Coronavirus Australia live news: South Australia on alert as ‘very nasty cluster’ grows
SA has five new cases, including four from a known cluster, forcing schools to close and concerns for 4000 close contacts.
- SA’s ‘very nasty’ cluster grows
- WA Premier blasts Frydenberg
- List of SA venue alerts grows
- Sweden rolls out new restrictions
- Moderna vaccine ‘95% effective’
Welcome to live coverage of Australia’s response to the continuing coronavirus pandemic. SA’s Covid cluster has grown by four to 21, as the state announced five new cases. WA Premier Mark McGowan has blasted federal government MPs for pressuring states on borders. Federal health experts are advising the state governments to “enhance” screening of incoming Adelaideans after the outbreak, but they have not gone as far to suggest borders should be closed. South Australia’s policy of only testing quarantine workers when they have coronavirus symptoms draws wide criticism as cluster grows to 20.
David Penberthy 11.30pm: Premier warns on knee-jerk response
Australia must not be panicked into closing borders and “smashing the national economy” every time the coronavirus flares, Steven Marshall said as three states shut their borders to South Australia despite it recording just five new cases on Tuesday.
The SA Premier’s comments were backed by federal Health Minister Greg Hunt, who said the state was managing the outbreak well and that the cluster — which now numbers 20 — did not constitute a hotspot.
“Our message is very clear; there is a national hotspot definition,” Mr Hunt said. “South Australia has not reached that. There has been no advice that any state or territory should be closed to any state or territory.”
Adam Creighton 10.45pm: Vaccine delay will hit population growth
More than 1.6 million NSW residents will have been vaccinated against COVID-19 by September next year according to the state’s budget, which has warned any delay in vaccine rollout will cost the state billions and slash population growth even further.
A delayed vaccine would see a further 1 per cent decline in the state’s population compared with the latest forecast, which the state government has already revised down by 376,000 people to just under 8.4 million by 2024, in the wake of the pandemic-induced slump in net immigration.
“A vaccine for COVID-19 will start to roll out in NSW from around the middle of 2021, with 20 per cent of people vaccinated by the end of the September quarter,” the NSW budget papers, delayed from June because of the uncertainty around the pandemic, say.
David Penberthy 10pm: Family poll-axed by state’s arbitrary closure
If South Dakota recorded five new coronavirus cases in one day, they would be dancing in the streets. If five new cases were recorded in the south of France, they’d be popping the corks on bottles of Pommery.
South Australia recorded five new cases yesterday, a rate of infection that would be regarded as a soaring triumph in almost every country on earth. Yet in Australia, half the Federation immediately reinstated a raft of business-wrecking, job-destroying, family-splitting border closures, suggesting that despite the agreement struck by the states last week, at the first tiny hint of trouble half the nation’s leaders went to water.
There is a school of thought that some state premiers aren’t basing their border closures on hard data. They are — it’s just that the data appears to take the form of opinion polls.
The stories coming out of SA right now are equal parts heartbreaking and absurd. Alisha Toy and her five-year-old daughter, Stevie, flew from Adelaide to Perth on Sunday and when they landed, they were told to quarantine for a fortnight or return immediately to Adelaide, as news of the Parafield cluster broke while they were mid-air.
Ben Hoyle 9.15pm: Infected US medics treat patients
In North Dakota health resources are so overstretched that the Governor is allowing hospitals to use workers infected with coronavirus to treat COVID-19 patients.
In Philadelphia the authorities are preparing to ban all indoor gatherings indefinitely to stop the spread of the pandemic in America’s sixth-largest city.
In New Mexico the Governor late on Monday ordered residents to stay at home for a fortnight because the state was facing a “life-or-death situation”.
And in Texas low-security prisoners are working at morgues.
AFP 8.30pm: Russia denies Microsoft claims of cyber attacks
Moscow has vehemently rejected claims by Microsoft that Russia was behind cyber attacks on companies researching coronavirus vaccines and treatments, saying it was being made a scapegoat.
It had become “politically fashionable” to pin the blame for cyber attacks on Moscow, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told state news agency RIA Novosti on Tuesday.
Russia announced in August that it had registered the world’s first coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V — named after the Soviet-era satellite — but did so ahead of large-scale clinical trials.
In October, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia had also registered its second coronavirus vaccine, EpiVacCorona.
“We do not need anything other than a normal approach towards the projects we already have in Russia and are promoting including in cooperation with foreign partners,” Mr Ryabkov said.
Mr Ryabkov also claimed that Russian companies themselves were frequently becoming targets of foreign cyber attacks.
He said Russia and the US should allow experts to look into the issue.
“However, Washington has persistently steered clear of such dialogue,” Mr Ryabkov added.
Last week, Microsoft urged a crackdown on cyber attacks perpetrated by states and “malign actors” after a spate of hacks disrupted healthcare organisations fighting the coronavirus.
The US tech giant said the attacks came from Russia and North Korea. The Kremlin has previously denied US claims that Russian military intelligence was behind cyber attacks targeting Ukraine’s power grid, the 2017 French election and the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, describing them as “Russophobia”.
READ MORE: Italy ‘had Covid in September last year’
Margherita Stancati 7.45pm: Working from abroad is the new working from home
The moment Jennifer Babin found out her employer’s offices in Paris wouldn’t reopen any time soon, she packed up her bags and moved to the Sicilian city of Palermo.
“I jumped at the opportunity to relocate to Sicily because I love it so much,” says Babin, 28, who continues to work for a Paris-based insurance company but from Palermo.
“It’s vibrant and chaotic, but in a nice way. I adore it.”
With the pandemic continuing to rage in most Western countries, and most offices likely to stay shut through the winter, more Europeans and Americans are taking the chance to work from abroad.
They are leaving their homes in Paris, London and New York and working remotely from warmer climes that they would normally see only while on vacation, such as southern Italy or Portugal.
Carol Hymowitz 7pm: Age is an advantage in a pandemic
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, being over 65 felt like a curse.
Public-health doctors warned that anybody of that age faced a higher risk than younger people of suffering serious complications or dying if they contracted the virus. Then came the hashtag #boomerremover and angry tweets from some millennials blaming baby boomers for disrupting their lives and livelihoods.
As a boomer, I faced both the fear and the opprobrium. My daughter cautioned me to stay in my apartment with my husband and retreat almost entirely from the outside world.
We’ve pretty much done that. I’ve remained vigilant even as lockdowns have lifted. I’ve met a handful of friends outdoors — just one at a time, masked and at a safe distance.
I’m still relying on deliveries of groceries, and I haven’t returned to my gym, eaten at a restaurant indoors or taken public transportation as most middle-aged and young people I know are doing.
Yet after more than seven months of constraints, I’ve realised there also are advantages to being older during this time of COVID.
Hugo Rifkind 6.15pm: ‘This is how COVID-19 really feels’
For us, Covid started while we were walking the dog. We bicker, my wife and I, because she likes to walk very quickly and I don’t and, look, don’t judge us, we’ve been together since we were students and we’ve got to talk about something. This time, though, she was lagging. “Bit breathy,” she said, and we both knew at once, although not really. The next morning she was worse, so we took her for a test.
The rules are clear-cut, but reality never is. You think you’ll know when it comes. You’ll have the textbook symptoms and you’ll pull the kids out of school, cancel everything, call everybody you’ve seen, batten down the hatches.
What, though, if it’s not like that? What if you just feel a bit … rubbish? Do you cause all that disruption every time? As a diligent hypochondriac, I’ve personally been crying wolf at myself since March. As a result, like some special sort of madman, I have learned to roll my eyes at myself, however bad I feel, and assume I’m only pretending.
Jade Gailberger 5.45pm: Push for Australia to invest in more vaccines
Labor has ramped up calls for the federal government to secure up to six coronavirus vaccine deals.
The push comes as US drug company Moderna revealed its potential coronavirus vaccine was 94.5 per cent effective during phase 3 trials.
Australia already has four vaccine supply deals with AstraZeneca, CSL, Pfizer and Novavax.
But opposition health spokesman Chris Bowen said Moderna’s results were very promising.
“At least six countries or groups already have a supply agreement for this vaccine,” Mr Bowen said.
“The government needs to explain why Australia isn’t one of them.
“Best practice is five to six, and while the Minister likes to say we have enough vaccines three times over, that assumes all four deals will be rapidly successful.”
Health Minister Greg Hunt said Australia would have access to a range of other potential vaccines, which could include Moderna, through the COVAX facility.
Mr Hunt said the Science and Industry Technical Advisory Group was providing advice to government on the vaccines Australia should invest in.
“Our Australian experts have, I think, chosen very well,” he said.
“ They have identified three different classes of vaccine, protein, viral and mRNA.
“The most important news is not only that Australia’s vaccines are producing strong results, but that the success of other vaccines increasingly means the world is likely to have a range of options that will assist in limiting the global spread.”
Mr Hunt said he was confident there would be a successful vaccine available in 2021.
READ MORE: Advantages of age in a pandemic
Staff Reporters 4.55pm: Premier outlines details of Parafield cluster
SA Premier Steven Marshall says the Parafield cluster is now at 21 cases. Seventeen were reported on Monday, another one on Tuesday morning, and the latest three cases bring the total to that figure, Mr Marshall says.
The latest three are family members of a security guard associated with the medi-hotel from which the quarantine cluster emerged.
Earlier, SA health chief Nicola Spurrier said: “This is a very, very worrying situation.”
Max Maddison 4.30pm: SA dealing with ‘a very nasty cluster’
South Australia is just at the “beginning stages” of dealing with the “very nasty cluster” in Parafield, says Premier Steven Marshall, as the state announces five new cases.
SA Health chief Nicola Spurrier said four of the cases were linked to the Parafield cluster, taking the total to 20, while another worker from the Anglicare aged-care facility tested positive.
Professor Spurrier said genomic testing had linked the outbreak to November 2, after an employee at the medi-hotel contracted the virus from a traveller.
“We’ve now got around 4000 people who are close contacts who are quarantined. And these people have been advised to quarantine and they are being contacted on a daily basis for a symptom check,” Professor Spurrier told a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
“This is a huge amount of work, as you can imagine to make sure that we are in regular contact with these people.”
Mr Marshall applauded South Australians for rising to the challenge, noting the almost 11,000 tests that had been carried out in the past 48 hours.
“But we’re going to get through it with the co-operation of every single South Australian citizen. Everybody must play their role in making sure that we stop this disease in its tracks. It is very, very important to do that,” Mr Marshall said.
“We have beaten clusters before. We will beat the cluster at Parafield. But we must do it together, working together, listening to the restrictions and, again, getting ourselves tested as and when we need to.”
Staff Reporters 4pm: Plans set for massive Tasmania energy project
Energy major Origin and would-be new green power player Fortescue are putting forward major plans for hydrogen power in Tasmania. Read more here
Staff Reporters 3.30pm: WA Premier blasts ‘appalling’ treatment of Andrews
WA Premier Mark McGowan says his state is leading the way in closing its border to South Australia, which is dealing with an outbreak of cases.
Mr McGowan added that Victoria, which has recorded its 18th straight day of zero new cases, had notched an incredible achievement.
WA has no new infections and 12 active cases, returned travellers in quarantine.
Mr McGowan praised SA for its efforts in trying to contain the outbreak of cases, and added a shot at federal government ministers trying to pressure states into keeping borders open.
“The South Australian government has done the right thing, they have the done the right thing. We know that measures like restricting movement and borders work. They work,” Mr McGowan said.
“The South Australian government made the right decision in the circumstances. I think what we all learnt from Victoria is that these measures work and it is far better to eliminate the virus using these measures, rather than using the American technique which is to let it rip.
“What the South Australian Premier has done will save lives, it will ensure that, over time, they can eliminate the virus and the entire country will be better off.
“It was pretty outrageous what the federal government did to the Victorian government, their behaviour was appalling. Some of those ministers, Mr Frydenberg and some of those characters, their behaviour was appalling.
“Daniel Andrews did what he had to do, he did what he had to do. The fact they undermined, criticised, attacked the whole way along during a period of extreme pressure was appalling.
“Steven Marshall has done the right thing and I support him in what he is doing. I would urge everyone to support him in what he is doing.”
Angelica Snowden 2.54pm: Broken Hill community concerned at SA outbreak
The Mayor of Broken Hill — a border town in the far west of NSW — says community members are concerned a COVID-19 outbreak in South Australia could further delay medical appointments they have in Adelaide.
Darriea Turley said one concerned resident contacted her this morning to say she just rescheduled her elective surgery from June to December this year, but feared it may need to happen next year after the coronavirus cluster in Adelaide.
“Community members who had medical appointments (in Adelaide) are concerned these may be at risk,” Ms Turley said.
“These are mostly elective surgery appointments not emergencies,” she said.
“If the NSW Premier decides to close the border I am hopeful she will consider a medical bubble around Broken Hill so that people returning from treatment won’t be hampered by this outbreak in South Australia”.
South Australia lifted border restrictions with NSW in late September.
Although she had concerns about the latest COVID-19 outbreak in South Australia, Ms Turley said she hoped health authorities had acted quickly enough to stop the spread of the virus.
“I was quite shocked yesterday when it went from three to four up to 18,” she said.
“Hopefully good contact tracing has been implemented and that people has been tested.
“People forget that Adelaide is only 500km away from Broken Hill. Sydney is 1300km.”
Matthew Denholm 2.26pm: Hobart set to steal First Test from Adelaide
Tasmania has flagged interest in stealing the First Test against India from Adelaide, should the coronavirus cluster worsen.
Premier Peter Gutwein said Hobart’s Bellerive Oval could host the first cricket Test, due to begin on December 17 at Adelaide Oval, if needed. “I’m certain that we’ll engage with Cricket Tasmania and Cricket Australia if there’s an opportunity,” he said.
However, he backed the actions of SA health authorities in dealing with Adelaide’s northern suburbs COVID-19 cluster, saying the situation looked “favourable”.
He hoped to be able to advise people who had arrived in Tasmania from SA since the alert status was raised that they could leave self-isolation tomorrow, but asked them to remain in quarantine until then, pending further advice.
READ MORE: Virus cluster throws summer into chaos
Richard Ferguson 2.10pm: SA outbreak ‘no reason to close borders’
Federal health experts are advising the state governments to “enhance” screening of incoming Adelaideans after the outbreak, but they have not gone as far to suggest borders should be closed.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said on Tuesday the Adelaide outbreak is relatively contained to the family at the heart of the spread, after 3000 tests in South Australia found only one case.
“The medical advice that we had from the Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly — and that is consistent I understand with the position of the AHPPC or the medical expert panel — is that it is appropriate to have enhanced screening,” Mr Hunt said in Canberra.
“There has been no advice that any state or territory should be closed to any state or territory.
“That was the advice given on Sunday night by Professor Paul Kelly and again the Prime Minister and I checked and updated that idea, as well as today. So there has been no change.”
Mr Hunt said Tasmania, Western Australia and Queensland would have to explain why there are closing their borders despite the current federal health advice.
“What we have seen here in the ACT, in Victoria, in New South Wales is exactly that – enhanced border screening. So they are looking for symptoms, they are looking for anybody who may have been in close contact, but they are allowing people to travel.
“Other states may choose to go further, but they’ll have to explain that.”
READ MORE: We share Japan’s emissions vision, PM says
Angelica Snowden 1.57pm: Ghan turned around at Alice en route to Darwin
The Ghan train – with 221 passengers from South Australia – has been turned around at Alice Springs after a coronavirus cluster prompted a host of states to shut their borders.
It was on track to reach Darwin after departing Adelaide on Sunday, before the new COVID-19 outbreak in South Australia was revealed, the Adelaide Advertiser reported.
“The service had already crossed the Northern Territory border when the restrictions were announced and there are no suspected or confirmed cases on-board” a spokesman from the train’s operator — Journey Beyond — said.
“Guests on-board were given the option to disembark in Alice Springs and quarantine for 14 days or stay on-board and continue through to Adelaide where they will be supported to return home safely.
“The Ghan return journey from Darwin to Adelaide was scheduled to depart on Wednesday but will now be cancelled. Journey Beyond will offer affected guests credit vouchers for future travel and work with them to rebook.”
The trip was set to be the last for the year after the Northern Territory opened its borders to South Australia in August.
It was due to arrive in Darwin about 5.30pm on Tuesday.
READ MORE: Kurosawa — Regional hotels you need to sample now
Patrick Commins 1.01pm: No rate rises until wages pick up: RBA
RBA board minutes make it clear the central bank won’t lift rates until pay packets are growing ‘materially faster’ than recent levels.
READ the full story here
Staff writers 1.10pm: Toilet paper sales limited as panic buying begins
Coles has implemented a two pack limit for toilet paper in South Australian supermarkets markets after shelves were stripped of essential items amid a COVID-19 outbreak in the state.
There are also reports of gym equipment and bread selling out as well.
South Australia.. hello panic buying again. Coles warradale atound 5 pm pic.twitter.com/2EBFOMbrhj
— Chanel (@chanel_md) November 16, 2020
A Coles spokesman said the purchase limits in SA were to ensure more customers had access to staple items.
“Effective from today, the limits apply at all Coles supermarkets and Coles Express stores in SA, as well as Coles Online orders for customers in SA,” they said.
“The limits do not currently apply to any other states or products, however we will continue to monitor stock levels and ask that customers purchase only what they need.”
A Woolworths spokesperson said the company was sending triple the volume of toilet paper to stores as it did last Tuesday to ensure toilet paper is available for our customers.
“We experienced higher than usual demand for toilet paper across our South Australian stores yesterday,” they said.
Panic buying toilet paper in South Australia has begun, as fears rise of a potential second wave of COVID-19! #9News https://t.co/dZy3M20GZB
— 9News Melbourne (@9NewsMelb) November 17, 2020
“Customers are encouraged to buy only what they need, as we’ll continue to receive extra orders of stock in our stores regularly.
“We will continue to monitor the situation closely and reassess product limits if needed.”
NCA Newswire
READ MORE: John Ferguson — Adelaide, heading for the hills a valid option
Yoni Bashan 12.05pm: NSW budget: Debt to soar to record $104bn
NSW government debt will soar to a record $104 billion as the state embarks on a campaign of borrowing and spending to boost employment and save businesses crippled by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the budget forecasting unprecedented losses across the economy before a tentative revival begins from June next year.
Facing some of the bleakest numbers in the state’s history, Treasurer Dominic Perrottet handed down a budget warning of an austere economic outlook for the immediate short term but one that also points to glimmers of a silver lining as NSW reopens and restrictions continue easing.
While most of the bad news has already been strategically released in recent weeks, the starkest numbers suggest unemployment will peak at 7.5 per cent by December before gradually easing to 5.25 per cent in mid-2024. Revenue losses will hit $25 billion over five years before returning to forecast surplus by 2025.
READ the full NSW budget details here
Hugo Rifkind 11.55am: Textbook symptoms? This is how Covid really feels
For us, Covid started while we were walking the dog. We bicker, my wife and I, because she likes to walk very quickly and I don’t and, look, don’t judge us, we’ve been together since we were students and we’ve got to talk about something. This time, though, she was lagging. “Bit breathy,” she said, and we both knew at once, although not really. The next morning she was worse, so we took her for a test.
The rules are clear-cut, but reality never is. You think you’ll know when it comes. You’ll have the textbook symptoms.
Exhaustion and agonising muscle pain were probably par for the course but no one warned me about explosive sneezes.
READ the Hugo Rifkind’s full story here
Robyn Ironside 11.44am: Airline offers free return domestic flights
Jetstar is hopeful a massive airfare sale launched on Tuesday will better the booking record set in June, when the carrier sold 220 seats a minute.
The “return for free” sale, which offers fares as low as $65 one-way with the return flight at no cost, will begin at 3pm AEDT and run until midnight on Thursday.
Up to 400,000 return trips are included in the sale across 51 domestic routes, for travel from February 2021 – when all state and territory borders are expected to be open.
A previous sale in June saw 70,000 fares sold in five hours, or about 220 a minute which was 40 per cent above the normal rate of bookings.
Although the latest restrictions imposed in response to a new COVID cluster in South Australia could temper demand, Jetstar CEO Gareth Evans expected the latest sale to be “very popular”.
“We know there is a strong pent-up demand for domestic travel and we’re confident our low fares will help increase visitors and give a boost to local tourism operators across Australia,” Mr Evans said.
READ the full details here
Lilly Vitorovich 11.31am: Woolies, Ten axe Pete Evans over cartoon
Controversial chef Pete Evans has been given the boot by Woolworths and Network Ten following his farcical theories on the coronavirus crisis.
He also posted a cartoon this week that included the Black Sun symbol from Nazi Germany recently, which has subsequently been deleted.
The symbol was used on the Christchurch terrorist’s manifesto before he carried out his massacre in 2019.
READ the full story here
Angelica Snowden 11.08am: Returned travellers to move from outbreak hotel
All returned overseas travellers staying at the medi-hotel at the centre of a COVID outbreak in South Australia have been told they will be moved to a new location and their quarantine period will be extended.
Returned travellers at the hotel received a letter dated November 16 from South Australia Health which confirmed the move and quarantine extension, The Guardian reported.
Dozens of returned travellers at the Adelaide medi-hotel linked to South Australia's latest COVID-19 cluster will be forced to restart their quarantine. #7NEWS https://t.co/vL1awijdRx
— 7NEWS Sydney (@7NewsSydney) November 17, 2020
“Your safety is our highest priority and as a result, we will be transferring all travellers to another Medi-hotel within 24 hours,” the letter read.
“We understand that there are guests whose quarantine period is due to end tomorrow, Tuesday 17 November, however to ensure your safety and to minimise the public health risk, this time will be extended, which may be up to 14 days.”
The letter also said authorities “sincerely” sorry for any distress or inconvenience caused by the latest development.
READ MORE: Families not yet free from restriction fear
Angelica Snowden 11.03am: NSW goes another day with zero cases
NSW recorded no new cases of locally acquired COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
Four cases were reported in overseas travellers in hotel quarantine.
NSW recorded no new cases of locally acquired COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) November 17, 2020
Four cases were reported in overseas travellers in hotel quarantine. pic.twitter.com/dagkV60CO8
READ MORE: Young mums are struggling to cope
Emily Cosenza 10.45am: Medi-hotel staff testing regime under fire
South Australia’s policy of only testing staff at medi-hotels when they have coronavirus symptoms has been widely criticised by medical experts as the state scrambles to contain a dangerous outbreak in the community.
The first locally acquired infection in SA since April has been traced to a cleaner working at a hotel in central Adelaide that housed quarantine travellers.
Staff weren’t required to be regularly tested but this has changed as the number of infections from the cluster climbs to 20 with fears it will increase further.
“There’s no evidence of a breach of protocols at these places,” SA Health Minister Stephen Wade told the ABC on Tuesday morning.
“Routine testing has been available at medi-hotels on an ongoing basis and there are daily declarations of symptoms by medi-hotel workers.
“But regular seven-day testing has been introduced at the medi-hotels.”
The previous testing policy was described as a “breakdown in systems” by former World Health Organisation epidemiologist Professor Adrian Esterman.
“Many hotels should’ve been secure,” he told Today on Monday morning from Adelaide.
“But my understanding is that people weren’t tested on a regular basis, and SA Health have now ordered all people working at the hotels be tested weekly. I’m surprised this wasn’t happening before now.
“Our medi-hotels should be safe, and especially after the Victorian fiasco, where we saw the huge second wave occurring because of a breakdown in the systems in their quarantine hotels.”
Farmers near South Australia’s border with Victoria who regularly travelled from one state to another were forced to be tested weekly despite there being no traces of the virus in the region.
But staff working close the deadly virus at the medi-hotel facilities weren’t exposed to the same testing requirements.
SA Premier Steven Marshall admitted he initially held reservations about this policy.
“I did query that situation but I was provided with advice that what we were doing was based upon best practice at the time,” he told ABC Breakfast in Adelaide on Monday morning.
“Obviously you look at that in light of individual outbreaks but the feeling was that it was much better to rely on people who develop symptoms to get themselves tested immediately because if you had a regular weekly test people would say ‘I’ll just wait until then’.
“This is not something where you can wait a week to go and get tested and this is a really important reminder for every single South Australian.”
Deputy chief medical officer Michael Kidd recommended South Australians wear face masks until health authorities got the cluster under control.
“Particularly people who are at increased risk if they were to be infected with COVID-19,” Prof Kidd told ABC.
“The recommendation in Adelaide at the moment is for people who are vulnerable to stay at home while this is determined exactly what’s happening with the outbreak, whether there has been any community transmission or not.
“If people do leave their homes and they’re particularly vulnerable, to wear a mask, especially if they’re going on public transport or into situations where they may not be able to physically distance from other people.” With James Hall, NCA Newswire
READ MORE: One in 10 battle to pay their mortgage
Angelica Snowden 10.20am: South Australian cluster rises to 20 cases
South Australia health minister Stephen Wade confirmed this morning the Parafield cluster has risen to 20 cases.
“That’s 17 members of a family, two security guards and one close contact of the family,” Mr Wade told the ABC.
“The family share households and have close contact with each other,” he said.
“The two security guards worked at the medi-hotel where one of the family members worked and likewise the close contact was also a fellow workmate.”
Yesterday South Australia Health reported the total number of cases and suspected cases linked to the cluster was 19 people. With today’s latest infection, there are now 20 in total.
On Sunday a woman in her 80s tested positive at the Lyell McEwin Hospital, along with two of her family members.
Yesterday, a further 13 people tested positive to coronavirus linked with the outbreak – known as the Parafield cluster. In addition three children contracted infections.
READ MORE: Change to try to halt next outbreak
Angelica Snowden 9.40am: ‘Critical day’ for SA to quash outbreak
Australian Medical Association vice president Chris Moy said today would be critical for health authorities to quash an outbreak of COVID-19 in South Australia.
“Obviously we’re extremely concerned … this has come out of the blue and it’s a reminder yet again that this condition is infectious,” Dr Moy said.
“But look so far reasonably good news … and the efforts so far have been really very good in terms of the contact tracing side of things,” he said.
He lauded South Australians for queuing up to have a COVID-19 test yesterday. So far it is unclear exactly how many were tested, but earlier this morning the South Australia Premier Steven Marshall said it was “thousands of thousands”.
“Today is going to be a critical day to actually determine whether this is something very limited or whether, to a degree, the horse has bolted and we will need to make bigger decisions.”
READ MORE: State to shout you lunch, pay for movies
Angelica Snowden 9.23am: Epidemiologist ‘confident’ SA outbreak will be controlled
South Australian epidemiologist Emma Miller says she is extremely confident a coronavirus outbreak in South Australia will be brought under control.
“The cluster doesn’t seem to be getting away from us just yet, and I’m very hopeful that we swung into action so quickly that we are going to be able to flatten this out very quickly,” Dr Miller told Sunrise.
Dr Miller said the key to controlling future outbreaks is to accept the virus will continue to leak into the country but authorities must quickly identify and isolate cases.
“Unless we’re going to magically seal the country off for however long it takes the world to get over this then we are always going to have some risk,” she said.
“What we need to be able to do is pick up the cases early when they arise and leakage will always occur throughout our quarantine systems, and to be able to mobilise the public health system very quickly to see get on top of it before it gets out of control.”
READ MORE: Firms urged to subsidise home work
OLIVIA CAISLEY 9.19am: Morrison touches down in Tokyo for historic meeting
TOKYO: Scott Morrison has arrived in Tokyo ahead of a historic meeting with his Japanese counterpart, Yoshihide Suga.
The Prime Minister will be the first foreign leader to meet with Mr Suga on Japanese soil since he took over from Shinzo Abe in September.
#BREAKING Prime Minister Scott Morrison arrives in Tokyo ahead of a meeting with his Japanese counterpart, Yoshihide Suga, later today. Morrison will be the first foreign leader to meet with Suga on Japanese soil since he became PM. @australian pic.twitter.com/ZOJ6MvmshJ
— Olivia Caisley (@livcaisley) November 16, 2020
The leaders are expected to discuss military co-operation in response to Chinese expansion in the South China Sea and the threat of potential trade sanctions.
Mr Morrison was the first foreign leader to speak to Mr Suga when he took office and his physical visit signals a stepping up of global engagement in a season of virtual summits.
READ MORE: Elders’ call to ‘de-escalate’ Chinese trade dispute
Angelica Snowden 9.09am: Latest SA infection is an aged care worker
The latest person to contract COVID-19 in South Australia is a staff member at an aged care facility, CEO of Anglicare South Australia Peter Sandeman says.
Mr Sandeman told FiveAA radio the latest case reported by premier Stephen Marshall was likely the staff member from the Anglicare aged care home in Brompton, Adelaide.
“Officially it is three staff members, the two that were infected and were reported on Sunday and an additional staff member (today),” Mr Sandeman said.
He confirmed all residents have been tested for COVID-19 in the facility and all staff members were being tested before they start their shift. Initial results have all come back negative, he said.
READ MORE: Boarders in race to get back home
Cameron Stewart 9.06am: Biden warns: Standoff will cause deaths
Joe Biden has warned that more people will die if Donald Trump continues to block his transition process because it could lead to delays in the rollout of a new coronavirus vaccine.
In his strongest comments so far on the president’s refusal to concede his election defeat, Mr Biden said it was preventing his team from co-ordinating with Mr Trump’s health experts over the surging coronavirus.
“More people may die if we don’t co-ordinate,” the president elect said. “How do we get over 300 mill Americans vaccinated? … it’s a huge, huge, huge undertaking to get it done, to prioritise those in greatest need.
“They (the Trump administration) say they have this Warp Speed program that not only helps them get the vaccine but also to distribute it. If we had to wait until January 20 to start our planning, it puts us behind … so it is important that it is done in co-ordination now,” he said.
READ the full story here
Angelica Snowden 8.46am: Hotel quarantine workers need regular tests: DCMO
Australia’s deputy chief health Michael Kidd says workers at hotel quarantine facilities should be regularly tested for COVID-19 as the crisis deepens overseas.
“In Australia of course we now have very little, if any, community transmission … apart from the investigations which are underway now in Adelaide,” Professor Kidd told the ABC.
“But there is the pandemic raging out of control, sadly, in a number of countries around the world and of course there are still people coming back into Australia, both Australians returning from overseas but also people coming in bringing in goods to Australia and taking our goods to the rest of the world,” he said.
“So we are still in contact with the rest of the world and there is still the risk of people with COVID-19 coming into Australia.”
The Australian Health and Protection and Principal Committee will consider changes to testing for hotel quarantine workers, Professor Kidd said.
Professor Kidd also welcomed news a COVID outbreak grew by just one case overnight.
“Health authorities in South Australia are doing a terrific job, identifying people who may have been in contact with someone who’s been diagnosed with COVID-19, arranging to get people tested, arranging for people to go into isolation while they’re waiting for their results,” he said.
“And a big thank you to everybody in Adelaide who were queuing up to get tested yesterday, and I’m sure there will be queues today for people waiting to get tested for COVID-19.”
He said the next 24-48 hours were critical for the outbreak, and authorities would know then if it is set to get any worse.
READ MORE: Health bosses ‘blind to contact-tracing failures’
Rachel Baxendale 8.31am: Victoria records 18th day of zero cases
Victoria has recorded no new cases and no deaths for the 18th straight day on Tuesday.
Three active cases remain statewide, including among two people who have been in hospital for more than a fortnight.
Yesterday there were 0 new cases, 0 lives lost. Three active cases remain, 0 with an unknown source. #EveryTestHelps and thanks to all who were tested, there were 17,412 results received. https://t.co/pcll7ySEgz#StaySafeStayOpen #COVID19Vic pic.twitter.com/k0HwjYcBrE
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) November 16, 2020
The latest “zero” comes after 17,412 tests were processed in the 24 hours to Tuesday – up from just 6,695 on Monday, which was the lowest daily number of tests processed since early June.
READ MORE: ‘Job-creator’ boom at regional unis
OLIVIA CAISLEY 8.23am: Japanese business leaders on PM’s Tokyo agenda
TOKYO: Scott Morrison will meet with a powerful group of Japanese business leaders to discuss the export of Australian hydrogen into Japan as part of his whistlestop tour to Tokyo to meet his Japanese counterpart, Yoshihide Suga, for the first time.
He will also meet with Olympics supremo John Coates to discuss south-east Queensland’s bid to host the 2032 Summer Games.
The Prime Minister has a jam-packed schedule that includes meeting members of the Japanese Diet, but the main purpose of his visit is to meet with Mr Suga and progress the signing of a defence pact to streamline each nation’s use of the other’s military bases.
Those at the hydrogen roundtable will include Japan-Australia Business co-operation committee chairman, Mimura Akio and Tokyo Gas chairman, Hirose Michiaki.
The Australian Ambassador to Japan, Jan Adams, will also be in attendance.
It comes as Mr Suga used his first policy speech in the Japanese diet as Prime Minister last month to commit to net-zero emissions by 2050.
The decision has implications for Australia’s LNG and coal exports, of which Japan is one of the biggest consumers.
Hydrogen exports are poised as a big energy opportunity for Australia as Japan moves away from fossil fuels and Mr Morrison is expected to push this at the meeting.
Mr Morrison’s one-on-one meeting with Mr Suga and a signing ceremony for the new defence pact are expected on Tuesday night.
A separate bilateral meeting between the two leaders will be dominated by security, amid growing unease over China’s strategic assertiveness across the Indo-Pacific.
Mr Morrison‘s physical visit to Japan signals a stepping-up of Australia’s engagement with one of its core Indo-Pacific and Quadrilateral Security Dialogue partners.
It follows Australia’s long awaited return to India’s Malabar naval exercise last month after a 13 year hiatus, in a move that reaffirmed the potential of the Quad as an informal military alliance.
AOC President, John Coates, is in Japan with International Olympic President, Thomas Bach, to discuss how the Olympics can be held next year.
The Tokyo Games were originally due to start in July, but were postponed for a year due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
READ MORE: Suga sign-on crucial to security
Emily Cosenza 8.04am: SA doubles list of venues with health alerts
Despite recording just one new case today, SA Health has nearly doubled its list of venues with COVID health alerts, with five supermarkets and three shopping centres now on the list.
If anyone has been to the following locations, they must monitor for symptoms and get tested immediately if they appear:
Adelaide – Bus (GA1/GA2/GA3) from bus stop near train station on November 11 from 3.40pm-4.38pm
Adelaide – It’s Convenient store on Waymouth St on November 14 from 6.00pm -6.15pm
Eastwood – Adelaide Eye and Laser Centre on November 13 from 10.00am – 12.00pm
Edinburgh – SA Structural on November 12 from 7.00am – 3.30pm
Elizabeth – Big W in the Elizabeth Shopping Centre on November 14 from 10.00am – 11.00am
Findon – Woolworths Findon Road on November 14 from 8.30pm – 8.35pm
Fulham Gardens – The Festival of Lights Function at the Fulham Gardens Community Centre on November 8
Gepps Cross – Spotlight on November 12 from 8.30pm – 9.00pm
Kurralta Park – Coles on November 13 from 8.30pm – 8.50pm
Mawson Lakes – Foodland from November 14 from 1.30pm – 2.00pm
Parafield Gardens – Martins Road Family Medical Practice (Podiatrist) on November 9 from 2.00pm – 3.00pm
Pooraka – On The Run Pooraka on November 12 from 11.35am – 11.40am
Bus 405 from Salisbury Bus Interchange on November 9 from 11.06am – 12.00pm
Bus 411 from Salisbury Bus Interchange on November 11 from 4.30pm – 5.30pm
Namaste Supermarket, Parabanks Shopping Centre on November 14 from 1.30pm – 2.00pm
Salisbury Downs – McDonald’s Hollywood Plaza on November 13 from 10.00am – 11.00am
Star Discount Chemist, Hollywood Plaza Surgery on November 10 from 7.30pm – 7.45pm
Target Hollywood Plaza on November 12 from 12.00pm – 1.30pm
Woolworths, Hollywood Plaza on November 12 from 12.00pm – 1.30pm
South Plympton – Jai Shiv Fruit & Veg shop on Marion Rd on November 14 from 8.00pm – 8.05pm
These new locations are in addition to the following, which were announced on Monday:
Adelaide – Bus 502 from Internode Adelaide bus stop on Grenfell Street on November 9 from 10.14am – 11.30am, November 12 from 4.30pm – 5.30pm and November 13 from 4.01pm – 5.30pm
Adelaide – Bus (GA1/GA2/GA3) from bus stop near train station on November 7 from 5.30pm – 6.30pm and November 10 from 5.10pm – 6.30pm
Adelaide – Mantra on Frome on November 12 from 7.30am – 4.00pm and November 13 from 7.40am – 3.45pm
Adelaide – Metro Convenience Pty Ltd shop on Waymouth St on November 14 from 6.00pm – 6.15pm
Elizabeth – Elizabeth Shopping Centre on November 8 from 11.00am – 12.30pm
Elizabeth – Harris Scarfe, Elizabeth Shopping Centre on November 8 from 11.00am – 12.30pm
Elizabeth – The Aquadome on November 14 from 11.00am – 1.30pm
Enfield – Ekam Indian Groceries at Enfield Plaza on November 13 from 1.30pm – 4.30pm
Ingle Farm – Coles South, Ingle Farm Shopping Centre on November 12 from 11.00am – 11.30am
Mawson Lakes – Mint Leaf Lounge on November 12 from 5.30pm – 6.30pm
Parafield Gardens – Parafield Plaza Supermarket on November 12 from 10.30am – 11.30am
Pooraka – On The Run Pooraka on November 12 from 11.45am – 12.00pm
Port Adelaide – Hungry Jacks on November 13 from 7.30pm – 12.00am and November 14 from 12.00am – 2.30am
Salisbury – Bus 500 from Salisbury Bus Interchange on November 9 and 10 from 6.30am – 7.40am, November 11 from 6.30am – 7.30am, November 12 from 6.30am – 7.40am and November 13 from 6.40am – 7.40am
Salisbury – Bus 411 from Salisbury Bus Interchange on November 9 from 11.30am – 11.45am
Salisbury – Salisbury Bus Interchange on November 7 from 6.30pm and November 9 from 11.30am – 12.00pm
Salisbury – Salisbury City Fruit Bowl on November 13 from 10.00am – 10.15am
Salisbury Downs – Hollywood Plaza Surgery on November 13 from 7.15am – 7.20am and November 14 from 10.00am – 11.00am
Salisbury Downs – Star Discount Chemist, Hollywood Plaza Surgery on November 14 from 10.00am – 11.00am
Salisbury Downs – Woolworths, Hollywood Plaza Surgery on November 13 from 10.00am – 12.00pm and November 14 from 10.00am – 11.00am
Woodville South – Woodville Pizza Bar on November 13 and 14 from 6.30pm – 8.30pm
The Health Department is also in the process of contacting everyone who was in the Emergency Department at Lyell McEwin Hospital between 5:30pm November 13 and 8am November 14 who may have been in close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case.
If you have visited this location during this time, and have not been contacted by SA Health, you should self-quarantine immediately and call the SA COVID-19 Information line 1800 253 787.
READ MORE: No room for complacency in hotels
Angelica Snowden 7.50am: SA wakes up to just one new case
A COVID-19 outbreak in South Australia has grown by just one case, Premier Steven Marshall says.
“Yesterday we processed thousands and thousands of tests,” Mr Marshall told FiveAA radio.
“The very good news we have woken up to this morning is that there is just one new infection to report,” he said.
“They are still under investigation but we believe they are a close contact of one of the original 15.”
Yesterday two schools were closed and a prison was forced to urgently trace close contacts of the 15 family members at the centre of the main Parafield cluster, with a total of 17 new infections diagnosed in SA on Monday.
Health minister Stephen Wade told the ABC there was no evidence the outbreak was caused by a breach of protocols at hotel quarantine but authorities would continue to investigate.
He confirmed South Australia had “gratefully accepted” Scott Morrison’s offer to send the defence force in to support testing efforts.
Despite the virus escaping from hotel quarantine, Mr Marshall said there was no breach of protocol.
“This was a back of house person working in the hotel that we believe acquired it from coming into surface contact … they never ever came into contact with anybody in a room,” he told Sunrise.
South Australia has instituted a one in seven day mandatory COVID-testing regime for hotel staff.
“We still have a long way to go here in South Australia but what I do know is that yesterday we put hundreds and hundreds, if not thousands of people into isolation … thousands of thousands of tests and let’s hope we got on top of this just in time.”
READ MORE: Outbreak risks delay on lifting Queensland restrictions
Jack Paynter 7.26am: New virus rules for South Australians
A raft of new restrictions came into force in South Australia on Tuesday as the state wakes on high alert after an explosion in coronavirus cases.
New COVID-19 infections grew from three to 18 overnight from Sunday to Monday, with 13 linked to a cluster at Parafield in Adelaide’s north.
South Australian Premier Steven Marshall has swiftly introduced about a dozen new restrictions that came into force overnight to try and stem community transmission and get on top of the outbreak.
Gyms, recreation centres, trampoline and play cafes have been ordered to close, with an expected duration of two weeks.
Community sports fixtures and training has been temporarily cancelled, including both indoor and outdoor sports, contact and non-contact, with an expected duration of two weeks. Outdoor fitness activities are allowed to continue.
Funerals have been capped at 50 mourners and churches restricted to 100 parishioners, both with one person per 4sq m.
Weddings must register all guest details with Communicable Diseases Control Branch through an online form.
Private gatherings at licensed venues have been capped at 50, with one person per 4sq m and ‘vertical consumption’ — or drinking while standing — is banned.
Hospitality venues, including pubs, clubs and restaurants, have been restricted to 100 patrons per venue, with one person per 4sq m and no standing consumption, including in outdoor settings. The maximum booking size has been capped at 10 with seated dining only.
Only 10 people are able to gather at private homes, while entertainment venues, such as theatres and cinemas, are restricted to one person per 4sq m.
All activities with an approved COVID Management Plan scheduled for the next two weeks have been cancelled.
Masks have been made mandatory for service providers in personal care activities, such as nails, tattoo and hairdressers, while they are also encouraged for clients.
Masks are also mandatory in aged care facilities where physical distancing cannot be maintained, and personal care workers have been limited to working at one site.
Aged care residents have also been limited to two visitors per day and some facilities are imposing greater restrictions that are not official directions but choices made by the individual sites.
Schools will remain open.
South Australians who feel unwell or have symptoms have been urged to get tested, people have been told to work from home where possible and vulnerable residents have been encouraged to stay home.
Wearing a mask where it is not possible to physically distance, such as on public transport, has been advised and people have been urged to avoid unnecessary travel and having visitors to their homes. — NCA Newswire
READ MORE: Anxiety, disbelief and a jolt of reality
Angelica Snowden 7.17am: Boris ‘in good health’ despite self-isolation
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who survived intensive care after contracting COVID-19 earlier this year, insisted on Monday he is in “good health” despite being forced into self-isolation after one of his MPs tested positive.
Hi folks, I’ve been instructed by our NHS Test & Trace scheme to self-isolate for two weeks, after being in contact with someone with Covid-19.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) November 16, 2020
I’m in good health and have no symptoms, and will continue to lead on our response to the virus & our plans to #BuildBackBetter pic.twitter.com/yNgIme8lOz
“It doesn’t matter that I’m fit as a butcher’s dog, feel great … that I’ve had the disease and I’m bursting with antibodies,” he said in a Twitter video.
Mr Johnson spent three days in intensive care with coronavirus in April, admitting afterwards that his life hung in the balance and it “could have gone either way”.
Mr Johnson was told by England’s test and trace scheme to self-isolate after Conservative MP Lee Anderson, who Mr Johnson met on Thursday with five other politicians, tested positive.
Britain has been the worst-hit nation in Europe recording more than 50,000 coronavirus deaths from some 1.2 million positive cases.
But Mr Johnson said the country now had two “gigantic boxing gloves with which to wallop” the virus in the shape of mass rapid-turnaround testing and a potential vaccine that he said could be available for the most vulnerable citizens before Christmas.
The government announced on Monday that daily testing capacity is set to more than double early next year with the opening of two new “megalabs” processing up to 600,000 samples a day.
After the US, Europe has been hit the hardest by COVID-19.
Across the continent, there were 213,619 cases identified yesterday. More than 15 million cases of COVID-19 have been recorded.
In Germany, chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday failed to push through additional curbs to combat the coronavirus, as she said ongoing restrictions have helped to halt a runaway rise in infection numbers.
Merkel is pushing for a tightening of coronavirus measures as German infection numbers continue to rise. @AFP has seen draft conclusions of a meeting with state leaders this afternoon @HMNEO https://t.co/lYAzCieit4
— Deborah Cole (@doberah) November 16, 2020
In recent weeks, the country has registered record new daily infections, repeatedly crossing the 20,000 mark.
On Monday, the Robert Koch Institute for disease control reported 10,824 new cases over the last 24 hours, bringing total infections to date to 801,327.
She said state premiers did not have any appetite to up the ante and introduce tougher curbs to not only stabilise but also bring down infection numbers.
“We still have a long way to go but the good news is that we have halted the exponential growth for now,” Ms Merkel told reporters.
Europe’s biggest economy began a new round of shutdowns in November, set to last for four weeks and closing restaurants, cultural venues and leisure facilities to curb transmission of COVID-19.
But while new cases are plateauing at below 20,000 a day, the numbers are still too high for officials to keep track of the infection chain and thereby break the transmission.
The country with the highest number of deaths compared to population is Belgium with 124 fatalities per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Peru with 107, Spain 87, Argentina 78.
With AFP
READ MORE: Boris will back north: aides
Angelica Snowden 6.45am: US cases top 11 million as second wave deepens
COVID-19 cases in the US have topped 11 million as the second wave of the deadly virus deepens.
A host of states have imposed a raft of new restrictions in a bid to control the outbreak after 155,001 new infections were recorded across the country yesterday.
"The message here from the CDC is very strong and clear... Masks work, they protect your community, they protect yourself and your family, and they do their job best when everyone is wearing a mask." -Epidemiologist @kerinalthoff, @JohnsHopkinsSPH pic.twitter.com/pgnQ14v8kk
— Johns Hopkins University (@JohnsHopkins) November 14, 2020
In California, San Francisco stopped indoor dining and reduced capacity at fitness centres and movie theatres from Saturday following a 250 per cent spike in cases since early October.
Los Angeles has recorded the highest number of COVID-19 cases according to the Johns Hopkins University tally, with 339,560 cases recorded so far.
If you need a COVID-19 test there are many State of California, county, and local testing centers available in our region. Please remember to wear a mask and try to make an appointment. https://t.co/D3vl1BCrua pic.twitter.com/BX06sRYjf3
— Freddie Rodriguez (@AsmRodriguez52) November 16, 2020
Twelve of California’s 58 counties are currently subject to the state’s tightest level of restrictions, which includes closed schools and bars and outdoor dining only at restaurants.
All establishments licenced to sell alcohol have been ordered to shut at 10pm in measures introduced last Friday by Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo.
And New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is on the verge of closing public schools, which teach 1.1 million students, as the city’s seven-day average of new cases nears three per cent.
Finally, a new stay-at-home advisory came into effect in Chicago, America’s third-biggest city, on Monday.
Residents have been asked to remain confined to their homes for the next three weeks except for essential activities such as attending work, school or buying groceries.
There have been 243,000 deaths due to COVID across the country. — with AFP
READ MORE: US crop prices climb — and China is buying
Jacquelin Magnay 5.35am: Sweden rolls out new coronavirus restrictions
Sweden’s prime minister warned the country the spread of coronavirus was “going to get worse” as he introduced fresh laws limiting the numbers of people being able to gather.
From next week Sweden, only eight people will be permitted to gather at public events, with officials strongly encouraged people to adopt the same limit in private.
Prime Minister Stefan Löfven said the new limits were part of the Public Order Act and would apply for four weeks.
“It’s going to get worse,” he told a press conference overnight (AEDT). “Do your duty and take responsibility to stop the spread of infection.”
“There should be no social situations with more than eight people, even if they are not formally covered by the law,” Mr Löfven said.
“This is the new norm for the whole of society and the whole of Sweden: Do not go to the gym, do not go to the library, do not have dinner parties, do not have parties. Just cancel it.”
The new rules are the toughest restrictions imposed on Swedish citizens, who up until now have had a light-touch social distancing approach.
Sweden, "land of the free" update.
— Matthew Thompson (@mattuthompson) November 16, 2020
PM Stefan Lofven: "Don't go to the gym. Don't go to the library. Don't have dinners. Don't have parties. Cancel."https://t.co/bdnCaP1fD9
Read the full story here.
Natasha Robinson 5.15am: Fears SA outbreak may start second wave
Health authorities in South Australia are scrambling to contain what they fear could be a second wave of COVID-19 after the virus escaped hotel quarantine and spread among members of a large family whose movements while infectious have forced hundreds of people into isolation.
Two schools and a prison are urgently tracing close contacts of the 15 family members at the centre of the main cluster, with a total of 17 new infections diagnosed in SA on Monday.
An aged-care home in central Adelaide where two nurses worked while infectious is in lockdown, while scores of staff at the Lyell McEwin Hospital have been forced into isolation after an 80-year-old woman associated with the Parafield Gardens family cluster was treated at the hospital.
People who visited several shopping centres in Adelaide’s north have been told to monitor for symptoms, with hundreds of people flooding testing centres in the area on Monday.
The threatened second wave prompted Premier Steven Marshall to impose new restrictions. He ordered the closure of gyms, and recreation and play centres, and the suspension of community sport. Numbers of patrons at pubs, clubs and restaurants will be restricted to 100, with attendees at private gatherings capped at 50.
South Australians will have to limit visitors at family homes to 10 people, and no more than 50 people will be allowed at a funeral. Schools will remain open and aged-care residents will be limited to two visitors a day.
Read the full story here.
Geoff Chambers 5am: Morrison sends troops to SA to save Christmas
Prime Minister Scott Morrison will deploy defence force and contact tracing teams to South Australia and support rapid testing, in a desperate bid to keep domestic borders open and salvage the national cabinet plan to remove COVID-19 restrictions by Christmas.
Despite health authorities on Monday being hopeful of controlling the Adelaide COVID-19 cluster, Queensland, Western Australia, Northern Territory, Victoria and Tasmania declared the city a hotspot, forcing travellers to cancel flights or face mandatory hotel quarantine.
Tourism, aviation and industry chiefs slammed the reimposition of border restrictions as a “kneejerk” response to a localised outbreak, warning that the nation must put its trust in existing COVID-19 contact tracing and social distancing measures.
Mr Morrison, who has pushed the national cabinet to reopen the economy and remove border closures by Christmas, was hopeful of achieving the goal but said it would “depend a lot on the disposition of various states and territories” and test confidence in testing and tracing systems.
Read the full story here.
Jacquelin Magnay 4.45am: Moderna coronavirus vaccine ‘95 per cent effective’
American company, Moderna, has shown its mRNA vaccine is nearly 95 per cent effective against COVID-19 and is immediately applying for its emergency use in the US.
The results are the best of three major vaccines released in the past few days, coming on top of the efficacy of 90 per cent of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, of which Australia has secured 10 million doses.
We just announced that mRNA-1273, our COVID-19 vaccine candidate, has met its primary efficacy endpoint in the first interim analysis of the Phase 3 COVE study.
— Moderna (@moderna_tx) November 16, 2020
Read more: https://t.co/vYWEy8CKCv pic.twitter.com/YuLubU1tlx
Australia has no deals in place for the Moderna vaccine, nor that of the Russian candidate Sputnik V, which was shown to have an efficacy of 92 per cent.
But the news that yet another vaccine has shown extraordinarily high efficacy is a big boost for global vaccines worldwide.
Read the full story here.
Don’t retreat inward: Chalmers urges ahead of US election
Jim Chalmers has warned that ‘battening down the hatches and retreating inward’ will hold back the creation of more productive and modern economies, amid protectionism concerns ahead of the US election.
The law at war: Her Honour vs Director of Public Prosecutions
The growing rift between the NSW judiciary and the state’s top prosecutor has been dramatically laid bare with a senior judge alleging Sally Dowling tried to ‘exert influence’ over the judiciary and engaged in ‘ethically questionable’ behaviour.