Coronavirus Australia live news: Police vow to stop ‘selfish’ anti-lockdown protest
Victorian police have eviscerated ‘tinfoil hat-wearing’ anti-lockdown protesters planning a ‘bats. t crazy’ march on September 5.
- Deputy CMO shuts down MP’s virus solution
- Premiers face ‘hotspot’ pressure
- PM warns against ‘provincialism’
- Victoria has 12 more deaths, 113 cases
- Qld cancels Schoolies
- Alert as NSW cluster spreads
Welcome to The Australian’s rolling coverage of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Deputy CMO Nick Coatsworth says the acting CMO is the only Kelly the nation should be listening to as Liberal MP Craig Kelly pushes hydroxychloroquine. Scott Morrison will introduce a commonwealth definition of ‘hotspot’ that premiers will be pushed to adopt. PM has warned against a retreat into provincialism as he seeks levity on borders. Qld has cancelled Schoolies on the Gold Coast. Victoria has recorded 12 more deaths and 113 new virus cases. The state’s death toll is now 497.
AFP 11pm: Japan to welcome foreigners in September
Japan said it will lift a re-entry ban on foreigners from next month amid efforts to rebuild the virus-hit economy but would maintain rules to keep the disease at bay.
Japan has been hit less hard than most advanced economies by the coronavirus, with just over 65,000 cases, and around 1,200 deaths.
Nearby in South Korea, the government has also decided to ramp up coronavirus curbs in the greater Seoul area, home to half the country’s 52 million people, as clusters grow.
The country largely overcame an early outbreak with extensive tracing and testing, but is now battling several new clusters mostly linked to Protestant churches.
The authorities reported 371 new cases Friday, the 15th consecutive day of triple-digit increases.
Under the new rules, gyms and other indoor sports facilities such as screen golf venues will be closed.
AFP 10.45pm: Paris masks up
Masks became compulsory outdoors all over Paris on Friday as France joined a growing global battle against new virus outbreaks, while Germany warned the crisis will be “more difficult” in the autumn and winter.
Announcing the new mask rules for Paris, French Prime Minister Jean Castex said Thursday there was an “undeniable resurgence” of the disease throughout the country.
“The epidemic is gaining ground, and now is the time to intervene.” On Thursday, official data showed 6,111 confirmed new cases in 24 hours nationwide, a record since the end of France’s lockdown in May, and French leaders said they cannot exclude out a new stay-at-home rule.
Masks were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites.
Meanwhile in Berlin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned the battle against the virus is “likely to be more difficult over the next few months” as people start spending more time indoors.
The Spanish government said this week children as young as six will be required to cover their nose and mouth at school, while Britain reversed earlier guidance that pupils aged 11-18 did not need to wear masks.
Geoff Chambers 7.15pm: PM, Turnbull praise Japan PM as resignation announced
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has announced his resignation citing his worsening health, ending the reign of the man who held the top job longer than anyone else.
Mr Abe, 65, will stay in office until a successor is chosen.
Scott Morrison praised the “leadership, wisdom, generosity and vision” of Mr Abe and described him as a “true friend” of Australia.
The Prime Minister said Mr Abe had “championed the cause of peace, freedom and prosperity in our region and the world more broadly”.
“Australia and Japan have never been closer, and this is significantly due to the humility and sincerity Shinzo Abe has displayed. I will never forget laying a wreath side by side with him at the Darwin Cenotaph as we remembered those who were killed in the Japanese bombing raids on Darwin. This took great strength and nobility,” Mr Morrison said.
Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull said “Japan will lose one of its greatest leaders and Australia one of its best friends”.
“In an increasingly fractious international environment, Shinzo has been a pragmatic leader managing difficult geopolitical relationships and personalities alike,” Mr Turnbull said.
The pair also worked closely to revive the Quadrilateral security dialogue between Japan, Australia, the US and India and establish the Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement.
With Dow Jones
Australia is thankful for the true friend we have had in Shinzo Abe as Prime Minister of Japan. His leadership, wisdom, generosity and vision have championed the cause of peace, freedom and prosperity in our region and the world more broadly. pic.twitter.com/GCdRo371ru
— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) August 28, 2020
Read the full story here.
Max Maddison 5.51pm: Police blast ‘tinfoil hat-wearing’ lockdown protesters
Victorian police have eviscerated “tinfoil hat-wearing” anti-lockdown protesters who are planning a “bats. t crazy” march on September 5.
Labelling the plans “utterly selfish”, Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius said people needed to “wake up to themselves”.
“The tinfoil hat wearing brigade are alive and well out there in our community,” Mr Cornelius told a press conference on Friday afternoon.
“They are taking every opportunity to leverage the current situation to serve their own ridiculous notions about so-called ‘sovereign citizens’ about constitutional issues and about how 5G is going to kill your grandkids – it is bats. t crazy nonsense.”
With attempts to engage with protesters proving unsuccessful, the Assistant Commissioner of the North West Metro Region said police will “be arresting them, their feet won’t touch the ground”.
“It would not only be ironic but also a tragedy if those who are advocating for a premature end to stage four restrictions by their selfish conduct risk the further spread of the virus,” he said.
“Now is not the time to protest.”
Police have already searched the protest organiser’s home, seizing laptops, a computer and two mobile phones. The man has been granted bail and is to appear in court on February 8 next year.
READ MORE: PM demands answers on twin tragedy
Remy Varga 5.28pm: Guards fired after ‘harassing’ female staff
Security guards at the hotel linked to 90 per cent of Victoria’s current coronavirus cases were stood down after “harassing” female staff members, inquiry hears.
As well, Rydges general manager Rosswyn Menezes told the hotel quarantine inquiry on Friday that he observed security guards on CCTV breaching social distancing.
He said some security guards at the Swanston quarantine site “passed certain comments” to female staff members working at the hotel.
Max Maddison 4.00pm: Deputy CMO shuts down MP’s virus solution
The deputy Chief Medical Officer has shot down attempts by firebrand federal MP Craig Kelly to push hydroxychloroquine as a solution for COVID, saying the acting CMO is the only Kelly the nation should be listening to when it comes to coronavirus.
The DCMO Nick Coatsworth said trials run by the World Health Organisation had proven the antimalarial drug wasn’t an effective treatment for the virus, rejecting the Liberal backbencher’s claims its use was being suppressed by the “big hand of government”.
“I think Australia is very clear which Kelly should be listened to in COVID-19 and that is Paul Kelly. And Paul Kelly, like myself, like all clinicians around Australia, understand that regrettably hydroxychloroquine is not effective for COVID-19,” Dr Coatsworth told a daily briefing on Friday afternoon.
“That does not happen very often, it only happens when it is clear there is no benefit. Regrettably, hydroxychloroquine is not the answer.”
After the nation recorded another 131 cases and 12 deaths, Dr Coatsworth backed Scott Morrison’s assertion that the virus would always present a risk until a vaccine was developed, saying “every Chief Health Officer agrees with that”.
READ MORE: Liberal backbencher Craig Kelly slammed for anti-malaria drug rant
Matthew Denholm 2.30pm: Win for Tassie bridal parties: you can dance at weddings
Tasmania has extended its state of emergency — due to expire on Monday — until the end of October, but will allow bridal parties to dance at weddings.
Premier Peter Gutwein on Friday said the state of emergency extension, forecast by The Australian on Thursday, was aimed at providing more time to “review the threat” posed by coronavirus outbreaks in Victoria and other states.
The state’s public health emergency has also been extended, for a further 12 weeks.
Mr Gutwein also announced health screening for all arrivals to the state, including essential travellers, with those found to have symptoms or a temperature to face COVID-19 tests and quarantine while awaiting results.
However, some restrictions would be eased, he said, including allowing bridal parties — but not their wider guests — to dance at weddings.
This followed some fervent lobbying by brides-to-be. “I haven’t had that many grooms contact me in terms of this particular activity but a number of brides have and I think it’s a very good step forward to ensure that first dance can occur, for the bridal party only,” he said.
As well, bans on 8-ball, darts and karaoke in bars would be lifted, but not dancing in such venues, which would remain banned due to public health advice. “It is seen as a very high risk activity,” he said.
READ MORE: Guards stole towels for naps, smoked in stairwells
Debbie Schipp 2.10pm: Two more Sydney schools close, growing cluster concerns
Two Sydney primary schools have closed due to COVID-19 cases and staff and students requested to self-isolate on Friday afternoon.
Parents and carers were asked to pick up students from Double Bay Public School in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, after a staff member tested positive.
In Sydney’s west, Homebush Public School also closed on Friday.
In a statement on Facebook, Homebush Public said the school and after-school care would close after being advised by NSW Health that a staff member at Cubbyhouse Childcare — which is located on the site — had tested positive.
“Staff will remain at the school while students are being collected,” the Department of Education said in a statement relating to both schools. “The school will follow normal pick up arrangements this afternoon to allow parents to collect their children.”
Ryde Secondary College and St Gertrude’s Primary School, Smithfield, both closed on Friday after respective positive cases in a staffer and a student.
NSW reported 13 new virus cases on Friday, and there are growing concerns about a cluster in Sydney’s CBD and two new cases near the Victorian border.
Six of today’s cases are linked to the Sydney Tattersalls Club gym and 300 George Street cases.
“It highlights how quickly COVID-19 can spread,” NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant warned this morning.
READ MORE: PM demands answers on twin tragedy
Joseph Kelly 1.25pm: Andrews too busy with COVID for China briefings
Daniel Andrews did not take up offers from high ranking intelligence and security officials for classified briefings on the security implications of Chinese interference and its Belt and Road Initiative deals, because he was busy dealing with COVID-19 outbreak in Victoria.
Asked if he had received a letter setting out the Prime Minister’s concerns with Victoria’s BRI deal in June, Mr Andrews said: “His views have been well known and well understood to me.”
“It’s not exactly the most important issue of the day from my point of view.”
Mr Andrews said he expected to talk to Mr Morrison over the weekend about “all sorts of different things” but suggested the issues of China and its BRI deals were not expected to be discussed.
“I doubt very much whether these issues will be things we’ll talk about. Because from my point of view, and if I can say, I think the vast majority of Victorians would want me to be focused on the things we’ve been talking about today.
“It’s not that these other matters are unimportant.”
Mr Andrews also confirmed he missed a national cabinet briefing on the security implications of arrangements with foreign governments, saying he would take up the offer of a briefing in the future.
He said Mr Morrison had been “quite understanding” about what was on his plate.
“There was a briefing of the national cabinet which I had a conversation with the Prime Minister about, among many other things in the conversation, which included just at the end that he was quite understanding about the fact that I had a bit on at that time,” Mr Andrews said.
“We then arranged to have a one hour briefing. I haven’t had a chance to do that yet but I will. Nothing more or less than that.”
Mr Morrison announced a plan on Thursday to use the commonwealth’s external affairs powers to stop deals done with foreign countries that are deemed to be against the national interest.
Mr Andrews was pressed on whether he received a letter in June from Mr Morrison outlining the Prime Minister’s concerns about the BRI deal.
“His views have been well known and well understood to me,” Mr Andrews said.
“I’ll just make the point again, it is not exactly the most important issue of the day for me.
“I was very clear yesterday that … I was in no way critical of the method in which the Prime Minister communicated the decisions he announced yesterday. A letter, phone call text, we talk often. We’ll likely talk over the weekend, I doubt about these issues.”
Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said the government had been notified that an Australian meat establishment — John Dee in Warwick — had been “suspended by Chinese authorities due to the detection of a substance known as chloramphenicol.”
“I have spoken to the establishment and they believe they have traced the source of this substance,” Mr Littleproud said.
“My department is working with the establishment to give Chinese authorities assurance around this incident and to have the establishment relisted after appropriate investigation.”
READ MORE: Beijing strikes swiftly: new beef export ban
Courtney Walsh 12.55pm: De Minaur the lone Aussie seed at US Open
A year after a significant breakthrough at the US Open, Alex de Minaur returns to Flushing Meadows as the only seeded Australian in the first major held since tennis resumed in August. Read more here
Olivia Caisley 12.30pm: Morrison still keen on NZ travel bubble
Scott Morrison has confirmed he is still interested in establishing a travel bubble with New Zealand and other Pacific Island Nations, however his priority is reopening the nation’s own state borders.
The Prime Minister told The Daily Telegraph’s Bush Summit on Friday Singapore and Japan had also raised the possibility of an international travel arrangement with Australia.
“I’m trying to get the New Zealand travel bubble back in place, and I’m sure we’ll take that up again soon,” Mr Morrison said.
“I’d like to see that also if we can among the Pacific nations … Japan is keen to do it, Singapore is keen to do this and there are a number of nations that are happy to do this with us and I can see that as the next step, but right now, we’re trying to get the domestic borders open.”
READ MORE: Patient zero hits the spot
Stephen Lunn 12.20pm: Victoria expects cases below 100 next week
Victoria’s chief health officer Brett Sutton said the state was “doing it tough” but he expected new case numbers to fall below 100 over the weekend or early next week.
“We are clearly still trending in the right direction. It’s not gotten below 100 yet. I do expect that to happen if not over the weekend, then by next week if trends continue.
“We obviously have to hold the course,” Professor Sutton said.
“There’s no question we are doing it tough, but … numbers continue to decrease.
Professor Sutton said going below the 100 cases a day mark would be a psychological boost to the state.
“I think it is helpful from a psychological point of view. We are all hoping we can have a celebration to see it in double figures, but it … is really just a sign if we get there, and I hope we do, that we are still heading in the right direction.
He said he expected the mortality rate to stay relatively high in the coming days, but it was a good sign numbers had stabilised.
READ MORE: Victoria braces for grim milestone
Imogen Reid 12.10pm: Health chief condemns people delaying tests
NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said it is critical that people experiencing coronavirus symptoms immediately come forward for testing, after it was found that almost half of the state’s positive cases waited more than three days after their symptoms began to be tested.
“It is critical that people are not out and about when they are symptomatic, and it is also critical they present early for testing,” Dr Chant said.
“We would like to see our data improve and we would like to see that people are getting testing within a day of symptom offset and also to stress that people should not be out and about if you have got symptoms.”
READ MORE: ‘VESPASS’ changing the face of Australia
Olivia Caisley 12pm: Commonwealth to introduce ‘hotspot’ definition
Scott Morrison has declared he will introduce a Commonwealth definition of a coronavirus “hotspot” that he will strongly encourage the state premiers to adopt.
The Prime Minister, who has been a frequent critic of states which have shut their borders without clear medical advice, praised the “flexible” hotspot policy of the Northern Territory’s Gunner government.
“I can assure you this, there here will be a Commonwealth definition of hot spots come rain, hail or shine and I hope it will be a national cabinet one,” Mr Morrison told The Daily Telegraph’s Bush Summit on Friday. “I will certainly seek to achieve that. But, at the very least, there will be a Commonwealth one and if there are any differences to that people (the states) will have to explain that.”
He flagged that he wished he had raised issues with the unilateral border closures by states earlier on in the pandemic.
READ MORE: Colbeck walks out on ALP ‘games’
Imogen Reid 11.55am: NSW Premier issues warning over tougher limits
Premier Gladys Berejiklian has issued a stern warning for NSW residents, urging them to adhere to the state’s COVID-19 rules over the weekend to avoid the need to implement tougher restrictions.
“We appreciate that a lot of the places people normally flock to will be very busy on the weekend, and the Deputy Commissioner and his team are on high alert to make sure that all authorities appreciate what could occur on the weekend if people don’t recognise the need to socially distance,” she said.
Ms Berejiklian said she expects the state’s daily tally to increase and decrease marginally over the next few weeks but reiterated the need for residents to remain vigilant.
“We need to make sure that they [daily cases] don’t get to a situation where we are having to impose further restrictions,” she said. “I’m not suggesting that is where we are heading but we have to stay vigilant to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
READ MORE: Albanese attacks national cabinet ‘disunity’
Olivia Caisley 11.50am: PM: ‘We’ll fight for agriculture exporters’
Scott Morrison has declared that the government will continue to defend the interests of the nation’s agriculture exporters amid China’s decision to slap tariffs on Australian barley, wine and beef exports.
It comes as China suspended beef exports from a fifth Queensland abattoir – a day after the Prime Minister announced he will legislate to tear up Victoria’s multimillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative agreement with Beijing and a raft of other agreements found to be against the national interest.
“We will continue to defend the interests of our agricultural exporters, who are experiencing disruptions to their trade with Chinese consumers,” he told The Daily Telegraph’s Bush Summit on Friday.
“More recently, we’re disappointed about the actions against their barley exports, and indeed with our beef processing where there’s been a further announcement today but these are not new, new initiatives, these have been happening for some years, and they don’t just happen overnight.”
Mr Morrison said the government would work closely with the wine industry amid China’s announcement they would investigate claims from Chinese winemakers that Australian exporters have been selling wine in that market for less than it cost to produce.
“I’m optimistic that we will resolve those issues, not least because trade with China brings benefits to both countries,” he said. “Our quite high quality beef, lamb, seafood and wine exports to China have grown in recent years for a very simple reason,” Mr Morrison said.
“The good Chinese consumers like them, and they’ve got the same reason we like it,” he said.
“We sell things that I want to buy. We buy things they want to sell. It’s a two way relationship, it’s in both our interests, for it to be maintained.”
READ MORE: Language key to cutting China influence
Stephen Lunn 11.45am: Premier Andrews delivers latest virus figures
Victoria has 3141 active cases of coronavirus, Daniel Andrews said today.
In his daily briefing, the Premier confirmed that 496 Victorians have now died of COVID-19 during the pandemic, with 12 more deaths in the last 24 hours.
There are 113 new cases, the same as Thursday.
Mr Andrews said there were 513 Victorians in hospital, with 29 in intensive care. He said Victoria had so far recorded 4197 cases with an unknown source.
Aged care continues to be a problem area, with 1362 active cases in aged care settings.
READ MORE: One third of businesses ‘expecting hardship’
Olivia Caisley 11.25am: PM warns against retreat into ‘provincialism’
Scott Morrison has called for unity as the coronavirus pandemic causes the most “significant downturn in our lifetime” as he pushes for a streamlined approach to appeals against state border closures during the pandemic.
The Prime Minister, who thinks people should know when border restrictions can be lifted, said borders should be open based on a common set of fair principles that take into account the advice of health professionals.
“We must be one and indivisible as a nation, whether we are from the bush or city, QLD or WA,” he said. “We must be Australians first. And we must not let this crisis let us retreat into provincialism.
“In many of the border communities residents are simply trying to move from one COVID-free region to another type of free region and so we need to get borders open based on a common set of fair simple principles that take into account the advice of health professionals that is conveyed transparently,” he told The Daily Telegraph’s Bush Summit on Friday.
“That doesn’t mean there can’t be borders, that doesn’t mean there can’t be border restrictions, and it doesn’t mean that border restrictions in circumstances are not necessary,” he said. “This is not a binary topic. It is one that has to be considered sensibly reasonably and in a balanced way, it is reasonable for Australians particularly regional Australians to have access to medical assistance, to get to work and to access their own properties where permits are required.”
Mr Morrison has repeatedly criticised states that have shut their borders without releasing the medical advice that informs those decisions.
“It is reasonable for Australians to expect that their applications will be dealt with quickly, and that there is an appeal process, borders cost communities, and the economies they constrain.”
READ MORE: Abattoirs may close because of wage plan
Imogen Reid 11.15am: NSW has 13 new cases, four from unknown source
Thirteen new cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed in NSW in the past 24 hours.
Of the new cases, one is a returned traveller in hotel quarantine, six are linked to the Sydney CBD cluster, four were locally acquired with unknown sources, and two are close contacts of previously reported cases.
NSW Health said one of the new infections is a student for St Gertrude’s Catholic Primary School in Smithfield. A staff member from Ryde Secondary College was also confirmed to have coronavirus, but will be included in Saturday’s tally.
Health officials have directed anyone who attended City Tattersalls Club on Monday 24 August from 8am to 2pm to get tested immediately and isolate for 14 days and to remain isolated even if the test result is negative.
Another one of today’s cases attended Anytime Fitness gym in Marrickville on Monday 24 August from 7pm to 8pm.
“Anyone at the gym at this time is considered a close contact and is required to immediately get tested for COVID-19 and self-isolate for 14 days until 8 September,” NSW Health said.
People who have attended the following venues are considered casual contacts and advised to monitor for symptoms, and immediately isolate and get tested for COVID-19 should symptoms develop:
The Matterhorn, Turramurra – Saturday 22 August 6pm-8pm (NSW Health has identified and contacted close contacts)
Parish of Holy Name, Wahroonga – Sunday 23 August 9.30am-10.15am
Liquorland, Marrickville – Sunday 23 August 5.15pm-5.30pm
Eat Fuh, Marrickville – Sunday 23 August 5.20pm-5.40pm
Metro Petroleum – Hurlstone Park – Monday 24 August 10.20am-10.30am
Following diagnosis of COVID-19 in a person who lives in Victoria, two NSW residents are in isolation for 14 days from the date of last contact with this case.
“Murrumbidgee LHD contacted these two people and are continuing to monitor them while they remain in isolation,” NSW Health said.
READ MORE: Punters flock to online gaming
Robyn Ironside 11.10am: Stranded Aussies face six-month wait
Airlines say the government’s cap on incoming passenger numbers means it could take up to six months to bring stranded Aussies home. Read more here
Caroline Schelle 10.45am: Magistrate slams anti-masker ‘Karen’
A Victorian magistrate has lashed an anti-masker “Karen” who claims laws don’t apply to her, saying the deadly coronavirus doesn’t care if she’s a “sovereign citizen” or not.
Frankston woman Mandy Crerar allegedly coughed and yelled at cafe staff after they refused to serve her for not wearing a mask on August 11.
The 58-year-old is also accused of resisting police officers called to the cafe and has been charged with affray and failing to comply with the chief health officer’s directions.
“We’re in the grips of a pandemic which is killing people every day. It’s real,” Frankston magistrate Tim Gattuso told the woman. “It doesn’t distinguish between those who claim to be sovereign citizens and those who don’t.” Read more here
Charlie Peel 10.20am: Premier Palaszczuk faces criticism over ‘compassion’
Annastacia Palaszczuk has been forced to defend her “compassion” after a woman who travelled from Ballina to Sydney for medical treatment lost one of her unborn twins.
The woman’s father told The Courier-Mail she made the decision to fly to Sydney for the emergency treatment – after waiting 16 hours for a flight – because applying for a border exemption from the Queensland government would have taken too long.
The drive from Ballina to Brisbane takes just two hours.
The death of the baby prompted Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington to urge the premier to “be more compassionate” to people urgently needing to cross the border.
“This is absolutely tragic,” Ms Frecklington said in a statement.
“My heart bleeds for the family and everything they have been put through.
“When it comes to medical emergencies and border exemptions, the Premier needs to be more compassionate and consistent – not have one rule for the rich and another rule for everyday Australians.
“At the end of the day we are all Australians and medical emergencies should be automatically exempt.”
Ms Palaszczuk said emergency care was not denied to anyone wanting to cross the border in a helicopter or ambulance vehicle.
“We are very, very compassionate in this state and as (Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young) said very clearly, if there is someone that needs emergency care, if they need a helicopter to fly them to one of their hospitals, that will happen,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“If they need an ambulance to come and the clinicians decide the best place and the fastest place to go, they will not be stopped from going.”
Ms Palaszczuk said she was “not involved in individual cases” and decisions about granting exemptions to cross the border for non-emergency procedures were left to clinicians.
Dr Young said Queensland had always and would continue to provide emergency health services to residents of northern NSW and that border stoppages did not apply to patients in an emergency vehicle.
READ MORE: The food we go bananas for in lockdown
Charlie Peel 9.50am: Qld cancels annual Schoolies pilgrimage
The annual rite of passage for Australian school leavers will not go ahead this year after the Queensland government’s decision to cancel Schoolies on the Gold Coast.
The announcement by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk came as she declared social gathering restrictions would be extended to the Gold Coast after two cases of coronavirus were confirmed in the region overnight.
They were among three new cases of COVID-19 in Queensland in the past 24 hours.
All three are believed to be connected to an outbreak at the Queensland Corrective Services academy, where a trainer was diagnosed with the virus on Thursday.
Chief health officer Jeannette Young said there was a strong chance the virus had been spread on the Gold Coast.
Two of the people to test positive were located on the Gold Coast while the third case was in Forest Lake near Brisbane.
The new restrictions on the Gold Coast, which are already in place in Brisbane, will come into effect from 8am Saturday, limiting gatherings in homes to 10 people.
Ms Palaszczuk said that while the mass events associated with Schoolies would not be permitted this year, school leavers would be allowed to celebrate in small groups in accommodation booked close to where they live.
“We always listen to the health advice and the chief health officer has deemed the event of Schoolies – it is a mass event over multiple days – is high risk so the Schoolies that we have come to know over the years will not be able to go ahead in that form this year,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
READ MORE: Tree-changers putting down new roots
Imogen Reid 9.35am: PM says he, Andrews ‘will get on with our jobs’
Scott Morrison says he and Daniel Andrews will “get on with our jobs” despite rumours of a rift developing between the pair over new plans to tear up Victoria’s Belt and Road Initiative.
The Prime Minister told Nine’s Today show reports of the leaders “disintegrating” relationship were exaggerated and overstated.
“All the commentary around this issue is usually overstated. We are both very professional leaders, we work together on so many different issues,” Mr Morrison said.
“There will be some we disagree on, there are many we do agree on.
“What we want to get happening in Victoria is obviously continue to get the outbreak under control, get people out of lockdown, get borders open again, get people back to work and ensure we have a very solid basis to ensure that the outbreak won’t recur in Victoria.
“There is a lot to do, we will get on with our jobs, he with his, me with mine.”
It comes after the Victorian Premier said he hoped Mr Morrison had other plans in mind if he decided to stop the investment program.
“Given the announcements the Prime Minister has made today he will no doubt be able to list the full range of other free trade agreements and other markets that we’ll be sending Victorian products to,” Mr Andrews said. “I’ll look forward to that.”
READ MORE: Spin-off still on Woolies agenda
Imogen Reid 9.15am: PM deadbats query over deported Australians
Scott Morrison has addressed reports that Australians stranded overseas who risk being deported could be brought back to quarantine in remote parts of the county as part of a new government rescue plan.
The Prime Minister said he was “unaware” of the source of the report and the Commonwealth government’s contingencies for emergency situations, like quarantining travellers on Christmas Island, were one-off cases.
“No. I’m unaware of what the source of those reports are,” Mr Morrison told Nine’s Today show.
“You’ll recall when we did the Wuhan flights early we did quarantining in Howard Springs on Christmas Island, they were one-off cases. In other cases we have brought chartered flights back into Australia and they have gone through the normal hotel quarantine.
“But we don’t want to put too much stress on hotel quarantine. We know what happens when quarantine breaks and there isn’t the tracing program to back that up. We have seen that in the terrible incidents that occurred in Melbourne. And the hardship that brings. You’ve got to get the balance right.”
READ MORE: Virus hits financial sector
Staff Reporters 9.05am: Promising signs emerging from Victoria
Victoria’s latest update, showing 12 deaths and 113 cases, compares with 23 deaths and 113 cases on Thursday; 24 deaths and 149 cases on Wednesday; Eight deaths and 148 cases on Tuesday; and 15 deaths and 116 new cases on Monday.
Staff Reporters 8.40am: 12 deaths, 113 new cases in Victoria
#COVID19VicData for 28 August, 2020. 113 new cases detected in Victoria yesterday. Sadly, 12 more lives have been lost. Our condolences to their families. More information will be available later this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/IFI7wXGqye
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) August 27, 2020
Imogen Reid 8.35am: Sydney schools forced to close over positive cases
Two Sydney schools have been forced to close their doors after being visited by a positive COVID-19 case.
Ryde Secondary College in the city’s northwest is being cleaned after a staff member was diagnosed with coronavirus.
“The department was advised last night by NSW Health that a staff member has tested positive for COVID-19,” the NSW Department of Education said in a statement.
“The school will be non-operational for the on-site attendance of staff and students to allow time for the school to complete the contact tracing process and have the school cleaned.
“All staff and students are asked to self-isolate while contact tracing occurs.”
St Gertrude’s Primary School in the western suburb of Smithfield has also cancelled classes after health officials confirmed a link to a positive case.
Wyndham College, Schofields Public School and Riverstone High school in Sydney’s west and northwest will reopen today after positive cases were confirmed at the schools.
READ MORE: Tough times for theme park operator
Imogen Reid 8.20am: NSW updates list of venues causing concern
NSW Health is urging anyone who visited the following locations to monitor their symptoms:
4Pines Manly Brew Bar on The Esplanade; August 23 from 3.30pm to 5pm.
The Magpies restaurant, Waitara; August 24 from 11.30am to 1.15pm.
Destro’s Pharmacy, 197-201 Victoria Road Drummoyne; August 22 from 11.20am to 11.40am.
Fitness First, Bond Street, Sydney CBD; August 20 and 21 in the afternoon.
Fitness First Balgowlah; August 23 from 9am to midday.
Health officials are contacting all close contacts at the gyms to direct them to self-isolate and get tested.
READ MORE: Stimulus needed if business is to invest
Imogen Reid 8.05am: Paris makes face masks mandatory
Face masks must be worn everywhere in the French capital Paris from Friday morning to control the spread of coronavirus.
“The deterioration of the health situation … has led the perfect to take this strong measure in the interest of the population,” Paris police said in a statement.
The measure will include all pedestrians and cyclists throughout the city and its suburbs. Motorists will not have to wear a mask inside their car.
Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Thursday the government would order the mandatory use of masks.
“The virus is spreading all over the country … the spread of the epidemic could become exponential if we do not react quickly,” he said.
It comes after France recorded 6111 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, the highest reported number since the lockdown ended.
Several American states, including Texas, California and New York have chosen to ignore federal health official’s calls to reduce the number of asymptomatic people receiving COVID-19 tests.
Instead, they plan to continue to test anyone who has been in contact with a positive case, despite guidance from the Center of Disease Control and Prevention suggesting such tests may not be needed.
Jamaica, the Czech Republic and Switzerland will be removed from the UK’s travel corridor list due to rising infection rates. Travellers arriving from those countries will be required to quarantine for two weeks.
Poland will ban flights from 46 countries, including France and Spain from 2 September. The move follows a surge in infections as officials work to reduce the spread of the virus.
Poland first closed its borders and halted flights in March, but began lifting restrictions in May. There have been 64,689 cases of coronavirus reported in the country and 2010 deaths.
Globally, there have been more than 24.2 million people infected with the virus, while the total number of COVID-19 deaths is 827,801.
READ MORE: Public health is one thing — freedoms another
Imogen Reid 7.55am: Plan to bring stranded Aussies home
Australians stranded overseas who risk being deported could be brought back to quarantine in remote parts of the county as part of a new government rescue plan.
More than 18,000 Australian are stuck overseas, 2000 of whom are considered vulnerable but have been blocked by caps on international flights due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nine newspapers report that at least three government departments have been designing a rescue plan to deal with a range of scenarios, including if a country deports citizens because their visas have been cancelled.
The publication says while the operation is not imminent, a separate multimillion-dollar fund will be created to support Australians who are struggling financially overseas and cannot travel home.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Home Affairs and Defence have been working together on potential quarantine plans which could see returned travellers complete their quarantine in remote areas, including locations in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
It comes after state governments voiced concerns over their ability to deal with any more than the 4000 travellers returning home each week.
READ MORE: Small towns the big winners
Chris Griffiths 7.45am: Twitterati trends air world of confusion
Australians tweeted about panic buying more than any other country, especially about toilet paper and limits on alcohol purchases. These were some of the findings of an analysis of three million postings on social network Twitter.
Researchers at Melbourne’s Monash University focused on tweets in six countries to distil issues that most concerned the public. The study looked at attitudes in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, Britain and the US. Empathy, logic, consistency and explanations about restrictions were key to public acceptance of government rules.
Machine learning researcher Caitlin Doogan, who led the project, said that in early March when the pandemic reached Australia, there was a rapid influx of people on Twitter and opinions and attitudes were changing quickly.
“Interestingly, of all the countries I studied except for New Zealand that already had the lockdown … people were crying out for the restrictions, they wanted them brought on really quickly and they wanted them hard and fast,” Ms Doogan said. “It seemed logical: let’s get it done, let’s cut it off, let’s get it eradicated in Australia. There really wasn’t much discontent around these restrictions.”
READ the full story here
Imogen Reid 7.25am: Alerts as NSW cases spread north
New health alerts have been issued for Sydney’s CBD, Willoughby, Hornsby and the Central Coast after multiple locations were visited by positive coronavirus cases.
One man worked at David Jones in the city while infectious, forcing the flagship store to close its food court.
In a statement, a spokesman for the Elizabeth Street department store said the employee last worked on Tuesday, and as a “further precaution”, said the food service and fresh food areas would close.
“A deep clean of the store has been completed and contact tracing undertaken in accordance with all health authority guidelines,” a spokesman said.
PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT– NEW CASE LOCATIONS IN NSW
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 27, 2020
Further investigations have revealed COVID-19 cases have attended a number of locations in the CBD, Hornsby, Willoughby, and the Central Coast.
For the latest case locations: https://t.co/pqkRdfh3cR pic.twitter.com/KKfiQvcPPu
A medical imaging facility in Hornsby and a Harris Farm Markets in Willoughby have also been visited by a positive case. Anyone who attended PRP Diagnostic Imaging on Edgeworth Drive between 10am and 11.15am on August 24, and anyone who visited Harris Farm on High Street in Willoughby between 4pm and 5pm on August 22, should monitor for symptoms.
Another case attended the gaming area of City Tattersalls on August 24.
NSW Health said anyone who was in the gaming area on Monday should monitor for symptoms and get tested should any develop.
A new case, which will be included in today’s daily update, caught multiple trains from Woy Woy to Sydney.
Anyone who travelled on the following train lines should monitor for symptoms and seek testing if they develop:
Monday, August 24
Sydney-bound service, departing Woy Woy at 6.31am and arriving in Wynyard at 7.50am.
Northbound train, departing Town Hall station at 5.31pm, arriving Woy Woy station at 6.54pm.
Tuesday, August 25
Sydney-bound train, departing Woy Woy station at 6.31am, arriving Gordon station at 7.21am
Northbound train, departing Hornsby station at 7.53am, arriving Woy Woy station at 8.28am.
READ MORE: Patient Zero hits the spot
Jack Paynter 7.00am: Four-year-old dies in Melbourne storms
Three people have died, including a four-year-old boy, after wild weather battered Melbourne on Thursday night.
The boy passed away in hospital after he was hit by a falling tree in Blackburn South about 6pm.
The child was taken to Box Hill Hospital before being transferred to the Royal Children’s Hospital where police said he died later that evening.
A woman, 36, also died when a tree fell on a ute in Fernshaw east of Melbourne about 6.50pm.
The ute was travelling along the Maroondah Highway when it was struck by a falling tree, according to Victorian police.
The Parkdale woman, who was the front passenger in the vehicle died at the scene, while the driver, Flinders man, 24, was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
A third person, a 59-year-old Tecoma man had his car crushed while he was leaving a shopping centre carpark at the corner of Terrys Ave and Ena Rd in Belgrave, in Melbourne’s east.
Police said the tree toppled on his car about 6pm and emergency crews worked to free him but he was unable to be saved.
Police will prepare reports for the coroner for each of the three incidents.
READ MORE: Regions planning escape plan
Jacquelin Magnay 6.00am: Aussies now told pay first class or no flight
Australian business class travellers are now being routinely bumped off flights back to Australia, forcing those who can afford it to pay more than $10,000 for a one-way first class seat.
In a rapid escalation of the flight chaos, brought about by the Australian government’s current 4000 a week cap on incoming arrivals, families and business people who have had longstanding expensive bookings in business class to return to Australia are now joining tens of thousands of economy class passengers left stranded on the other side of the world.
Since July, airlines flying into Australian cities have restricted passenger numbers to 30 a flight, and have been routinely bumping economy and premium economy passengers – sometimes more than 10 times – to give priority to the more expensive paying passengers.
But The Australian can reveal the cancellations are now filtering through to business class because of the huge backlog being built up.
On Thursday Emirates bumped business class passengers from flight EK414 and Qatar has done the same for QR004 leaving Heathrow today (Friday). These are not passengers who have upgraded, but are people who paid full business class fares, some as far back as January.
Australian family Emma Young, her husband and their two daughters Amelia, three and Georgia, eight months, booked to return to Brisbane immediately new flights became available on Qatar Airlines several months ago and they gave notice on their London property and sorted accommodation in Brisbane.
As late as Sunday their seats were confirmed, but yesterday they received a call from Qatar Airlines, bumping them off it with just over a day’s notice and without any offer of a possible alternative flight.
By the time they received the call, the family had already had their furniture collected by removalists, and their two cats had been picked up and are now en route to Australia on a cargo flight. When The Australian contacted them in the hour before they were being made homeless the family was desperately calling airlines, sitting on a small blow up air bed in the empty lounge room.
“I just don’t know what we will do if we can’t get on the flight, we are out of the house as of lunchtime and have booked a hotel room for tonight, but then what do we do?’’, Mrs Young said.
“If Qatar had told us earlier we could have made arrangements, but we have been abandoned’’.
READ the full story here
Stephen Lunn 5.45am: Grief as Victoria nears grim milestone
Victoria is set to reach a grim milestone on Friday as it braces for its 500th coronavirus death.
The still-unfolding tragedy in aged care has driven the rapid death spiral, with nursing home residents accounting for 343 of the fatalities.
As of Thursday, 485 Victorians had lost their lives to COVID-19, 465 in the vicious second wave that began in late June and continues to rip through Melbourne and its surrounds.
The country is breathing a collective sigh of relief that overall case numbers in the worst-afflicted state are finally subsiding, down to 113 on Thursday out of a national total of 124.
But the second statistic tweeted out daily, the death tally, is too often an afterthought.
It shouldn’t be. It is nearly 500 families trying to bury their loved one as best they can in stage-four lockdown, having to decide amid their grief which 10 people can mourn at the funeral.
READ the full story here
Remy Varga 5.30am: ‘Hey hun, add me on Snapchat’
A hotel quarantine security guard slid a note under the door of an isolating woman saying “Hey hun, add me on Snapchat’’ in a major breach of quarantine regulations that saw the man removed from the hotel, according to emails released by inquiry.
A woman completing the mandatory 14-day quarantine period at the Crowne Plaza received the “inappropriate note” before looking up the author on Facebook.
“The note said something like ‘Hey hun, add me on Snapchat’ — she looked up his name on Facebook and it’s a security guard and (she) wants to complain,” the email released on Thursday said.
“He took her outside a few days ago for outside time … with two other guests … two other security guards.”
A reply to the email from Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions employee Paul Xerri said: “I will contact Wilson Security now to have this guard removed.”
READ the full story here.
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