Coronavirus Australia live news: Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk won’t talk to NSW about border plan, Berejiklian bemused by Origin text
She won’t talk to the NSW Premier about borders, but Annastacia Palaszczuk will rub in Origin wins via text.
- Berejiklian ‘shocked, bemused’ by Palaszczuk text
- Palaszczuk refuses to return Gladys’ calls
- Vaccine closer to Australian distribution
- Berejiklian ‘ignored border opening advice’
- Johnson to end UK lockdown before Christmas
- Two new potential vaccines join mix
Welcome to our live coverage of Australia’s response to the continuing coronavirus pandemic. Qld Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk hasn’t spoken to Gladys Berejiklian in two weeks and won’t return her call on a borders plan. But she’s happy to text about rugby league wins. The NSW Premier has only now announced a November 23 border opening with Victoria, despite health officials advising her three weeks ago it was safe to do so.
AFP 6.28pm: Nintendo half-year net profit rockets 243.6%
Japanese gaming giant Nintendo said Thursday its first-half net profit soared 243.6 percent on-year and upgraded its full-year sales and profit forecasts, with coronavirus lockdowns driving extraordinary demand for the games industry.
The firm said its bottomline profit jumped to 213.1 billion yen ($2.0 billion) for the six months to September as sales climbed 73.3 percent to 769.5 billion yen.
5.45pm: China bans Brits, Belgians from entry
China has imposed fresh travel bans on non-Chinese arrivals from Britain and Belgium, as it guards against a resurgence of the coronavirus by refusing entry to people from two of Europe’s worst-hit nations.
COVID-19 first emerged in central China late last year, but Beijing has largely brought its own outbreak under control through tight travel restrictions and stringent health measures for anyone entering the country.
In March, as the virus ripped across the world, China shut its borders to all foreign nationals.
It gradually eased those restrictions to allow those stranded overseas to return with special permission from its embassies, negative COVID-19 tests and a two-week quarantine on arrival.
But in a sharp reversal as the outbreak once more billows out across Europe, the Chinese embassy in the UK said Beijing had “decided to temporarily suspend entry into China by non-Chinese nationals”.
“The suspension is a temporary response necessitated by the current situation of COVID-19,” it said Wednesday.
The Chinese embassy website in Belgium announced a similar ban on travellers as a “last resort in response to the current pandemic”.
The Chinese foreign ministry did not immediately reply to an AFP request for comment.
The UK, one of the world’s hardest hit countries with nearly 48,000 deaths linked to the virus and more than one million cases, has entered a new nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the pandemic.
Belgium, which has the most COVID-19 cases per capita in the world, has been in lockdown since last week.
The websites of Chinese embassies in other European countries were not carrying similar notices on Thursday morning, and citizens of these countries with visas are able to travel to China, subject to conditions.
Beijing has recently tightened requirements for travellers from several countries, making entry much more difficult. — AFP
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5.35pm: Lufthansa plummets to $3.27bn loss over lockdowns
Germany’s Lufthansa on Thursday posted a $AU3.27bn loss in its third quarter as it prepares for a “hard and challenging winter” over lockdowns to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Europe’s largest airline said it will fly a maximum of 25 per cent of normal capacity from October to December this year, as it expects to burn ($411 million a month.
“We are now at the beginning of a winter that will be hard and challenging for our industry,” chief executive Carsten Spohr said. — AFP
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Yoni Bashan 2.50pm: Berejiklian ‘shocked, bemused’ by Palaszczuk text
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has criticised Annastacia Palaszczuk over a private text message exchange in which the Queensland premier allegedly “rubbed in” her state’s victory over NSW following Wednesday night’s NRL State of Origin match.
Ms Berejiklian said she was unsure whether to be “shocked or bemused” by the text message, which made no mention of ongoing border restrictions that the NSW Premier has been eager to discuss.
Ms Berejiklian said she had sent Ms Palaszczuk a text message on Sunday night to congratulate her on a successful election campaign last week. Her message also allegedly mentioned ongoing border restrictions between the two states as a topic of future discussion.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Ms Berejiklian said she received no reply to that message until three days later when NSW lost against Queensland in State of Origin match.
Ms Palasczcuk’s office has denied Ms Berejiklian’s account and says there were no representations made in the text message about borders.
“I didn’t know whether to be shocked or bemused, frankly, because I’m worried about jobs and about people not seeing their families. And she just rubbed in that Queensland won the game. That’s fine,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“She replied, ‘Queenslander, great game’, or something to that effect. She didn’t mention borders, she didn’t mention the congratulations. The reality is people are suffering because of the borders there, and I’m wanting to engage — and I’m appealing to her to engage — because people are suffering.”
READ MORE: Flight Centre points finger at Palaszczuk
Angelica Snowden 2.05pm: Sydney’s Mardi Gras to be all-seated
Mardi Gras floats will not venture down Sydney’s Oxford Street in 2021 due to COVID-19, with a ticketed event to be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground instead.
Mardi Gras CEO Albert Kruger confirmed next year’s parade will be on March 6 with a capacity of 23,000 audience members and will feature “outlandish pageantry of costumes, puppetry and props” instead of the traditional floats.
“Mardi Gras has always been the epitome of creative expression through art and culture two things severely impacted by COVID-19 this year,” Mr Kruger said in a statement.
“While we are well known for our main annual event in Sydney, our surveying of the community has shown us that we can be so much more than a parade,”
This year’s parade — held on February 27 — featured about 12,000 participants, and was watched by about 200,000 CBD spectators.
City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said it was the last major event held before COVID-19 halted major events.
“It is poignant that this year’s parade was the last major event held before we had to go into lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus,” Ms Moore said.
“I know many in our community, myself included, have held onto our happy memories of Mardi Gras 2020 to get us through this challenging year,” she said.
“Mardi Gras will look different in 2021 but importantly it will give us the opportunity to come together safely and celebrate … I look forward to the day when tens of thousands of Sydneysiders and visitors from around Australia and the world can gather on Oxford Street once more.”
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Yoni Bashan 1.40pm: NSW reveals $250m stimulus package
The NSW government will spend $250 million on an economic stimulus package designed to encourage businesses from around Australia and overseas to relocate and create jobs within the state.
Announcing the initiative on Thursday, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the package, known as Jobs Plus, would seek to lift employment numbers in NSW and curtail a recent softening in the market caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The measure, contained in the 2020-2021 NSW budget, will include payroll tax cuts for incoming businesses that create at least 30 jobs in NSW, and other assistance measures to help facilitate their arrival.
The NSW Budget will be formally handed down on November 17.
Speaking to the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, Ms Berejiklian said the package would create or support up to 25,000 jobs and reaffirm NSW as “the best place to do business in Australia”.
“NSW is the nation’s economic powerhouse and Jobs Plus will entice top-performing companies from interstate and across the globe to NSW,” she said.
Ms Berejiklian identified the Victorian lockdown and “stubborn” state premiers – a reference to those in Queensland and Western Australia – as reasons why NSW had struggled to recover economically.
READ MORE: New vaccines join the mix
Remy Varga 1.20pm: Giant Tesla battery planned for Victoria
A giant Tesla battery will be built in Moorabool, about 90km northwest of Melbourne, in a bid to transition Victoria towards renewable energy and create jobs amid the pandemic downturn.
Dubbed the “Victorian Big Battery”, Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio announced on Thursday she had directed the energy market regulator to sign a contract with renewable energy specialist Neoen.
“The big battery will help protect our network in summer, create jobs and drive down energy prices – as well as supporting our recovery from the coronavirus pandemic,” she said.
The deal is expected to create an initial 85 jobs with Neoen paying for the construction of the lithium-ion battery as well as ongoing operation and maintenance.
Victorian consumers will be charged for the use of the battery through their power bills.
The state government said independent analysis shows every $1 invested in the battery will deliver more than $2 in benefits to Victorian households and businesses.
The Australian Energy Market Operator said the battery will unlock an additional 250MW of peak capacity.
“Under the contract, the battery will provide an automatic response in the event of an unexpected network outage, providing AEMO with an additional means of ensuring grid stability,” the AEMO said in a statement.
“Batteries are genuinely well suited to perform this service because they can respond in a fraction of a second.”
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Staff Reporters 12.50pm: US records record spike in new cases
The US has reported more than 100,000 new coronavirus cases, according to multiple news sources, marking the largest number of new cases in a 24-hour period.
The Washington Post reports that 17 states — including Kansas, Tennessee, Virginia, Oklahoma, Montana, Iowa, Ohio, Nebraska, Minnesota and Indiana — reported a record number of patients hospitalised with the virus.
The US has recorded about 9,500,000 Covid cases and more than 232,000 deaths from Covid.
Gerard Cockburn 12.20pm: Flight Centre canes Qld border block
Flight Centre has used its annual general meeting to point the finger at state governments still reluctant to open borders despite minimal levels of community coronavirus transmission.
In his opening statement, Flight Centre chief executive Graham Turner said the global travel agency group had noticed a “significant uplift” in demand as domestic and international restrictions eased.
However, he warned the rigid border positions adopted by states such as Queensland were having “devastating” consequences.
Mr Turner welcomed the NSW government’s decision to set a date for the relaxation of border restrictions with Victoria that will allow more flights to operate between Melbourne and Sydney.
Flight Centre’s leisure and commercial travel businesses were brought to a halt at the beginning of the pandemic, with the majority of its earning ability stopped as domestic and international travel ceased.
The Queensland-based travel group at its 2020 financial results revealed the health crisis had caused a loss of $849 million, with Mr Turner saying the pandemic had created the worst operating conditions in the company’s 40-year history.
Mr Turner said the company’s corporate travel business was tracking at 18 per cent of operations, while its leisure retail operations were at 8 per cent of pre-virus levels.
Flight Centre flagged it had $1 billion of available liquidity to prop up the business for a number of years, while expected revenue is expected to be subdued.
In its outlook, Flight Centre said it did not expect its leisure business to return to profitability until financial year 2022.
Flight Centre chairman Gary Smith said the outlook for the global travel industry remained highly uncertain but was confident the brand could be rejuvenated in the coming 12 months.
— NCA Newswire
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Brent Read 11.50am: Viewers abandon post-season Origin
The opening game of the State of Origin series, delayed by the coronavirus crisis, was watched by the smallest television audience for more than a decade. Read more here
Angelica Snowden 11.30am: No new cases reported in NSW
NSW has reported no new cases of locally transmitted COVID-19 overnight, with two infections recorded in hotel quarantine.
Despite consistently low COVID cases, NSW Health urged the community to stay vigilant ahead of the upcoming holiday period.
“It is very likely that COVID-19 will continue to circulate in the community, including among people with mild symptoms or no symptoms,” NSW Health said in a statement.
“It is important that we all continue to take advantage of our outdoor venues and maintain the COVID-safe practices we have become used to, such as physical distancing, wearing a mask on public transport and in places where you can’t distance from others, and good hand hygiene.”
There were 18,466 tests completed in the 24 hours to 8pm on Wednesday.
NSW Health confirmed they are treating 68 cases of coronavirus.
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Angelica Snowden 11am: Regional NSW shows cleared for crowds
Up to 5000 people will be able to attend country shows in regional NSW in the new year, deputy premier John Barilaro has announced.
Mr Barilaro announced the eased restrictions which are the most significant scaling back of COVID rules since the state government granted permission for the NRL to host 40,000 fans at the October 25 grand final.
THE SHOW GOES ON!
— John Barilaro MP (@JohnBarilaroMP) November 4, 2020
Regional communities and show committees can start planning events scheduled for early 2021 with the NSW Government today giving the green light for country shows to resume in NSW. #nswpol pic.twitter.com/hN6s90AYVC
“Regional communities have done the hard work and deserve to enjoy themselves, but it is crucial that both organisers and attendees follow COVID safe guidelines to guard against a (COVID) outbreak in country towns,” Mr Barilaro said in a statement.
“Country shows are a highlight of the regional events calendar, boost business and are an opportunity for farmers to showcase their produce and livestock,” he said.
Any regional show will need to enforce social distancing at venues and have controlled access at entry points to minimise crowding.
There will also be a limit to the number of attendees depending on venue size and the one person per 4 square metre rule.
Regional Transport and Roads Minister Paul Toole said the return of country shows will be a massive boost to morale in the bush.
“Shows bring together all the best things about regional communities – and after a tough year dealing with the impacts of bushfires, drought and COVID-19, bringing communities together has never been more important,” Mr Toole said.
The NSW Government is working with the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW to explore options for the 2021 Sydney Royal Easter Show.
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Will Glasgow 10.30am: China spat risks $149bn in trade
Uncertainty hangs over Australia’s exports to China as a blockade of wine destined for the nation’s biggest trade show in Shanghai heightens alarm. Read more here
Richard Ferguson 9.55am: Vaccine closer to Australia distribution
The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine will be produced in Australia from next week, Scott Morrison has revealed.
Under international agreements struck this week, Australia would be given access to up to 40 million doses of a drug produced by US biotech company Novavax, as well as 10 million doses of an alternative drug produced by Pfizer and BioNTech.
The Prime Minister said on Thursday that the AstraZeneca production would take some months before it was distributed to Australians, but said the new deal would put the nation in the best position.
“Of course, the AstraZeneca vaccine also has to meet TGA approval, it also has to go through the final stage trials, all of those things,” he said in Sydney.
“But we’re making sure that should these approvals be given, that we’ll be able to move as quickly as possible and the arrangement we already have with AstraZeneca enables advance shipments of those also to be in Australia.
“So manufacturing is going, the trials are underway, the suite of vaccines that we have put in place under Professor Murphy’s leadership is really putting Australia in a strong position at a time when Australians need it most.”
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Angelica Snowden 9.30am: Health Minister bullish on vaccine progress
Health Minister Greg Hunt says he is still confident a COVID-19 vaccine will be rolled out in 2021, after Scott Morrison announced Australia secured access to two new potential COVID-19 vaccines.
“We have growing confidence that we’re on track for a vaccine rollout commencing in about March of next year,” Mr Hunt told Sky news.
“This comes on the fact that at a time when the world is seeing an accelerating virus, in Australia we’re down to just a handful of cases or potentially zero on any one day,” he said.
Despite Australia’s strong performance against the virus, Mr Hunt said a vaccine would provide the country with greater security.
“The vaccines give us greater security, greater protection and they’re about saving lives and protecting lives,” he said.
as part of a new $1.5bn deal
Australia has secured 40M units of a protein based vaccine with Novavax and a 10M units of a breakthrough new mRNA vaccine with Pfizer.
These are in addition to the 33.8M doses of the protein-based candidate developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford and 51M doses of a local candidate produced by the University of Queensland and Australian manufacturer CSL (Seqirus).
READ MORE: The politics of the pandemic
Angelica Snowden 9am: Victoria’s rolling average drops again
The zero new cases in Victoria, for the sixth consecutive day, means the 14-day rolling average has been reduced to 1.4 from 1.7 overnight.
There were also no deaths and just two cases of COVID-19 with an unknown source.
Yesterday there were zero new cases and zero lives lost. The 14 day average is 1.4 and there are 2 cases with an unknown source. More info here and also later today: https://t.co/pcll7ySEgz #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/YvGacx1fiV
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) November 4, 2020
Angelica Snowden 8.30am: Palaszczuk refuses to talk borders with NSW
Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has not spoken with Gladys Berejiklian since October 23 and still has not returned her call from Sunday to discuss borders, the NSW premier said.
Ms Berejiklian said she attempted to call Ms Palaszczuk on Sunday to congratulate her on winning the Queensland election and discuss border arrangements, but the last time they spoke was at a National Cabinet meeting in October.
“I can do what I can, I try. I’m someone who works with everybody and I like to bring people together,” she said.
“But when the other person or people are very, kind of set in their ways it’s very difficult to change their course.
“I hope the announcement we made yesterday encourages both the WA Premier and the Queensland Premier to follow suit.”
Ms Berejiklian said she hoped her announcement yesterday – allowing Victorians to travel to NSW from November 23 – would put pressure on Queensland and WA open up their borders and “do the right thing”.
“I think the biggest challenge we’ll face in the new year is, yes, keeping on top of the virus but also looking down potentially hundreds of thousands of job losses once JobKeeper finishes in March,” she said.
QR codes will be mandatory in NSW from November 23 too and Ms Berejiklian said she “encouraged” other states to take up the technology.
She did not rule out closing the border to Victoria again if another COVID-19 outbreak occurred.
“As difficult as it’s been, NSW has stayed resilient, open, robust and certainly that’s what I said to myself in relation to borders – I don’t want to see any state in Australia to put up borders,” she said.
Ms Berejiklian said health experts told her coronavirus had virtually been eliminated in Victoria.
“The best advice I have from our health experts is that pretty much because of the very harsh severe and prolonged lockdown down there that the virus at this point in time is pretty much eliminated from Victoria,” Ms Berejiklian told the ABC.
“What we’re doing is waiting until the 23rd because on the 9th Premier Andrews will allow Melburnians to travel throughout Victoria and then we start allowing Victorians in two weeks after that.”
Ms Berejiklian said Australia must remain open in the short to medium term while international travel is off the cards.
“We have to rely on each other in Australia for the short to medium term. But you can’t when some state premiers are just being so stubborn,” she said.
READ MORE: UK lockdown passed, but Johnson bruised
Remy Varga 8am: Victoria records another day of zero cases
Victoria has recorded its sixth consecutive day of zero cases and no new deaths.
The state’s rolling 14-day daily average has fallen to 1.4 and there are now only two mystery cases.
Yesterday there were zero new cases and zero lives lost. The 14 day average is 1.4 and there are 2 cases with an unknown source. More info here and also later today: https://t.co/pcll7ySEgz #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/YvGacx1fiV
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) November 4, 2020
ANGELICA SNOWDEN 6.30am: World wrap
It’s last call for English pubs for a month as the country shuts down for a second time this year, while large swathes of Europe lock down again as the coronavirus rips through the continent.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisted the new lockdown — which will restrict socialising, care homes visits and close retail — will end “automatically” after four weeks.
More than 20,000 new COVID cases were reported in the UK on Wednesday with almost 400 deaths.
Italy will enforce night curfews from Thursday with other new measures as it reported more than 28,000 cases on Wednesday and more than 350 deaths.
Large parts of Portugal will go into a partial lockdown, affecting 70 per cent of the total population of 10 million people.
The government warned it might have to impose even tighter measures to rein in a second wave of the coronavirus infections.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and two-thirds of Denmark’s government will go into self-isolation after the Justice Minister contracted COVID-19, a cabinet statement says.
Denmark, the world’s biggest producer of mink fur, also announced it will cull all of the country’s minks after a mutated version of the new coronavirus was detected at mink farms and had spread to people.
The Swiss government said it would deploy up to 2,500 troops in cantons where under-pressure health services require support as coronavirus cases spike.
Around the world, coronavirus has claimed at least 1,215,957 lives since it first emerged in China late last year, according to an AFP tally on Wednesday.
More than 47,520,757 cases have been registered across the globe.
The United States has the highest death-toll of any country, with 232,634 dead due to COVID.
Brazil has reported 160,496 dead, India with 123,611, and Mexico with 92,593.
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Agencies 5.30am: Italy orders curfew as virus strangles Europe
Italian officials agreed on Wednesday to impose a night-time curfew, joining a slew of European nations in ramping up restrictions to reverse a dramatic surge in coronavirus cases.
“There is only one way out of this dramatic period: to remain united. Always,” Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said.
He has struggled to build a coalition backing more stringent measures, with defiance from regional leaders and sporadic street protests marring attempts last week to enforce a national 6pm closing time for bars and restaurants.
Italian officials agreed on a measure restricting citizens to their homes between 10pm and 5am, but the national curfew was less stringent than rules imposed in France, Belgium and Germany.
Measures imposed this week in countries from Britain to Turkey are not as draconian as those imposed earlier in the year, but they have been resisted by many business owners, politicians particularly from the right, and large sections of the population.
“Make no mistake, this could be the final straw for thousands of pubs and brewers,” said Emma McClarkin, of the British Beer and Pub Association, with English pubs ordered to close for a month from Wednesday night.
Wednesday saw Russia announce nearly 20,000 new infections and 389 additional deaths, both daily records that upped pressure on the government only days after President Vladimir Putin said there were no plans for a lockdown.
Russia has listed a total of nearly 1.7 million infections and more than 29,000 deaths.
READ MORE: Two new potential vaccines join mix
Yoni Bashan 5.15am: Berejiklian ‘ignored border opening advice’
Health officials advised the NSW government three weeks ago that regional Victoria had reached sufficient standards of contact tracing and daily testing rates for COVID-19, raising questions over why authorities maintained strict border closures when assessments suggested restrictions could be eased.
The health advice was provided to Premier Gladys Berejiklian and senior members of her COVID-19 crisis committee during a meeting held at the State Emergency Operation Centre in early October.
Ms Berejiklian on Wednesday announced the state’s southern border would reopen to Victoria on November 23.
Despite being provided with advice suggesting easing could be facilitated, Ms Berejiklian has repeatedly said her border would not remain in place “a day longer” than necessary.
“We are very keen to see what happens in Victoria once further restrictions are eased, because that’s the real test,” Ms Berejiklian said on October 19, about one week after the advice was provided.
By that time, regional Victorians were permitted to travel anywhere in their state, with the exception of Greater Melbourne.
The Australian has been told the advice praised the regional Victorian testing regime. It was provided to government officials and several department chiefs during a meeting that spent time canvassing why Queensland’s border remained shut to regional NSW residents.
“The advice was that they were happy with their (Victoria’s) improvements in regional testing rates and contact tracing,” an official with knowledge of the matter said.
Ms Berejiklian has repeatedly denounced the Queensland government for maintaining its border, saying there had not been a case of COVID-19 north of Newcastle since March.
Read the full story here.
AFP 5am: Johnson to end UK lockdown before Christmas
A second coronavirus lockdown in England will end on December 2, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday, despite suggestions it could be extended if it fails to cut infections.
Johnson told parliament the restrictions, which come into effect at 0000 GMT Thursday, would “end automatically on December 2”.
“We will then, I hope very much, be able to get this country going again, to get businesses, to get shops open again in the run up to Christmas,” he told politicians.
Last weekend, Johnson announced a lockdown across England after dire warnings that hospitals would be overwhelmed with cases in the coming months if nothing was done.
But his senior colleague Michael Gove indicated the lockdown could last beyond the December 2 cut-off if it failed to bring infection rates down.
The leader of the main opposition Labour Party, Keir Starmer, also suggested it would be “madness” not to extend the measures if it had not been successful.
He argued for a shorter, “circuit-breaker” lockdown last month and accused Johnson of ignoring scientific advice to impose the measures sooner.
The North West and the whole country need certainty.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) November 4, 2020
Instead of the Chancellor's last-minute approach, we need a proper, strategic plan for the next six months. https://t.co/Cs0SllrxSu
Olivia Caisley 4.30am: Two new potential vaccines join mix
Australia has secured access to two new potential COVID-19 vaccines as part of a new $1.5bn deal, doubling the number of drug candidates to help combat the virus, with Scott Morrison saying he wasn’t “putting all our eggs in one basket”.
Under international agreements struck this week, Australia would be given access to up to 40 million doses of a drug produced by US biotech company Novavax, as well as 10 million doses of an alternative drug produced by Pfizer and BioNTech.
“There are no guarantees that these vaccines will prove successful, however, our strategy puts Australia at the front of the queue, if our medical experts give the vaccines the green light,” the Prime Minister said.
“By securing multiple COVID-19 vaccines we are giving Australians the best shot at early access to a vaccine, should trials prove successful.”
Both vaccines are expected to be available in Australia from early next year if they pass muster and go to market. The Novavax vaccine candidate, which will likely require two doses, began phase-three clinical trials in Britain in September. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine candidate has also entered phase-three clinical trials.
Read the full story here.
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