Coronavirus Australia live news: Scott Morrison to lift caps on international arrivals; WA lockdown to end
More Australians will be able to return home after the PM’s announcement; WA records another day of zero cases.
- PM to lift arrivals caps
- WA lockdown lifts
- Infected Aus Open hotel worker has UK variant
- No new local cases in Victoria
- Quarantine party days before case
Welcome to The Australian’s rolling coverage of the news from around the nation amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Scott Morrison has upheld the importance of hotel quarantine for accommodating returned citizens to Australia as he announced changes to caps on arrivals.
The infected Australian Open quarantine worker has been confirmed as having the highly contagious UK variant of coronavirus. Victoria has recorded no new local cases as the overwhelming majority of those connected to the tennis grand slam return negative test results . Hotel quarantine workers held a party to celebrate their success after isolating tennis stars just days before the detection of the new Victorian case . WA residents will emerge from lockdown on Friday night – but they will be forbidden from dancing in celebration amid a series of conditions to apply until February 14.\
Jess Malcolm 11.23pm: Israel relaxes Covid restrictions
Israel has announced an easing of lockdown measures following a slight fall in the spread of coronavirus cases, but officials have said its international borders will remain firmly shut.
Despite what has been called the world’s fastest vaccination campaign per capita, Israel has still been recording a daily average of 6500 new COVID-19 cases, down from 7000 last week.
“The government has accepted a proposal from the Prime Minister and the health minister to ease lockdown measures from 7am on Sunday,” their offices said in a statement.
A strict nationwide lockdown has been in force since December 27, after being extended four times to combat spikes in infection rates.
Israel recorded its deadliest month in January, with more than 1000 COVID-19 fatalities.
Under the easing, Israelis will no longer be restricted to within one kilometre of their homes and services such as hairdressers and beauty salons will be allowed to operate, and nature reserves and national parks reopened.
Since December, more than 3.3 million out of Israel’s nine-million population have received a first jab of vaccines against the epidemic.
Jess Malcolm 11.00pm: AstraZeneca files for jab approvals in Japan
AstraZeneca has filed for approval of its coronavirus vaccine in Japan, becoming the second major pharmaceutical firm to ask Tokyo to authorise its jabs.
Japan is yet to approve any vaccines with less than six months to go before the Tokyo Olympics.
It has, however, struck deals with Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna to buy enough COVID-19 vaccine doses for its population of 126 million.
Health authorities are still hoping to confirm the vaccines’ safety through domestic clinical trials before giving any of them the green light.
Pfizer is picked to get the first go-ahead later this month after the pharmaceutical company filed for approval in Japan in December.
Japan has not yet announced an official vaccination schedule, but after targeted jabs for healthcare workers, it is expected to begin inoculating the elderly from April.
AztraZeneca said it is planning to make 90 million shots of their jab in Japan, 75 per cent of the total it has agreed to provide to the country.
READ MORE: Three days, three wins: PM draws first blood
Jess Malcolm 10.25pm: Close contacts of Aus Open worker test negative
All of the close contacts linked to the Australian Open worker in Melbourne’s Grand Hyatt hotel have tested negative.
In a statement released on Twitter on Friday night, Victorian health authorities said, “It’s an encouraging sign, but there’s more work to do.”
There were 17 close household and social contacts linked to the 26-year-old man and all of their results were negative.
Victorians are asked to get tested if they have any symptoms, check exposure sites, stay isolated for 14 days if they are a primary close contact, and follow all directions.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) February 5, 2021
To see testing and exposure sites, visit https://t.co/JAVfgxmiDO#COVID19Vic
Health authorities still urged anyone with symptoms to go and get tested and isolate for 14 days if they are a close primary contact.
“Victorians are asked to get tested if they have any symptoms, check exposure sites, stay isolated for 14 days if they are a primary close contact, and follow all directions,” the statement said.
This follows today’s positive news of over 500 players and officials who were released out of isolation after all testing negative.
READ MORE: Workers won’t see pay rise for years: RBA
Jess Malcom 10.00pm: Nine Britons face jail after yacht party in Singapore
Nine British nationals could face jail in Singapore after being charged on Friday with breaking coronavirus rules over a party on a yacht.
Images of the Boxing Day festivities first surfaced on social media, sparking fury from Singaporeans and prompting authorities to launch an official investigation.
At the time of the party, gatherings outside the home were limited to five people in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Anyone found to have breached the rules faced up to Sg$10,000 (AUD$9,700) or jailed for up to six months, or both.
Singapore maritime authorities last month suspended the licence of the vessel chartered for the party for 30 days, after their investigations found the number of passengers onboard breached COVID-19 rules.
Singapore has experienced a mild outbreak of the virus with 29 total deaths, but has taken a tough stand against any violation of coronavirus restrictions.
READ MORE: Hybrid office a ‘dangerous’ model for companies
Jess Malcolm 7.40pm: Pokies profits soar during pandemic
NSW poker machine profits have soared during the COVID-19 pandemic, with gamblers across the state losing $2.17 billion in six months.
According to new state government data, gambling profits rose seven per cent since the same period in 2019.
It is the biggest year-on-year increase in the last four years of available Liquor and Gaming NSW data, according to the ABC.
Gamblers in western Sydney were the most active, with Fairfield residents losing a total of $197 million. People in Canterbury-Bankstown were a close second, racking up a hefty $187 million.
It was a sharp bounceback considering gambling clubs were closed down from March to June during the NSW harsh lockdown.
A spokesperson for ClubsNSW told the ABC that the figures were not unexpected given the shutdown.
“A modest increase in gaming machine revenue ... is not unexpected given the 10-week industry shutdown that preceded this period,” a spokesperson said.
READ MORE: Workers won’t see pay rises for years
Jess Malcolm 7.10pm: Qld plan for quarantine facility gets key support
University of Queensland epidemiologist Linda Selvey backs the Palaszczuk government’s proposal to build a specialised quarantine facility in Toowoomba, citing it’s close proximity to an airport and hospital as a major benefit.
Toowoomba - about 130 kilometres west of Brisbane - is being considered as an alternative to quarantine overseas arrivals as a way to mitigate vulnerabilities of the virus spreading into a densely populated city.
“Some of the strengths of the proposal are that it’s linked with an airport that’s capable of receiving international-size airplanes,” Ms Selvey said.
“That’s a plus. And making the quarantine facility purpose-built enables things such as dealing with potential problems with ventilation, allowing better ventilation, fresh air coming in, and other things that are difficult to retrofit to hotels.”
“Toowoomba actually has quite a good hospital that has an intensive care facility, although not the tertiary facilities that you would have in Brisbane,” she said.
Ms Selvey said she had concerns about logistical challenges in recruiting staff to work in the facility.
“It also obviously has downsides, including, potentially, challenges in recruiting people who would be willing to do that, to live on site,” she said. “And anybody who lives off site and away from their families ultimately do need to spend some time away from it and have a break.”
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Jess Malcolm 6.45pm: WHO’s plea to speed up vaccine rollout
The World Health Organisation is calling for Europe and vaccine manufacturers to work together to speed up the vaccination rollout.
WHO Europe director urged governments and pharmaceutical companies to join together, expressing concern about the effectiveness of vaccines against new, more infectious strains of COVID-19.
“We need to join up to speed up vaccinations,” WHO Europe director Hans Kluge told AFP, as Europe bids to overcome a slow start to its vaccination campaign amid tensions between Brussels and vaccine manufacturers.
“Otherwise competing pharmaceutical companies (must) join efforts to drastically increase production capacity ... that’s what we need,” Mr Kluge said.
In the European Union, just 2.5 per cent of the population has received a first vaccine dose, though announcements by several laboratories of increased vaccine deliveries have raised hopes of an acceleration.
Asked whether the vaccines available since December would be effective against new virus variants, Mr Kluge flagged that he was concerned about any potential future mutations.
“That’s the big question.”
“It’s a cruel reminder that the virus still has the upper hand on the human being.”
Of the 53 countries in the WHO’s European region - which includes several countries in central Asia - 37 have reported cases of the British variant and 17 have registered cases of the South African variant.
With AFP
Jess Malcolm 6.10pm: WA firefighters sweat on cool change
A total of 86 houses have been lost in the fire that continues to ravage Perth, with fire authorities hoping a cool change that is slated for Saturday afternoon will assist firefighting efforts.
West Australian Fire Commissioner Darren Klemm said there are still difficult conditions ahead tonight, with incredibly strong winds which pose an immediate threat with rain “not a guarantee”.
“I have just come from the briefing with the Bureau of Meteorology, and we are expecting incredibly strong winds, stronger than we’ve had already, ahead of that tropical low,” Commissioner Klemm said. “Some challenges still exist for us.”
West Australian police are still investigating the cause of the fire, but have located the exact location of where it started. Authorities say they are still are unsure of whether it was deliberately lit.
There have been 200 homes saved in the fire affected area, an effort which has been assisted by local firefighting volunteers.
Commissioner Klemm said authorities are monitoring the fatigue of the volunteers, implementing a well-structured rostering system to prevent any harm.
“In the Shire of Mundaring, the city of Swan, they feel an ownership, here volunteering for their community, which they do 365 days of the year,” Commissioner Klemm said. “We acknowledge that. Great respect for that effort.”
“It is one of the most noble things that we see in emergency services, is that constant commitment of people to commit themselves to doing things for other people in their community. It is fantastic.”
READ MORE: Residents count the cost
Helen Trinca 5.30pm: Hybrid office a ‘dangerous’ model for companies
Getting people back to the office is just the first step. The big challenge in 2021 will be managing the hybrid. Read more here
Ben Wilmot 5pm: Coastal havens enjoy a Covid-led boom
The NSW Central Coast is transforming from a popular area for holiday getaways into a haven for people seeking a picturesque alternative to big city life. Read more here
Agencies 4.15pm: US tug-o-war with teachers over reopening schools
From lawsuits in San Francisco to threats of a remote learning “lockout” in Chicago, US officials are ramping up the pressure on teachers and unions to reopen schools closed for almost a year due to Covid.
Education professionals insist the dangers of sending teachers — many elderly and at-risk — back to classrooms alongside hundreds of students is too great until vaccinations are completed.
The row has escalated amid mounting frustration from parents forced to stay home for 11 months to look after children, and multiplying examples of school dropouts and psychological issues especially in disadvantaged communities.
This week, the American Academy of Pediatrics’ southern California chapter joined a growing chorus calling for immediate reopenings.
“A large majority of the 1.5 million students in LA County has not been physically in a classroom in nearly a year,” it said in a statement.
Keeping children out of class does more harm than good, even in Covid times, the branch representing 1500 health workers said.
On Wednesday, new US federal health chief Rochelle Walensky reiterated the point at a White House press briefing.
“Vaccinations of teachers is not a prerequisite for safely reopening schools,” she said, pointing to “increasing data” showing it is safe to so do.
Children under the age of 12 do not appear to transmit the coronavirus as readily as adults, while their symptoms tend to be less severe, many experts now say.
“The consensus now is that reopening schools does make sense,” Eric Toner, a Johns Hopkins Center for Disease Control specialist, told the Los Angeles Times.
But that “consensus” is disputed by many education workers on the ground, including the 300,000-member California Teachers Association.
“No one wants to be back in classrooms with students more than educators, who know there is no equal substitute for regular in-person learning,” spokeswoman Claudia Briggs told AFP.
“For that to happen, there must be multilayered safety measures in place,” including adequate ventilation, smaller class sizes, testing and tracing programs, she said.
Concerns have been amplified by the rapid spread of new, potentially more contagious variants of the virus in the US.
The status of school reopening varies hugely between US states, and between public, private and religious school types.
But an estimated half of the 55 million US school students are still to set foot in a classroom, 11 months since the coronavirus forced schools to close nationwide.
President Joe Biden wants most schools to be ready to reopen by the end of April, setting aside $130 billion under his plan to combat the pandemic.
But the plan has yet to be adopted by Congress, and vaccination programs look set to take far longer — meaning that, if teachers remain opposed, Biden’s timetable could be in jeopardy. — AFP
READ MORE: Hybrid office a ‘dangerous’ model for companies
Finn McHugh 4.45pm: Top doctor’s jab at states over ‘extreme’ measures
Australia’s imminent vaccine rollout will put us on a “path to relax” after a “very disruptive” series of state lockdowns, the nation’s top doctor says.
A parliamentary inquiry into vaccines heard on Friday Australia was keen to “move on” from damaging border closures and state lockdowns.
Since Victoria’s damaging second wave last year, states have implemented snap lockdowns and border closures in response to minor outbreaks.
Perth was sent into lockdown on Monday — and emerges tonight — after a hotel quarantine worker tested positive to the highly contagious UK COVID-19 strain.
But Health Department secretary Brendan Murphy told the inquiry vaccines could put an end to the “disruptive” measures.
“The risk appetite in the states and territories is such that very extreme measures are often taken for short periods of time,” he said on Friday.
“They are very disruptive and we want to move on. We want to get to a position where if the population is vaccinated, we might get small outbreaks but not be so worried.
“Progressively as we get more and more people vaccinated … we will be on a path to relax.”
Rachel Baxendale 4pm: Warning as virus fragments found in Mt Beauty sewage
Coronavirus fragments have been detected in sewage samples collected from Mt Beauty, in Victoria’s north east, on Monday.
Victoria’s Department of Health confirmed on Friday afternoon a weak detection on Monday had been confirmed as positive following further analysis.
Anyone who lives in or has visited the Mt Beauty, Tawonga and Tawonga South area from January 26 to February 1 is urged to get tested for coronavirus (COVID-19) if they have any symptoms, however mild.
“Weak detections of the virus in wastewater may be due to people who have recovered from COVID-19 but continue to shed the virus or from an active infectious case,” the department said.
Wastewater samples are taken at least weekly from 95 wastewater monitoring locations across Victoria, including 70 wastewater treatment plants, for early-warning of coronavirus.
As previously reported, viral fragments have been recently detected in wastewater at several other locations.
While viral fragments have not been detected in samples since taken from these sites, anyone who lives in or has visited Lakes Entrance from 26 to 28 January, Castlemaine, Cowes, Hamilton, Pakenham or Warrnambool from 25 to 27 January, Gisborne from 24 to 26 January, or Leongatha from 17 to 19 January, is urged to get tested if they have any symptoms.
In other Victorian coronavirus news on Friday, the state’s three newest cases have been identified as a child aged under 10, a man in his 30s and a man in his 40s, all of whom are returned international travellers in hotel quarantine.
READ MORE: NSW kicks off R&D push
Rachel Baxendale 3.45pm: Victoria relaxes WA border restrictions
Victoria has relaxed its border restrictions on people entering the state from Western Australia, reclassifying the Perth, Peel and South West regions from red zones to orange from 9pm Victorian time on Friday.
People in orange zones can apply for a permit to enter Victoria provided they have not been in close contact with a coronavirus (COVID-19) case and do not have any coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms.
On arrival in Victoria, orange zone permit holders must isolate at their home or accommodation, get a coronavirus (COVID-19) test, and continue isolating until they have received a negative result.
Sarah Elks 3.14pm: ‘Multiple gaps’ amid Qld hotel Covid outbreak
Queensland’s hotel quarantine cleaning system needs to be overhauled and guests will be prevented from opening their doors so often, after COVID-19 escaped from the Hotel Grand Chancellor due to “multiple gaps” in infection control.
Six people contracted COVID-19 in the Hotel Grand Chancellor cluster in January, with a police and health department report released today unable to definitively find the cause of the spread.
But the report found there were “multiple gaps” in infection prevention and control, and there will be a further review of hotel airflows, after concerns emerged about transmission in the corridors.
Paul Garvey 2.50pm: No new Covid cases in WA, lockdown over
The release of two million West Australians from lockdown today has been confirmed after the state recorded a fifth straight day of no new Covid cases.
WA Premier Mark McGowan confirmed the news at a press conference on Friday morning Perth time.
Residents of the Perth, Peel and South West regions will be free to leave their homes from 6pm Friday, although people in Perth and Peel will be required to wear masks until February 14. Nightclubs and Perth’s casino will also remain closed until Valentine’s Day, while bars, restaurants and cafes will be subject to capacity restrictions.
Private gatherings will be limited to 20 people.
Mr McGowan called a snap five-day lockdown on Sunday after a security guard at a Perth quarantine hotel tested positive to COVID-19, ending a ten-month run of no community transmission in WA. He was later confirmed to have contracted the highly contagious UK strain of the virus, and there were fears that his movements around Perth while infected could spark a broader community outbreak.
But 190 close contacts of the man have since all tested negative. Those close contacts remain in isolation, while the 191st contact has since left the country. Of 317 casual contacts identified, some 306 have returned negative results.
“For many of these contacts, close or casual, some have recorded two or even three negative results, which give us more confidence. In this case, I can confirm we will exit lockdown at 6:00pm tonight,” Mr McGowan said.
“The only reason that could change was if local cases were recorded this afternoon. But I’m confident in our transition plan out of lockdown is the right approach.”
Mr McGowan also announced that around 85,000 businesses small businesses and charities impacted by the lockdown would be able to access a $500 offset on their electricity bills.
“I know this won’t cover the cost of a lockdown. I understand, but I hope it does provide some form of help,” he said.
“As always, the state government will continue to monitor the impact on businesses and we will do what we can if further support is needed. But as always, our number one focus has been to get businesses open and our economy going at full capacity.”
READ MORE: ‘McGowan’s Machiavellian power trip over Covid lockdown’
Sarah Elks 2.46pm: Queensland to lift Western Australia border ban
Queensland will lift its border restrictions for southwest Western Australia from tomorrow, and for the rest of the state on February 14 if all goes well.
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said the southwest region would no longer be a hotspot from 1am Saturday, after WA removed similar restrictions.
“This is excellent news,” Dr Young said.
Anyone who is in hotel quarantine in Queensland because of being in that hotspot, can leave tomorrow.
Dr Young said the ban on the rest of the state would be lifted at 1am Sunday February 14, assuming there were no further cases.
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Rachel Baxendale 2.41pm: Andrews predicts strengthening of hotel quarantine
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is not expected to provide further comment on Friday’s national cabinet meeting, having outlined several issues he expected to discuss at a press conference earlier, including a possible bolstering of hotel quarantine safeguards across jurisdictions in light of the more contagious UK and South African strains of coronavirus.
Asked ahead of the meeting whether he would be pushing for a pause on international arrivals, Mr Andrews said: “No, I’m not at that point yet, but I do think that there are some debates and discussions to be had, and we’re happy to contribute to a better understanding across the country of the risk that we face right now, and I think it’s very clear that it’s different than what it was a month ago or six months ago.”
“It’s always appropriate for us to have a sensible, rational discussion about what each of us have learnt, and what that means, and if you’re not prepared to ask those questions and really analyse these things properly, then you’re essentially letting some risks just slide, and I’m just not prepared to do that,” Mr Andrews said.
“That’s why we run a program that does not have capacity for 4000 or 5000 people, because we do it differently to other states. We have no tolerance for risk, but we do also acknowledge that you can make this 100 per cent risk free.”
Mr Andrews predicted Victoria would strengthen its hotel quarantine model further in light of this week’s infections.
“So there’ll be other things that have to change across the country, and that’s good for everybody, because a problem in Sydney is a problem in Melbourne and all the way around.”
Sarah Elks 2.37pm: Toowoomba still possible as quarantine hub: Qld Premier
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says she’s ruled out Gladstone as a regional quarantine hub, but is still working with the federal government on Toowoomba.
Following national cabinet, Ms Palaszczuk said she was still pushing for the federal government to take responsibility for hotel quarantine, to share the burden with the states.
“I’d say quarantine is a shared responsibility,” she said, noting the constitution says quarantine is a federal responsibility.
Ms Palaszczuk said the Gladstone, central Queensland, regional quarantine hub option had been ruled out because it was “too complicated” to get people there.
But she said the Toowoomba option was still possible, with a facility to be built next to the Wellcamp airport. Ms Palaszczuk said if the Commonwealth wanted to pursue that option to bring more vulnerable Australians home from overseas on charter flights, “the ball is now in their court”.
READ MORE: Palaszczuk renews push for federal aid on quarantine facilities
Nicholas Jensen 2.20pm: One hotel quarantine case in South Australia
South Australia has recorded zero locally acquired cases and 1 hotel quarantine case.
There were 3174 test results received in the past 24 hours.
South Australia currently has 2 active cases.
South Australian COVID-19 update 5/2/21. For more information, go to https://t.co/mYnZsGpayo or contact the South Australian COVID-19 Information Line on 1800 253 787. pic.twitter.com/8TnOvwWNIc
— SA Health (@SAHealth) February 5, 2021
The state’s Department of Health and Wellbeing released a statement, saying “today’s case is a woman in her 20s who returned from overseas and has been in a medi-hotel since her arrival.”
“The case is considered an old infection but has been added to our numbers as it has not previously been counted overseas.”
Genomic testing has also been returned on a previously confirmed case, who arrived from overseas, indicating the individual is carrying the South African variant of COVID-19.
In total, the state has recorded four COVID-19 deaths and conducted 978,287 tests, with 596 patients recovering from the virus.
READ MORE: PM quashes push for remote quarantine
Joe Kelly 2.14pm: States responsible for hotel quarantine management: PM
Scott Morrison said the states had primary responsibility for the management of hotel quarantine, arguing that this was the decision taken by the national cabinet in March 2020.
However, he said there were “no fireworks” in the national cabinet meeting over which states would take in international arrivals or their respective hotel quarantine caps.
He also described the proposal for new accommodation facilities at Toowoomba to house at least 1000 returned travellers as “an outline” with more work to be done, although discussions would continue with the Queensland government on the proposal.
“We are looking at it on its merits,” he said.
Mr Morrison said there could be more capacity at the Howard Springs facility in the NT, close to Darwin.
READ MORE: Melbourne hotel case remains a mystery
Joe Kelly 2.06pm: Six virus cases in Australia in last 24 hours
Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said there had been six new cases in the last 24 hours – all in hotel quarantine – with no locally acquired cases.
Professor Kelly said there were only nine people in hospital in Australia as a result of COVID-19 and “virtually none” who were seriously sick, and no-one in intensive care.
He said that Australia had not experienced a death from COVID for some months and that Australia was a “very different situation” from other comparable countries.
“A lot of that is to do with the strength of our hotel quarantine systems,” he said.
He argued Australia had done well in limiting the spread of more transmissible versions of the virus when compared to the UK, US and South Africa.
He said Australia had 76 cases of the UK strain and 15 cases of the strain originating in South Africa.
READ MORE: Pat Cash smashes health officials over delay
Joe Kelly 2.01pm: PM ‘not surprised’ at China’s planned $39bn megacity
Scott Morrison says that Australia is not competing with any other countries to roll out vaccines in the Pacific and South East Asia.
“What we are doing in the Pacific is we are not competing with anyone,” he said. “We’re just trying to help our Pacific family as best as we possibly can.”
He said he was “not surprised” at Chinese attempts to advance a $39bn mega-city across the Torres Strait in Papua New Guinea’s remote Western Province near Daru Island but labelled the initiative as “speculative at this point.”
“I have a very close relationship with Prime Minister Marape,” he said. “We regularly discuss the various pressures in our region, and I think we’re very much on the same page about those issues.”
READ MORE: China’s $39bn city on our doorstep
Joe Kelly 1.56pm: Gaetjens to advise on how ‘risk environment’ has changed
Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Phil Gaetjens, has also been tasked with working with the states and territories on the changed risk environment and outlook for the coronavirus over 2021.
“I’ve asked Secretary Gaetjens to … lead a process with the directors-general of all the state and territory governments to advise us on how the risk environment has changed,” Mr Morrison said.
This would include an assessment of the new strains of the virus which have emerged, the improvements in terms of the testing and tracing regime, quarantine arrangements, the public response and the impact of the vaccines.
“I want to understand the risk settings better so we can better manage the pandemic and ensure our economy can grow and Australians can return to normal life,” Mr Morrison said.
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Joe Kelly 1.48pm: International arrival caps to raise for NSW, Queensland
Scott Morrison has upheld the importance of hotel quarantine for accommodating returned citizens to Australia during the international border closure aimed at managing the coronavirus.
He said that from February 15 international arrival caps would “return to previous levels” for NSW and Queensland to provide greater capacity for returning Australians.
He said South Australia would increase its cap to 530, Victoria would increase its cap to 1,310 while arrangements were still being worked through with Western Australia.
“Hotel quarantine is the primary, and remains the primary, system for running quarantine in this country,” he said. “It remains incredibly effective … Over 211,000 people have gone through that process.”
Chief Medical Office Paul Kelly also reaffirmed the importance of hotel quarantine but said there was “absolutely a need to continually improve the quality of our quarantine.”
“It is already really top class. We have seen only a small number of incursions from quarantine.”
READ MORE: Queensland won’t slam Vic border shut
Joe Kelly 1.43pm: ‘Coronavirus risk environment has shifted’: PM
Scott Morrison has declared that in 2021 the risk environment has “shifted” and “altered” for the coronavirus as a result of the vaccination rollout, the absence of a third wave and the community response.
“There are a range of new forces, new trends, new influences on that risk matrix,” he said.
Mr Morrison said the national cabinet would now need to consider the “policy implications of that changing environment.”
He argued that the “vaccination program over months as it’s rolled out can change the nature of how Australia then manages the virus”.
He suggested that, once the severity of the coronavirus was reduced, it could then be considered in a similar manner to other viruses although he said this was still “some way off.”
“We can potentially move to a situation where we potentially manage the virus like other conditions that are in the community.”
READ MORE: States push quarantine showdown with Scott Morrison
Evin Priest 1.31pm: South Australia makes decision on hard border
South Australia has removed its hard border restrictions with WA, effective immediately.
SA Premier Steven Marshall on Friday confirmed that the restrictions that prevented people coming to Adelaide from the West Australian hot spots of Perth and Peel would no longer have to enter hotel quarantine.
He also confirmed that those currently in hotel quarantine would be able to leave once they had a negative result from their day one coronavirus test.
“There is some very good news that our hard border with WA is being removed effective immediately,” he told reporters on Friday.
Rachel Baxendale 1.12pm: Andrews flags easing of restrictions with WA
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has indicated that Victoria will downgrade Perth from a “red zone” to orange, enabling travel on the condition that people test and isolate until they receive a negative result, with an announcement to be made by Health Minister Martin Foley later on Friday.
“Minister Foley will make some announcements about a change there, which will be favourable,” Mr Andrews said.
“It will go from red to orange. If he’s not already made that announcement, he will make it fairly soon.”
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Rachel Baxendale 1.08pm: Victorian authorities ‘looking into PPE standards’
Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said elements of the state’s hotel quarantine program including PPE, testing and ventilation would be reviewed in light of the latest case in a worker, and the apparent transmission of the virus across a corridor in a quarantine hotel.
Asked whether hotel quarantine staff should be wearing N95 masks, Professor Sutton said authorities were “going to look into PPE standards”.
“It’s really for CQV (COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria) they’ve had IPC (Infection Prevention and Control) protocols in place, but we re-examine every time there’s an incident, every time there’s a challenge as to what more can be done.”
Asked whether authorities needed to look at continuing to test workers for up to a fortnight after their last shift, Professor Sutton said: “Yeah, I think that’s something to be explored.”
“It’s a tricky thing. These are people who’ve finished their work day. So there are issues around how that happens and what entitlements they have as workers on their day off.”
Professor Sutton said the likelihood that more contagious new strains of the virus transmitted more readily through airborne fragments also highlighted the need to review air conditioning and ventilation systems in quarantine hotels.
“(Airborne transmission has) always been a possibility, but it’s going to be a bigger risk factor going forward so we need to bear that in mind as we tighten every element,” he said.
“Again CQV had gone through a review of ventilation across their hotels. Some of them are more amenable to changes than others, but you know there are more than 2000 people in quarantine.
“Not every single room will have hospital-grade ventilation standards, but we are doing everything we possibly can to review that and to make sure that we’re addressing the risk of airborne spread.”
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Rachel Baxendale 12.35pm: No signs of latest case in Victoria wastewater
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says the state’s COVID-19 wastewater testing program had not picked up any signs of coronavirus that could be related to the latest case in a hotel quarantine worker.
“We’ve upped the frequency of that testing, but it’s not providing anything that we would be worried about,” Mr Andrews said.
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said the thousands of negative test results received since Wednesday night were “reassuring”.
“The fact that close contacts, 16 of 17, are all negative, one pending, is also a positive,” he said.
“But the incubation period is 14 days. So, even people who’ve tested negative, as we’ve asked need to complete their 14 days of quarantine.
“They could become symptomatic in the remainder of that 14 day period, they could test positive, so there’s a long way to play out.
“Getting in contact with people early, making sure they’re quarantining is key, and getting that early negative test is obviously important, because if they turn positive later, we know that they haven’t been to new sites, exposed other people.”
Rachel Baxendale 12.20pm: 743 identified as workplace contacts of infected worker
Victorian coronavirus testing commander Jeroen Weimar said 743 people had been identified as workplace contacts of the Grand Hyatt hotel worker who received a positive test result on Wednesday.
“They have all been contacted by their respective employers, and they are being called and ensured that we get them tested over the coming days,” Mr Weimar said.
“It’s very important for us that we get onto those workplace contacts and ensure that we really establish whether there’s any other leakage from that hotel quarantine period in that workforce.
“Of course all those 743 people were tested daily throughout their entire duty at the hotel.”
Mr Weimar said a further 506 members of the Australian Open tennis contingent who had been quarantined at the hotel had all been tested on Thursday.
“Negative results will come through during the course overnight, and during the course of today, and as the negative results come through, (the people) will be released.”
A further 299 people have been identified as contacts of the worker through 14 exposure sites he visited in Melbourne’s city and southeastern suburbs between Friday and Monday.
Mr Weimar said 96 per cent of test results were being processed within 24 hours.
Testing sites in Melbourne’s southeastern suburbs opened from 8am and will remain open until 8pm on Friday.
He said authorities had stood up five new testing sites in Melbourne’s southeast on Thursday, with a further additional site established at the Dendy public golf course in bayside Brighton on Friday.
Mr Weimar said the Health Department was striving to provide more real time updates on testing queues on its website, with 690,000 people accessing the department’s website on Thursday.
READ MORE: Victoria’s new-found pragmatism
Adam Creighton 12.05pm: The lockdown hit that sapped December retail sales
Sydney’s northern beaches lockdown sapped retail sales in the lead up to Christmas, the ABS said on Friday, revealing a nationwide 4.1 per monthly decline in spending in December.
The decline in December followed a 6.6 per cent surge in November as Victoria’s lockdown restrictions eased, and extended the highly volatile pattern of retail spending that has emerged since lockdowns began in March last year.
“Victoria led falls at the state and territory level, down 6.8 per cent), following stronger trade in November as COVID-19 restrictions eased. New South Wales, down 4.9 per cent, also fell as the Northern Beaches cluster impacted spending in the lead-up to Christmas,” said Ben James, Director of Quarterly Economy Wide Surveys at the ABS.
Five out of six categories tracked by the ABS fell in December, led by department stores, down 12.5 per cent, and clothing footwear and personal accessories, down 9.4 per cent. Cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services, up 3.2 per cent, was the only industry enjoy a rise.
While monthly spending fell from November’s elevated level, sales were still 9.6 per cent higher than a year earlier, and in volume terms, retail spending in the December quarter grew 2.5 per cent compared to the previous three month period.
“The quarterly rise was driven by Victoria (12.8 per cent), as volumes recovered following COVID-19 restrictions from August to October. Without the Victorian rise, seasonally adjusted volumes would have fallen in the December quarter 2020,” Mr James said.
Online sales made up 9.1 per cent of total retail sales in December 2020, an increase from 6.6 per cent in the same month in 2019.
Rachel Baxendale 11.35am: ‘Tricky’ to tell if intermediary involved in hotel infection
Genomics established an infected Australian Open hotel quarantine has the UK virus variant, but mysteries remain.
Asked whether the genomics linked the worker’s case to that of a particular individual among the known cases in the hotel, Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Professor Sutton said: “We need to look closer at exactly whether we can say definitively.
“We probably can’t say definitively if it was one particular individual out of those six positives, but as I say we do need to marry up the evidence for the possibility of transmission,” he said.
“If there was never any contact with the worker and one of those players, then the hypothesis becomes a bit tricky, but we’ll look at all of that together.”
Professor Sutton said it was “pretty hard to tell” from the genomics whether the worker had caught the virus directly from one of the known cases or from an intermediary.
“They are very close match, but you can have a very close match even if there’s one intermediary person,” he said.
“If we can’t see a clear contact between the case and a resident we need to think about an intermediary person. We also need to think about the possibility of surface transmission, and we’d look into that of course.”
READ MORE: McGowan’s Machiavellian power trip
Patrick Commins 11.25am: Closures ‘devastating’ business sectors: Lowe
International borders have been closed for around a year now, and it’s been devastating for businesses in sectors such as education, tourism and aviation. But at the aggregate level, “it’s pretty much washing out”, RBA boss Philip Lowe has told a parliamentary committee.
That is, there is a lot less money being spent here by foreigners, but Aussies are not spending overseas, and shelling out at least some of that money at home instead.
Besides the undeniable impact on individual firms, Lowe says that another consequence of closed international borders is that it’s “weighing on investment”.
“A number of firms have been telling me recently the reason they are not investing is because the borders are closed.”
He notes that while a firm might be able to import a piece of capital equipment, often there was a need to get a foreign technician to come in and install and fine tune that piece of equipment.
Nicholas Jensen 11.15am: No new local cases for NSW for 19th successive day
NSW has recorded zero locally acquired cases for the nineteenth day, with zero cases acquired overseas.
There were 10,113 test results received across the state in the past 24 hours.
NSW Deputy Chief Health Officer Dr Jeremy McAnulty said today’s results mark the first time since November 25 that the state has recorded no locally acquired cases and no overseas cases on the same day.
“Anyone in NSW who has recently been in Melbourne should monitor the Victorian DHHS website for additional venues of concern and any updated health advice,” he said.
Regarding the five individuals in NSW currently isolating after staying at a Victorian quarantine hotel at the same time as guests who contracted the UK variant, Dr McAnulty said they have all returned negative results.
“All of these people will continue to isolate for a full 14 days since they were at the hotel and will be tested again at the end of that time.”
Dr McAnulty reiterated that NSW Health is “closely monitoring the situation in Victoria and will update its health advice accordingly”.
Concerning the state’s ongoing sewage surveillance program, he said recent detections of the virus in the Liverpool catchment could mean undiagnosed cases.
NSW Health is monitoring 47 active cases.
Rachel Baxendale 11.05am: Negative results ‘very good signs’: Andrews
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says the fact that 16 of 17 of the hotel quarantine worker’s close contacts had tested negative, with the 17th result pending, was a “very good sign”.
“Those that he has spent the most time with during his infectious period, have all to this point come back negative,” Mr Andrews said.
“That doesn’t mean that they might not test positive at a later point, and that’s why they’re completing the isolation and doing as we’ve asked them to do, which is so important, but these are good signs, very good signs that we’ve caught this in good time.
“We’ve spared no effort to run this to ground, and whilst there’s still days that will be relevant to us, and it’s not over yet, these are in some respects the very best outcomes that we would hope for.
“I just say again, it is critically important to get tested, it is critically important to think back whether you were at any of those exposure sites during the relevant period, and to act accordingly.
“I am very, very proud of Victorians. We said late on Wednesday night that Victorians knew what to do, and they’re proving that’s exactly right.
“They know that this has to be taken seriously. They know that if we all work together and play our part we will run this outbreak to ground, we will contain it, and we will go back to defending that COVID normal.”
READ MORE: Restrictions to stay after WA lockdown ends
Jack Paynter 11am: Aus Open hotel worker confirmed with having UK variant
The coronavirus variant that escaped hotel quarantine in Melbourne after a worker tested positive had been confirmed as the highly contagious UK variant.
Victoria’s chief health officer Brett Sutton said on Friday morning genomic sequencing had confirmed the worker had contracted the B.1.1.7 mutant strain of COVID-19.
Four of six coronavirus-positive residents of the Australian Open quarantine hotel where the man was working had the UK strain, including Spanish tennis player Paula Badosa and here coach, who were the last known cases to leave the hotel on January 22, seven days before the worker’s final shift last Friday, at which he tested negative for the virus.
The 26-year-old man from Noble Park, who was working for the Australian Open quarantine program, returned a positive COVID-19 test result on Wednesday.
“That’s the variant that was first identified in the UK, it is a more transmissible variant of concern,” Professor Sutton said.
“We’ve always worked on the assumption that it was going to be this variant.
“That’s because four of the six residents who’d tested positive at the hotel had that variant identified in them.”
Prof Sutton said who exactly the man had got the virus from was still to be determined.
“We probably can’t say definitively whether it was one of those individuals out of the six positives,” he said.
Prof Sutton maintained there was no apparent breach of infection prevention and control protocols, or PPE, but health officials would re-examine what took place at Grand Hyatt Hotel.
He said droplet spread was managed using PPE and 1.5m social distancing but airborne spread, through aerosolised particles, could move even further than that.
“Airborne transmission is probably more likely with variants of concern, it has always been a possibility, but it’s going to be a bigger risk factor going forward,” Prof Sutton said.
Rachel Baxendale 10.45am: Close contacts of quarantine worker return negative results
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says close to 22,500 people have got tested for coronavirus in his state since news broke on Wednesday night of a coronavirus case in a hotel quarantine worker.
The Health Department processed 14,612 test results in the 24 hours to Thursday night, with those numbers published on Friday morning.
Mr Andrews said on Friday morning a further 8000 tests had been processed since midnight, with an additional 6000 swabs taken on Thursday which were being processed on Friday morning.
“We’re doing additional runs, we’re doing some fast tracking, we’ll therefore have more tests coming through,” Mr Andrews said.
All results have so far been negative, including those for 16 of 17 people deemed close contacts of the hotel quarantine worker. The 17th result is pending.
“That is exactly the outcome that we were after,” Mr Andrews said. “Big community response, and no new positive cases.”
“The surge in demand (for testing), we’re trying to step up to have as short a wait time as possible, but as I’ve said to you many times now, it’s got to be done carefully.
“You can have as many extra sites as you want, but they all need to be done in a meticulous fashion. We don’t want infection control breaches at a test site of all places.
“So I’m very, very grateful to all those who’ve come forward and got tested and particularly for those who had to wait.
“We have stood up additional sites. We don’t rule out standing up and even more if we need to.”
READ MORE: Hotel worker has UK variant
Nicholas Jensen 10.41am: Commonwealth needs to take on quarantine: Burke
Manager for Opposition Business Tony Burke has condemned the government for not taking control of the country’s quarantine system, saying “the commonwealth needs to take responsibility for repatriating stranded Australians”.
“There are a whole lot of Australians stranded overseas and they (the government) haven’t delivered on any of their promises,” Mr Burke told Sky News.
“The constitution says that hotel quarantine should be the responsibility of the government.”
Mr Burke also criticised the government’s plan to end JobKeeper in March, citing the example of Helloworld as “what we have in store”.
“At a time of uncertainty we now have in black and white what the future is going to look like if the government gets away with its plan and its pay cuts,” he said.
“If you remove the safety net, workers will land with a thud”.
READ MORE: McGowan’s Machiavellian power trip
Patrick Commins 10.15am: Lowe floats ideas to get businesses spending again
There is no “silver bullet” to get businesses spending again, the RBA governor has said (he’s speaking in front of a parliamentary committee in Canberra).
Still, he has some ideas – as always.
First, there’s the recovery: “Getting the economy moving again will encourage investment”.
Second, we should be focusing on three areas where “if we can get the policy settings right I see tremendous opportunities for Australia”.
The first is the digital economy, which is a focus of the Morrison government.
Second are investments in energy. “There is clearly a big transformation globally in the way energy is produced and distributed, and Australia has tremendous opportunities there,” Lowe says.
Health and aged care will grow in importance as well, he says.
To get there we need to get the “underlying policies right”, create “a stable and predictable environment” for investment and make sure “regulation is no stricter than necessary”.
A lack of business investment bedevilled the Australian economy leading into the pandemic, and the sharpest downturn since the second World War has not helped. Without investment today, Australia risks not having the productive capital to drive growth tomorrow, as Lowe mentioned earlier this week.
READ MORE: Trading Day live
Nicholas Jensen 10.05am: No new local cases in Queensland
Queensland has recorded zero locally acquired cases and one hotel quarantine case.
There were 6834 test results received across the state in the past 24 hours.
Queensland currently has 5 active cases.
In total, the state has recorded six COVID-19 deaths and conducted 1,795,994 tests, with 1293 patients recovering from the virus.
Nicholas Jensen 9.58am: ‘Structural adjustments’ ahead for businesses: Birmingham
Finance Minister Simon Birmingham says businesses should be prepared for “structural adjustments” as the government looks to unwind its JobKeeper scheme in March.
Mr Birmingham said “there are obviously going to be structural changes across the economy and not every job and business will be saved”.
In response to concerns about the end of the scheme, the minister said it had served its function well.
JobKeeper was designed to prevent “mass unemployment and widespread business failure,” he said.
“We have come through with amazing health and economic results”.
While Mr Birmingham said the conclusion of JobKeeper did not mark “the end of economic support”, he admitted that “elements of travel and work won’t come back to what they were before”.
READ MORE: A new model of business
Patrick Commins 9.51am: RBA watching property closely: Lowe
Reserve Bank boss Philip Lowe says “there are few places in the world you would rather be” than Australia.
He made the comment as he appeared in front of a parliamentary economics committee this morning.
Delivering his opening statement, Dr Lowe touted the nation’s success in containing the virus and relative economic success, noting that European GDP went backwards again in the December quarter.
Dr Lowe says the COVID downturn wasn’t as severe as feared and the recovery started earlier and has been stronger than anticipated. He says the end of JobKeeper will lead to some job shedding when it ends on March 28, but that the recovery should be strong enough to continue to drive the jobless rate down towards 6pc by the end of this year.
The RBA and Treasury are hoping households will be prepared to spend the tens of billions in additional cash put aside through the pandemic as emergency support ends.
A “related issue” is how well the property market fares this year – an issue he is “watching closely”.
“The past year would have been even more complicated if there had been large and ongoing falls in housing prices,” Lowe says.
There are “many moving parts” in the property market at the moment which he is “watching closely”: record low rates; a shift in preferences towards houses and regional locations; “very large” government incentives for first home buyers; the slowest population growth in a century; very high rates of building; and a “significant decline” in apartment rents in Sydney and Melbourne.
“In the face of all these moving parts the housing market has been more resilient than expected,” he says.
READ MORE: Iron ore behind record trade surplus
Lachlan Moffet Gray 9.49am: RBA Governor to front standing committee
RBA Governor Philip Lowe is about to speak in front of the House Standing Committee on economics on the topic of the central bank’s 2019 annual report.
His appearance will also give MPs a chance to scrutinise the RBA’s recent monetary decisions including keeping rates on hold at 0.1 per cent and expanding a government bond-buying campaign by $100bn from April.
Committee chairman Tim Wilson opened the hearing by declaring the current cash rate “good for some people, but not so great for others” and said the committee would consider the impacts of the RBA’s monetary decisions on the economy.
READ MORE: Trading Day – ASX set for strong start
Sarah Elks 9.10am: ‘Come to the party’: Palaszczuk’s plea to PM
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has challenged the Prime Minister to “come to the party” and help the states with hotel quarantine.
Ms Palaszczuk told Channel Nine hotels weren’t built to for this purpose, and an investigation into the Hotel Grand Chancellor outbreak in Brisbane showed that corridor transmission was a risk.
“The federal government needs to help the states with hotel quarantine,” she said ahead of today’s national cabinet meeting.
“More needs to be done otherwise we won’t be able to control an outbreak of this strain.”
Ma Palaszczuk has suggested regional quarantine hubs be built in Toowoomba and Gladstone, but the Prime Minister has already rejected Gladstone.
“I can only put options on the table, it’s up to the Prime Minister to come to the party,” she said.
“It should be a 50-50 partnership here.”
She called for NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian to back the regional hubs proposal.
“You need everyone to sign up to it, otherwise it’s not going to work,” she said.
Ms Palaszczuk said she has no regrets about her state’s hard border closures because “it kept Queensland safe”.
To prevent corridor transmission in hotels, Ms Palaszczuk said it would be considered whether guests should be required to wear masks to open their doors to collect food or linen.
READ MORE: Premiers push quarantine showdown
Nicholas Jensen 8.59am: Aus Open returns 495 negative tests, 12 still pending
Australian Open officials remain confident that matches in Melbourne’s Summer Series will resume today after tennis Chief Executive Craig Tiley said 495 players, officials and support staff linked to the COVID-positive hotel quarantine worker had returned negative results.
Twelve more test results are still pending.
Thursday’s matches were postponed due to the positive test of a quarantine worker at the Grand Hyatt, forcing players and staff to get tested and return to isolation.
Players who did not stay at the infected hotel were permitted to train as normal, but matches could not go on without such a large portion of the draw absent.
The matches have instead been rescheduled to today, with the remainder of the pre-grand slam tournament being played over the next three days, allowing all matches to be finished in time for the start of the Australian Open on Monday.
The announcement comes as Victoria records no new cases of community transmission.
READ MORE: No new local cases in Victoria
Rachel Baxendale 8.55am: No new local cases in Victoria
Victoria has recorded no new locally acquired coronavirus cases in the 24 hours to Friday, despite thousands of people getting tested due to links with a hotel quarantine worker who received a positive test result on Wednesday.
The Health Department confirmed late on Thursday that 15 of 17 of the man’s close contacts had returned negative results, with results pending for the remaining two.
Yesterday there were 0 new locally acquired cases reported, and 3 in hotel quarantine. 14,612 test results were received #EveryTestHelps us to #StaySafeStayOpen.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) February 4, 2021
More info will be available later: https://t.co/lIUrl0ZEco#COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/mSscIqALXM
There were three cases detected in returned international travellers in hotel quarantine on Thursday, bringing the total number of active cases to 24, including the hotel quarantine worker’s case and 23 cases in hotel quarantine residents.
The latest figures come after 14,612 tests were processed in the 24 hours to Friday.
READ MORE: No new local cases in Victoria
Sarah Elks 8.42am: NSW ‘lifting the burden on behalf of the nation’
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says regional quarantine hubs would not work in her state, and she will not close the border with Victoria.
Speaking on Channel Nine’s Today Show, Ms Berejiklian said NSW had been “lifting the burden on behalf of the nation” when it came to hotel quarantine.
She said regional quarantine hubs would not work in NSW and the risks of the quarantine system would exist no matter where it was located.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says closing the NSW border will be "an absolute last resort". #9Today pic.twitter.com/8bkzonslY2
— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) February 4, 2021
“Those risks that (the other Premiers) are highlighting hasn’t changed. They’ve always been there. It’s about how you manage those risks, when the virus does get out, because it’s a question of … when not if,” she said.
Ms Berejiklian said national cabinet was “never as fiery” as people thought it would be, and expected the discussion at today’s meeting to be constructive.
NSW will not close its border to Victoria, the Premier said, with that measure only used as a “last resort”. She was asked when she would come to Queensland to see her “good friend” Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, who she has clashed with for months.
“I’m hoping all the Premiers will come to NSW, the only state where everyone is welcome all of the time,” she said.
READ MORE: Prime focus now on airborne coronavirus transfer
Nicholas Jensen 8.19am: Current quarantine arrangements the most effective: Dutton
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has defended Australia’s hotel quarantine system, saying it has provided the states with the most effective means of stopping the spread of COVID-19.
Asked about problems of airflow and air-conditioning in hotel quarantine, Mr Dutton said health officials had considered this question and were satisfied that “a facility like a hotel where you have 500 rooms, you have catering, you have got the ability to clean” was still the best set up.
“Let’s be honest about it, it’s worked very well,” he told Nine’s Today show.
Mr Dutton praised the state’s approach to hotel quarantine, saying they had done “a good job and we are supporting them”.
Regarding advice to move hotel quarantine from outside cities and into new facilities, Mr Dutton said it was not a practical solution.
“The most important aspect now is the vaccine rollout and making sure people take the vaccine”.
READ MORE: Editorial – Victoria’s new-found pragmatism
Nicholas Jensen 7.45am: Premier to ‘stick with facts, science’ on borders
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has again defended her government’s approach to COVID-19, saying she likes to “stick with the facts and the science” when it comes to deciding whether borders should remain open or closed.
Asked if she was concerned about the new COVID-19 case in Victoria, Ms Berejiklian told Nine’s Today show: “It’s no different to what can happen in any other state. That’s why I have always been saying that the response you have must be proportionate to the risk at any given time.”
“No matter how good your quarantine system is, thousands of people contribute to it, thousands of workers every day are exposed to the virus – we have to accept that as a risk.”
Regarding changes to the hotel quarantine system, Ms Berejiklian said: “I’m quite comfortable with the current set up. No set up is going to be perfect.”
“If you are going to set up regional hubs and get thousands of workers out there, you need to consider the long distances people need to travel, potentially with the virus, and that’s more likely to spread it.”
Ms Berejiklian also emphasised how her government is “bearing the overwhelming burden” of returning Australians, saying “we’ve been taking 3000 every week”.
State premiers are set to meet with prime minister Scott Morrison at a national cabinet meeting today to discuss the hotel quarantine program, with suggestions that Mr Morrison wants to increase caps on returning Australians.
However, Ms Berejiklian would not indicate if she was prepared to increase the NSW cap.
“I support a system where every state does its fair share,” she said.
READ MORE: When mandatory masks might go in NSW
Nicholas Jensen 7.11am: Sputnik V sent to the West Bank
The Palestinian Authority has received 10,000 doses of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine in the West Bank, while the Hamas Islamists who control Gaza have relaxed their COVID-19 restrictions.
The Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority has already begun vaccinating health workers in the occupied West Bank after receiving 5000 doses of the Moderna vaccine from Israel.
But the Authority said the majority of its vaccinations will be carried out with supplies it has procured from four international providers.
The first shipment of Sputnik V landed at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport earlier Thursday, before being transferred to the West Bank, according to Israeli and Palestinian officials.
The Palestinian health ministry thanked Russia for the vaccines, saying it would enable the inoculation of “5000 Palestinian citizens”.
The Palestinian Authority anticipates approximately two million doses ordered from various manufacturers, as well as vaccines from the UN-backed COVAX program.
109,000 Palestinians in the West Bank have been infected with COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, 1337 of them fatally, out of a population of 2.8 million, according to official data.
Meanwhile, a first batch of Sputnik V has also arrived in Iran, the country hit hardest by the pandemic in the region and which alleges US sanctions hamper its fight against COVID-19.
“The first shipment of vaccines from Moscow … has landed at Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran,” state news agency IRNA reported without specifying the quantity of doses.
READ MORE: More AstraZeneca bans on use in elderly
Nicholas Jensen 7.05am: I wish lockdown hadn’t happened: McGowan
Premier Mark McGowan has thanked Western Australians for their patience and co-operation as Perth prepares to exit its snap lockdown at 6pm if no new cases of community transmission are detected.
However, two million West Australians will continue to wear masks outside, except when exercising, for another eight days under post-lockdown rules.
Restaurants, bars, gyms and retailers will be able to reopen from Friday night. Schools will also reopen as of Monday.
Last night, Mr McGowan said the lockdown was necessary to prevent community spread of the virus.
“I also want to say that I regret and apologise for any distress, loss or inconvenience the events of this week has caused. I know it has been hard and I wish it didn’t happen.”
“To my fellow Western Australians, I thank you,” Mr McGowan said.
Post-lockdown restrictions will continue to apply to the Perth and Peel regions until 12.01am on February 14.
But South-West Perth will return to the same level of restrictions it had before the infection.
Only essential travel will be permitted in and out of the Perth and Peel regions under the post-lockdown restrictions.
A 20-person limit will apply in homes, while hospitality, entertainment, retail and fitness venues and weddings will have their capacity capped at 150 people until February 14.
READ MORE: Restrictions to stay after lockdown ends
Nicholas Jensen 6.58am: EU anticipates further vaccine production issues
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen has defended her management of the EU’s COVID-19 vaccine strategy, but warned there will be more production and supply problems ahead.
In an extended interview Ms von der Leyen admitted Europe could have acted more quickly to avoid any shortfall and boost production.
“In Europe, we aim to have 70 per cent of the adult population vaccinated before the end of the summer. This is not insignificant, we are moving in the right direction,” she said.
“There will certainly be other obstacles, other problems in production, and we must also prepare for possible shortages of raw materials or certain components of these vaccines.”
However, the EU chief defended the broader European vaccine strategy, which has seen the EU Commission negotiate contracts with private pharmaceutical giants on behalf of 27 member state governments.
The idea was to avoid competition driving up prices and freezing out smaller EU capitals. But the US, Britain and Israel have raced ahead in terms of vaccinating citizens.
“What I realise, looking in the rear view mirror, is that we should have been thinking more about mass production and the challenges it poses,” Mrs von der Leyen said.
“Increasing volumes, setting up new supply chains sufficiently upstream, could have been done earlier,” she said.
READ MORE: Mix’n match vaccine trial amid shortages
Nicholas Jensen 6.35am: Updated list of virus exposure sites in Victoria
The Victorian government has updated its COVID-19 restrictions in response to the new case detected on Wednesday.
The reinstatement comes after the discovery of a 26-year-old resident support officer in the Australian Open quarantine program who tested positive for COVID-19.
Following the new case, Victorian health authorities have outlined the exposure sites the worker visited, asking anyone who had been at the following venues to be tested. Here’s a recap of the sites:
Friday January 29 2021
– Lululemon, DFO Shop G-039/250 Centre Dandenong Rd, Moorabbin VIC 3194, 5:00pm — 5:45pm
– Woolworths, 302 Springvale Rd, Springvale VIC 3171, 6.30pm — 7.30pm
Saturday January 30 2021
– Club Noble in Noble Park, 46-56 Moodemere St Noble Park VIC 3174, 14:36 – 15:30
– Aces Sporting Club, Cnr Springvale Rd and Hutton Rd, Keysborough, VIC 3173, 22:00 – 23:15
Sunday January 31 2021
– Northpoint Café Brighton, 2b North Road, Brighton VIC 3186, 08:10 – 09:30
– Kmart Keysborough, Parkmore Keysborough Shopping Centre, C/317 Cheltenham Rd, Keysborough VIC 3173, 16:00 – 17:00
– Kmart Brandon Park, Brandon Park Shopping Centre, Brandon Park, VIC 3170, 16:35 – 17:10
– Coles Springvale, 825 Dandenong Rd, Springvale VIC 3171, 17:00 – 18:00
Monday February 1 2021
– Bunnings Springvale, 849 Princes Hwy, Springvale VIC 3171, 11:28 – 12:15
– Melbourne Golf Academy, 385 Centre Dandenong Rd, Heatherton VIC 3202, 17:19 – 18:36
– Nakama Workshop, 85 Main Rd, Clayton South VIC 3169, 11:15am — 12:00pm
– Sharetea, 27C Buckingham Ave, Springvale VIC 3171, 6:45pm — 7:30pm
– Kebab Kingz, 438 Spencer St, West Melbourne VIC 3003, 11:24pm — 00:15am
– Exford Hotel, 199 Russell St, Melbourne VIC 3000, 11:00pm — 11:35pm
The Victorian restrictions came into effect on February 3. They are the same as those put in place when the Black Rock outbreak occurred:
– The limit on the number of people gathering in a household will be reduced from 30 to 15, meaning the household members plus 15 visitors (excluding children under 12 months of age).
– Masks will be mandatory in public indoor spaces. If you have visitors in your home, it is strongly recommended that masks are worn during the visit. Masks must be worn in indoor public spaces apart from when eating or drinking. If you are planning to leave your home – take a mask.
– The 75 per cent ‘return to work’ cap in both public and private sectors scheduled for Monday 8 February will be paused and the current cap of 50 per cent will remain in place.
READ MORE: NT flags 10 Melbourne suburbs as hot spots
Nicholas Jensen 6.25am: UK government’s plea to tech giants
The British government is advising social media giants to take down posts containing COVID-19 disinformation over concerns that many in minority communities were refusing vaccination.
“My message to all of them, whether it’s Twitter or Facebook … you must, must, must be responsible and play your part in taking this disinformation down as soon as we flag it up to you,” vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi told parliament.
The government’s COVID-19 disinformation unit, which was set up in March, constantly monitors social media platforms and asks them to take down any messages deemed inaccurate.
The government is concerned that large numbers within black African and south Asian communities are reluctant to take part in the massive vaccine drive, partly because of mistrust.
The death rate in both communities is around double the rest of the country and Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited a vaccine centre in a south Asian community in northern England on Monday in a bid to boost uptake.
READ MORE: Another 10m jabs in Pfizer deal
Nicholas Jensen 6.20am: Aus Open quarantine party days before new case
Hotel quarantine workers at the Australian Open held a party to celebrate their success after isolating tennis stars just days before the detection of the new Victorian COVID-19 case.
COVID Quarantine Victoria (CQV) held the event for 60 staff at the View Hotel, one of the Australian Open quarantine hotels, on Sunday.
Three days later a 26-year-old residential support officer was confirmed to have been infected.
CQV said it hosted a “small outdoor function” to thank the team “for their considerable efforts in facilitating the complex quarantine program for the Australian Open”.
The Sunday party was to mark the end of the Australian Open quarantine program.
However, hundreds of tournament participants have been forced back into isolation awaiting test results.
A spokesman said: “Our staff put themselves on the frontline every day to help keep Victorians safe and we are extremely appreciative of the work they do.”
In response to the news, Victorian opposition leader Michael O’Brien said “holding a party for these particular workers, at our expense, to celebrate what a great job they’ve done, it is beyond belief”.
READ MORE: Cash smash for health officials over outbreak
Paul Garvey 6.07am: Bars are deserted at the pub with no cheer
Thursday night should have been a bumper one for Tim McLernon and his Camfield Hotel, directly opposite Perth’s Optus Stadium.
The Perth Scorchers and the Brisbane Heat were due to play off at the stadium for a place in the Big Bash grand final, and the Camfield — the biggest pub in Australia — was supposed to be the venue of choice for thirsty punters before and after the game.
Instead, both Optus Stadium and the Camfield sat empty.
A single positive case of coronavirus in a quarantine hotel security guard at the weekend prompted Premier Mark McGowan to introduce a snap five-day lockdown of two million people across Perth and southwest Western Australia.
Mr McLernon estimates his business lost hundreds of thousands of dollars of revenue on Thursday night alone due to the lockdown.
“Don’t remind me, I’ll start crying,” Mr McLernon said.
“We are not talking $10,000 or $20,000 — we are talking hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“But, we are lucky. We got a few (days) where we made hundreds of thousands as well.”
Michael McKenna 5.48am: Brisbane outbreak not from breaches
Queensland’s Grand Chancellor hotel quarantine COVID-19 outbreak is suspected to have been caused by surface or airborne transmission of the virus, but not airconditioning or “deliberate breaches” by workers or guests.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk ordered a snap three-day lockdown of greater Brisbane after a hotel cleaner at the Brisbane facility tested positive last month for the more virulent UK-strain of the virus. Five more people tested positive as the cluster grew, including other guests at the quarantine hotel.
An investigation report by police and the health department was delivered to Health Minister Yvette D’Ath on Wednesday night, and will be released in coming days. The Australian understands the report finds that existing hotel quarantine measures to contain the more infectious forms of the virus, particularly the UK strain, are now being challenged.
Paul Garvey 5.35am: Restrictions to stay after WA lockdown ends
West Australians will emerge from lockdown at 6pm on Friday – but they will be forbidden from dancing in celebration.
WA Premier Mark McGowan late on Thursday spelt out a series of conditions that would apply once the lockdown lifts until February 14, with people in the Perth and Peel regions still required to wear masks outside their homes.
Two million West Australians will emerge from their five-day lockdown at 6pm on Friday afternoon, subject to no more cases being identified in the community.
Bars and restaurants will be allowed to reopen, albeit with capacity restrictions and mask requirements, while the Crown casino and nightclubs will remain closed.
Sport can resume, although dancing will be banned outside of weddings and dance studios.
For gatherings at private residences, masks are encouraged but not mandatory.
Mr McGowan had already flagged that schools would reopen from Monday, a week later than originally scheduled, before a case was detected last week.
The south west region, which was included in the lockdown, will not be subject to the conditions that will be in place for the Perth and Peel regions.
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