Coronavirus Australia live news: Victoria lockdown may cost $1bn a week, as two paramedics test positive
Josh Frydenberg says Victoria’s second lockdown poses a real risk to the nation’s economic recovery, but income support will continue ‘for those who need it’.
- Two paramedics test positive in Victoria
- New Melbourne lockdown amid record spike
- Victoria weighs reintroducing lockdown
- NSW may bring back restrictions
- Albury cases highlight need for containment
- Global toll reaches 535,000
Hello and welcome to The Australian’s rolling coverage of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The Andrews government will impose full Stage Three stay-at-home orders on the whole of metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire. Two paramedics are among the cases as Victoria records 191 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday — swamping Monday’s record daily increase of 127. NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard says he will not rule out rolling back the state’s easing of restrictions.
Olivia Caisley 8.20pm: International travel a long way off: Frydenberg
Josh Frydenberg has flagged that while the government would like to reopen Australia’s borders, it will be “a long time” before international travel resumes.
In an exclusive Q&A for The Australian on Tuesday night, the Treasurer said that while Australia would like to boost the economy and welcome the return of international students, such a re-opening rests on our management of spikes in COVID-19 cases.
“We would like to do things sooner than later with some international students and, obviously, that’s going to depend on where we’re managing the spike in cases here in Australia,” Mr Frydenberg said.
“But I think it’s a long time before the international borders are open, the risk is too great, and we’re all very conscious of that so obviously targeted approaches are important.
He said Australia was still a long way off from open borders.
Angelica Snowden 8.15pm: Top cop defends border enforcement
NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller says he does not anticipate officers will have to “chase people across rivers” after the border with Victoria closes, but he defended the planned heavy police presence to enforce restrictions.
“I don’t think the public enjoy the health orders but at the same time we are finding that people understand why we need them,” Mr Fuller told the ABC.
He said the police presence across 54 border crossings was necessary to make sure people complied with public health orders to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“I don’t expect that we will be chasing people across rivers but it is important people understand the health orders,” he said.
“We’ve had 30,000 people come in from international airports into hotels ... we’ve only had one person try to escape.”
Anyone who needs to cross the border from Victoria to NSW can now apply for an exemption on the Service NSW website before the closure comes into force from 12.01am on Wednesday.
The main people who can apply for exemptions include “cross-border” residents who live within 50km of the border or are “critical services” workers.
Olivia Caisley 8pm: Economic data was improving: Treasurer
Asked if the present economic situation was better than the Morrison government had predicted back in April, Josh Frydenberg said that prior to the Victorian spike he had seen a number of improvements in economic data sets.
The Treasurer said consumer and business confidence had improved with manufacturing activity “getting back to where it was pre-COVID-19”.
“We certainly saw a lot more mobility around our cities and, and some of that was generating retail sales, which were up significantly I think by more than 16 per cent,” he said.
“As you know, the ABS has been producing some datasets on jobs and wages using payroll data, which showed consumer confidence had started to lift.
“But we have seen in the last couple of weeks since the Victorian spike consumer confidence shaken up and that’s why we’re all in this together.”
Olivia Caisley 7.50pm: Vic lockdown could cost $1bn a week: Frydenberg
Josh Frydenberg says Victoria’s second lockdown poses a real risk to the nation’s economic recovery, declaring the move could cost about $1bn a week.
Speaking at an exclusive subscriber-only event for The Australian on Tuesday night, the Treasurer said his first thoughts were with those on the frontline.
It comes as the Andrews government announced it would impose full Stage-Three lockdowns on the Melbourne metropolitan area and the Mitchell Shire to curb a spike in cases across the state.
“When I made a statement to the parliament in May I talked about the economic cost of a lockdown being about $4bn dollars a week, and given that Victoria is about a quarter of the national economy, then you’re talking about an impact of around a billion dollars a week for the Victorian economy alone, which is very significant.”
At an address to the National Press Club in May, just days before the national cabinet moved to relax restrictions, Mr Frydenberg said the economy would suffer a $4bn hit for every extra week the lockdowns remained in place.
Asked whether he would consider extending the JobSeeker and JobKeeper payments due to end in September, Mr Frydenberg said he would have more to say when he delivers his mini-budget on July 23.
“We will be providing further income support for those who need it, it will be targeted, it will be temporary,” he said.
Asked if Australia’s response to the COVID-19 crisis had been overblown, considering the nation’s small death toll relative to other nations such as the US, Mr Frydenberg said the government put citizens’ health above the economy.
“We were always going to prioritise the health focus. It was always going to be our priority. As you say, the death rate in Australia, while tragic at 106 people, is significantly lower than more than 100,000 in the United States and 40,000 in the UK. We have made a real priority of preparing our health system.”
Agencies 7.25pm: Cases surge in India
India has became the country with the third-highest coronavirus caseload in the world after the US and Brazil, as a group of scientists said there was now overwhelming evidence the disease can be airborne — and for far longer than originally thought.
Read the full story here
Olivia Caisley 7pm: Frydenberg to outline pandemic plan
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will chat tonight with The Australian’s economics editor, Adam Creighton, as part of an exclusive event for our subscribers.
They will discuss the decisions the Treasurer has made during the coronavirus pandemic and how to steer Australia to recovery.
We’ll be blogging the event when it kicks off at 7.30pm.
REGISTER HERE
AFP 6.25pm: ‘Treat mask refusers like drink drivers’
People who refuse to wear face masks during the coronavirus pandemic should be stigmatised the same as drink drivers, the head of the prestigious Royal Society science journal says.
The comments from Venki Ramakrishnan come as two new peer-reviewed studies showed how wearing face coverings may help significantly reduce the spread of viruses such as COVID-19.
“It used to be quite normal to have quite a few drinks and drive home, and it also used to be normal to drive without seatbelts,” Ramakrishnan wrote in an article published on Tuesday.
“Today both of those would be considered anti-social, and not wearing face coverings in public should be regarded in the same way.”
Ramakrishnan stressed how masks are only genuinely effective if worn by most people.
“If all of us wear one, we protect each other and thereby ourselves, reducing transmission,” he said.
READ MORE: Victorians want answers after hotel quarantine bungling
Remy Varga 5.35pm: Two paramedics test positive in Victoria
Two Ambulance Victoria paramedics have tested positive for the coronavirus.
Ambulance Victoria’s CEO Tony Walker said paramedics at all times wore personal protective equipment as well as following social distancing.
“We take every precaution to minimise the rate of infection amongst our frontline workforce and we remind the community of their vital role in stopping the spread of COVID-19,” he said.
“We are all in this together, and I ask all Victorians to stay united in our efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19.”
The two new cases brings the total number of Ambulance Victoria paramedics to contract COVID-19 to four since the pandemic began in January.
READ MORE: Woolies wesbite crashes as panic buying returns
Angelica Snowden 5.31pm: Stay calm and dont panic buy: Liu’s appeal
Liberal MP Gladys Liu has urged people in Melbourne to “stay calm” and not to panic buy groceries amid news that metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire will be locked down for six weeks.
The member for Chisolm — an electorate in Victoria’s east about 20km away from the CBD - said the decision was a “concerning development” and that there would be “difficult days ahead” on Facebook.
“Stay calm! No need to panic buy,” Ms Liu said on Facebook.
“I would like to remind everyone to be respectful when you shop and especially towards the elderly and vulnerable in our community,” she said.
Rachel Baxendale 5.25pm: Crisis ‘bad decisions, not bad luck’: Vic Opposition
Victorian Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien described the renewed lockdown as the “consequence of Daniel Andrews’ failure on hotel quarantine, mixed messaging and from being more focused on Labor’s own political issues than Victorians”.
“This is a really tough day for Victorians. Six weeks of further lockdowns will be a devastating blow for families, workers and small businesses. Many jobs simply won’t survive this,” Mr O’Brien said.
“The spread of the virus isn’t down to bad luck — it is bad decisions by government.
“To all those Victorians who have done the right thing: thank you. You’ve been let down by your government but please don’t stop doing the right thing.
“To all of our emergency services personnel and frontline health workers: we owe you so much and we will continue to rely on your dedication.
“To the Andrews Labor government: We disagree on many things but this is too important for us not to work together.
“My team stands ready to work constructively with the government to address this latest crisis.”
READ MORE: Isolation state as troops are sent in
Rachel Baxendale 5.20pm: Victoria business now ‘months behind’
The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry warned the state’s businesses would suffer “and some will permanently close”, as a result of the six week lockdown.
VCCI CEO Paul Guerra said Victoria was in a position no one wanted to be in, and it was vital to control the current outbreak for the sake of the long-term future of the state’s economy.
“Businesses in metropolitan areas that have only just reopened and started to trade again will now be forced to either close or return to the reduced operations they had in place before restrictions were eased,” Mr Guerra said.
“Many of these businesses were already desperate and this will be a tipping point for them.”
The chamber welcomed the exclusion of most of regional Victoria.
“Melbourne businesses and workers will once again be asked to bear the brunt of the COVID-19 crisis, and we know this will be the final straw for some,” Mr Guerra said.
“Successfully managing the health crisis in Victoria is vital to Australia’s success in safeguarding against COVID-19, but the business and jobs crisis has just deepened from these necessary actions.
“Last week our position on JobKeeper was for it to be tailored to specific sectors and refined.
“Victoria is now months behind other states in recovery and the Victorian Chamber believes JobKeeper should be extended for a period of a least two months to give our businesses the runway they need to get up and running before the scheme ends.
“We are also working with the state government on additional support measures for this upcoming period.
“We support the return to lockdown because there is no alternative.
“Governments and the entire community must do more now to get Victoria in a position to be able to reopen fully.
“The Victorian government was excellent in signposting major changes during the first wave of coronavirus and we need that now as we return to these restrictions.
“The Victorian Chamber stands ready to help any business affected by the shutdowns and invites them to contact us to access support.”
READ MORE: ASX, dollar hammered on Melbourne hit
Rachel Baxendale 5.10pm: Andrews raises JobKeeper, JobSeeker with PM
Asked whether measures such as JobSeeker and JobKeeper, due to expire in September, would be extended for Victorians affected by his six-week lockdown, Premier Daniel Andrews said he had spoken with Prime Minister Scott Morrison shortly before announcing the restrictions.
“I’m very confident that the Prime Minister knows and understands that there will be different forms of hardship in different parts of the country, different industries, different sectors,” Mr Andrews said.
“Whatever those new or different policy settings are, I think he’s going to be guided by that hardship, just as we are.
“Where there’s hardship you’ve got to have a response to that, and that means that you’ve got a set of policies, a set of tools that where they’re needed most, they’ll make the most difference, and that may well be, given our circumstances, that may well be of additional benefit, because we have additional need, now and of course it’s in the future.”
Diversions of international arrivals likely to continue
Mr Andrews said he was yet to discuss whether to extend the diversion of international arrivals interstate with the Prime Minister, but indicated they may continue.
Victoria last week stopped accepting new international arrivals into hotel quarantine for at least a fortnight, after the Andrews government conceded breaches in the system had led to a high proportion of the state’s coronavirus cases.
“I think that our plan is appropriately on dealing with extra cases, dealing with outbreaks, and doing everything we can to enforce these lockdowns and make sure that they work,” Mr Andrews said.
“Out of respect for some conversations I’ve not yet had with the Prime Minister, I won’t go any further than that, but we might not be in a position to be able to resume at the end of this two week course, but I’m sure you’ll allow me the opportunity to have that conversation with the Prime Minister first.”
READ MORE: We want answers after hotel bungles
Olivia Caisley 4.55pm: ‘Arbitrary detention’: China travel advice updated
The Morrison government has updated its travel advice for China, warning Australians may be at risk of “arbitrary detention” if they enter mainland China.
In a fresh update to the Smart Traveller website on Tuesday, DFAT said Chinese authorities have detained foreigners because they’re allegedly “endangering national security”.
“If you’re already in China, and wish to return to Australia, we recommend you do so as soon as possible by commercial means,” the statement reads. “Authorities have detained foreigners because they’re ‘endangering national security’.
“Australians may also be at risk of arbitrary detention.”
A coronavirus-related travel ban is already in place for Australians wanting to go overseas.
READ MORE: Everyone knows we’re arming up because of China
Angelica Snowden 4.50pm: NSW police prepare for border closure
NSW police are preparing to enforce border closures with Victoria at midnight tonight in a bid to stop a “second wave of COVID-19” coming into the state.
About 650 general duties police officers will be deployed to cover 34 “priority” crossings, along with officers from the Rescue and Bomb Disposal Unit and Traffic and Highway Patrol.
The “main” crossings that will be patrolled include:
Wodonga Place, South Albury
Hume Hwy, South Albury
Cobb Hwy, Moama
Newell Hwy, Tocumwal
Sturt Hwy, Buronga
Princes Hwy, Tambillica
A further 350 Australian Defence Force will be deployed on Thursday.
NSW Police Force commence operation ahead of NSW/Victoria border closures. Find out more: https://t.co/Ha9d9hRyZp
— NSW Police Force (@nswpolice) July 7, 2020
NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said the closures would “inconvenience” many people, but safety was a priority.
“The dangers and flow-on effects that accompany a second wave of COVID-19 are not something we want to see for our state,” Commissioner Fuller said in a statement.
Commuters have been warned that they could be fined $1000 if they attempt to cross the border without an exemption. Additionally, maximum jail sentences of six months and penalties of $11,000 could be handed down.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about the Victoria-NSW border closure
4.42pm: ASX hammered on Melbourne hit
Shares were rocked by the announcement of a wide-scale lockdown in Melbourne, falling to a loss of 2 points at the local close.
The benchmark ASX200 had gained as much as 1.04pc intra-day, following a strong offshore lead and maintained positive trade for much of the day, but the announcement of a Melbourne lockdown at 3.15pm served a brutal blow.
By the close, the index was lower by 2 points or 0.03 per cent at 6012.9.
READ MORE: Trading Day: ASX reverses on Melbourne lockdown
Angelica Snowden 4.01pm: No purchase limits as shoppers clear shelves
Melbourne resident Assad said Coles in Coburg north had some stock left, but “other big sections had been cleaned out”.
He said pasta was still available, but pictures show empty shelves where fresh vegetables and pre-prepared meals were sticked.
Pictures also show mince and bread low in stock.
Before the announcement by Premier Daniel Andrews that Melbourne would be locked down for six weeks, a spokesman from Coles said they did not plan to reinstate food limits.
A spokesman from Woolworths also said they would continue “to monitor the situation closely” and would not hesitate to reinstate product limits if needed.
READ MORE: Woolies’ COVID backflip on orders
Rachel Baxendale 3.47pm: Restrictions needed to avoid ‘catastrophic outcomes’
Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said his advice to the Andrews government to shut down Melbourne for the second time was “certainly awful advice to have to give to any government”.
However, he said epidemiologists were overwhelmingly of the view that it was necessary.
“There is a unanimous view that this is required to avoid absolutely catastrophic outcomes,” Professor Sutton said.
READ MORE: Anger, anxiety in a tale of two cities
Rachel Baxendale 3.42pm: Lockdown measures in place for six weeks
The new restrictions will be in place for six weeks.
Premier Daniel Andrews said he realised six weeks “might feel like an eternity”.
“But it’s the time our health experts tell us they need to really get on top of this thing,” he said.
Restrictions in the rest of regional Victoria will remain unchanged for now, pending any increase in cases in those areas.
“We’ve talked about this virus being like a public health bushfire,” Mr Andrews said.
“By putting a ring around metropolitan Melbourne, we’re essentially putting in place a perimeter to protect regional Victorians.
“This is not where any of us wanted to be, but we have to face the reality of our situation.
“To do anything else would have deadly consequences.
“I don’t take this step lightly, and I know just how deeply frustrating this is for everyone.”
“This isn’t over, and until there is a vaccine or a drug or a cure, there is no such thing as ‘normal’.
“For every restriction that you break and all the health advice that you ignore – the consequence may be someone’s life.”
Mr Andrews said he had requested an additional 260 ADF personnel to help with “on the ground support”, including assisting police in maintaining a perimeter around Melbourne.
READ MORE: Working from home can hurt a business
Rachel Baxendale 3.23pm: New Melbourne lockdown amid record spike
The Andrews government will impose full Stage Three stay-at-home orders on the whole of metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire, immediately north of Melbourne, from 11:59pm on Wednesday for at least the next six weeks.
Mitchell Shire, which includes Kilmore, Broadford, Tallarook, Seymour and Tooborac, currently has seven active cases of coronavirus.
Melburnians and people in Mitchell Shire will be ordered to stay at home unless they are shopping for food or essential items, seeking medical care or engaging in caregiving, attending work or study which cannot be done from home, or exercising within metropolitan Melbourne or the Mitchell Shire.
They will not be permitted to have any visitors at their home.
Public gatherings will be limited to two people.
Statement from the Premier on Stay at Home restrictions for metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire. pic.twitter.com/7tc3esHZnH
— Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) July 7, 2020
School holidays, due to end this week, will be extended by a week, other than for Years 11 and 12 and special needs students.
Retail shops will remain open subject to the one person through four square metres rule, as will food markets and hairdressers.
Cafes, restaurants, pubs, clubs and bars will be takeaway only.
All of the following venues will be closed: community sport, indoor sport and recreation, arenas and stadium, food courts, indoor and outdoor cinemas, theatres and concert venues, casinos and gaming, brothels and strip clubs, beauty and personal care services, holiday accommodation and camping, swimming pools, play centres, playgrounds, saunas and bath houses, galleries, museums and zoos.
In a notable change of tack from the last lockdown, the Andrews government has opted to permit fishing, boating, tennis, golf and surfing, subject to social distancing and outdoor gathering restrictions.
Auctions will have to be held remotely, and real estate inspections by appointment only.
Intimate partners who do not live in the same household will be able to visit one another.
Unlike the last lockdown, Melburnians and Mitchell Shire residences will not be permitted to stay at second residences if they are outside the lockdown area.
Those currently on holiday will be allowed to complete their holiday, but no new holiday travel is permitted from 11:59pm on July 8.
Funerals will be limited to 10 people and weddings to five, while religious ceremonies will be broadcast only.
READ MORE: Woolies’ COVID backflip on orders
Rachel Baxendale 2.36pm: Andrews to provide update at 3.15pm
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and Health Minister Jenny Mikakos have called a press conference for 3:15pm.
It is expected they will announce a Stage Three lockdown of metropolitan Melbourne, after the state confirmed a record 191 new coronavirus cases in the 24 hours to Tuesday.
The lockdown will be similar to Victoria’s previous lockdown, with people ordered to stay at home and only leave to attend essential work or study, shop for essentials, seek medical care, or exercise.
Stage us set for â¦@DanielAndrewsMPâ© to lock us all down again. Presser due at 3:15pm. #springst pic.twitter.com/8GzeTHty3P
— Rachel Baxendale (@rachelbaxendale) July 7, 2020
It appears Premier Daniel Andrews’s press conference at 3:15pm will include some sort of PowerPoint presentation, with a screen set up ahead of the event in Melbourne’s Treasury Theatre.
Adam Creighton 2.31pm: RBA holds rates as outbreak clouds outlook
The Reserve Bank has kept monetary policy unchanged for the fourth month in a row since an extraordinary meeting in March where the official interest rate fell to new record low of 0.25 per cent and the bank launched a quantitative easing program to keep to keep government borrowing rates low.
READ the full RBA rates decision story here
Remy Varga 2.2pm: Man arrested outside Melbourne tower
A man has been arrested outside the hard locked down public housing tower estate in Flemington.
It is unclear who the man is or why he was arrested, although there are a small number of protesters.
#BREAKING: A man has been arrested outside Flemington Towers pic.twitter.com/RdVefgtou7
— Remy Varga (@RemyVarga) July 7, 2020
READ MORE: Border ban is deja flu all over again
Geoff Chambers 2.14pm: Vulnerable can now return to regular activities
Vulnerable Australians who had been warned to stay away from workplaces and public gatherings can now return to regular activities, as all states and territories except Victoria lift the bulk of social restrictions to reboot their economies.
The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee, on the advice of the Communicable Diseases Network Australia, says low COVID-19 infection rates across the country meant vulnerable workers could “return to work” and other public places.
“The risk of becoming infected with SARS-CoV2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) depends on the chance of being close to someone with COVID-19 or coming into contact with surfaces contaminated by the virus,” the AHPPC statement said.
“Because of this the local pattern of disease is the most important determinant of risk of contracting COVID-19 illness in any community. If there are no cases or a low number of cases and no evidence of community transmission, then the risk of exposure is low regardless of age or health conditions.”
The AHPPC, including federal, state and territory chief medical officers, said the current level of COVID-19 cases in most communities were “low”.
“This means that people, even those at higher risk of more severe disease, can return to normal activities and interactions with social distancing and other appropriate controls in place.”
The AHPPC said older Australian aged over 70, cancer patients receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy, people with chronic conditions and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities remained the most at-risk groups.
“Some higher-risk settings, such as residential aged care facilities, have different protections and are considered separately.”
The AHPPC said if case numbers increased, vulnerable people should consider high-risk activities including attending indoor gatherings, public transport, sporting events, protests, dancing, choirs, buffets and cruise ships.
They said all high-risk groups should consider the level of COVID-19 transmission where they live and travel.
“When there are higher case numbers or community transmission, and a person is at a higher risk of severe disease, attendance at such activities or settings, should be carefully considered or avoided.”
“It is also important to remember that travel to an area with higher case numbers, or going to an event with people from an area with higher case numbers, may also increase risk of contracting COVID-19.”
“When there is community transmission or increasing COVID-19 cases in the local community, people at increased risk of severe disease may need to apply additional controls to manage their risk at work in accordance with their workplace COVID-19 action plan if they have one.”
READ MORE: Be like Mike: Why failure is good for us
Rachel Baxendale 2.10pm: 45pc of new cases outside of locked down postcodes
Of Victoria’s 772 active cases on Tuesday, 344, or 45 per cent, are in local government areas with no locked down postcodes.
The City of Wyndham, in Melbourne’s southwest, has been the local government area with the second-highest number of active cases of any in Victoria since the weekend, with 105 active cases on Tuesday but no locked down postcodes.
While the vast majority of cases are in metropolitan areas, some cases are creeping in to the regions, with two new cases on Tuesday in Greater Geelong and one on the Mornington Peninsula.
There are also active cases in Wodonga, Mitchell, Greater Bendigo, East Gippsland, Greater Shepparton and Latrobe.
Imogen Reid 1.58pm: Does Covid lurk in the air-conditioner?
An overwhelming number of Australians are concerned COVID-19 may be lurking in airconditioning units in public spaces.
A national poll conducted for The Purple Tick’s Breathe Easy Report 2020, focused on rebuilding trust in public spaces, found 85 per cent of Australians are apprehensive to enter airconditioned public places and risk being exposed to coronavirus.
The Purple Tick campaign ambassador and former NSW Fair Trading Minister Virginia Judge said the report showed a pressing need for public confidence to visit indoor environments as the economy starts to reopen.
“While it’s vital for governments to start … encouraging people to return to the rhythm of their daily lives, we know one of the biggest challenges will be reassuring people they are safe in public spaces,” Ms Judge said.
“The psychological impact of this challenging time has been well-documented, and clearly a commitment to safer airconditioning is going to build community and consumer confidence.”
Executive Director of the Sydney Business Chambers Katherine O’Regan said the campaign has increased employers’ awareness to think about the requirements that need to be met to ensure their work environment is safe for their employees.
“Employers are tenants and so they want the best for their employees and this program is making them think about this a little more and understand the factors to help them,” Ms O’Regan said.
“Within the current circumstances, employers in particular have a heightened focus on the health and wellbeing of their employees and are interested and prepared to support them and the environments they work in and that starts with the air quality they breath.”
Respondents said they would be reassured knowing businesses were vigilant about checking the hygiene and safety of their airconditioning units, with 85 per cent of the people surveyed saying they want to know that the aircon units are tested every six months.
“Something as simple as getting your airconditioning checked regularly can send a strong message to the public that you’re open for business,” Ms Judge said.
“If the air is healthy, people will be healthy and the economy will be healthy.”
READ MORE: Sezzle thrives in the pandemic
Adeshola Ore 1.51pm: Melburnians face tougher scrutiny in Top End
The Northern Territory has placed further restrictions on Melburnians, labelling the city a coronavirus hotspot.
The territory will require people from the city to quarantine at a designated facility for two-weeks once its borders open next week.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner said the decision was made because outbreaks in Melbourne suburbs have still not been identified as hot spots. Previously, the territory had designated six areas of Melbourne as hot spots.
Mr Gurner said the quarantine requirement would also apply to Northern Territory residents.
READ MORE: ASX trims gain as lockdown fear rises
Rachel Baxendale 1.33pm: Islamic school centre of sharp rise in cases
A cluster of cases at Al-Taqwa Islamic College in Melbourne’s west continues to rise sharply, with 12 new cases on Tuesday taking the outbreak to a running total of 90.
The first case at the school, in the outer western suburb of Truganina, was only made public by the health department a little over a week ago, on June 29.
The 90 cases make Al-Taqwa Victoria’s second-worst cluster, after western suburbs abattoir Cedar Meats, which reached 111 cases.
The cluster in locked down housing commission towers in Melbourne’s inner northwest is also emerging as one of Victoria’s worst, with 13 new cases on Tuesday taking the total so far to 69.
Four new cases have been linked to the Northern Hospital in Epping, taking the total in that cluster to nine, including eight staff and one household contact.
There has been one additional case in a household contact linked to Aitken Hill Primary School in Craigieburn, in Melbourne’s outer north, taking the total associated with the school to 10.
The remaining new cluster cases are linked to family clusters in Truganina, Patterson Lakes/Lysterfield in Melbourne’s southeast, Fawkner in the north, and Sunshine West in the west.
A new case has also been confirmed in a staff member at the Assisi Aged Care facility in Rosanna
The health department said the staff member did not work while infectious, and widespread testing of staff and residents at the facility was beginning on Tuesday.
READ MORE: Woolies’ COVID backflip on orders
Rachel Baxendale 1.18pm: Few of Victoria’s new cases linked to known outbreaks
Just 37 of 191 new cases of coronavirus confirmed in Victoria in the 24 hours to Tuesday have so far been linked to known outbreaks, the state’s Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed.
The overall increase since yesterday is 164, after 27 previously notified cases were reclassified, bringing Victoria’s total number of cases since the pandemic began to 2824.
Of the 191 new cases, 37 are linked to known outbreaks and the remaining 154 are under investigation.
None have been detected in returned travellers in hotel quarantine, largely because all arrivals have been redirected to other states following the Andrews government’s bungling of its hotel quarantine system.
There are now 35 people in Victorian hospitals with COVID-19, including nine in intensive care.
The state’s death toll remains 22, with no deaths from COVID-19 since two people died in the 24 hours to Monday.
Authorities have so far confirmed 438 cases with no known source, but this number is expected to rise once Tuesday’s cases have been fully traced.
In the past week alone, there have been at least 157 cases with no identified source.
There are now 772 known active cases in Victoria – an increase of 451 in the week to Tuesday.
There are 2028 people in Victoria who have recovered from the virus.
Of the state’s total cases 2469 cases are from residents of metropolitan Melbourne, while 261 are from regional Victoria, while 1,481 are men and 1,319 are women.
More than 979,000 tests have been processed to date.
READ MORE: Rates tumble in hot loans market
Yoni Bashan 1.01pm: 650 police to reinforce NSW-Victoria border
NSW Police Commissioner Michael Fuller says there are 650 police officers currently travelling to the southern border with Victoria to begin enforcement of a travel ban between the two states.
The officers will receive assistance from the Department of Defence, which is contributing 100 of its members from Thursday, along with a further 250 members by the weekend.
“Anyone travelling back from Melbourne has to be considered high risk,” said Mr Fuller. “We know they (officials) don’t have control of that (community transmission) at the moment.”
The Commissioner said health orders would be finalised by the afternoon granting police the power to demand details from incoming travellers and to turn people away at the border.
On the spot fines if $1000 will be issued, and more significant fines of up to $11,000 or time in jail will be considered for people who provide false information.
BREAKING: DHHS has confirmed 191 new cases, as previously reported.
— Patrick Murrell (@pamurrell) July 7, 2020
-37 linked to known outbreaks
-A whopping 154 under investigation@SkyNewsAust
NSW residents returning to the state from midnight will be permitted to do so, but they will have to self-isolate, Mr Fuller said. They will not be forced into quarantine hotels.
“We can’t enforce self-isolation unless we know who the person is,” Mr Fuller said, referring to the need for people to give correct information.
Exemptions would also be considered for people who need to travel between NSW and Victoria due to their occupation, such as medical work.
“If it’s just coming across to do the shopping or some menial task, that won’t be accepted,” he said. “The starting point for Victorian’s are we don’t want you to travel to NSW unless it’s essential, and you’ll really have to prove that through the process.”
READ MORE: Mum fears for ‘impractical’ barrier
Heidi Han 12.52pm: $500k call for linguistically diverse Covid fight
Labor has asked the government to fund a half a million grant to improve COVID communications with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities for better protections.
In a virtual press conference with CALD media today, Shadow Minister for Home Affairs, Senator Kristina Keneally said that Labor hoped the government would consider and respond to the $500,000 COVID-19 Communications Grant to break down cultural and language barriers in a battle with the indiscriminate virus.
“We must ensure no one is left behind during this ongoing pandemic – a virus does not check someone’s cultural background before it infects them.” said in a media release after the conference where Senator Keneally was joined by Shadow Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Andrew Giles MP.
Pointing out that it is not enough to have CovidSafe app only available in five community languages, the pair revealed Labor’s plan to not only convey vital information, but “to ensure the information received and enacted accurately” and “effectively”.
The proposal was briefly introduced at the conference with a focus on community leadership network and first language communications. It includes grants up to $5000 to enable eligible providers and community leaders to access training and take leadership roles to help the government, translation and advertising or content provision to ethnic media, including in emerging communities.
Asked about if he believed any correlation between the outbreaks and high density of migrant communities, Mr Giles said the latest outbreaks demonstrates the reasoning behind Labor’s grants.
“Concentration, physical nature of the apartment … we’ve seen similar spread in other countries in Europe and in Singapore, “said Mr Giles.
“Many don’t have proper information provided about access to testing, social distancing … and there is cultural misunderstandings about protection “
“There is no cultural issue about contracting the virus, but communication issues to ensure everyone knows how to keep themselves safe. “said Mr Giles.
Responding to a question about prolong international border closures, Senator Keneally said there is a necessity to keep the JobKeepers supports, and called on the government to “immediate release of a secret report of JobKeepers”, which she said the government has received from the Treasury but have been sitting on.
READ MORE: Overcrowded towers are virus incubators
Rachel Baxendale 12.40pm: Outbreak spreads to Victoria’s regions
Concerns about Victoria’s coronavirus pandemic affecting regional areas have been realised, after a family of four tested positive following a holiday in Port Fairy, on the state’s southwest coast, last week.
Moyne Shire Council said it was currently providing assistance to a Port Fairy accommodation business, after advice that visitors who had since returned home had tested positive for COVID-19.
Mayor Daniel Meade said council was working with the relevant authorities to ensure all necessary precautions were taken.
“Council is aware that a family of four who visited Port Fairy for three days last week have returned home where they have tested positive for COVID-19,” Mr Meade said.
“The family did the right thing, cutting their holiday short after being told a close family member in Melbourne had a confirmed case of the virus.
“They immediately returned to their home, which is not in a hotspot suburb, and got tested.”
The news comes after three COVID-19 cases were yesterday identified in Albury-Wodonga, on the NSW-Victorian border.
Two of the cases were in Albury, on the NSW side of the Murray River, while the third was in Wodonga.
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Rachel Baxendale 12.20pm: Victoria records 191 new cases today
Victoria has recorded 191 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday — swamping Monday’s record daily increase of 127.
Well-placed sources say the Andrews government is preparing to announce a four-week statewide lockdown from this afternoon.
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Charlie Peel 12.14pm: Queensland records first case in a fortnight
Queensland has recorded its first case of coronavirus in two weeks after an Australian Defence Force officer returned from overseas with the virus.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk confirmed the new case at a press conference on the Gold Coast this morning.
The officer tested positive to the virus while in quarantine.
Ms Palaszczuk said there were “zero concerns” about how the person contracted the virus or whether they had spread it since returning to Queensland.
The state has had a total of 1068 COVID-19 cases and two remain active.
It comes ahead of the reopening of the Queensland border to residents from all states except Victoria on Friday.
The premier and Deputy Police commissioner predicted there could be increased waiting times at airports and border crossings.
“There will be delays,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“Have a think about your journey and plan accordingly.”
Motorists wishing to enter Queensland will be able to apply for a recreational pass.
People coming or returning from Victoria must go into quarantine for 14 days.
The premier warned against giving false declarations on the border pass and said police would be conducting checks.
“What’s happening in Victoria could happen anywhere across Australia,” she said.
The border has been closed since late March, with access allowed for Queensland residents or people conducting essential business.
Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said the new border system introduced on Friday has caused difficulties but said the issues were “easing up”.
He predicted increased traffic flows and passengers coming in through airports would increase waiting times at border crossings and in airports.
Mr Gollschewski said serious fines of up to $4000 could be handed out to those found to have lied on their border declaration pass.
Ms Palaszczuk said there had been an uptake in accommodation bookings throughout Queensland.
“My information is that Gold Coast bookings are basically the same as this time last year which is great news for small businesses and everyone involved in tourism and hospitality here on the Gold Coast,” she said.
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Staff writers 11.52am: Where in Melbourne the virus is lurking
All but one Melbourne metro council area has at least one person battling coronavirus, as Victoria continues to grapple with a resurgence of infections.
READ MORE: Premier modelled border closures
Adeshola Ore 11.42am: NSW man released from hotel quarantine tests positive
A Newcastle man released from hotel quarantine has tested positive to coronavirus.
NSW Health said he returned a negative test for the virus on his 10th day in hotel quarantine and was later released. But he developed symptoms of the virus when he returned home to the harbour city on Sunday.
The man and his close contacts are now in isolation.
The state recorded seven new cases of COVID-19 overnight, with six of the cases from returned travellers in hotel quarantine.
NSW has recorded 3244 confirmed cases of coronavirus.
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Rachel Baxendale 11.02am: Andrews government holding crisis meeting
The Andrews government’s COVID-19 Crisis Council of Cabinet is currently meeting to determine how to tackle Victoria’s escalating coronavirus numbers.
It is almost certain more lockdowns will be announced when the Premier gives his next press conference, which The Australian understands will not be until this afternoon.
The question is whether the government will merely extend the lockdown to new postcodes, or opt for a wider lockdown of metropolitan Melbourne, or even the whole state of Victoria.
Of Monday’s cases, 44 per cent were in local government areas with no locked down
postcodes, including 86 active cases in the LGA of Wyndham, in Melbourne’s southwest.
The urgent meeting follows Monday’s daily tally of 127 cases – the highest daily increase since the pandemic began.
The previous peak was 111 cases on March 28, but back in March, just 21 cases with an unknown source had been identified, compared with 416 on Monday, including 145 in the past week alone.
On March 28, Victoria had 491 active cases, compared with 645 active cases on Monday.
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Tessa Akerman 10.54am: Hospital emergency staff test positive
Services at one of Melbourne’s busiest hospitals have been cut back after seven staff members in the emergency department tested positive to COVID-19 over the past five days.
The Northern Hospital Epping has reduced services and is diverting some ambulances to other hospitals in response as well as carrying out a continuous deep clean for the next two weeks.
All staff in the emergency department are also being tested for COVID-19.
The emergency department remains open and is still providing treatment for people requiring urgent care, however, the hospital is urging people with minor, less-urgent conditions to seek medical advice from their general practitioner in the first instance.
Close contacts of the infected staff members are being identified and quarantined.
Visitors to the hospital have also been further restricted as a precaution with one visitor per day allowed on most wards and a maximum of one hour visits.
Permitted visitors have been limited to close family members and significant others and children under the age of 16 are not allowed.
The emergency department is only allowing visitors supporting a person with a disability or on compassionate grounds.
The maternity unit is also only allowing one support person per day between 4pm and 8pm.
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Robert Gottliebsen 10.27am: How remote working can damage a business
Tens of thousands of residents of Sydney, Melbourne and other state capitals are enjoying the flexibility and time created by working from home.
There’s no doubt it’s popular, but data shows working from home more than two days a week can have a ‘significant impact’ on a company.
LISTEN here to Technology editor David Swan talking to president and co-founder of Humanyze Ben Weber about the grave warning to large organisations that if too many workers regularly spend more than two days a week away from the office it will greatly damage the long term dynamic of the enterprise.
READ the full story here
Agencies 10.24am: HK activist calls for solidarity as books removed
Top Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong has called on the international community to “stand with” the restless city, as authorities ordered schools to remove books for review under a sweeping new security law imposed by Beijing.
China enacted the law a week ago, sending a wave of fear through Hong Kong as it criminalised certain opinions such as calls for independence or autonomy.
Wong, who at age 23 is one of the city’s most prominent activists, was speaking outside a court where he and fellow campaigners were being prosecuted for involvement in civil unrest that rocked the international finance hub last year.
“We still have to let the world know that now is the time to stand with Hong Kong,” he told reporters, ahead of his court appearance on Tuesday.
“With the belief of Hong Kong people to fight for freedom, we will never give up and surrender to Beijing.” The national security law is the most radical shift in how Hong Kong is run since it was handed back to China by Britain in 1997.
Under the handover deal, Beijing promised Hong Kong could keep key civil liberties, as well as judicial and legislative autonomy, for 50 years.
That landscape is now changing and the effects of the new law are being felt at the grassroots.
On Monday the city’s government ordered books that might breach the bill be taken from the shelves for review and possible removal. – AFP
READ MORE: Only one reason why we’re arming up: China
Adeshola Ore 9.57am: ‘Flying blind’: Border towns call for permit clarity
The mayors of twin towns Albury and Wodonga are calling for more clarity about tonight’s border closure.
The NSW state government has said a permit system will allow residents of border towns to travel over state lines. But Albury Mayor Kevin Mack said he was “flying a bit blind” about the details of the public health order for the border shutdown.
“We’ve got a lot of contractors, a lot of traders, a lot of businesses that cross the border,” he told the ABC on Tuesday morning.
“That’s a very strong economic zone, so we need to consider what that looks like. Then you throw in every other purpose for travel, which is our hospitals.”
Wodonga Mayor Anna Speedie said a containment of the impacted areas in Victoria would be less disruptive than a border closure.
READ MORE: Anger, anxiety in cleaved town
Adeshola Ore 9.18am: Outbreak threat: NSW may tighten restrictions again
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard says he will not rule out rolling back the state’s easing of restrictions, as Victoria struggles to contain its recent outbreak.
Victoria recorded its worst day yet in the pandemic on Monday, with 127 new cases of COVID-19.
Mr Hazzard said the government would clamp down on restrictions in NSW if there was health advice to do so.
“Hopefully we can keep community transmission to a bare minimum, but we’re in a pandemic so we have to expect that from time to time we’ll have new cases in New South Wales,” he told 2GB radio on Tuesday morning.
“What we don’t want is broad scale transmission which is occurring in Victoria.”
Mr Hazzard said New South Wales residents would not be stopped from going into Victoria, but those returning would need to register for a permit and self-isolate for two weeks.
“The bottom line is to keep our NSW community safe, we need to do everything we can to stop people bringing the virus back from Melbourne and Victoria,” he said.
Anthony Piovesan 8.58am: Tower residents clash with police over food
Fed-up residents inside one of Melbourne’s quarantined commission towers have clashed with police after they were denied access to food donation drop-offs last night.
Footage obtained by NCA Newswire showed rows of boxes stuffed with food outside the foyer of 130 Racecourse Rd, with a desperate mother pleading with police officers to access the donations.
But she was denied, with the incident escalating into a screaming match.
A second video also showed boxes and bags of food donated by “mosques and other organisations” lined up outside the Flemington public housing tower.
A resident shooting the film comments: “They’re (police) saying the food might be contaminated and we can only take what we give you”.
Victorian Greens MP Ellen Sandell confirmed the disturbing incidents.
She said she was “alarmed” to hear SES volunteers were “taking away individual food donations” at the Flemington towers and escalated the issue to the Premier’s office.
A Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson apologised for the “inconvenience and frustration”.
“DHHS is aware of some delays with accepting donations and deliveries which caused confusion at the Flemington housing estate this evening.
“We are currently working with the parties involved to make sure food and other supplies are being provided without further interruption.
“We apologise for the inconvenience and frustration caused and thank the residents for their co-operation and patience.” – NCA Newswire
READ MORE: Anxious residents all of one mind
Jacquelin Magnay 8.36am: Face up to your racism: Harry and Meghan
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have urged members of the Commonwealth to confront its “uncomfortable’’ history, including the legacy of the slave trade, warning however that such acknowledgment of the past was “not going to be easy’’. Full story here
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Jonathan Chancellor 8.29am: Perry hangs up his apron at Rockpool
Neil Perry, possibly Australia’s most famous chef, has announced his shock retirement as culinary director at Rockpool Dining Group.
Having spent four decades working in the hospitality industry, there appeared to be something brewing when the deal between Perry and his private equity backers to divide their restaurant empire was abandoned late last month.
READ the full story: Margin Call – Perry hangs up his apron
Adeshola Ore 8.16am: Albury cases ‘highlight need for containment’
Health Minister Greg Hunt says that the recent coronavirus cases in Albury highlight why the border closure is a necessity.
Hours after the border closure was announced on Monday, NSW Health revealed that two suspected cases COVID-19 have emerged in the border town of Albury.
“This is one of the reasons why this unprecedented step, the large ring of containment, has been put in place,” he told Sky News on Tuesday morning.
“What we don’t want to see, now that the numbers have reached this sustained and significant level within the Melbourne area, is these cases reaching across the border into other states.”
The state’s health authority said the two cases returned positive results in preliminary testing. One of the suspected cases had recently visited Melbourne and returned prior to hotspot restrictions being implemented.
A total of six COVID-19 cases have been recorded in Albury since the start of the pandemic, according to data on the NSW Health website. All those cases have recovered.
READ MORE: States bracing for harsh clamps
Adeshola Ore 8.07am: Berejiklian warns of border permit delays
NSW Premier Berejiklian has warned that the permit system to cross the state’s border with Victoria could experience delays.
The Victoria-NSW border, with 55 crossing points, will be shut from midnight Tuesday, as the southern state faces a spike in infections. It’s the first time the state’s borders have closed in a century.
“There will be queues. There will be frustration. There will be lots of questions,” Ms Berejiklian told the ABC on Tuesday morning.
“It will be frustrating for the next two to three days.”
Residents from either state who want to apply for an exemption to cross state lines can apply on the Service NSW website.
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Adeshola Ore 7.46am: Food ‘not reaching’ tower residents
Greens leader Adam Bandt says some food delivered to Melbourne’s nine tower blocks in lockdown has not reached residents.
Mr Bandt said the community groups trying to distribute food to residents in the public housing units had been met by authorities who were unsure if it could be delivered to residents.
“A lot of food came through, because the community has stepped up where the government has failed, hasn’t made its way up to the towers and has been locked up at another location,’’
Mr Bandt told the ABC on Tuesday morning.
“I think that’s sort of emblematic of the approach that has been taken here. It was a force-led response rather than a care-led response.”
READ MORE: Chaos, stress as families boxed in
Adeshola Ore 7.35am: No one is being punished, Health Minister says
Health Minister Greg Hunt has labelled the Victoria-NSW border a “difficult” and “necessary” decision as the states prepare to be shut off from one another tonight.
Asked if regional communities were being punished for the situation in Melbourne, Mr Hunt said the decision was for the protection of the wider community.
“No one is being punished. Everyone is being protected,” he told the ABC on Tuesday morning.
He said NSW authorities were in the processing of making arrangements for rural towns who would be impacted by the border closure.
“We would ask everybody to exercise patience. And I know it’s difficult and I know it’s challenging. We have been through this already. In March, what we saw that Australians had difficult restrictions put in place. We were able to deal with it, we were able to rise to it, and we were able to flatten the curve.”
READ MORE: Victoria the isolation state
Tim Dodd 7.27am: Work visa sweetener for uni students
International students enrolled at Australian universities but forced to remain overseas and study online because of the COVID-19 pandemic will still be granted graduate work rights under concessions to the embattled higher education sector being considered by the Morrison government.
Overseas students are currently entitled to post-study visas only if they undertake their course in the country.
Under the plan, according to sources familiar with the proposal, students would remain eligible despite returning to their home countries and studying online.
Adeshola Ore 7.10am: Israel faces new spike, imposes restrictions
After early success in battling coronavirus, Israel is facing a spike of new infections. Experts are warning that the situation could spiral out of control, as the government struggles to clamp down on businesses that have recently reopened.
On Monday, the country imposed a series of fresh restrictions, including the immediate closure of gyms and bars. The government has also announced that the number of diners in restaurants will be limited to 20 indoors and 30 outdoors.
Israel had largely contained the virus in May, subsequently reopening schools and businesses. More than 30,000 people have tested positive to the virus and 332 people have died.
Palestinian officials in the occupied West Bank imposed a full lockdown on Friday as cases surged. Nearly 4,300 cases and 16 deaths have been reported in the West Bank, and 72 cases and one death in Gaza.
READ MORE: Border closures hit share market
Adeshola Ore 6.55am: Global death toll rises to 535,000
Globally, more than 535,000 people have lost their lives to coronavirus, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally.
In the US, the worst-hit country, the number of COVID-19 deaths topped 130,000 people on Monday. The overall rate of increase in US deaths has continued to trend downwards, despite case numbers surging in recent days. But 16 states have posted daily increases in new cases since the start of July, including Florida which confirmed more than 11,000 new cases in a single day.
In Spain, results from the final stage of a nationwide antibody study show 5.2 per cent of Spain’s population has been exposed to the new coronavirus, health officials said on Monday.
The study, which tested nearly 70,000 people across Spain three times over the past three months, found the virus’ prevalence had not altered significantly since preliminary results were published in May. The results also suggest that immunity to the virus can be short lived, with 14 per cent of participants who tested positive for antibodies in the first stage later testing negative in the last stage.
But in a sign that the risk is far from over, the regions of Galicia and Catalonia imposed local lockdowns over the weekend, isolating some 270,000 people after small-scale outbreaks were detected.
In France, the country’s highest administrative court on Monday has overturned the requirement for a police authorisation to hold a demonstration, a measure imposed to combat the impact of coronavirus.
But the court maintained the ban on gatherings over 5,000 people, which it considered “justified in light of current sanitary conditions”.
The Council of State suspended a blanket ban on demonstrations on June 13, which stemmed from a law forbidding gatherings of over 10 people as part of COVID-19 measures.
With agencies
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Adeshola Ore 6.45am: Tenth Melbourne tower at risk of lockdown
A tenth public housing tower in Melbourne is at risk of going into hard lockdown after being exposed to the virus, Sky News reports. It came after a resident living in one of the nine locked-down Flemington towers visited the tower in his role as a subcontractor for Victorian Health Department. The man patrolled the fifth, sixth and seventh floors of the 108 Elizabeth Street building, 9 News reports. Several floors of the tower have been sanitised.
At least 3000 people are detained in their homes in the Melbourne towers, with 53 testing positive.
A man attempting to flee the towers was arrested after allegedly biting police.
The 32-year-old man was arrested on Monday as he attempted to leave one of the high-rises, before a fight broke out.
READ MORE: Anger grows at hard lockdown, border closures
Staff writers 6.20am: US sees 94,000 new cases after July 4 weekend
Americans have emerged from the July 4 holiday weekend with 94,000 new coronavirus cases as the country continues to struggle to contain the pandemic and the death toll rises to 130,000.
On Sunday, more than 49,000 new cases were reported, topping the 45,000 recorded on Saturday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Almost 45 per cent of those new cases came from California and Florida, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of the Johns Hopkins figures.
Cases in the US account for about a quarter of the global total of more than 11.4 million infections.
Experts say the full effect of gatherings and celebrations over the holiday weekend on coronavirus case counts won’t be apparent for two or three weeks. “What we are seeing now represents our behaviours from a few weeks ago,” said Marissa Levine, director of the Center for Leadership in Public Health Practice at the University of South Florida.
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Rachel Baxendale 5.55am: Andrews’ $3.5m cash splash on COVID consultants
The Andrews government hired up to 35 KPMG management consultants at a cost of almost $3.5m over less than four months to help co-ordinate its COVID-19 response, and has refused to say whether any consultant had a role in establishing Victoria’s bungled hotel quarantine system.
The news that Premier Daniel Andrews was forced to draft “Covid consultants” to help his public servants battle the virus is contained in details of dozens of COVID-19 contracts obtained by The Australian. Also revealed is an almost $3m contract for mental health nurses in hotel quarantine, issued weeks after a man died in a Melbourne hotel.
According to the documents, the KPMG contract covered the “secondment of up to 35 KPMG staff to assist with COVID-19 operations”, from May 1 until August 8, at a cost of $3,403,243. That works out to $97,235 per consultant over the almost four month period, or more than $291,700 per consultant annualised.
READ the full story here
Natasha Robinson 5.45am: Crowded towers incubators for virus
Melbourne’s lockdown towers are prime incubators for COVID-19, driven as much by chronic overcrowding as by the sites’ shared facilities.
The commonwealth’s acting chief health officer described Melbourne’s public housing towers as “vertical cruise ships” because they have a large concentration of people in a small area.
The public housing towers typically have nine apartments on each floor, and the units are small.
A large number of people living in the dwellings share lifts and laundries.
Victorian Public Tenants Association executive officer Mark Feenane said chronic overcrowding was an issue, with residents in the towers tending to come from larger families.
Extended family members often share the accommodation.
“What we tend to find with those high rises, because of where they are, are they get a lot of larger families and they’re crammed into two and three-bedroom apartments,” Mr Feenane said. “We’re talking about large families because that’s their culture by and large. You might find five or six kids and mum and dad living in a pretty crowded apartment. They live in cramped conditions.”
READ the full story here.
Yoni Bashan 5.30am: Berejiklian modelled border closures
The NSW government spent weeks modelling border closures with a number of interstate jurisdictions to prepare against a spike in COVID-19 cases, including outbreaks in regional towns, despite insisting other states should keep their borders open.
While Premier Gladys Berejiklian has publicly insisted since June that it would be “crazy” to prevent NSW residents from travelling to other states, it was revealed on Monday that she and other government officials had modelled border shutdowns with multiple jurisdictions for weeks to protect NSW against COVID-19 transmissions.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced on Monday that the border with NSW would be closed from Wednesday after 127 fresh infections were recorded in the state over a 24-hour period. His decision followed a telephone hook-up with Ms Berejiklian and Prime Minister Scott Morrison earlier on Monday morning.
READ the full story here.
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