Coronavirus Australia live news: New lockdown for Orange; SA locks down, Victoria’s lockdown extended another week, NSW records 78 new cases
Orange and nearby towns in regional NSW will go into lockdown from midnight after a pet food delivery driver spread coronavirus from southwest Sydney.
Welcome to rolling coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.
Thirteen million Australians will be under coronavirus measures from tonight as Delta continues its march across the nation.
Victoria’s “five day” lockdown will be extended by another seven days to midnight next Tuesday, July 27. It comes as the state recorded 13 new virus cases.
NSW has recorded 78 local cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, with 27 of those infectious in the community.
South Australia will enter a snap lockdown from 6pm tonight
Paul Garvey 11.30pm:Escapee had the sheets with hotel quarantine
A 39-year-old Queensland man who allegedly escaped from his fourth-storey hotel quarantine room by making a rope out of bed sheets had been arrested and charged by West Australian police.
The man had arrived in Perth on a flight from Brisbane on Monday afternoon without a valid exemption to enter the state. He was directed to leave WA within 48 hours and was taken to a quarantine hotel in Rivervale while he awaited his return flight, but in the early hours of Tuesday he climbed out a window of his room using bed sheets he had tied together and fled.
He was arrested just over eight hours later in Mt Lawley, 7.5km away.
Yoni Bashan10.45pm:Builders’ case for getting tradies back on site
A coalition of home building companies is urging the NSW government to immediately restart residential construction across Greater Sydney under a plan that will significantly reduce mobility on worksites but allow homes to be built during the lockdown.
Devised by the Housing Industry Association, the plan seeks an immediate resumption of building activity across Greater Sydney by halving the number of trade teams allowable on work sites.
The plan would also limit those teams to a maximum of five people and restrict tradespeople to four jobs sites a week.
Joseph Lam 10pm: Updated orders for NSW central west
NSW Health has provided an update on the stay-at-home orders coming into central west NSW from 12.01am on Wednesday.
Anyone who lives in the local government areas of Blayney, the Cabonne Shire Council and Orange can only leave home for the following reasons:
● Shopping for food or other essential goods and services
● Medical care, compassionate needs and to get vaccinated unless you have been identified as a close contact
● To exercise outdoors. Groups are limited to two unless you are members of the same household
● To work or study where you cannot work or study from home
● To attend a wedding or a funeral. A grace period is in place until 12.01am on Friday July 23. After this date, funerals will be limited to ten people.
The new rule requires face masks to be worn indoors and in outdoor settings where you cannot socially distance yourself from others, including queuing for takeaway food.
COVID-19 testing clinics will be open at Bathurst, Orange, Parkes, Blayney and Molong.
To protect the people of NSW from the evolving COVID-19 outbreak, new restrictions will be introduced for the Orange City Council, Blayney Shire Council, and Cabonne Shire Council areas from 12.01am Wednesday July 21 until 12.01am Wednesday July 28. pic.twitter.com/j4NQeCUras
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) July 20, 2021
David Penberthy 9.15pm:Businesses in fear as state snapped shut
The snap imposition of a hard seven-day lockdown in South Australia has left shattered businesses with unanswered questions about what compensation they will receive to offset their multimillion-dollar losses.
But the state government insists it had no choice but to move swiftly against the fast-spreading Delta variant, saying it had shown that any delays could have resulted in a mass outbreak within days.
As SA’s supermarkets were again the scene of frenzied panic buying, Premier Steven Marshall said SA had signed up to the joint state-federal compensation arrangements at last Friday’s national cabinet and details of relief would be made available soon.
Rachel Baxendale8.30pm: Infection triggers testing push in Victoria’s east
Gippsland’s Wellington Respiratory Clinic, in Sale in Victoria’s east, will increase its testing capacity on Wednesday in response to a positive case in the Wellington Shire.
The area covers Sale, Yarram and Maffra.
Gippsland’s Wellington Respiratory Clinic will increase its testing capacity tomorrow, in response to a positive case in the Wellington Shire — covering Sale, Yarram and Maffra. Stay safe, team Vic. #covid19vic
— Dr Sandro Demaio (@SandroDemaio) July 20, 2021
Sandro Demaio, CEO of Victorian government health promotion foundation Vic Health, tweeted that the Health Department would not be listing any exposure sites as the person had been in quarantine while infectious.
No exposure sites from @VicGovDH as the person was infectious while in quarantine and subsequently tested positive. #covid19vic
— Dr Sandro Demaio (@SandroDemaio) July 20, 2021
Rachel Baxendale7.45pm:Melbourne firm an exposure threat for a week
A logistics business in Melbourne’s outer west has been listed as a Tier 1 coronavirus exposure site for seven full consecutive days.
Anyone who attended BR International Logistics in Australis Drive, Derrimut, between Tuesday, July 13, and Monday, July 19, must quarantine for 14 days.
The site is among almost 30 new sites listed on Tuesday, bringing the total number of exposure sites in Victoria to 349.
Also listed are sites in Richmond, Carlton and St Kilda in inner-city Melbourne, Camberwell and Box Hill South in the east, Glen Iris in the southeast, and Dandenong and Berwick in the outer southeast,
There are also eight new public transport exposures, including at Southern Cross Station in the CBD, Blackburn station in the outer east, and on city trams.
Joseph Lam 7.20pm: Lockdown for Orange, Blayney and Cabonne LGA
A regional NSW city and nearby towns will be thrown into lockdown from midnight on Tuesday after Sydney’s growing Covid-19 outbreak spilled into the state’s west.
Blayney, the Cabonne Shire Council and Orange will be under strict restrictions for the next seven days, a decision made in a crisis meeting on Tuesday to curb the virus’s spread in regional NSW.
The new restrictions will see about 50,000 people in the area only allowed to leave home for essential trips, including medical appointments and grocery shopping. But construction will continue and retail stores will remain open.
The announcement came after NSW recording 78 new locally acquired cases and one overseas-acquired case in the 24 hours to 8pm on Monday.
Just 37 of those new cases were in isolation during their infection perious. So far 49 have been linked to a known case or cluster, 45 of which are household contacts and four of which are close contacts.
On Tuesday, NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant confirmed one of those cases had been recorded in the regional town of Cootamundra, about 190km south of Blayney.
NSW Health has listed the following exposure sites as venues of concern. Anyone who visited during the listed exposure times is required to get tested immediately then isolate for 14 days regardless of the result.
● Woolworths, North Orange Shopping Centre, 9 Telopea Way, Orange: Saturday, July 17, from 1.20pm to 1.50pm; 3pm to 3.30pm
● CTC Orange, North Orange Shopping Centre, 9 Telopea Way, Orange: Saturday from 1.50pm to 2pm
● Officeworks, 179 to 181 Byng Street, Orange: Saturday from 4.35pm to 5.50pm
● Pizza Hut, 33 Bathurst Road, Orange: Saturday from 4.55pm to 5.05pm
● EG FuelCo Australia, 1 Hanrahan Place, Orange: Saturday from 5.45pm to 6pm
Joseph Lam 7.20pm: PM offers income support to SA
Scott Morrison has activated income support payments of up to $600 a week for South Australians affected by Covid-19 restrictions.
The government declared on Tuesday night that it would “stand by South Australians” and help communities struggling with the economic consequences of extended lockdowns.
Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly has declared a number of local government areas in the state a “hotspot” under the commonwealth definition, ensuring that individuals will be eligible for Covid disaster payments.
These payments will see affected workers receiving $375 if they have lost between eight and less than 20 hours of work and $600 if they have lost 20 or more hours of work. No liquid assets test will apply to these payments.
A statement issued by the Prime Minister, Government Services Minister Linda Reynolds and Emergency Management Minister Bridget McKenzie said the payments would be paid in arrears and that applications could be made through myGov from Wednesday July 28.
“To get ready, South Australians should set up their myGov accounts so they can claim quickly and easily online,” they said.
“Services Australia will make the payments as quickly as possible, with some payments being made in less than an hour following an application.”
South Australians in the following local government areas can apply:
The cities of:
• Adelaide
• Burnside
• Campbelltown
• Charles Sturt
• Holdfast Bay
• Marion
• Mitcham
• Norwood Payneham and St Peters
• Onkaparinga
• Playford
• Port Adelaide Enfield
• Prospect
• Salisbury
• Tea Tree Gully
• Unley
• West Torrens
The towns of:
• Gawler
• Walkerville
And the council of:
• Adelaide Hills Council
Joseph Lam6.50pm: McGowan closes SA border
Western Australia has closed its borders to anyone who has travelled through South Australia since Thursday July 8, requiring anyone entering the state after that date to isolate for 14 days and take a Covid-19 test within 48 hours of arriving and again on Day 12.
Those unable to quarantine at home will be directed to hotel quarantine.
“My advice to any West Australian who is currently in South Australia is to come home now,” Premier Mark McGowan said on Tuesday. “Things can change rapidly and it is not worth the risk.”
Queensland has also shut its borders to residents travelling from South Australia with an official restriction set to come into place from 1am on Thursday.
While a small grace period was given, Queensland Premier Annstacia Palaszczuk announced a more immediate restriction requiring anyone who has travelled to a hotspot to get tested immediately upon return and to isolate at home.
“We strongly advise Queenslanders to reconsider travel to South Australia,” she said. “If you’re already in South Australia, please consider returning home if you can.”
The rule will also affect Queenslanders who will be required to apply for an exemption to return. Those who do not qualify for an exemption will be required to go into hotel quarantine for 14 days.
Joseph Lam6.28pm:Orange faces lockdown as Sydney cluster spreads west
A regional NSW city could go into lockdown from midnight on Tuesday after a pet food delivery driver spread coronavirus from southwest Sydney.
âš ï¸PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT – VENUES OF CONCERNâš ï¸
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) July 20, 2021
NSW Health has been notified of a number of new venues of concern, including venues in Goulburn and Orange, associated with confirmed cases of COVID 19. pic.twitter.com/sFOzMtsGQR
About 50,000 residents in and around Orange, 250km west of Sydney, could be locked down for seven days after the man who works in Blayney visited five large venues after contracting the virus from the Sydney worker.
It’s understood a crisis is being held to discuss the lockdown after the man travelled to an Officeworks, a fuel station, a Woolworths, a Pizza Hut and the North Orange Shopping Centre on Saturday afternoon.
NSW Health has listed the exposure times on Saturday afternoon from between 1.20pm and 6pm.
NSW Health has listed the following exposure sites as venues of concern. Anyone who visited during the listed exposure times is required to get tested immediately then isolate for 14 days regardless of the result.
● Woolworths, North Orange Shopping Centre, 9 Telopea Way, Orange: Saturday, July 17, from 1.20pm to 1.50pm; 3pm to 3.30pm
● CTC Orange, North Orange Shopping Centre, 9 Telopea Way, Orange: Saturday from 1.50pm to 2pm
● Officeworks, 179 to 181 Byng Street, Orange: Saturday from 4.35pm to 5.50pm
● Pizza Hut, 33 Bathurst Road, Orange: Saturday from 4.55pm to 5.05pm
● EG FuelCo Australia, 1 Hanrahan Place, Orange: Saturday from 5.45pm to 6pm
Joseph Lam6.08pm:Second Covid-positive ship leaves WA on alert
A 21-crew ship which travelled to Western Australia and later New Zealand from Jakarta has left the state on high alert after nine new crew members tested positive for Covid-19.
The Mattina, which docked in Fremantle from July 10 to 12, is the second ship which has posed a serious risk to the state, the first being BBC California, which has had 10 crew members test positive for the virus.
Premier Mark McGowan said he believed there was a relatively low risk posed to his state from the Mattina as strict Covid-19 protocols were followed and crew members tested positive after leaving Fremantle.
“The chief health officer advises if there is any risk involved with this ship, it is low,” he said.
“But out of an abundance of caution, all stevedores who may have come into contact with the ship, whilst she was in Fremantle, are being contacted by Western Australia Health and interviewed to determine the most appropriate testing and quarantine arrangements for them,” he said.
Mr McGowan said about 25 people came into contact with crew members aboard the Mattina including pilots, customers officers and ship handlers.
“All those people have been individually interviewed to see what level of precaution has to be put in around them,” he said.
On the BBC California, Mr McGowan said Western Australia was still figuring out how to handle the situation and the positive crew members on board.
“We are now at a stage where decisions need to be made on how to best handle the BBC California, from a COVID point of view and from a maritime safety standpoint,” he said.
“We don’t want to risk the health of the remaining healthy crew members and need to ensure the ship has adequate crew to safely operate.”
Eli Greenblat5.24pm:David Jones defies Covid hit
Upmarket department store David Jones has seen consumer confidence improve despite the pandemic, with closed borders preventing Australians from travel overseas driving higher “inward focused consumption”.
This has seen a rebound in sales for David Jones, as well as the Country Road fashion group which is part of the same retailer, with second half sales for the department store better by more than 17 per cent. However, the retailer is expected to see its profits shaved by writedowns and impairments linked to the closure of its food business.
The comments were made in an market update by Woolworths Holdings, the South African retailer that owns David Jones. While they share the same name, there are no links between Australia’s Woolworths and the South African group.
Rachel Baxendale4.45pm:Eid festival ‘had no bearing’ on lockdowns
Daniel Andrews said his government’s decision to extend Victoria’s lockdown was not influenced by the timing of the Muslim festival of Eid, which is due to be celebrated this weekend.
A family Eid gathering in Coburg in Melbourne’s north in late June last year sparked what was then one of the state’s biggest family clusters, as daily case numbers began to reach double digits on their way to a peak of 725 cases on August 5.
“My message is one of goodwill and best wishes for a very holy time,” the Victorian Premier said when asked whether he had a message for the Muslim community ahead of Eid.
“This particular festival, this particular cohort, this particular series of events was not a factor (in determining lockdown timing), so I wouldn’t read anything into that.”
Rachel Baxendale4.35pm:Andrews defends delays on Business helpline
Daniel Andrews has hit back at criticism over a message telling callers to the Business Victoria hotline they would be on hold for more than 17 hours by saying that his government “literally can’t have 30,000 people answering phones”.
On Monday, desperate Victorian business owners calling the hotline were greeted with a recorded message telling them their “estimated wait time is about 17 hours and five minutes”.
The government has attributed the message to a “technical issue” and maintains calls were answered within 10 to 20 minutes.
But despite Mr Andrews claiming on Tuesday that the issue has “been rectified” callers were still waiting more than an hour for their calls to be answered.
“We work as hard as we can to provide information that’s accurate in as timely a way as possible,” Mr Andrews said when asked to respond to the ongoing long wait times.
“I think people know and understand though, like we literally can’t have 30,000 people answering phones.
“People will call in and we will get to them as fast as we can with the best information we can. If we don’t have an answer we’ll follow it up. That’s often a very time-consuming thing.”
The Australian understands 30 call-takers were added to a roster of 70 on Monday to accommodate the extra demand.
Asked whether Business Victoria had “solved” the problem of yesterday’s message by removing the hotline feature telling people how long they were likely to be on hold, Mr Andrews said: “I’m not briefed on that and I’m not necessarily directly involved in the messages people hear, pre-recorded or otherwise, when they call those hotlines.”
Paul Garvey4.30pm:Man arrested after daring hotel quarantine escape
A 39-year-old man who allegedly escaped from his fourth storey hotel quarantine room by making a rope out of bed sheets has been arrested and charged by Western Australian police.
The man had arrived in Perth on a flight from Brisbane on Monday afternoon without a valid exemption to enter the state. He was directed to leave WA within 48 hours and was taken to a quarantine hotel in Rivervale while he awaited his return flight, but in the early hours of Tuesday morning he climbed out a window of his room using bed sheets he had tied together and fled.
He was arrested just over eight hours in Mt Lawley, 7.5km away.
The man, who has returned a negative Covid-19 test, has been charged with failure to comply with a direction and providing false/misleading information and will appear in Perth magistrates court on Tuesday.
Queensland, NSW and Victoria are all classified as medium risk under WA’s controlled border policy, meaning only people with valid exemptions are allowed to enter WA from those states.
Max Maddison4.25pm:Hunt hits out at ‘fantasy’ on securing vaccines
Health Minister Greg Hunt has rejected the “fantasy” that the Morrison government could have done more to secure greater and earlier access to mRNA vaccines, as he claims the most important factor was ensuring domestic production.
Despite just over 10 per cent of the population having received their second dose, and less than a third of over 70-year-olds, Mr Hunt said the federal government had taken the only route available to them.
“One of the things I want to knock on the head is this fantasy that more could have been done earlier,” Mr Hunt told Sky News on Tuesday afternoon.
“We were able to obtain all of the early vaccinations, we added subsequently to later on in the year … but that was not available earlier.”
With the Morrison government procuring five vaccines - including AstraZeneca; the University of Queensland jab which was later abandoned; and Novavax, which won’t be available till later in the year - Mr Hunt said in an “intense global environment”, the most important quality was developing onshore vaccine capabilities.
“It was precisely because the international supply was constrained and understandably companies were producing for the country of manufacture … But we also knew that the only way to guarantee that supply was to create our own sovereign domestic manufacturing,” he said.
Rachel Baxendale4.10pm:Victoria’s ring of steel ‘protected country’
Justifying his lockdown extension, Daniel Andrews said the stay-at-home orders would not be in place for “an hour longer” than necessary.
“This is a matter of days. The alternative is months,” the Premier said.
“We don’t want that. We’ve been there. We’ve done that. We know how hard it is. Sydney is going through that at the moment and we send our best wishes and support to them.
“I am determined to avoid that. We are all as Victorians, determined to avoid that.”
Greater Sydney has so far been locked down for 25 days, and five people have died from coronavirus in that time.
Amid Victoria’s 112-day lockdown last year, 801 people died after contracting coronavirus, 655 of whom were residents of private aged care facilities.
Asked how long Victoria would be closed to people from NSW, Mr Andrews said it was “very much dependent upon the virus numbers in Sydney” and the control measures put in place by the Berejiklian government.
“I just remind you all, we had a ring of steel around Melbourne last year and it didn’t just protect country Victoria, it protected the whole country,” Mr Andrews said.
He noted that he “had to announce” the suspension of red zone permits for people wanting to return to Victoria from NSW.
Asked whether he was calling for NSW to impose a “ring of steel” around Sydney, Mr Andrews said: “That’s entirely a matter for them. I don’t want to see more cases from Sydney.”
Joseph Lam4.05pm:Tasmania open to essential SA travellers only
Tasmania’s move to close its border to South Australia comes after that state’s tally of five Covid-19 cases were all linked to the Delta variant.
The stage two restrictions will restrict anyone except for essential travellers from entering the state.
All of those wishing to enter, including Tasmanian residents, will need to apply for essential traveller status. Those who are not approved and do not have suitable accommodation will be required to isolate in hotel quarantine for 14 days and may be forced to pay a fee.
The move to lock South Australians out of the state follows an earlier decision to restrict residents from NSW and Victoria.
Rachel Baxendale4pm:Andrews explains variation in test result times
Daniel Andrews has conceded that turnaround times for coronavirus test results are not uniform across Victoria, with Mildura, 540km northwest of Melbourne, representing a particular challenge.
Statewide 92.5 per cent of results are being returned within 24 hours.
“It is a little challenging because we have to fly samples out of that community and into labs,” Mr Andrews said of Mildura.
“There’s a bit of (variation) and you’ll see this in your own family, circle of friends, some people will get them back within 12-18 hours, some are closer to four hours, some are more than 24 hours since the swab was taken.
“Overall our capacity is strong and the teams are doing an amazing job. To continue to have 50 (thousand) a day pretty much and have 90 per cent plus of those coming back the next day, that’s a really strong outcome.”
Rachel Baxendale3.50pm:Lockdown ‘cost-benefit analysis needed’
National employer association AiGroup has called for a cost benefit analysis of lockdowns and the supercharging of Australia’s vaccine rollout, as more than half of the nation’s population endures stay-at-home orders.
AiGroup chief executive Innes Willox state leaders had for too long referred to “health advice” to justify “job and life wrecking decisions” on lockdowns.
“The time has come for that advice to include a proper cost benefit analysis of lockdown decisions, including the impact of Covid lockdowns on general health, mental health, impacted business sectors and the general economy,” Mr Willox said.
“Premiers need to stand up and advise the community of their best estimate, based on a proper analysis of earlier experiences, of how many jobs will be lost and for how long, how many people will be stood down, how many businesses will have to close temporarily and permanently, how much economic activity and wealth will be lost, how many doctors appointments will be cancelled and how many extra calls to mental health services will be made as a result of their decisions.
“Until that advice becomes more transparent and includes more than health advice, doubts will continue to grow as to whether we are on the right path and confidence will be further eroded in the decisions made by state governments.”
Mr Willox said that almost 18 months into the pandemic, more than two-thirds of the nation’s economy was impacted by ongoing lockdowns with no clear end in sight.
“The simple reality is that we can’t keep going on like this,” he said. “The Prime Minister’s four-phase pathway out of COVID is well thought through but doubts are growing by the day as to whether there is any taste from the states to follow through with the plan.
“We need the vaccine roll-out to be supercharged with clearly articulated rewards for accepted and achievable targets such as the end to lockdowns and border closures.”
Mr Willox also hit out at the NSW government’s decision to shut construction “when risks are extremely minimal in an industry that is leading the way in COVID safe practices”.
“(It) surely cannot be justified by any data or proper risk assessment,” he said. “South Australia is now following suit with a construction shutdown as part of a seven-day state-wide lockdown that looks like a kneejerk response.”
Staff Reporters3.40pm:Tasmania closes its border to South Australia
Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein says South Australia will be declared a “high-risk level two” from 4pm today, meaning travellers won’t be allowed in unless they’re an essential traveller.
It comes as SA prepares to enter a snap lockdown from 6pm tonight after another two local infections brought the state’s current cluster to five cases.
Border restrictions will remain in place until at least Tuesday, Mr Gutwien said.
Rachel Baxendale3.30pm:‘Fingers crossed’ over Queensland case
Victorian chief health officer Brett Sutton said a student in her 20s who tested positive overnight after returning to Queensland from Victoria was a known primary close contact of one of his state’s clusters.
“They’ve tested negative initially. They’ve subsequently tested positive,” Professor Sutton said.
“They were messaged from us as soon as we were aware of them as a primary close contact and that’s prompted the testing.
“Whether or not they transmit to anyone else, that’s all in Queensland Health hands.
“I’ve had some communication with the (Queensland) chief health officer (Jeanette Young) this morning on that and obviously we have our fingers crossed for them there’s no further transmission from that case.”
Rachel Baxendale3.25pm:Could Victoria’s lockdown end early?
Asked whether Victoria’s extended lockdown could end earlier than midnight on Tuesday July 27, chief health officer Brett Sutton said the lockdown would be reviewed daily.
“I am sure we will come back to you over the course of the next week where you’ll ask that question every single day, and we’ll be reviewing that on a day-by-day basis,” Professor Sutton said.
He said the inclusion of regional Victoria in what is currently a statewide lockdown would similarly be reviewed “day-by-day”.
“It is fair to say detections in sewage, in Phillip Island, cases in Mildura, primary close contacts across the state, there’s a lot to play out here yet, but of course it’s under review every day,” Professor Sutton said.
Rachel Baxendale3.20pm:Sutton tips good results after seven days
Victorian chief health officer Brett Sutton says he has a “high level of confidence” that the state will be “on top of” the current outbreaks when its lockdown is due to end seven days.
“We won’t say that after seven days there is absolutely no risk of someone being out in the community infectious, but there is a high level of confidence that we’ll be on top of it,” Professor Sutton said.
“Equally, that might come earlier or, again, there might be something from left field, a super spreading event, someone not complying, someone not discovered in the community or, indeed, another incursion into Victoria that hasn’t been detected thus far.”
Professor Sutton said he expected daily case numbers in seven days would be “absolutely in single figures”, and “that there’s a reasonable chance that we’ll have no new individuals who were out in the community during their infectious period.”
“There’s a probability that that sits within. There’s always uncertainty around that,” he said.
Professor Sutton said the end of the lockdown was not dependent on reaching zero cases, but would be based on how much time infectious cases had spent in the community.
“A person who’s out in the community for any time with this Delta variant could transmit to one person, could transmit to no people, but could transmit to 20 people. So you have to be sure that you’ve got the response around that risk,” he said.
Over the weekend Victoria’s new cases had spent an average of 1.7 or 1.8 days in the community while infectious, with that number falling to 1.5 on Monday.
“I reckon it is under one for today, given again the great majority haven’t been out in the community at all,” Professor Sutton said.
Heath Parkes-Hupton3.10pm:Nestle factory closed over Covid case
A Nestle factory in regional NSW has closed and a worker has tested positive for Covid-19 after coming into contact with a truck driver carrying the virus.
The company’s facility in Blayney, in the state’s central west, was closed on Sunday and all staff ordered to isolate after the visit last week.
In a statement Nestle said the infected worker was “doing reasonably well” and had been in isolation.
“The person is among the small number of people identified by NSW Health as close contacts of a truck driver who tested positive following visiting the site last week,” the company said.
“All close contacts have been tested, and all have been directed to self-isolate by NSW Health. In addition, NSW Health has asked that we close the site.
“Our immediate concern since becoming aware of the possibility of contact at the site has been to protect our workers and the community.”
— NCA NewsWire
Rachel Baxendale 2.53pm:Change in rules for outdoor workers
The Andrews government has made minor changes to its “Authorised Premises and Authorised Worker” list, to enable people who provide services which operate solely outdoors, where physical distancing can be maintained at all times, to continue working.
Affected enterprises include mobile pet grooming services, pamphlet delivery, landscaping, solar panel installation, and work on unoccupied properties.
Further details can be found at coronavirus.vic.gov.au.
Rachel Baxendale 2.42pm:‘Immeasurable pressure’ on tourism, business
Victoria’s Tourism Industry Council said the extension of the state’s lockdown for another week had placed “immeasurable pressure” on the businesses that support the visitor economy, with the industry now “hanging on by a thread”.
VTIC CEO Felicia Mariani said operators across the industry had no financial or emotional reserves left and needed to be urgently supported.
“With Lockdown 5.0 now being extended, it’s clear that we won’t have a road to recovery without significant sustained support that lasts until widespread vaccinations can be achieved across the country at year’s end,” Ms Mariani said.
“Every overnment talks about “go hard and go fast” in shutting down this virus; we need to see the same commitment to supercharging our rate of vaccinations and supporting the industry’s survival and recovery.”
“The key pain point is that current support measures only cover periods of lockdown, or in the case of the federal government, periods of regions being classified as commonwealth hotspots.
“VTIC knows from our members that the reverberations of these rolling lockdowns create economic impact that stretches well beyond the timing of the lockdown.
“Our members are telling us that it takes them four to six weeks to get their business rhythms back to pre-lockdown operations, and three months to get their trading levels back to what they were experiencing prior to any lockdown.”
Ms Mariani said the federal government’s decision to end JobKeeper was based on modelling showing Australia would achieve significant rates of vaccination by the end of March.
“Clearly that projection never materialised, and our businesses have been subjected to rolling extended lockdowns that are shattering Victoria’s and Australia’s tourism and events industry,” she said.
“With lockdowns now in three states, we must see commitment from the state and commonwealth governments to sustained levels of businesses support until we achieve heightened levels of vaccination across the country, which is not expected to occur until the last quarter of 2021.”
Victoria’s visitor economy shrunk by $21.5 billion during the period of the pandemic leading up to April 2021.
Nationally, visitor spend from both domestic and international markets has fallen from $150bn in early 2020 to $80bn currently, Ms Mariani said.
She said 660,000 direct jobs and more than a million indirect jobs were at stake nationally.
Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry CEO Paul Guerra said Victoria’s lockdown extension was “devastating”.
“Five days has turned into 12 days for Lockdown Five, right off the back of Lockdown Four,” Mr Guerra said.
“Businesses and workers do not have the cash or emotional reserves for further restrictions on trade and work.
“Governments need to find a way for cash to flow and correctly compensate for their losses.
“Businesses understand the need to protect public health, but they can’t keep bearing the disproportionate cost of lockdowns.”
Victorian Property Council deputy executive direction Nick Johnston said the extension of Victoria’s fifth lockdown reinforced that vaccination was the only pathway out of the pandemic.
We support measures to protect the community against what is a fast moving and ever evolving virus but lockdowns can’t be a permanent solution,” Mr Johnston said.
“Lockdowns have a devastating impact not just on Victorian business but people’s lives, and with every lockdown our economic recovery and Melbourne’s CBD takes another huge hit.
“The reality is COVID be with us for some time yet and the only way out of this crisis is for those who are eligible to be vaccinated to roll their sleeves up. With the vaccine rollout ramping up, it’s up to all of us to do what we can to future-proof our communities and workplaces against further outbreaks.
“Once we do emerge from this latest lockdown we will need to redouble efforts to reopen our city and enable people to return to their daily lives safely. This includes looking at ways to get people back to the workplace and enjoying all Victoria has to offer.”
READ MORE: Too many Zoom meetings? Keep remote workers more productive and sane
Rachel Baxendale2.34pm: Unlinked transmission sites cause Victorians concern
Victorian transmission sites which have not been linked to new cases on Tuesday but remain of concern to authorities include:
- The Crafty Squire hotel in Melbourne’s CBD, as more than 400 soccer fans watched the Euro final in the early hours of Monday July 12. In their midst was the Trinity Grammar teacher who had contracted the virus at the MCG just 36 hours earlier. One positive case, which was in Monday’s numbers, has so far been linked to this venue. Of 450 primary close contacts, almost 75 per cent have returned negative test results.
- AAMI Park, where the Trinity Grammar teacher transmitted the virus to at least three others on the evening of Tuesday July 13. More than 50 per cent of 2,100 primary close contacts have tested negative.
- Mildura, 540km from Melbourne, in Victoria’s northwest. A positive case was detected there on Sunday in a person who was at the MCG on July 10. A household contact of this person, who also attended the game, subsequently tested positive on Monday.
Rachel Baxendale2.08pm: Where Victoria’s latest cases lie
Of Victoria’s 13 new cases on Tuesday:
- Seven are linked to the Ms Frankie restaurant in Cremorne in Melbourne’s inner east. This cluster was sparked by a Trinity Grammar teacher who caught the virus at the MCG on July 10 and transmitted it to other people at the Crafty Squire Hotel and Trinity Grammar on July 12, and Ms Frankie and AAMI Park on July 13. Of Tuesday’s seven cases linked to Ms Frankie, three are staff, two are patrons, and three are further household primary close contacts. This brings the total number of transmissions linked to Ms Frankie to 19, including six staff members, 11 patrons and two household contacts. Of the 19, 18 were in the venue on either Tuesday or Thursday last week. There are 840 primary close contacts associated with this cluster, 69 per cent of whom have returned a negative test result.
- Two are linked to Trinity Grammar in Kew, in Melbourne’s east. One is a staff member and one is a student at nearby Ruyton Girls’ School. This brings the total number of transmissions linked to Trinity Grammar to nine, including five staff members, three Trinity students, and the Ruyton student. There are 2,500 staff and students in isolation, two thirds of whom have returned a negative test result.
- Two are household contacts linked to the MCG. These people share a household with a person who was at the MCG on July 10. There are now 14 cases associated with the MCG, nine of whom attended the Geelong vs Carlton match on July 10. There are 3,800 primary close contacts associated with the MCG, just over half of whom have returned a negative test result.
- One is a member of a group of six who spent three days on Phillip Island with a person who caught the virus at the MCG. Five members of this group have now tested positive, but the cluster is yet to spread beyond the group. However, Victorian Covid-19 logistics chief Jeroen Weimar said coronavirus fragments had been detected in wastewater on Phillip Island. There are 700 primary close contacts linked to the Phillip Island group, some of whom are on the island. Of these, 43 per cent have so far returned a negative test result.
- One is a woman in her 20s from Roxburgh Park in Melbourne’s outer north. This case is under investigation and yet to be linked to Melbourne’s two current outbreaks, one of which was sparked by three Sydney removalists and spread to the MCG, and the other of which stems from a family in the City of Hume in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, who breached home quarantine soon after returning from Sydney.
“We are working through her connections at this moment in time,” Mr Weimar said of the Roxburgh Park woman.
“We have very strong indications that she’s connected to the City of Hume outbreak.”
Mr Weimar said coronavirus fragments had been detected in wastewater from Roxburgh Park overnight, and urged anyone in the Roxburgh Park or Coolaroo area who had “any symptoms whatsoever or reasons to be concerned” to get tested immediately.
There are 11 cases associated with the City of Hume outbreak if the Roxburgh Park woman is included. There are 280 primary close contacts linked to these people, 70 per cent of whom have returned a negative test result. The Health Department is expecting to hold virtual community meetings with communities in the northern suburbs tonight and over coming days.
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Max Maddison2.03pm:Nearly 1m vaccines administered in past week
Australia’s vaccination rollout has begun to gather pace, with Health Minister Greg Hunt revealing that almost one million vaccinations took place within one week, as he flags a pending decision on whether South Australia is included as a commonwealth hotspot.
With 975,716 vaccinations taking place around Australia within one week, Mr Hunt said it was an “immensely important step”, as a symbol and in terms of “practical protection on a mass scale”.
Almost 10.3 million vaccinations have now taken place, with 2.9 million people fully vaccinated, and 7.3 million,or 35.7 per cent
of the population, who have received their first jab.
While the country was enduring “challenging days” he said there were “real signs of hope”, as he contrasted the situation in NSW with the second wave outbreak in Melbourne.
“The difference now is that New South Wales has stabilised. That is the most important real sign of hope in Australia today. There’s more work to do, as the premier said, today, with regards to the infectious cases in the community. They are stable,” Mr Hunt told a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
He also highlighted the vast discrepancy between flu cases which are generally diagnosed in an average year and 2021, saying it was an “important byproduct” of the measures being taken by state and federal governments.
“That in an average year, over the last five years, at this stage, we would have had 53,000 diagnosed flu cases and 157 lives lost,” he said. “At this point there have been 408 cases diagnosed of influenza in Australia, and zero lives lost.”
Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly will be meeting with South Australian chief health officer Nicola Spurrier on Tuesday afternoon to consider whether the state was included as a Commonwealth defined hot spot, Mr Hunt said.
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Anton Nilsson 1.54pm: Town 400km from Sydney on virus alert
A positive coronavirus case has been discovered in the rural NSW town of Cootamundra.
The Murrumbidgee Local Health District said the person visited a private residence in the town on July 16 and that they had subsequently tested positive.
Household members have been identified as close contacts, and those people are in self-isolation and have been tested.
“No community risk has been identified at this time,” the local health district said in a statement.
Please check the NSW Government website regularly, and follow the relevant health advice if you have attended a venue of concern or travelled on a public transport route at the same time as a confirmed case of COVID-19: https://t.co/pqkRdfh3cR.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) July 20, 2021
A mobile testing clinic was set up at the Cootamundra Showground at 47 Pinkerton Road and will be open between 10am and 4pm.
People were urged to call ahead on 1800-831-099 to pre-register for an appointment. Walk-ins were also possible.
There were three possible exposure sites identified in the area.
Anyone who has been at the following places at the relevant times will be considered a close contact and should get tested immediately and self-isolate for 14 days:
Gundagai Shell Coles Express, Thursday 8 July between 1.00am and 1.30am
Jindera Shell, Saturday 10 July between 11.15am and 11.45am
Hay Shell Roadhouse, Saturday 10 July between 7.30am – 8.00am
– NCA Newswire
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Nicholas Jensen1.11pm: Alert for 2500 residents of inner city development
Thousands of residents at Sydney Park Village in Erskineville have now been deemed casual contacts after a positive case reportedly attended the property on Saturday morning.
More than 2500 residents will now be forced to get tested and self-isolate until a negative result is returned.
It is also understood specific locations within the complex have been named as “close contact” sites by NSW Health.
In response to the state’s unfolding Delta outbreak, more than 62,000 residents were tested for the virus in the last 24 hours.
READ MORE: Andrews plays numbers game as he backs zero, hits NSW
Nicholas Jensen12.31pm: South Australia to enter snap lockdown
South Australia will enter a snap lockdown from 6pm tonight after health officials recorded another two local infections of Covid-19, bringing the state’s current cluster to five cases.
Premier Steven Marshall said the lockdown will last “for at least seven days”, while confirming the outbreak was the Delta strain.
“We’re extremely concerned about developments this morning, we now have a fourth and a fifth case to report”
The fourth case was one of the 16 close contacts announced by SA Health yesterday, while a fifth case was detected in a patron at a Greek restaurant on Halifax Street.
Mr Marshall said “we have no alternative but to impose some fairly heavy immediate restrictions to take effect from 6pm tonight … South Australia moves into lockdown, there will now be just five reasons why people can leave their home”.
Medical reasons including vaccination and testing
Purchase of essential goods, such as a food
Care and compassion reasons
Essential work
Exercise limited to those from the same household
The South Australian government will close schools across the state from tomorrow and impose a pause on construction work and elective surgery.
Mr Marshall said there will be no intimate partner exemption during the lockdown.
“We’ve moved very quickly, very decisively to stop the spread, every single day that you let this go, you put yourself in a more difficult situation to bring it back under control...
“It will certainly slow and put a stop to this variance breeding any further but it’s only going to happen with the cooperation of all South Australians, we’ve got to stop movement around this state, and we’ve got to stop it immediately.
“We hate putting those restrictions in place but we believe we have just one chance, one chance to get this right.”
READ the full story here
Paul Garvey 12.25pm: WA tightens border as SA records new case
Western Australia has tightened its border with South Australia in light of Adelaide’s latest Covid-19 outbreak.
People who enter in WA from SA will now need to self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival, effective immediately.
WA has already shut itself off from NSW, Victoria and Queensland, with only those who have been granted exemptions able to enter WA from those states.
Tasmania and the Northern Territory are now the only jurisdictions open to unencumbered travel to WA.
In a statement, WA premier Mark McGowan said the state’s controlled border had been instrumental to keeping the community safe.
“These changes will no doubt be disruptive and cause frustration but we need to do everything necessary to lock out this virus, especially when there are numerous Delta variant outbreaks on the eastern seaboard,” he said.
“I urge any Western Australian that has recently travelled to South Australia to come home immediately - as the hard border may need to return if the situation escalates further.”
Rachel Baxendale12.22pm:Victoria ‘going in the right direction’
Victorian chief health officer Brett Sutton said that of Tuesday’s 13 new cases, nine had been in isolation during their entire infectious periods, with the activities of the remaining four “very substantially limited” due to the lockdown.
While 12 of the 13 cases have been linked to known outbreaks, the source of the remaining case is under investigation.
“I can’t say yet whether we are ahead of this thing, but I do know that our contact tracers, our health team, Public Health Units, are wrapping their arms around it and it is going in the right direction,” Professor Sutton said.
He said the rapid rate of transmission, which has seen people acquire and transmit the virus in as little as 36 hours, underscored the need to remain in lockdown.
“To lift restrictions now on another day of new cases who have had some time in the community, and double figures of cases, before we have fully wrapped ourselves around this outbreak, while we are still seeing curve balls of cases potentially not yet linked, will put all of the sacrifices of Victorians at risk and make it all for nought,” Professor Sutton said.
“We do not want that to happen. It is too early today to lift restrictions.”
Professor Sutton also pointed to the spread of the outbreak across the regions, from Phillip Island, 140km southeast of Melbourne, to Mildura, 540km northwest.
“We have seen significant and stand-alone outbreaks in regional areas in Phillip Island, in Bacchus Marsh, Barwon Heads and as far away as Mildura,” he said.
“Around a third of all of our primary close contacts are right across regional Victoria.
“Much of that is due to the super-spreading events early on in this outbreak that took place in the MCC members’ reserve for the Geelong v Carlton game.”
Professor Sutton pointed to five deaths in Sydney in highlighting the risk posed by the Delta coronavirus cluster in Victoria.
The NSW deaths include that of a woman in her 50s who is the mother of two removalists who have been charged over allegedly knowingly travelling around regional NSW while infected.
“(The lockdown) is a significant sacrifice, but a really important one that is going to protect all of us from potential further transmission and serious illness,” Professor Sutton said.
“There have been multiple deaths now with this Delta variant, including five in Sydney’s outbreak.
“We could have real and awful consequences if transmission were to continue to occur in Melbourne.”
Victorian Covid-19 logistics chief Jeroen Weimar said three of Victoria’s 85 active cases had been hospitalised, but none were in intensive care.
He said 92.5 per cent of test results were being returned within 24 hours.
Nicholas Jensen12.15pm: NSW number infectious in community corrected to 21
NSW Health has clarified some of this morning’s figures quoted at the premier’s daily press conference, after confirming the state recorded 78 cases of local transmission.
Of the 78 cases, NSW Health says 37 were in isolation throughout their infectious period, eight cases were in isolation for part of their infectious period and 21 cases were infectious in the community.
Health officials have confirmed the isolation status of 12 cases remains under investigation.
There have been 1418 locally acquired cases reported since 16 June, when the first case in the Bondi cluster was detected.
There are currently 95 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital, with 27 people in intensive care, 11 of whom require ventilation.
Rachel Baxendale 12.11pm: Andrews flags more support for business
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said further announcements would be made on Wednesday in relation to support for businesses forced to close due to the lockdown.
“I can confirm for you that more than 90,000 businesses have had payments made to them already,” Mr Andrews said.
He noted that the payments had been based on qualification for business support during last month’s lockdown, meaning the payments have been made automatically, without those who qualified last time needing to apply again.
However, tens of thousands of businesses who did not qualify last time have been struggling to find out why, and were yesterday greeted with a recorded message on the Business Victoria hotline telling them they could expect to be on hold for at least 17 hours.
“We will have more to say about further payments and further support, because there will be more pain because the lockdown is longer than we had first hoped,” Mr Andrews said.
“That will be very soon, as soon as tomorrow morning, the (Industry Recovery & Support) Minister (Martin Pakula) will take you through that.
“Again, that won’t require people to fill forms in.”
Rachel Baxendale11.59am:Victorians need exemption to return from NSW
Victoria is suspending the issuing of NSW red zone permits for at least a fortnight from midnight on Tuesday in light of Sydney’s uncontained Covid outbreak.
This means Victorians seeking to return home from NSW will not be able to enter Victoria without an exemption.
About 21,000 people have returned to Victoria from NSW on red and orange zone permits since Sydney’s Bondi cluster emerged last month, of whom about 11,000 are still completing their fortnight in home quarantine.
“For weeks we have been saying to people from Victoria who are in Sydney and now in broader New South Wales, not the bubble, but beyond that border bubble, we have been saying come home, come home because the rules may change. Well the rules are changing today,” Premier Daniel Andrews said.
“I can’t be having hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of Victorians coming back to Victoria while the situation further deteriorates and we see more and more cases, hundreds of cases in Sydney and we get this outbreak under control and then with finish up with another incursion brewing. I don’t want that to happen.
“For this reason, the chief health officer will temporarily pause the issuing of red zone permits from 11:59pm on Tuesday 20 July – pending a further review in a fortnight.”
For at least the next two weeks, Victorian residents in red zones will require an exemption to enter the state – and these will only be granted in exceptional circumstances.
“There will be exemptions on compassionate grounds if you had a loved one that was unwell or you yourself needed medical care,” Mr Andrews said.
“However, he warned those applying for compassionate exemptions to “be patient”.
“That is not a quick process and that is by virtue of the fact it takes into account every circumstance, which is what I think anyone seeking an exemption would want. That means it takes time,” he said.
If people enter Victoria from New South Wales without an exemption, they will be put on a return flight or placed in 14 days mandatory hotel quarantine.
Fines of $5452 may be imposed if a person is found to have entered Victoria from a red zone without a permit.
A person will still be able to enter Victoria from a red zone if they are aircrew, listed on the Specified Worker List, or transiting through Victoria to another jurisdiction – e.g. traveling from regional NSW through Mildura to get home to South Australia.
Mr Andrews said Victoria chief health officer Brett Sutton would continue to consider the status of the ACT, but the pause on red zone permits would also apply to that jurisdiction while it is classified as a red zone.
There are no changes to the current arrangements for border communities.
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Rachel Baxendale11.45am:On-site learning resumes for disability students
From Wednesday July 21, some students with a disability will be permitted to return to on-site learning, despite Victoria’s lockdown extension.
Where a parent or carer indicates that a student with a disability cannot learn from home due to vulnerability or family stress, the school must provide on-site learning for that student.
The change will apply to students enrolled in specialist schools and students with a disability enrolled in mainstream schools.
“We know for some families of kids that have got special needs, educating at homes, home schooling is incredibly difficult,” Premier Daniel Andrews said.
“Where that is causing real hardship then schools will be open for those kids.”
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Rachel Baxendale11.40am:Victoria getting most test results in 24 hours
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said 49,454 tests had been processed in the 24 hours to Tuesday, with 90 per cent of results returned within 24 hours of people being tested.
There are now 85 cases linked to the two NSW incursions which emerged just over a week ago, with 18,000 primary close contacts linked to those cases.
Rachel Baxendale11.35am:‘Promising news’ among Victoria cases
Premier Daniel Andrews said nine of Tuesday’s new cases had been in isolation for the entirety of their infectious period.
“So they were tucked away, away from others, no risk to public health. That is very, very promising,” he said. “We hope that continues and develops as a trend.
“That is really how we will know that we have brought this under control and we don’t have that residual risk of it running again, of it flaring up once we open up. We just can’t run that risk.
Mr Andrews said Victoria’s progress in quashing the current outbreaks had been “promising” and the state had avoided “a New South Wales-style long, lengthy, very challenging lockdown, where you just lose control of cases”.
He did not make reference to Victoria’s 112-day lockdown last year.
“But, we need more time,” Mr Andrews said. “That is why on the advice of the chief health officer we will extend these lockdowns for a further seven days.
“We are all going to work very, very hard to have Victoria begin the process of opening up at midnight next Tuesday, the 27th of July, so seven days from midnight tonight.
“We wish we could bring this in earlier, but we can’t run the risk that there are cases out there that we don’t know about.
“We need to avoid what is going on in Sydney at the moment.
Mr Andrews pointed to several “superspreader” events which have seen large numbers of transmissions, some of which have occurred between strangers at large sporting events.
“Some of those stranger-to-stranger infections and the speed with which this has moved through the Victorian community confirms that we did the right thing to lock down and it sadly confirms that we need more time,” he said.
Nicholas Jensen11.30am:NSW health chief warns of ‘emerging risk’
Dr Kerry Chant said there was an “emerging risk” in the Canterbury Bankstown LGA, asking residents to reduce their contact with others and follow the stay-at-home orders at all times.
She also called on residents in Hurstville, Kogarah, Guildford and Greystanes to come forward for urgent testing, saying NSW Health was yet to “crack and break” the chain of transmission.
“We are finding unlinked cases in other areas and that means there are changes of transmission we must address,” Dr Chant said.
NSW Health says the state continues to ramp-up testing capacity with a private pathology in Sydney to ensure fast turnaround times are maintained.
Despite lagging vaccine supply, Dr Chant said patients should continue to seek out available jabs whenever and wherever they can.
“We haven’t got enough vaccine at the moment, but we have got some vaccine which is accessible and I would urge everyone to go forward for your second dose of AstraZeneca or also your first dose or if you are eligible.”
Health Minister Brad Hazzard also urged the public to reject anti-vaxxers in the community and embrace the national rollout effort.
Regarding the rollout of the vaccines, Mr Hazzard said: “We know the (federal) government has now brought online more GPs to distribute the vaccine. That means that you have the capacity to hopefully ring a GP in your area, preferably your own GP, and get your vaccine.”
“Anti-vaxxers obviously live in another universe and give messages that this virus isn’t dangerous … This virus is an extremely transmissible virus. It can kill you and it can kill your family and your friends.”
Deputy Police Commissioner Gary Worboys confirmed 100 penalty notices issued in NSW.
One incident included a birthday gathering in an office in Sydney’s CBD, which involved seven people.
Rachel Baxendale11.21am: Victorian lockdown extended another week
Victoria’s “five day” lockdown will be extended by another seven days to 11:59pm next Tuesday July 27.
Premier Daniel Andrews’ lockdown extension comes after the state recorded 13 new cases in the 24 hours to Tuesday, 12 of which have been linked to current outbreaks and one of which is under investigation.
Nicholas Jensen 11.02am:NSW records 78 new cases, 27 infectious in community
NSW has recorded 78 local cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, with 27 of those infectious in the community.
More than 63,000 tests were recorded across NSW.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said “I want to say a big thank you to those living in the Fairfield local government area. We have noticed a significant increase in testing in that community and today, in particular, we want to encourage people living in the Canterbury Bankstown local government area to please come forward.”
Ms Berejiklian urged residents to continue to get testing, particularly in workplaces across south western Sydney, where the majority of cases have been detected.
Chief health officer Kerry Chant said the death of a 50 year old woman yesterday shows that “Covid is a very serious disease. We are seeing more hospitalisations, more admissions to ICU, more people on ventilators and we have to stop the spread”.
“Now is the time to ensure everyone complies with the spirit and intent of the public health orders.”
Dr Chant stressed health authorities were also working to re-open the construction industry as soon as possible.
“I want to stress the government is working very hard with communities to make sure construction can go back to work safely after July 30, and we will be having more say about that in the coming days.”
Rachel Baxendale10.36am: Victorian leaders to deliver update at 11.15am
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, Health Minister Martin Foley and chief health officer Brett Sutton are due to address the media at 11:15am.
The press conference comes after Mr Andrews on Monday promised to let Victorians know on Tuesday how much longer they will be confined in their homes under what was initially a five day lockdown.
The extension is expected to be at least five days to Sunday night, and could be as long as seven, according to sources familiar with the deliberations.
Nicholas Jensen10.17am: Melbourne outbreak hits Queensland
Queensland Health has recorded one new locally acquired case of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, after a woman from Mareeba in her 20s, who attended an exposure site in Melbourne, tested positive for the virus. The case is unrelated to any of the state’s existing outbreaks.
The woman, who was fully vaccinated, travelled from Melbourne to Maroochydore on July 13, and received a text from Victorian health officials on July 15 saying she had visited a close contact site on July 10.
Acting Premier Steven Miles said the woman had been infectious in the community from July 15 to July 17, especially in the Sunshine Coast.
Mr Miles urged Queenslanders in southern states to return home: “Now is not the time to be holidaying inter state,” he said.
Queensland chief health office Jeannette Young said: “I strongly recommend that people holiday in Queensland, that they don’t go interstate for holidays … Please holiday in Queensland. We don’t know where the next case might be.”
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Rachel Baxendale 9.40am: How the virus has spread across Victoria from NSW
Graphics released by Victoria’s Department of Health on Monday show the statewide spread of primary close contacts and recent returnees from NSW red zones.
These @VicGovDH graphics illustrate the spread of primary close contacts and red zone arrivals across Victoria. Almost a third, or 5177 of 15,800 PCCs linked to the current outbreaks are spread throughout regional Vic. That’s why the lockdown is likely to remain statewide. pic.twitter.com/786qWD1ojU
— Rachel Baxendale (@rachelbaxendale) July 19, 2021
As of Monday, 11 of 72 cases linked to the current outbreaks lived in regional Victoria, with almost a third, or 5177 of 15,800 primary close contacts residing in the regions.
Exposure sites extend from Phillip Island, 140km southeast of Melbourne to Mildura, 540km northwest, with the homes of close contacts scattered even further afield, from Warrnambool in the far southwest, to Wodonga in the northeast, and far east Gippsland.
This largely results from exposures at major sporting events, including the July 10 Geelong vs Carlton AFL match at the MCG and the July 12 Wallabies vs France rugby union clash at AAMI Park.
The spread of cases, exposures and primary close contacts across regional Victoria means the state’s extended lockdown is expected to remain statewide.
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Rachel Baxendale9.18am:Victoria records 13 new virus cases
Victoria has recorded 13 new coronavirus cases in the 24 hours to Tuesday, including one case which is yet to be linked to current outbreaks.
Reported yesterday: 13 new local cases and 2 new cases acquired overseas (currently in HQ).
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) July 19, 2021
- 17,083 vaccine doses were administered
- 49,454 test results were received
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl1hf3W#COVID19Vic#COVID19VicDatapic.twitter.com/DnSowZAsAm
Tuesday’s new cases include four cases made public on Monday, all of which are in people who were in isolation for the duration of their infectious period according to health officials.
Tuesday’s 13 cases follow 13 on Monday, 16 on Sunday, 19 on Saturday, 10 on each of Thursday and Friday, one last Wednesday and three including a NSW-acquired one last Tuesday, and bring the total number of community acquired cases since two incursions from NSW emerged just over a week ago to 85.
“Of the 13 new locally-acquired cases, 12 have been linked to the current outbreaks and one is under investigation,” Victoria’s Health Department tweeted regarding Tuesday’s numbers.
There were also two overseas acquired cases detected in hotel quarantine in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of active cases in Victoria to 96, including 11 acquired overseas.
The latest cases come after 49,454 tests were processed on Monday, down from 54,839 on Sunday and 53,283 on Saturday.
These numbers compare with Victoria’s June 2 record of 57,519 tests processed.
Nicholas Jensen 9.11am:SA Premier says state recorded a new case
South Australian Premier Steven Marshall has confirmed a fourth positive case of Covid-19 from overnight, as new restrictions came into effect across the state on Tuesday.
The Premier told Adelaide radio station FiveAA that the new case was a close contact of the man in his 80s who tested positive on Monday, saying he would provide a more detailed update at his press conference today.
Mr Marshall announced that more testing sites would open on Thursday, with additional health staff deployed to help reduce long waiting times.
The new restrictions that came into force on Tuesday include private gatherings capped at ten people, masks on public transport and changes to social distancing rules.
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Nicholas Jensen8.53am:Formula behind when NSW can lift restrictions
Modelling conducted at University of Melbourne suggests NSW will not be in position to lift its lockdown restrictions until the end of August, as contact tracers struggle to keep up with the spread of the Delta variant.
Epidemiologist Tony Blakely, who led the modelling research, told ABC RN that NSW must reach at least five cases per day in order to lift its current lockdown setting.
“We think that the number to watch is when it gets to about five cases per day,” Professor Blakely said. “When you get to about five cases per day you would assume all cases are occurring in isolation, so you can begin to relax your restrictions”.
Professor Blakely said the modelling shows that if NSW stayed in “soft lockdown” or “stage three lockdown”, the expected number of weeks would have been between eight to 14 weeks.”
“The benefit of doing it the hard way, with a hard lockdown, is that we have less uncertainty about numbers and can better predict when the lockdown will end.”
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Adeshola Ore8.41am: Defiant Hopkins’ final jibe as she’s deported
Divisive British TV personality Katie Hopkins couldn’t resist one last jibe at Australia, as she is deported for flouting the country’s quarantine rules.
Hopkins departed Sydney Airport on Monday afternoon after her visa was cancelled over the breach and as NSW police confirmed the 46-year-old was issued a $1000 fine for not wearing a mask on Sunday – a breach of the state’s public health orders.
But a defiant Hopkins posted a picture of herself in an empty business class cabin on Instagram, claiming: “You may ‘deport’ the Hopkins. But you cannot silence the truth”.
Telling her followers she would “see them in the morning,” she added: “We will fight to TAKE BACK our freedoms.”
The post, which has since disappeared from her public page, followed shortly after the far right commentator uploaded a “how to survive a media sh*t storm” guide, telling her “lovelies” not to be cowed, as the “fight for freedom” was a “fight for our children’s future”.
Hopkins was dumped as a member of Seven’s Big Brother program at the weekend after she streamed a video describing Covid-19 lockdowns as “the greatest hoax in human history” and boasting about breaching quarantine rules.
Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews labelled Hopkins’s behaviour “shameful” and a “slap in the face” to millions of Australians in lockdown.
READ the full story here
Rachel Baxendale8.27am: Crisis cabinet meets to weigh Victoria’s fate
Victoria’s crisis council of cabinet is meeting at 9am, with the full cabinet due to meet at 10 to discuss the length of the state’s lockdown extension.
A final decision was yet to be made when government and health officials met on Monday night, but sources familiar with the deliberations said the most likely outcome would be a five day extension to midnight on Sunday.
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Nicholas Jensen8.22am: Stay home or difficult decisions await: AMA
Australian Medical Association president Omar Khorshid has warned Sydneysiders to obey stay-at-home orders at all costs, saying this week’s results will show whether the government’s current restrictions are working or if a stricter raft of measures will be needed to stem the spread of the Delta variant.
“The lockdown hasn’t worked yet, not in terms of dropping the numbers,” Dr Kohrshid told Seven’s Sunrise. “The next week or so will be absolutely critical to see whether these current more harsh restrictions are working, or if they are not.”
“Sydney either has to do something really dramatic in order to stop the spread or work out what other permanent settings will need to be put in place in order to protect people as best as possible.”
“Sydneysiders need to be prepared for the possibility that if we are still seeing that 100 cases a day – 20 or 30 people out in the community – by the end of this week … the government will have a difficult decision to make about what is the next step.”
Dr Khorshid said lockdown sceptics need only “look to the UK, where they are seeing 50,000 cases or more everyday”, adding that those numbers in Australia would result in “many people dying” because of the country’s vaccine shortage.
“Anyone calling for an end to the lockdown needs to think about what the human cost of that will be in terms of hospitalisations and deaths directly as a result of stopping the lockdown too early.”
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Anton Nilsson8.11am: Removalists in mourning after mum‘s death
A Sydney woman who became the city’s fifth person to die from Covid-19 during the latest outbreak has been mourned by her family and community on social media.
The woman, aged in her 50s, was the mother of twin removalists who have been charged for allegedly working while infectious with coronavirus.
One of the twins honoured the woman in a Facebook post reading: “Mama, my love, you are my life, Mama, you are my comfort and my life, Mama.”
The other changed his profile picture to an image of his mother, which drew hundreds of comments from people praying for the woman.
The woman’s congregation, based in Fairfield, posted a tribute to the woman as well.
NSW Police said in a statement officers responded to a concern for welfare at a home on Thursday Place, Green Valley, at 9.15am on Monday where they found the body of a woman in her 50s.
NSW Health confirmed the woman was positive for Covid-19 and was a close contact of another case.
“NSW Health today sadly reports the death of a woman in her 50s who was a confirmed Covid-19 case. She was a resident of southwestern Sydney and a close contact of a Covid case,” the department said.
“This is the 61st death in NSW related to Covid-19 and the fifth of the current outbreak.
“NSW Health extends its sincere sympathy to her family and friends.”
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Nicholas Jensen 7.57am:Construction the ‘engine room of NSW economy’
Master Builders Australia chief executive Denita Wawn has warned the NSW government against its decision to halt all construction work until July 30, saying the industry could have remained open as it had during previous lockdowns.
“We’re the engine room of the economy in NSW,” Ms Wawn told the ABC this morning. “We know we’ve been able to work safely through previous lockdowns nationwide, not only last year, but also in places like Victoria.”
Ms Wawn said she was aware the NSW government was concerned about the spread of the virus across multiple construction sites in Sydney’s southwest, but said officials did not give the industry enough time to readapt before the ban.
“We ran a big campaign last year about ensuring that our members could work safely and we did so.”
“We were surprised it’s been a total lockdown because we believe we can work with the government to ensure we can return to work as soon as possible,” she said.
While “sympathetic” to the state’s current “health concerns”, Ms Wawn said she disagreed with the two week construction ban.
“We’ve got to be cognisant that 90 per cent of the industry are small businesses. Many of them are self-employed. The concern we’ve got is not only the two-week shutdown but the flow on impacts in terms of being able to restart.”
READ MORE: Construction hammered by lockdown
Jack Paynter7.45am:Popular market, donut store on high alert
The number for exposure sites in Victoria has surged past 300 as the state’s snap lockdown is set to be extended.
More than a dozen new venue alerts were listed overnight, including a popular doughnut store in the CBD.
Several inner city cafes were also listed, along with a car dealership in Melbourne’s outer east and gyms in Port Melbourne and Prahran.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said the state’s lockdown would be extended beyond its planned finish at 11.59pm on Tuesday, but he couldn’t say for how long.
“We will not be ready to lift this lockdown at midnight,” he said.
“I know it is frustrating but I can’t tell you exactly what rules and what time frame will apply beyond midnight tomorrow night.
“It will be based on the best information and the most complete set of facts.”
The following venues have been listed as tier 1 exposure sites, meaning contacts need to get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days regardless of the result:
Port Melbourne: 3 Point Training, 223 Rouse Street, Port Melbourne, July 15 from 5.25pm to 7pm;
Windsor: Upton Girl cafe, 25 Upton Street, Windsor, July 14 from 8.30am to 9.05am;
Prahran: Goodlife Health Club Prahran, 286 Chapel Street, Prahran, July 14 from 12.45pm to 2.25pm.
The following venues have been listed as tier 2 exposure sites, meaning contacts need to get tested and isolate until they receive a negative result:
Fitzroy: Cafe Marion, 53 Gertrude St, Fitzroy, July 16 from 12.50pm to 1.30pm;
Ringwood: Ringwood Mazda, 395 Maroondah Hwy, Ringwood, July 14 from 4.20pm to 5.05pm;
Windsor: Upton Girl cafe, 25 Upton Street, Windsor, July 15 from 8.30am to 8.45am;
St Kilda: Cafe Banff, 29/145 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda, July 15 from 1.45pm to 3pm;
Melbourne: Daniel’s Donuts, shop 6/7, 600 Collins Street, Melbourne, July 15 from 3pm to 3.30pm;
Melbourne: Queen Victoria Market Visitors Hub, corner String Bean Alley and Queen Street, Melbourne, July 15 from 12.15pm to 1pm;
Melbourne: Tropicana Juice Bar, 213 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, July 15 from 12.45pm to 1.15pm;
Dandenong South: Swift Way Takeaway, 1/19-21 Swift Way, Dandenong South, July 12 from 6.40am to 7.15am;
Dandenong South: Swift Way Takeaway, 1/19-21 Swift Way, Dandenong South, July 13 from 6.40am to 7.15am;
Dandenong South: Swift Way Takeaway, 1/19-21 Swift Way, Dandenong South, July 15 from 6.40am to 7.15am;
Dandenong South: Bunnings Dandenong, 101 Princes Hwy, Dandenong South, July 13 from 7.45am to 8.15am;
Mildura: Solunar, 180-190 Deakin Ave, Mildura, July 12 from 11.30am to 4pm;
Fitzroy: Courtyard 55 Cafe, 55 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy, July 16 from 1.35pm to 2.10pm;
Fitzroy: Co Ba Cafe, 41 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy, July 16 from 2.08pm to 2.45pm;
Fitzroy: HealthSmart Pharmacy Victoria Parade, 55 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy, July 16 from 3.30pm to 4.15pm;
Fitzroy: Eastern Hill Lotto, 55 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy, July 16 from 1.45pm to 2.20pm.
Victorians have been urged to check the health department website for the full list of exposure sites across the state.
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Nicholas Jensen 6.50am: No end date for NSW resrictions
With Premier Daniel Andrews poised to extend lockdown restrictions in Victoria beyond Tuesday, contact tracers across the border in NSW continue to battle the spread of the virulent Delta strain as the state’s list of exposure sites continue to swell.
On Monday, NSW Health recorded 98 locally acquired infections, with 20 cases out in the community while infectious. More than two-thirds of cases were recorded in south-western Sydney.
At Monday’s press conference Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she was “not willing to give an end date” to stay-at-home restrictions until she received more data.
“We know the Delta variant is nothing like we have seen … We know how challenging it is but we wouldn’t have thrown everything at it if we didn’t have a chance of quashing it,” she said.
Chief health officer Kerry Chant said the “areas of concern” have moved well beyond central Sydney and the western suburbs, as health authorities issued alerts for residents in Parkes, Blayney, Coffs Harbour and Wollongong.
Victoria Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton told reporters on Monday that Victorian public health authorities had seen modelling suggesting Covid-19 may be circulating in NSW for months.
“That means it might be an ongoing risk north of Victoria for weeks or months to come,” said Professor Sutton”.
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Joseph Lam 6.30am:Victoria to find out today when lockdown ends
Victorians will find out today when their fifth lockdown will end after Daniel Andrews extended it yesterday.
Mr Andrews said restrictions from Wednesday will depend on interviews with primary close contacts of identified Covid-19 cases which will be carried out on Monday.
“We will not be ready to lift this lockdown at midnight tomorrow,” Mr Andrews said.
“We have made great progress. We have avoided thousands of cases,” he said.
“This is by no means over. Think about it like a fire, we have a containment line. If it’s smouldering it will… take off again.”
There were 13 new locally acquired cases of Covid-19 in the state on Monday.
All are linked to the current outbreak.
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Max Maddison 6.10am:No business for snow business
As they stood on top of a ski run at Perisher in NSW’s Kosciuszko National Park and surveyed the mountain, Ellie McMaster and Siobhan Anton, couldn’t believe their luck.
“It’s amazing,’’ Ms Anton, 22, said.
Trees stood like alpine ghosts in the aftermath of a blizzard that covered everything in white and sprinkled the mountain with fresh powder.
With the empty chairlifts disappearing into the winter fog and with Covid-19 restrictions in place in Sydney and Melbourne, Ms Anton and Ms McMaster, 19, could have been excused for thinking they had the mountain to themselves.
“It’s half capacity... There’s no waiting for food here, there are no lines on the chair lifts and there are not many beginners this year,” said Ms Anton, who is planning to drive down every weekend she has off work while the slopes are empty.
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Yoni Bashan6.00am: Delta danger: no freedom until kids get vaccinated
Health authorities are warning that the dangers of the Covid-19 Delta variant will require a rethink of whether restrictions can be permanently relaxed once the adult population is largely vaccinated.
That warning – which would require the national vaccine program to extend to children before a return to pre-pandemic settings – came as NSW recorded 98 new Covid-19 cases and Victoria abandoned plans to lift a statewide lockdown on Tuesday.
“The Delta strain transmissibility will make us have to rethink about the level of vaccination,” said NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant. “I think we need to see that our journey of living with Covid is going to be a long one.
“We will have to adjust to whatever the virus delivers us. We will respond,” she said.
Dr Chant’s comments came as South Australia became the latest state to impose restrictions — including the closure of non-essential retail and a ban on indoor gatherings — after the state recorded three community Covid-19 transmissions.
The first South Australian case was an 81-year-old man who contracted Covid-19 overseas but completed hotel quarantine in NSW before returning home to Adelaide. The two other infections – a man and a woman both in their 50s – were close contacts of the first case.
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Joseph Lam5.30am:Removalists’ mother dies, more alerts on north coast
The mother of twin Sydney removalists Roni and Ramsin Shawka, 27, who travelled to regional NSW despite testing positive for Covid-19, has died after contracting the virus.
NSW Police have confirmed officers from Liverpool were called to the house in Thursday Place in Green Valley, some 39km west of the CBD, after reports a woman in her 50s died.
The mother was in isolation with the boys who were apprehended by Police on Speedy Street, in Molong, on Saturday and escorted back to Sydney.
âš ï¸PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT – VENUES AND PUBLIC TRANSPORT ROUTES OF CONCERNâš ï¸
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) July 19, 2021
NSW Health has been notified of a number of new venues of concern associated with confirmed cases of COVID 19. pic.twitter.com/CRdUuhTmSE
The Shawkas and another removalist, Maryo Shanki, 21, will face Orange Local Court on August 30. They have been charged for failing to comply with notice direction section 7/8/9 – COVID-19.
Overnight NSW Health released more alerts including for Coffs Harbour on the mid-north coast, and Crows Nest on Sydney’s lower north shore.
Joseph Lam5.15am: SA returns to Stage Four restrictions
South Australia will return to stage four restrictions from Midnight on Tuesday after the state recorded a second case of Covid-19.
South Australian Premier Steven Marshall on Monday conceded “we only have one chance to get this right”.
“My strong message to the people of South Australia is that we need to just respect these restrictions that have been put in place,” he said.
“No need to panic whatsoever in South Australia. There is no need for a run to the shop urgently.”
The restrictions will effectively ban all large events and restrict private gatherings to no more than 10 people.
Non-essential retail, including gyms and personal care, will be closed and food consumption will be limited to outdoor venues at a capacity of one person per four square metres.
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