday, August 1.
“Gyms play a crucial role in the promotion of health and fitness across our community but they are not immune from this challenge,” he said.
“Whether it’s maintaining social distancing, cleaning equipment after use or making hand sanitiser available for customers, these dedicated COVID Safe Hygiene Marshalls will play a pivotal role in keeping gyms safe and compliant.”
NSW recorded 19 new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, with two in hotel quarantine.
The remaining cases were all linked to outbreaks from a Bankstown funeral home, the Thai Rock restaurants in Wetherill Park and Potts Point, the Apollo restaurant in Potts Point, and the Crossroads Hotel at Casula.
Richard Ferguson 11.50am: Andrews ‘warned over elective surgery two weeks ago’
Health Department Secretary Brendan Murphy says he first raised concerns about the continuation of elective surgeries in Victoria nearly two weeks ago.
The Morrison government had been trying to persuade Victoria to abandon all non-urgent elective surgery for more than a week before Mr Andrews announced the decision to do so on Tuesday.
But reports have emerged from Victoria the Andrews Government did not receive a direct request and they only heard from Professor Murphy on Sunday.
Professor Murphy in Canberra he has raised the issue of elective surgery as early as July 15.
“ I have had many informal discussions, certainly late last week, and on Sunday I did say this has become really crucial that this is stop now and I did make a very formal request,” he said.
“But we have been discussing this late last week and on the weekend. I think it is a bit of a storm in a teacup. They had a cabinet meeting and they have made a decision and that is the most important thing.”
READ MORE: Victorian outbreak exposes political animosity
Richard Ferguson 11.45am: WA hard border may not be constitutional: PM
Scott Morrison says he is not confident Western Australia’s hard internal border is constitutional.
Queensland magnate Clive Palmer is currently challenging the border in the court, and constitutional experts have questioned whether Mr McGowan’s policy stands up constitutionally.
The Prime Minister on Wednesday said he did not support Mr Palmer but the Commonwealth had to make its position on the border’s constitutionality clear.
“It goes to quite serious constitutional issues on which the Commonwealth could not be silent
about. My concern is that it is highly likely that the constitutional position that is being reviewed in this case will not fall in the Western Australian government’s favour,” he said.
“And what I am keen to do is to engage with the Western Australian government to ensure that we can have appropriate health protections for the people of Western Australia to ensure that there is not transmission.
“The constitutional position is one that provides that fellow Australians can follow free movement and that should not be prevented.
“There are much more broader consequences of this case to go beyond specifically the pandemic and that is why the Commonwealth responsibly has to be able to put the responsible constitutional position.”
READ MORE: Teens bring virus back into Queensland
Richard Ferguson 11.38am: Aged care tensions ‘greatly exaggerated’: PM
Scott Morrison says tensions between his government and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews are “greatly exaggerated” and claims he still has a very strong relationship with the Labor premier.
“I think these things about how the Premier and I working together are greatly exaggerated. The Premier and I enjoy a very good working relationship,” the Prime Minister said.
“We enjoy a high level of respect for each other and the responsibilities we each have. And we will continue to conduct those responsibilities as the public would expect us to do, and in fact as each of us would expect us to do.
“And I said earlier, that all of us, many of us I should say, that to make decisions about our elderly loved ones who have gone into aged care.”
MrAndrews said on Tuesday he would not send his mother into federal homes, prompting Scott Morrison’s Health Minister, Greg Hunt, to retaliate by declaring the deadly outbreak was a result of the state government’s bungled hotel quarantine regime.
As Mr Morrison cut short a trip to Queensland to rush back to deal with a crisis that has now claimed 39 elderly lives, Mr Andrews declared “I wouldn’t let my Mum be in some of these places”, in an attack over the quality of federal government-regulated nursing homes.
READ MORE: Doctors defy Covid test restrictions
Richard Ferguson 11.31am: Victorians must brace for more deaths: Murphy
Health Department Secretary Brendan Murphy has warned Victorians to brace for many more coronavirus deaths from Melbourne’s aged care homes.
At least 49 people have already died in aged care outbreaks and 380 staff have contracted COVID-19.
Professor Murphy said the virus has an inevitable outcome once it hits vulnerable elderly people.
“There will be more deaths with the number of aged care recipients that are infected. We know that, it is a certainty,” he said.
“We will see deaths every day and that is a tragedy. This virus, once it gets into many frail elderly people, has an inevitable fatal outcome in some cases.
“There is no effective treatment as we know, there are some that can help a bit in some people, but essentially it has an inevitable outcome.
“Our hearts go out to the families of those people who have lost their lives and to those families who will lose their loved ones in coming days and weeks.”
Prof Murphy says he is now confident St Basil’s Aged Care Home in Melbourne is now under control, after residents were left starving and surrounded by filth.
The aged care home’s entire workforce was forced into isolation due to a COVID-19 outbreak and the federal response left vulnerable residents without care.
Professor Murphy said the rush of federal resources to the home on the weekend has now closed the gap in that delivery of care.
“There essentially were no spare staff in Victoria because of the number of staff and contacts in quarantine and isolation. It was very difficult,” he said in Canberra.
“Staff were found from all sorts of sources but they were not staff that knew this community and there is no doubt that that was a very challenging situation in their work clearly deficiencies in care.
“Once those deficiencies in care became widely known to us last weekend, we immediately moved to decant residents from that facility
“There is new management on site and all the reports are that this facility is now well-managed and care is good and we have that independently verified from a number of sources.
“But there were clearly deficiencies in care last week and stories that we would have heard reported and which troubled all of us about that.”
READ MORE: Business ‘afraid to speak out on China’
Yoni Bashan 11.26am: NSW records 19 new cases
NSW has recorded 19 new cases of the novel coronavirus overnight, says Premier Gladys Berejiklian.
Health officials have confirmed that two of the cases were individuals in hotel quarantine.
The remaining confirmed cases were all linked to outbreaks from a Bankstown funeral home, the Thai Rock restaurants in Wetherill Park and Potts Point, the Apollo restaurant in Potts Point, and the Crossroads Hotel at Casula.
Dr Jeremy McAnulty said investigations were continuing to determine any links between positive cases at the two Thai Rock restaurants. He said concerns had become heightened for residents of the Potts Point area, and anyone with symptoms of the virus should come forward for testing.
“What we’re concerned about is where we can’t link the cases together,” Dr McAnulty said.
READ MORE: Van Onselen — Victorian outbreak exposes political animosity
Michael McKenna 11.12am: Queensland closes borders to greater Sydney residents
Queensland has shut the border to residents of Sydney.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced the new restrictions after two teenagers – who returned to the state on July 21 from Melbourne, via Sydney - became the first people with Covid to be in the community since May.
In a tweet, Ms Palaszczuk confirmed the existing entry ban on Victorians would now be extended to those coming from greater Sydney.
“Queensland will close its borders to all of Greater Sydney. From 1am Saturday, more hotspots will be declared and no one from Sydney will be allowed into Queensland. #COVID19au,” she said in the tweet.
It comes as health authorities in NSW confirmed 19 new cases of coronavirus in the 24 hours to 8:00pm yesterday.
BREAKING: Queensland will close its borders to all of Greater Sydney. From 1am Saturday, more hotspots will be declared and no one from Sydney will be allowed into Queensland. #COVID19au pic.twitter.com/044iZeTZ1g
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) July 29, 2020
Richard Ferguson 11.04am: Morrison vows to work with Andrews on aged care
Scott Morrison has vowed to work closely with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to tackle the Melbourne aged care COVID-19 crisis, as fractures grow between their two governments.
Mr Andrews on Tuesday said he would not send his mother into federal homes, prompting Scott Morrison’s Health Minister, Greg Hunt, to retaliate by declaring the deadly outbreak was a result of the state government’s bungled hotel quarantine regime.
It was also revealed the Morrison government had been trying to persuade Victoria to abandon all non-urgent elective surgery for more than a week before Mr Andrews announced the decision to do so on Tuesday.
The Prime Minister on Wednesday said he had spoken to Mr Andrews in the morning and they would work on all problems together.
“These are our shared responsibilities as the Premier and I know. We have been in contact with each other this morning. We’ll be speaking later today,” Mr Morrison said in Canberra.
“We have been in regular contact over these issues.
“And I want to ensure Victorians in particular, but Australians all around the country, Premiers, Chief Ministers, myself, our officials, our teams are working together to just focus on the problem, to solve the problem, and to keep Australians safe.”
READ MORE: Victoria losing jobs at twice national rate
Remy Varga 11.03am: Andrews to provide update on Victorian outbreak
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is due to provide an update on the state’s coronavirus outbreak at 11.45am.
It comes after Victoria recorded 295 cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, which is a promising decline in numbers.
Mr Andrews will be accompanied by Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos. You can watch it live here.
READ MORE: Westpac bringing 1000 call centre jobs home
Richard Ferguson 10.54am: Morrison ‘distressed’ by aged care stories
Scott Morrison says he has been “distressed” by stories of elderly Australians left starving and surrounded by filth in their Victorian care homes, and he is moving quickly to restore care.
As the Prime Minister returned to Canberra to spearhead the response to the COVID crisis in Melbourne aged care homes, he said the entire isolation of care staff infected with coronavirus ha lead to “very distressing” consequences.
“The actions that have been taken have been to principally address the disruption in the workforce in these facilities where cases have been identified in facilities, there had been an immediate isolation of entire workforces in these places,” he said in Canberra.
“Now, if you take out an entire workforce in a facility, that is going to have obvious impacts for the continuity of care and very distressing consequences have flown from that.
“They trouble me deeply, I know they would trouble the Premier equally deeply, our ministers for health, we are all very distressed by those events that took place in those few facilities that were affected in this way.
“And so it has been important in those cases to move as quickly as we can to get workforces into those places.”
READ MORE: Governments argue as residents die
Adeshola Ore 10.52am: LIVE: Premier to provide NSW update
NSW Premier and NSW Health’s Dr Jeremy McAnulty will provide a coronavirus update at 11am.
McKenzie Scott 10.47am: Queensland travellers face criminal probe
Two teeneagers who tested positve to COVID-19 in Queensland are facing a criminal investigation after they allegedly lied to authorities about their recent trip to Melbourne.
Health minister Stephen Miles today said the 19-year-olds - one of whom works as a cleaner at a private school south of Brisbane which was closed this morning - had returned to the state via Sydney on July 21. Both teens are now quarantining in the Princess Alexandra Hospital.
One of the women works at the Parklands Christian College in Logan, south of Brisbane which was closed for cleaning this morning.
Several shopping areas, restaurants and a church – visited by the women - are also going to be closed for cleaning.
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said a list would be put out this afternoon that lists all of the places the women have recently visited.
“We need to act really, really fast,” she said.
Dr Young said anyone who lives in the Logan and Acacia Ridge areas who have symptoms should get tested.
She said there was no suggestion either of the women had visited an aged care facility.
Mr Miles said both women travelled together, returning to Brisbane from Melbourne on July 21 via Sydney.
“They travelled on flights VA863 and VA977,” Mr Miles said.
“The Queensland Health contact tracers are identifying close contacts from those flights.”
“These young women have gone about their business within the communities that they live in.
“So there will be a large amount of contact tracing to be done, largely within the Logan and Springfield areas - including shopping malls, restaurants and a church.
“Our contact tracers are doing that work right now.
“There are also a number of close contacts in both of their households.”
They are the first two cases of the virus in the Queensland community since May.
Mr Miles said extensive contact tracing will needed as it is believed the girls attended several shopping malls and restaurants while displaying symptoms over the past week.
“We have responded in Queensland to situations like this before… and because of our responses we have been able to contain cases like this and restrict and suppress community transmission. The whole of our systems will be mobilised,” Mr Miles said.
“The most important message here is that anyone with any concern in the southside of Brisbane, but particularly the Logan and Springfield Lakes regions, should go and get tested.”
Hotel quarantine is being organised for close contacts, who are all currently self-isolating.
Aged care facilities in the metropolitan south region will all be locked down as a precaution as contact testing is undertaken.
Cases in the state now total 1,078, with four of the seven active cases in hospital.
Richard Ferguson 10.41am: LIVE: Morrison to address aged care crisis
Scott Morrison is due to address Victoria’s aged care crisis in Canberra, alongside Health Department secretary and former chief medical officer Brendan Murphy.
Extra nurses, doctors and paramedics are being rushed into Melbourne aged-care facilities at the centre of a coronavirus outbreak killing elderly patients, as the relationship between the Morrison and Andrews governments publicly fractures and the Victorian Premier declares nursing homes unsafe.
The Prime Minister has cut his days-long trip to Queensland short to return to parliament and spearhead the response to the virus ripping through Melbourne’s retirement homes.
Adeshola Ore 10.18am: Positive Queenslanders returned from Victoria
Queensland has reported two new cases of COVID-19 after two young women returned from Victoria and did not quarantine.
Deputy Premier Steven Miles said both cases were 19-year-old women, including one who is a teacher at Parklands Christian College in Logan.
The state has now reported 1087 confirmed cases of coronavirus, including four in hospital and seven active cases.
All Queensland aged-care facilities in the metro-south region will now be closed to visitors.
Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said the state needed to take swift action to prevent the virus spreading.
“We know if we act very fast now we can stop this spreading further and causing even more inconvenience,” she said.
Dr Young said it was “disappointing” the returned travellers had brought the virus from Melbourne into the state. The two women travelled together via Sydney on July 21.
“As a result of that, a lot of people will now be inconvenienced and I do apologise to people for what is now going to have to occur.”
“There are going to be shopping centres, a school, restaurants closed now for at least 48 hours while we arrange a deep clean of those facilities and contact trace those who attended.”
READ MORE: What poverty looks like in the age of Covid
Rachel Baxendale 10.12am: Victoria’s cases drop below 300
Victoria has recorded 295 new cases of coronavirus in the 24 hours to Wednesday — the lowest daily tally for nine days.
Wednesday’s number follows a record high of 532 on Monday, and 384 new cases on Tuesday.
The most recent lower number was 275 on July 20, while the next lowest was 300 last Friday.
Health authorities will be hoping Wednesday’s dip is an indication mandatory mask wearing, which came into effect last Thursday in Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire, is beginning to have an impact.
The 295 new cases have also reduced Wednesday’s seven day average to 390, down from 417 on Monday and 416 on Sunday, but still greater than Saturday’s 479.
READ MORE: Reform hopes fade as stubborn virus digs in
Adeshola Ore 10.08am: One Queensland case is not a chain: Coatsworth
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Nick Coatsworth says Queensland authorities are doing “what needs to be done” after a coronavirus case was reported from a teacher at a Brisbane school.
A female teacher at Parklands Christian College in Logan tested positive to the virus on Tuesday.
My take is that Queensland Public Health Unit are doing precisely what needs to be done,” Dr Coatsworth told the ABC.
“The fact that it’s been closed, that a deep clean is being undergone, that there will be extensive testing and contact-tracing is straight out of the playbook. Of course, one case is not a chain and hopefully we’ll be able to get that under control as soon as possible.”
Adeshola Ore 9.28am: New case hits Westfield shopping centre
A coronavirus case at a nail salon in a south-western Sydney Westfield is linked to a funeral cluster in the region.
South Eastern Sydney Local Health District deputy director said an infected woman worked at Professionail, within Westfield Hurstville, on July 22 and 23,
Dr Vicky Sheppeard said the business had undergone cleaning and close contacts of the confirmed case have been directed to self-isolate for two weeks. Casual contacts have been notified and told to monitor themselves for symptoms of the virus.
“There is no broader risk at Westfield Hurstville,” Dr Sheppeard said.
There are now 15 cases related to church and funeral services held in south-western Sydney, with six new infections announced on Tuesday.
A spokeswoman for Westfield Hurstville said the store was currently closed.
“When it comes to the health and wellbeing of our customers, retail partners and employees, we follow health and government advice as we have done throughout the pandemic,” she said.
“Westfield Hurstville is cleaned every night, as are all of our centres.”
READ MORE: Buyers escaping to country, coast
Cameron Stewart 9.07am: Trump’s thrilling, unexpected triumph
Australia has become the model ally for which the US is looking when it comes to confronting an increasingly belligerent China.
READ the full story here
Adeshola Ore 8.53am: AMA calls for urgent aged care risk assessment
The Australian Medical Association is calling for every aged-care home in Victoria to undergo an urgent risk assessment to evaluate its susceptibility to coronavirus.
Additional doctors and nurses are being rushed into the state’s aged-care facilities, where coronavirus is killing elderly patients. The AMA’s president Dr Tony Bartone said specialty groups have been urging the Victorian health department to undertake assessments for months.
“The ADF, the medics, AUSMAT. The staff are being redeployed from the ward with elective surgeries being put on hold as of yesterday. These are things that should have happened early in terms of coordination, but they’re happening now.”
“It will take time to implement and coordinate and insinuate them through the system.”
The COVID-19 death toll in Victoria’s aged-care sector reached 39 on Tuesday, while there have been 769 infections across staff and residents in more than 80 nursing homes.
READ MORE: Palmer tests state border exemptions
Staff writers 8.33am: Border jitters as Queensland teacher positive
Annastacia Palaszczuk has warned Queenslanders “now is not the time” to holiday south of the border with 106 New South Wales suburbs now banned from entering the state.
The warning comes as it emerged an employee at a Queensland private school tested positive and growing concerns around a new outbreak in Sydney’s east.
Queensland Health has confirmed an employee at Park Ridge’s Parklands Christian College in Logan returned a positive test on Tuesday afternoon. The health authorities said the female teacher had returned from interstate last week.
The Queensland Premier warned she had no hesitations in slamming the borders shut to more of NSW if there continued to be clusters and community transmission.
READ MORE: Virus denier rally has police on alert
Adeshola Ore 8.13am: Boris: ‘Signs of second wave in Europe’
Boris Johnson says there are signs of a second wave of coronavirus in Europe, as he defends the country’s 14-day quarantine requirement on travellers from Spain.
The British Prime Minister said the government had to implement “swift” action and would enact further measures if necessary.
“Let’s be absolutely clear about what’s happening in Europe, amongst some of our European friends, I’m afraid you are starting to see in some places the signs of a second wave of the pandemic,” he said.
Spain’s prime minister called the UK’s quarantine decision “unjust” and said tourists would be safer in most regions in the country compared to Britain.
On Tuesday, Britain reported a further 119 coronavirus deaths on Tuesday and 581 positive cases.
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Yoni Bashan 8.02am: ‘Mandate masks to avoid new lockdown’
A leading Sydney think tank is calling on the NSW government to make face masks mandatory across the state capital, arguing that doing so will limit the need for a second lockdown and avoid more economic disruption.
With community transmissions increasing in some pockets of NSW, the question of face masks remains a divisive one. Some companies, such as Apple, mandate their use inside stores, and some supermarket chains have followed the same lead in hotspot suburbs.
The Committee for Sydney, a think tank representing private sector companies, universities, not-for-profits and local and state government departments, said mandating the use of face coverings was one of the only ways to ensure a critical mass of people would use them.
READ the full story here
Adeshola Ore 7.48am: Teachers ‘allowed’ to wear masks in NSW
NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell says teachers are allowed to wear masks at schools, despite some staff being discouraged from teaching with face coverings.
“We have made it very clear that masks aren’t required, but we’ve also let our principals know that if any school staff want to wear their mask they can and they should be supported by their school,” she told 2GB radio.
“The same goes for students... particularly this term, if there’s a sense of comfort that comes from wearing the mask.”
There have been more than 30 COVID-19 cases across NSW schools. Bayanami Public School in Sydney’s west is closed today after a student tested positive to the virus.
READ MORE: Mobile data unmasks Melbourne crisis
Adeshola Ore 7.39am: Queensland school closed after teacher positive
A Queensland private school is closed today for cleaning after a teacher tested positive to coronavirus.
Queensland Health has confirmed an employee at Park Ridge’s Parklands Christian College in Logan returned a positive test on Tuesday afternoon. The health authorities said the female teacher had returned from interstate last week.
Contact tracing is underway to identify close contacts.
The diagnosis brings the number of active cases in Queensland to six.
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Adeshola Ore 7.27am: Infected woman on exemption is new case in SA
South Australia has confirmed a case of coronavirus in a woman in her 20s who moved from Victoria.
Chief Public Health Officer Professor Nicola Spurrier said the woman was allowed to move with her family from Victoria to South Australia on Saturday.
Professor Spurrier said there was no risk to South Australians because the woman was tested within twenty-four hours of arrival, in line with the state’s requirements. The woman has been moved to a hotel, while the rest of her family remain in quarantine.
From today, South Australians residents who are not essential travellers are barred from crossing the border from Victoria.
There are three active cases in South Australia and a total of 448 COVID-19 infections.
READ MORE: Vaccine trials at pivotal phase
Adeshola Ore 7.16am: Andrews comments on aged ‘really unfortunate’
Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck says Daniel Andrews’ comments that he has no confidence in Victoria’s private aged care homes do not reflect the entire sector.
There are almost 770 cases of coronavirus in Victoria are linked to aged care centres. On Tuesday, the Victorian Premier admitted that he wouldn’t want his mother living in some of the state’s aged-care homes.
Senator Colbeck said Mr Andrews’ comments were “really unfortunate.”
“They didn’t reflect properly the aged-care sector more broadly, and the problem is that we’re all fighting this virus together.” he told Channel 9.
He dismissed the idea that the situation in Victoria’s aged care facilities was a catastrophe, but conceded some centres faced severe problems.
“In a number of facilities, about five or six, it’s extremely difficult and that’s what we’re putting our effort into.”
This week, the federal government established an aged care response centre to deal with COVID-19 surge. Senator Colbeck said he had “already seen results” from the taskforce, which includes members of the Australian Defence Force.
“It’s allowed us to get some things done. So that coordination has been really good and it’s already showing results.”
READ MORE: Only one in five carers up to date in training
Adeshola Ore 6.45am: US worst hit states ‘may have peaked’
Anthony Fauci has said coronavirus cases in hard-hit states such as Florida could be peaking, but warned other parts of the country may be on the cusp of growing outbreaks. Cases in Florida, California and Arizona this month have overwhelmed the state’s hospitals. Dr Fauci, America’s top infectious diseases expert, said there was “very early indication” that the percentage of coronavirus tests were beginning to rise in other states, such as Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee and Kentucky.
Twitter has restricted Donald Trump Jr’s account after he tweeted a post that violated the social media site’s misinformation policy on COVID-19. The eldest son of the US President posted a video of doctors discussing the drug hydroxychloroquine. The video was taken down by the social media company for breaking its rules on COVID-19 misinformation.
In response, a spokesman for the president’s son said it was “beyond the pale for Twitter to silence someone for sharing the views of medical professionals who happen to dissent with their anti-hydroxychloroquine narrative.” The World Health Organisation says “there is currently no proof” that hydroxychloroquine is effective as a treatment or prevents coronavirus.
Italy has extended its state of emergency until October. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte asked parliament to extend the period, which expands his government’s powers in tackling coronavirus. There were 181 new infections reported on Tuesday and 11 deaths.
Italy has been one of the worst-affected countries in Europe, with more than 35,000 deaths from 246,500 cases. But new infections have fallen sharply over the past three months.Mr Conte announced a six-month state of emergency on January 31, when the first two cases of COVID-19 were detected in Rome. Opposition parties say Mr Conte is trying to keep too much power in his hands, despite a dramatic fall in the infection rate.
Globally, more than 16.5 million cases of COVID-19 have been recorded. There have been more than 655,000 deaths.
READ MORE: Vaccine trials at pivotal phase
Staff writers 6.15am: PM’s adviser in isolation over Sydney cluster
A senior adviser in Scott Morrison’s office is in isolation after visiting a Sydney restaurant linked with the Potts’s Point cluster of cases.
The Prime Minister’s adviser Nico Louw dined at the Apollo restaurant at the time a person infected with the coronavirus was also attending.
Mr Louw had a COVID-19 test as a precaution, which was returned as negative.
A spokeswoman for the Prime Minister confirmed Mr Louw would remain in isolation for 14 days.
“The acting Chief Medical Officer advised that because the staff member has no COVID-19 symptoms, the prime minister is clear to continue with his plans,” she said.
READ MORE: Close contact but PM cleared to fly
Angelica Snowden 5.10am: Yacht Club member link to restaurant clusters
The link between two NSW COVID clusters connected with two restaurants in Potts Point has been revealed as a board member of the Cruising Yacht Club Australia.
In a statement on Tuesday, Commodore Paul Billingham confirmed that Vice Commodore Noel Cornish and his partner tested positive to coronavirus after they attended the Thai Rock restaurant on July 17 and the Apollo restaurant on July 22.
“As many of you know, Noel and Meg are popular Members and frequent visitors to our Club and their prudence in quickly seeking testing was justified when the positive result was received,” Mr Billingham said.
“The good news is that Noel and Meg are fine but, of course, will be housebound for at least 14 days or until they are cleared,” he said.
The news prompted the CYCA to have all staff directors tested and instructed them to self-isolate until they receive the results. The club will remain closed until August 1.
READ MORE: Doctors defy ‘bureaucratic’ COVID-19 test restrictions
Rachel Baxendale 5am: Governments argue as elderly death toll rises
Extra nurses, doctors and paramedics are being rushed into Melbourne aged-care facilities at the centre of a coronavirus outbreak killing elderly patients, as the relationship between the Morrison and Andrews governments publicly fractures and the Victorian Premier declares nursing homes unsafe.
Daniel Andrews said he would not send his mother into federal homes, prompting Scott Morrison’s Health Minister, Greg Hunt, to retaliate by declaring the deadly outbreak was a result of the state government’s bungled hotel quarantine regime.
As the Prime Minister cut short a trip to Queensland to rush back to deal with a crisis that has now claimed 39 elderly lives, Mr Andrews declared “I wouldn’t let my Mum be in some of these places”, in an attack over the quality of federal government-regulated nursing homes.
Read the full story, by Rachel Baxendale and Stephen Lunn, here.
Stephen Lunn 4.45am: ‘SAS of medical world’ joins virus battle
The “SAS of the medical world” is on its way to Victoria and nurses are being redeployed from interstate, the Australian Defence Force and from Victorian private hospitals into COVID-ravaged nursing homes as the federal and state governments urgently ramp up their response to the escalating outbreak.
With COVID numbers and fatalities in nursing homes spiralling and residents and their families increasingly fearful of further spread within infected homes or into other facilities, governments and agencies held a series of emergency meetings late into Monday night to co-ordinate a range of new measures.
Health Minister Greg Hunt on Tuesday said an Australian Medical Assistance Team (AUSMAT), which includes doctors, nurses, paramedics and allied health experts, would be swung into action in Victorian nursing homes in coming days, as one of a raft of new federal initiatives.
Read the full story, by Stephen Lunn, Rachel Baxendale and Olivia Caisley, here.
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