Coronavirus Australia live news: COVIDSafe app ‘coming into its own’; Mental health suffering as Victoria records deadliest day
The federal goverment’s controversial virus app credited with tracing ‘significant transmission event’ in NSW, says DCMO.
- Victoria records 17 deaths, 394 new cases
- Canberra not an ATM, states told
- Pressure mounts on Daniel Andrews
- Dozens turned away at Qld border
- Alert issued for Bunnings customers
Victoria has suffered its deadliest day since the pandemic began, with 17 deaths and 394 new cases, as embattled Health Minister Jenny Mikakos apologies for mistakes. Meanwhile, the federal government is ramping up pressure on states to bear the economic burden, with one frontbencher warning Canberra is ‘not an ATM’.
Greg Brown 11pm: Liberals fight off calls to hit Premier
Victorian Liberal Party president Robert Clark has backed the state opposition’s “constructive” approach during the COVID-19 crisis, amid internal divisions over whether the party should pile extra pressure on the Andrews government over its bungles during the pandemic.
Stephen Lunn 10.30pm: Health Minister admits mistakes
Victoria’a health minister Jenny Mikakos has turned to social media to admit mistakes have been made in the state’s COVID response and to offer an apology if her efforts to keep people safe haven’t worked.
Tessa Akerman 10pm: Coronavirus kills 17 in deadliest day
Australia has recorded its deadliest single day of the coronavirus, with 17 people dying in Victoria, as new figures reveal the lockdown state is suffering through a deepening mental health crisis.
Simon Benson 9.30pm: PM weathers storm as virus wreaks havoc
Popular support for Scott Morrison has hardened amid Victoria’s COVID-19 crisis despite the major parties losing electoral ground as a political row looms over the economic response to the pandemic.
Adelshola Ore 9pm: Uncertainty grows over Year 12 finals
Year 12 students poised to take finals exams face fresh uncertainty after coronavirus cases forced two schools in western Sydney to close.
Richard Ferguson 8.30pm: Regional Victorian towns bleeding
Victoria’s regional towns were bleeding jobs going into Premier Daniel Andrews’s hard lockdown and are suffering the biggest employment losses in the country, new data shows.
Agencies 7.55pm: Ardern’s $300m vow after taming virus
Jacinda Ardern puts employment and her handling of COVID-19 at the centre of her re-election campaign.
Jenny Coad 7.25pm: London starts to stir again
How to see your own city in a new light on an (almost) tourist-free jaunt around its key attractions.
Andrew Gregory 7pm: Britain on ‘cusp of herd immunity’
Fatalities are down 99 per cent and COVID-19 wards empty, sparking hope the UK has achieved enough herd immunity to prevent a second wave.
Ben Macintyre 6.30pm: Anti-maskers fighting 100 years’ war
The battle between health officials and libertarians raged just as much over Spanish flu as coronavirus.
Amanda Hodge 6pm: Jakarta markets hit wall
The ‘new normal’ in Jakarta is millions of unemployed, Covid clusters in office blocks and a growing number of daily infections.
AFP 5.30pm: Brazil tops 100,000 deaths
Brazil has surpassed 100,000 coronavirus deaths and three million cases of infection.
With 100,477 fatalities and 3,012,412 confirmed cases, the South American country of 212 million people is the second hardest-hit country in the global pandemic, after the US.
Michael C. Bender 5.10pm: Trump sidesteps congress on pandemic relief
Donald Trump has directed the federal government to provide extra payments to the unemployed, and called on the states to help out.
Christine Kellett 4.35pm: COVIDSafe credited with major tracing win in NSW
The federal government’s controversial COVIDSafe app has been credited with tracing a “significant” transmission event in Sydney’s west that involved the tracking of more than 500 people.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Nick Coatsworth said of the 544 people traced by the app, two later tested positive to coronavirus.
Earlier phone contact tracing interviews had failed to pick up the transmission event, he said.
“Subsequently, there have been more modest numbers of contacts detected with COVIDSafe that were not detected with the interviews that are going on,” he said.
“In Victoria at the moment, we know that the COVIDSafe app is functioning because when it’s unlocked it’s detecting contacts.
“Why is it the case that we’ve suddenly gone from an app that appeared not to be working to one that is? The first thing to say is the app was always letting off its digital signals and pinging. There have been updates and improvements to the algorithms that others could describe more fully. That’s undoubtedly had an effect. Finally we see what happens when you have an essentially open economy as you do in New South Wales. And that’s where COVIDSafe comes into its own. That’s where you’re in touch with people who are strangers, potentially for prolonged periods of time and it’s difficult to identify who you were in touch with over the last 14 days.”
He said there had been close to seven millions downloads.
“If you’ve got an iPhone, an Android, if you’ve downloaded the app, get on right now and activate it. Once again, if you’ve got children, if you’ve got teenagers and young adults, encourage them to download it and activate it as well.”
READ MORE: Australia’s COVIDSafe app attracts foreign interest
Christine Kellett 4.05pm: Australia’s low death rate down to two things
Australia’s relatively low coronavirus death rate is the result of new treatments and world-leading intensive care methods, the country’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer says.
Of more than 21,000 total infections in Australia since the pandemic began, 295 people have died.
“Our intensive care units, doctors and nurses in our ICUs have always been world leading and that doesn’t just apply to intensive care but it applies across the range of our healthcare system,” Dr Nick Coatsworth has told a press conference on Sunday afternoon.
“So the quality of our healthcare system is important. But we’re learning more and more. We’re applying new treatments and a steroid that’s demonstrating in a recovery trial to decrease mortality. We have (that) at our disposal.”
Dr Coatsworth said ICU specialists in Australia had learned a lot about the timing and methods of treating those gravely ill with COVID-19.
“How you ventilate them is a challenge and the technique of proning — which is where you ventilate someone on their tummy, rather than back — has proven to be critical. The
timing you do that.”
READ MORE: Four months after contracting COVID-19, Amy Goller is still battling
Christine Kellett 3.37pm: Australia’s coronavirus infections surpass 21,000
More than 21,000 people in Australia have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, with 404 new cases recorded nationally overnight. More than 340 of those have not yet been traced to a known source and remain under investigation.
“Six-hundred and fifty eight people are hospitalised at the moment and 51 of those are in intensive care units,” Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Nick Coastworth has told a press conference on Sunday afternoon.
Dr Coatsworth is providing an update on Australia’s progress in the development of a vaccine, saying at this point, governments around the country only had “blunt tools” like social distancing, PPE and stage four restrictions at their disposal.
“In the Australian context, we have a number of vaccine candidates that are under human trials in Australia one of them is from the University of Queensland, one of them has been developed by Flinders University and the Adelaide company vaccine and two of them have been developed by international companies, “ he said.
“It’s very exciting the pace with which a vaccine is being developed for COVID-19.”
READ MORE: Coronavirs vaccine tipped for early next year
Rebecca LeMay 2.50pm: Heavy police presence thwarts anti-mask rally
Police appear to have thwarted a planned anti-mask rally in Melbourne that would have defied strict stage four lockdown laws, but an apparent lone protester has been arrested after refusing to move on.
Up to 400 people were expected to gather on the steps of Parliament House on Sunday for an event billed as “Freedom Day Celebration”, with the organisers reportedly believing coronavirus is a “biochemical” weapon and opposing masks, vaccinations and business shutdowns.
Dozens of police attended on foot and on horseback, questioning passers-by and handing out fines for lockdown breaches.
One agitated man, who was wearing a surgical mask, shouted his views against vaccination as police cuffed his hands behind his back.
“Vaccination, this is my problem,” he yelled.
“Please, I’m not trying to break the law.”
Police had warned anyone planning to attend they faced $1652 fines.
READ MORE: No mask movement takes hold
Rachel Baxendale 2.10pm: Death toll in Victorian aged care reaches 122
The death toll from coronavirus in Victoria’s aged-care facilities has reached 122. Ten of the 17 deaths in the past 24 hours have been linked to aged care, the Premier has announced.
There are currently 1748 active cases linked to 122 separate facilities. Those include:
- 186 cases have been linked to Epping Gardens Aged Care
- 169 cases have been linked to St Basil’s Homes for the Aged in Victoria
- 146 cases have been linked to Estia Aged Care Facility Ardeer
- 123 cases have been linked to Kirkbrae Presbyterian Homes Kilsyth
- 105 cases have been linked to Baptcare Wyndham Lodge Community Werribee
- 96 cases have been linked to Estia Aged Care Heidelberg
- 93 cases have been linked to Outlook Gardens Aged Care Dandenong North
- 87 cases have been linked to Arcare Aged Care Craigieburn
- 78 cases have been linked to Glendale Aged Care Facility
- 77 cases have been linked to Aurrum Aged Care Plenty
READ MORE: States to establish rapid response aged-care units
Christine Kellett 1.30pm: Victorians’ mental health is suffering badly
As harsh, stage four lockdowns take effect in Victoria, the state is dealing with a major surge in demand for psychological help.
Mental Health Minister Martin Foley has told a press conference that between March and July, there had been a 33 per cent-year-on-year increase in Victorians under 18 turning up to hospitals and clinics after self-harming.
Across all age groups, the state has seen a 23.3 per cent increase in people presenting to hospitals with a mental illness
“We knew going into this pandemic that our mental health system wasn’t fit for purpose,” Mr Foley said, as the government announced a $60m investment in crisis services aimed at keeping people in need of mental health treatment away from hospital emergency departments.
“We need to more assertively engage with people in the community,” Mr Foley said.
“We know that the greatest indicator to prevent someone’s suicide is to deal with that person in the community when they’ve expressed suicide ideas or attempted suicide in the past.
“The pandemic is stressful. The pandemic is seeing anxiety and depression levels rise quite substantially, but there is help out there.”
Premier Daniel Andrews announced a further $250,000 for counselling for healthcare staff, under extreme pressure on the frontline.
“Many many in our heath team... are doing it very tough,” he said.
“You can’t unsee what you’ve seen.
“There is a degree of trauma, a degree of previously unknown levels of really challenging circumstances... and it’s appropriate we stand with them.”
If you or someone you know is struggling, call Lifeline 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636
READ MORE: Pandemic mental health challenges demand vigilance
Mackenzie Scott 12.45pm: Melbourne stuns with high auction clearance rate
Melbourne has recorded an unprecedented high preliminary clearance rate over the first weekend of lockdowns after many sellers decided to pull forward their auctions from later in the month.
Preliminary auction clearance rates from property researcher CoreLogic showed the locked down capital city was the second strongest performer of the week, clearing 73 per cent of properties sent to auctions.
The national preliminary auction clearance rate reached 65.9 per cent last week.
Uncertainty stemming from the stage four lockdowns and the inability to show prospective buyers through properties has caused many sellers who had planned to auction their homes in the latter half of the month to pull forward their auction dates. Of the 298 properties put on the block this week, 178 were sold.
Elsewhere around the country, Sydney was by far the busiest city last week, achieving a clearance rate of 65.8 per cent from 642 auctions. Canberra continued its reign as the strongest market, selling 73.2 per cent of the 53 homes on offer. In the smaller markets, Adelaide achieved a clearance rate of 71.4 per cent from 45 properties, followed by Brisbane (46.8 per cent from 105 auctions) and Perth (22.2 per cent from 17 auctions).
READ MORE: Tough Melbourne restrictions to hit listed property groups
Robyn Ironside 12.15pm: Trio charged over early-release super scam
Three Queensland women have been charged with trying to steal $113,500 from other people’s superannuation funds under the federal government’s early release measure.
The Australian Federal Police anti-fraud taskforce arrested the women late last week following raids on five properties in southeast Queensland.
During the raids, numerous electronic devices were seized which police will allege were used by the women to submit a number of fake applications claiming to be other superannuation fund holders.
Read the full story here.
Stephen Lunn 11.58am: Mental health boost to help struggling Victorians
A new $60 million investment in mental health services will help Victorians through the harsh lockdown and beyond, the state’s Mental Health Minister Martin Foley said.
It would be used for “the acute end of the mental illness spectrum”, Mr Foley said.
“Particularly at the moment, we want to keep people with mental illness away from emergency departments,” he said.
“Emergency departments are busy at the best of times, particularly now in the height of a pandemic.
“We want to make sure that we keep those people who need support for mental illness …. in the community,” he said.
The funding to support that community care for those with acute mental illness includes money for more surge capacity of clinical and community mental health services.
It will also fast-track the delivery of more new public acute mental health beds, and accelerate the statewide rollout of a Hospital Outreach Post-Suicidal Engagement program, Mr Foley said.
He also said more mental health staff will be embedded within Ambulance Victoria to support paramedics.
READ MORE: Victoria goes from state of disaster to state of exhaustion
Stephen Lunn 11.40am: Victoria records 17 deaths, 394 new cases
Victoria has recorded 394 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, and 17 new fatalities.
It is the highest daily death count so far during the pandemic, and takes the state’s death toll to 210.
Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed the new number, the first time case numbers have dropped below 400 in nine days.
It comes as Mr Andrews committed $60 million in new funding for mental health services across the state.
The deaths include two men in their 50s, as well as 10 deaths in aged-care settings.
Mr Andrews said there were 2,758 cases with an unknown source in the state, including an additional 174 in the last 24 hours.
“So that’s 174 of those mystery cases which are, in many respects, our biggest challenge,” Mr Andrews said.
“Even large numbers in known contained outbreaks are … less significant than the smaller number of cases where we simply can’t find the circumstance or point of origin.
“They’re the ones that are incredibly challenging from a containment point of view,” Mr Andrews said.
READ MORE: Covid leaving young people permanently disabled
Adeshola Ore 11.15am: NSW records 10 new cases in 24 hours
NSW has recorded ten new coronavirus infections, including two mystery cases.
Seven of today’s cases were locally acquired and linked to known cases. One new case was in a returned hotel traveller in hotel quarantine.
The new cases include a student at Tangara School for Girls in north-west Sydney and a household contact of the pupil. There are now three cases linked to the school which has been ordered to close for two weeks.
Our Lady of Mercy College in Parramatta will also be closed on Monday, with cleaning and contact tracing under way after a student tested positive.
A healthcare worker who has tested positive to COVID-19 worked one shift while infectious at Hornsby Hospital’s emergency department, from 11am to midnight on Thursday 6 August.
Ten new cases of COVID-19 diagnosed, bringing the total in NSW to 3,672.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 9, 2020
One is a returned international traveller. Seven were locally acquired, all close contacts of known cases. Two are under investigation with no known links. pic.twitter.com/e68H0aCzX8
All staff who had been in close contact with the employee have been instructed to self-isolate for two weeks. Members of the public who attended the emergency department during the same time period and were in contact with the healthcare worker have been contacted.
READ MORE: NSW upgrades mask policy
Adeshola Ore 10.47am: Two more NSW schools order students to isolate
Two NSW schools have ordered students to isolate after reporting coronavirus cases. Our Lady of Mercy College Parramatta in Sydney’s west will close for cleaning after a student tested positive to coronavirus. NSW Health is undertaking contact tracing to identify close contacts.
A second student at Tangara School for Girls in north-west Sydney has also tested positive for coronavirus. All secondary students at the school have been ordered to self-isolate for two weeks.
READ MORE: Fears NSW on path to Victoria
Stephen Lunn 10.28am: Victorian Health Minister admits mistakes, apologises
Victoria’a Health Minister Jenny Mikakos has turned to social media to admit mistakes have been made in the state’s COVID response and to offer an apology if her efforts to keep people safe haven’t worked.
In a series of Twitter posts late Saturday night, Ms Mikakos also said she looked forward to the independent inquiry into the hotel quarantine issue to play out, as “the truth will set you free.”
Ms Mikakos praised the efforts of health workers after more than 200 had contracted coronavirus in the past two days.
“Since the first case in January, a huge effort by thousands of health care workers and many others has been a huge amount of good work achieved in preparing our health system,” she tweeted.
Let the independent judge do her job, let the cards fall where they may. I believe there is nothing to fear in seeking the truth. The truth will set you free.
— Jenny Mikakos MP #StayHomeSaveLives (@JennyMikakos) August 8, 2020
“It was work that needed to be done quickly and nimbly because the virus would not wait and no doubt mistakes were made along the way because humans are flawed, yet contagious viruses are unforgiving.
“Since that fateful day on 25 January, when we had our first-ever case, I‘ve worked every day to keep everyone safe. I have put every ounce of energy I’ve had into that effort. If I wasn’t enough, then I’m deeply sorry,” she said.
I’ve always striven to be upfront and measured about the challenges facing us.
— Jenny Mikakos MP #StayHomeSaveLives (@JennyMikakos) August 8, 2020
So it pains me to see the incorrect assumption made that somehow I can single-handedly report on the actions of countless individuals and many agencies involved in our pandemic response.
READ MORE: John Ferguson — Andrews’ pandemic narrative bewildering
Tessa Akerman 10.16am: Unmasked man dragged from Melbourne protest
An unmasked man has been dragged away by Victoria Police outside state parliament in a protest against coronavirus restrictions and mandatory vaccinations.
A mass protest against the restrictions was organised for 10am on Sunday but a heavy police presence including more than a dozen cars, a van and four horses, dominates the empty square.
The man, who was ranting to police and media, was in the city with his son, who was abandoned when police took the man away.
“I am Australian,” the man yelled.
“I haven’t done anything wrong... I have freedom to express myself.
“No mandatory vaccinations please.”
READ MORE: ‘Anti-vaxxers have infected the Greens’
Brent Read 10.10am: Bronco in Covid hold over barber shop visit
Broncos forward Tevita Pangai has been put in a Covid hold for the next fortnight after attending the opening of a barber shop in Brisbane on Saturday night.
Pangai, having played for the Broncos against South Sydney on Friday night, will be forced to miss at least two games.
The news comes as the club reels from one of the most dramatic periods in their history. After they were beaten by South Sydney on Friday night - a result that left them anchored above only Canterbury on the ladder — coach Anthony Seibold remained in Sydney to stay with his family for personal reasons.
As a result, Seibold will be forced to miss two games as well. His assistant Peter Gentle has taken the reins but he will be without the services of Pangai after the international forward made the ill-fated decision to head to the opening of the barber shop with his brothers.
Under the strict biosecurity rules agreed with the Queensland government, players are required to refrain from mixing with the public. They are banned from visiting places like restaurants and cafes. Needless to say, they are also banned from attending the opening of barber shops.
Pangai’s decision to flout the rules comes after the NRL warned players and officials they put the competition at risk if they didn’t adhere to the protocols.
Pangai can also expect a hefty fine from the NRL given Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett was slapped with a $20,000 sanction and St George Illawarra forward Paul Vaghan copped $10,000 after they were found to have breached the rules.
READ MORE: Alfie Langer, Broncos staff undergo Covid testing
Sarah Elks 9.55am: Queenslanders praised after another day of zero cases
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has praised the efforts of Queenslanders after the state recorded another day with zero new cases of coronavirus, tallying nearly a week clear of positive diagnoses.
Ms Palaszczuk tweeted that there are 11 active cases in the state, and 668,751 tests have been conducted.
“Well done Queensland. Thank you! Let’s keep it up and don’t forget: wash your hands, stay home if you’re sick and maintain social distancing,” Ms Palaszczuk tweeted.
Sunday, 9 August – coronavirus cases in Queensland:
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) August 8, 2020
• 0 new confirmed cases
• 11 active cases
• 1,088 total confirmed cases
• 668,751 tests conducted
Sadly, six Queenslanders with COVID-19 have died. 1,071 patients have recovered.#covid19au pic.twitter.com/JmFRaHhbIO
READ MORE: Gloves and jackets off in Queensland election duel
Richard Ferguson 9.35am: Government open to JobKeeper flexibility, says Cormann
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann says the Morrison government is still planning to reduce JobKeeper wage subsidies at the end of September.
JobKeeper is due to go to $1200 a fortnight just after the Melbourne lockdown are due to end, but Scott Morrison and Josh Frydenberg have already spent an extra $15bn this week to ease eligibility rules and allow hundreds of thousands of workers to join the scheme.
Senator Cormann said the government has shown its flexibility on JobKeeper and kept the door open to changes.
.@MathiasCormann says it is still the Federal Government's "current intention" to wind back the rate of JobKeeper and JobSeeker at the end of the next month.
— Insiders ABC (@InsidersABC) August 8, 2020
"At the moment, our transition is phased to the end of March." #insiders #auspol pic.twitter.com/mVQl26fgYB
“I just would point to our track record. I mean, we’ve been flexible in the past when it comes to what has been a rapidly evolving and fluid situation,” he told ABC News.
“We’ve responded to things as they’ve emerged. But you know, moving forward — our intention is to transition the economy and to transition the fiscal policy settings back to the new normal by the end of March.
“But of course, depending on what happens, we don’t know what we don’t know. And we can speculate, but it might well be that things will be better than anticipated.”
READ MORE: Sceptical ATO has eye on ‘miracle’ JobKeeper businesses
Tom Whipple 9.20am: England and Wales appear to be dodging second wave
New coronavirus infections appear to be increasing only slightly in England and may even be levelling off, the latest data from the Office for National Statistics suggests.
The findings imply that despite local spikes, England and Wales are managing to keep a lid on the virus at a national scale as other countries in Europe struggle to prevent a second wave.
The government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies released an analysis yesterday (Friday) estimating that the indirect effects of the lockdown and pandemic would be responsible for more than 80,000 deaths, more than those from COVID-19 itself. They said that this number was still far less than the tally if the virus had been left unchecked.
The ONS’s weekly household survey takes samples from 120,000 people in England and Wales to estimate the prevalence of the disease. In the last week of July, 53 people tested positive, equating to an estimated one in 2,200 people in Wales and one in 1,900 in England. Because the numbers of people infected are so low, the estimates come with a high degree of uncertainty and are unable to provide meaningful data on places where there might be localised spikes.
READ MORE: Leading scientists claim UK virus death toll exaggerated
Richard Ferguson 8.50am: ‘The federal government is not an ATM’
Agriculture Minister David Littleproud has ramped up the Morrison government’s call for the states to stimulate the economy more, saying Canberra can no longer be used as an “ATM.”
Scott Morrison has ramped up pressure on states and territories to lift their economic response to the COVID-19 crisis.
After revealing the federal government’s emergency response had risen to $314bn, the Prime Minister on Friday made pointed reference to the combined contribution from the states of nearly $45bn.
Mr Littleproud also said on Sunday the states could no longer try and get as much money as they wanted from the Commonwealth.
“It’s also up to the states. They can’t just go back to their old business model of using the federal government as an ATM,” Mr Littleproud told Sky News.
“They can’t just put the card in and try to get as much as they want.
“It’s time for us to all put our shoulders to the wheel and all pull the economic levers.”
Spending by the states had reached just 2 per cent of gross state product, a measure of their economic output, compared to almost 16 per cent of GDP provided by the federal government.
READ MORE: States must lift their game, says PM
Christine Kellett 8.15am Staffer tests positive at Sydney hospital
A health worker has tested positive to coronavirus at Hornsby Hospital, on Sydney’s upper north shore, according to several reports.
The staffer worked one shift while infectious on August 6, from 11am to midnight, the ABC reports.
Colleagues are now self-isolating.
The health worker wore a mask for the entire shift, it has been reported.
It comes after NSW Health issued a COVID alert after a Bunnings staffer in Campbelltown, in Sydney’s south west, also tested positive this week.
NSW Health is advising customers who attended Bunnings Campbelltown on Tuesday 4 August, Wednesday 5 August and Thursday 6 August to be alert for symptoms of COVID-19 and if even mild symptoms occur, to get tested and isolate themselves.https://t.co/pCLBfrIwOV pic.twitter.com/Bk3IWo7YKu
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 8, 2020
READ MORE: Victorian health workers infected outside
Dow Jones 7.30am: Trump bypasses Congress on coronavirus relief
President Trump signed on Saturday executive orders aimed at providing aid during the coronavirus pandemic after negotiations over a broader relief package broke down between his administration and Democrats in Congress.
Mr. Trump discussed the orders at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., where he is spending the weekend.
Mr. Trump said on Friday that he planned to circumvent Congress and use executive actions to provide jobless aid, suspend some payroll taxes, impose a partial moratorium on evictions and assist with student-loan payments.
Negotiators struggled for weeks to bridge the divide between a Democratic $3.5 trillion aid bill, passed by the House in May, and Senate Republicans’ $1 trillion proposal unveiled last week. House Democrats discussed the expected executive orders and state of negotiations on Saturday afternoon on a conference call before Mr. Trump’s announcement. During the call, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticised Republicans and called them “desperate,” according to a person familiar with the call.
READ MORE: Trump pushes back against further lockdown restrictions
Christine Kellett 7am: Security guards ‘paid $2000 to do nothing’
Security guards employed as part of Victoria’s embattled hotel quarantine system are being paid up to $2000 a week to sit at home and do nothing, the Sunday Herald Sun reports.
The guards are allegedly being paid stand-by rates, despite their being no work. Some are also reportedly able to claim JobKeeper.
Premier Daniel Andrews refused to comment on the hotel quarantine scheme despite repeated questioning at his daily briefing on Saturday. The scheme, which is being blamed for allowing coronavirus to spread through the community, is now the subject of an inquiry.
Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg yesterday slammed “deadly bungles” and said Victorians were “entitled to answers”.
READ MORE: On the ‘crazy floor’ of quarantine hotel, people were going nuts
Agencies 6.30pm: Ardern kicks off election campaign after taming virus
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern kicked off her Labour Party’s election campaign Saturday riding high in the opinion polls after a successful response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Ardern’s popularity as preferred prime minister — often referred to as “Jacindamania” — topped 60 percent in the latest surveys following her leadership through the Christchurch mosque attacks, the White Island volcanic eruption and the pandemic.
Before the virus forced New Zealand to seal its borders, the polls had pointed to a cliffhanger election on September 19, but support swung sharply towards the centre-left Labour Party as the country eliminated community transmission in a matter on months.
In a country of five million people, New Zealand has had only 22 COVID-19 deaths and it has been 99 days since the last recorded case of infection from an unknown source.
AFP
READ MORE: Peter van Onselen — Unfair to compair Australia with NZ in virus gains
Agencies 6am: Youths brawl with Belgian police over virus curbs
Belgian police arrested several people Saturday after a brawl broke out on a beach between officers and youths they had told to leave for refusing to respect virus safety measures.
The clashes took place at the resort of Blankenberge. A group of youths became violent after police told them to leave the beach, the daily Het Laatste Niewus reported.
Riots and chaos in the Belgian City #Blankenberge earlier today... pic.twitter.com/8Cmrf8Kkcp
— BasedPoland (@BasedPoland) August 8, 2020
Dozens of people were involved in the brawl and local police had to call in reinforcements.
Footage on social media showed young people throwing parasols at the officers. The town’s mayor Daphne Dumery denounced the violence, saying: “This can’t go on. We are doing everything to maintain safety in our resort, and now this.” Belgium is one of the countries worst hit by the virus in terms of its death rate and was one of the first countries to require people to wear masks outdoors in crowded areas.
To date it has recorded more than 72,000 infections and 9,866 deaths.
AFP
READ MORE: Venice faces winds of change
Angelica Snowden 4.30am: Victorians deserve answers from Andrews: Treasurer
Victorian premier Daniel Andrews is facing mounting pressure to answer questions about the state’s bungled COVID hotel quarantine debacle, after another 466 cases were recorded yesterday.
At a press conference yesterday, Mr Andrews continued to refuse to respond to questions about the hotel quarantine system which has been linked with a majority if not all new cases of COVID-19 in Victoria.
Although legally Mr Andrews is able to respond to questions about the quarantine arrangements, he insisted he “did not have the answers” but that they would be provided through the COVID-19 Hotel Quarantine Inquiry.
“There are many, many questions that need answers and that is what the process is for and I will freely concede, I’ve not read 100,000 pages worth of information on this,” Mr Andrews said.
“I simply do not have time to do that, the program has been cancelled for the purposes of returning overseas travellers.”
He refused to say whether or not anyone in his government would be stood down for their role in hotel quarantine, saying “these matters are appropriately dealt with in the process I have set up and I referred to”.
In response to a question about the media unveiling more information about the disaster than Mr Andrews, he responded that “those matters are of no concern to me whatsoever”.
“I am focused on dealing with this virus 24/7, or pretty close to it.”
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg called on the premier to explain what went wrong with the quarantine arrangements and said it was a “serious failure” with “deadly consequences”.
“Victorians are entitled to know more and get answers,” he said.
“They know the what, but they don’t know the how and the why when it comes to quarantine failures.”
He described Victoria as a “state of disaster” and said the escape of COVID-19 through the quarantine system was “frustrating”.
“Right now you’ve got families who are struggling with homeschooling, you’ve got kids who are missing their friends … and you’ve got grandparents who are separated from their grandchildren.”
He said the outbreak in Victoria had garnered international attention and has “brought great pain and heartbreak” to residents.
Mr Andrews admitted that “every part of this year” would look different, including Christmas.
“What I would want to do is make sure there are as many people at Christmas dinner as possible,” he said.
“Until we get the vaccine it is going to be part of our lives but it is not about going back to normal, it is about finding COVID normal.”
Another man in his 30s died overnight, the second in a week. He was one of 12 fatalities reported, with six linked to aged care facilities.
Of the 466 new cases, 24 were linked to outbreaks or complex cases and 442 were under investigation.
There are 7808 active cases in Victoria.
READ MORE: Victoria’s state of disaster now a state of exhaustion
Kathryn Bermingham 4.15am: Queensland border closure kicks in at Coolangatta
More than 140 people were turned away from the Queensland border in the first five hours after it closed to anyone from New South Wales and the ACT.
Those travelling from Victoria are also among the 14 million Australians now barred from entering the state as it attempts to contain the spread of coronavirus.
It comes as the state government confirmed there were no new virus cases on Saturday, and there remains a total of 11 active cases in the state.
Police said delays of more than 90 minutes to cross checkpoints were reported in the lead-up to the 1am Saturday morning closure as Queenslanders rushed to return home.
There were 142 people turned away at the border between 1am and 6am because they did not meet the requirements to enter.
Chief Superintendent Mark Wheeler, speaking to reporters near the Coolangatta checkpoint, said that number included 18 Queenslanders, who will now incur a “considerable cost” getting home.
Queensland residents returning from the declared hotspot locations must now arrive by air and pay $2800 for two weeks of hotel quarantine.
Residents of communities along the border will be eligible for a pass to cross in and out of Queensland, but must not travel beyond the local area.
READ MORE: Loyalty pays for airlines grounded by COVID-19
Adrian McMurray 4am: Alert issued for Bunnings customers in Sydney
NSW Health has issued a COVID-19 alert for a Sydney Bunnings, after a staff member tested positive for the virus.
The Campbelltown Bunnings employee worked three shifts while potentially infectious, but wore a mask during their shift and practised social distancing, NSW Health said.
NSW Health is advising customers who attended Bunnings Campbelltown on Tuesday 4 August, Wednesday 5 August and Thursday 6 August to be alert for symptoms of COVID-19 and if even mild symptoms occur, to get tested and isolate themselves.https://t.co/pCLBfrIwOV pic.twitter.com/Bk3IWo7YKu
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 8, 2020
Customers who visited the store at the following times have been advised to get tested and isolate if they experience even the mildest symptoms: Tuesday 4 August from 11am to 7pm, Wednesday 5 August from 8am to 4pm, Thursday 6 August from 1pm to 3pm.
Close contacts of the staff member have been identified and are self-isolating.
READ MORE: Nine new cases in NSW
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