Coronavirus Australia live news: Open borders not before time, Scott Morrison says
PM welcomes border openings in South Australia and Queensland, saying the changes will help get Australians back into work.
- No community transmission in NSW
- Victoria has 28 new cases, 3 deaths
- UK on course for 50,000 cases a day
- Voters not ready to slam Andrews
Welcome to The Australian’s rolling coverage of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Scott Morrison has welcomed border openings in South Australia and Queensland, saying the changes will help get Australians back into work. Victoria has recorded 28 new cases and NSW just two in the 24 hours to Tuesday. The UK has upgraded its coronavirus alert level, amid warnings of surging cases and a death toll of more than 200 a day.
Lisa Mayoh, Richard Ferguson 10.30pm: Family hopes for a tasty brew of incentives
With elderly parents, three children to homeschool, a business to run and an ambitious new project about to launch, Sydney pilates teacher Claire Neil had a lot to lose when COVID-19 struck.
She also had a lot to fight for, and now she and husband Mick are looking to the federal budget to help them defy the odds. They’re hoping for accelerated income tax cuts, excise relief for their small brewery, wage incentives to employ new staff and small business grants.
“Everywhere you turn, people are suffering,” Ms Neil, 42, told The Australian.
“We were in the middle of building the brewery, I lost my ¬pilates work, which was like losing my identity, and I had to suddenly become a teacher to three kids.
“My Dad is not well so my ¬parents were very isolated and anxiety levels have been so high. But I feel like everyone I speak to is going through something.”
Simon Benson 10pm: Mental health crisis bill is $114bn
The mental health bill for the nation due to COVID-19 lockdowns and unemployment could be as high as $114bn in lost productivity over the next five years, warns a report by Australia’s leading mental health modellers.
A submission by the University of Sydney to the government comes as a group of Melbourne general practitioners have pleaded with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to review the curfew and restrictions after reporting up to fivefold increases in mental healthcare cases daily, including young teenagers at risk of suicide.
High-level modelling revealed to The Australian and conducted by the university’s Brain and Mind Centre forecasts a major economic impact from the pandemic and a tsunami of emergency department presentations.
Penny Hunter 9.30pm: Broome’s a local tourism hero
Waves lapping gently on squeaky white sand. Warm sunshine blazing down from a clear sky. If it looks like paradise and sounds like paradise, it probably is paradise.
Unfortunately for anyone outside Western Australia, it’s out of reach for the time being.
Broome has been revealed as Australia’s local hero in the domestic travel stakes. Despite WA’s hard border closure, the beach town is Australia’s No 1 domestic holiday destination, topping flight bookings for January through to December next year, according to new research by online travel aggregator Skyscanner.
David Swan 9pm: Aussie trial to boost immunity for health workers
A new promising clinical trial could provide temporary immunity from COVID-19 for frontline healthcare workers, and act as a stopgap for nurses, doctors and aged-care facility workers until a vaccine is found.
Sydney-based company Aegros has built a machine that uses plasma fractionation — the process of separating components of blood plasma — to give temporary passive immunity that the biotech firm says lasts for between three and six months.
It comes after COVID-19 ravaged Victorian healthcare workers, infecting more than 3000 and accounting for about 20 per cent of new cases in the state between July and last month.
Aegros on Tuesday kicked off a clinical trial, run by Sydney‘s Royal North Shore hospital, with the hope that treatment can begin early next year. It’s opened a 4500 sq m TGA-approved facility at the hospital specifically for the trials.
“We are very confident about this,” Aegros co-founder Dr Hari Nair told The Australian. “It‘s very important that we protect frontline workers because without them, you do not have the resources to treat patients who get infected with COVID.
Ewin Hannan 8.30pm: Emergency chief weighed a ‘navy blockade’
Victoria’s Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp speculated about using the Australian Defence Force to set up a “navy blockade” to prevent two passenger cruise ships docking in Melbourne for crew changes in March.
Transcripts and recordings tendered at the hotels inquiry late on Tuesday reveal the discussion during a March 27 meeting held to organise the setting up of the hotel quarantine program.
Mr Crisp was told the state Jobs Department had received advice from Australia Border Force that two ships were due in Melbourne and wanted to change crew, refuel and restock.
“It’s where we might need a bit more help from the ADF. We need a navy blockade so the ships can’t get close to Victoria,” Mr Crisp said.
But he was reassured by a person at the meeting, whose name was redacted, that the two ships carrying American passengers were coming in to refuel and resupply.
One was picking up two American passengers while neither vessel would attempt a change of crew and “no one is getting off”.
Mr Crisp said the information was very useful and the meeting was soon adjourned.
READ MORE: Andrews won’t be drawn on Eccles evidence
AFP 8pm: Nobel Peace Prize ceremony scaled back
The Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo in December will be scaled back this year because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the head of the Nobel Institute said on Tuesday.
The prize, which will be announced for 2020 as scheduled on October 9, is traditionally presented to the laureate on December 10, the anniversary of the 1896 death of prize founder Alfred Nobel.
Unlike previous years, this year’s ceremony will not be held in the main room of Oslo’s City Hall, which can accomodate 1000 guests, but in the auditorium of Oslo University, with an audience of about 100 people.
The banquet usually held in honour of the laureate the same evening has meanwhile been cancelled outright.
In July, the Nobel Foundation announced the cancellation — for the first time since 1956 — of the Nobel banquet in Stockholm for the prizewinners in the fields of medicine, physics, chemistry, literature and economics.
“We want to be in line with Stockholm and underline that this is an exceptional year: it’s therefore good to move the award ceremony to another location,” the head of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, Olav Njolstad, told public broadcaster NRK.
“Secondly, we would not have been able to have more than 200 people in City Hall in a room that can accomodate 1000, and it would have felt quite sparse,” he said.
It is also not certain whether this year’s laureate or laureates will be able to travel to Oslo to accept the prestigious prize in person, and the Nobel Institute is therefore also considering holding an online ceremony, with an in-person invitation postponed until next year, Njolstad told NRK.
The Nobel consists of a gold medal, a diploma, and the prize sum of 9.0 million Swedish kronor ($1.4m).
READ MORE: Back off our royalties: resources sector
Peta Bee 7.30pm: How to heal ‘maskne’ and other skin problems
One of the unexpected hangovers of lockdown living is the effect it’s having on our skin. From acne — “maskne” — associated with mask-wearing, to dry, chapped hands, our skin is facing a fight of its own to stay healthy. Some are experiencing allergic reactions to the chemicals in detergents used to wash masks or in antibacterial soaps and sanitisers.
A recent survey by dermatologists from the British Skin Foundation hints at the scale of skin problems, revealing that 56 per cent of children are experiencing some type of skin complaint associated with their hands. These include irritant dermatitis, which causes inflammation of the skin, and eczema, rates of which have increased to affect one in four children — up from one in five before the pandemic. There are likely to be similar problems among adults.
Natasha Robinson 6.58pm: Australia commits $123m to vaccine alliance
Australia has committed $123 million to a worldwide vaccine distribution alliance, opening up the opportunity to be supplied COVID-19 vaccines for up to half of the Australian population while ensuring equal access to developing nations.
The agreement struck with the World Health Organisation, the vaccine alliance Gavi and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations means Australia is now eligible to purchase vaccine doses via the COVAX Facility, a global collaboration to accelerate development, production and equitable access to COVID-19 treatments and vaccines.
Under the agreement, Australia will commit an initial $123.2 million to join the purchasing mechanism of COVAX. The agreement allows Australia to receive offers to purchase vaccines via the alliance when they become available.
Imogen Reid 5.45pm: NSW tracing, testing ‘best in country’: Morrison
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has again praised the testing and tracing regime in NSW, calling the system the“best in the country”.
Appearing on Sky News this afternoon, the Prime Minister said while border closures offer people “a sense of security”, it is not a replacement for high testing levels and identifying contacts.
Acknowledging that there is “a lot of frustration” over the shut borders, Mr Morrison said he is working hard to open Australia up safely again.
“I know there is a lot of frustration about this,” he said.
“But you know, what I’m basically trying to do is get us all heading in that direction, get us opening up safely, and I think Australians very much want it to be done safely and they want to have confidence that the testing and the tracing and the outbreak containment is there.”
Richard Ferguson 5.35pm: Big energy ‘just wants you to pay more’: PM
Scott Morrison says big energy companies and business groups lobbying for an energy investment framework want customers to pay more for power, as he spruiks his low emissions technology roadmap.
The Prime Minister told Sky News on Tuesday his emissions plan puts technology before taxation, and that the policy framings businesses have lobbied lead to higher energy prices.
“You hear it from the big energy companies. You hear it sometimes from, you know, the big business groups and you hear it from the Labor Party or others. What that means is simply this. What they want is a price that customers have to pay more for,” he said.
“That’s the policy certainty they want, getting people to pay more for energy.
“Now that I assume then goes and underwrites a whole bunch of investment decisions that they want to make, but it’s all based on the customer paying more.
“Now, we believe that we can avoid that by ensuring that we’re investing in technologies and co-investing with the private sector in particular, to ensure that these new areas of technology, whether it’s in hydrogen or the many others that Angus has outlined as being our priorities.”
The Morrison government’s five priority emissions technologies — scaled back from a list of more than 140 — are: clean hydrogen; energy storage; green steel and aluminium; Carbon Capture and Storage; and soil carbon projects.
READ MORE: Energy roadmap to slash emissions
Rachel Baxendale 5pm: Aged care facilities under the microscope
There are 328 active cases of coronavirus linked to Victorian aged care facilities as of Tuesday – four fewer than on Monday – despite 24 of Tuesday’s 28 new cases being linked to aged care.
As of Tuesday there have been 607 coronavirus deaths linked to aged care facilities in Victoria, including all three deaths reported in the 24 hours to Tuesday.
The 10 aged care outbreaks with the highest cumulative total numbers of cases as of Tuesday and deaths as of September 8 (the most recent date for which data is available) are:
255 cases and 18 deaths linked to BaptCare Wyndham Lodge Community in Werribee, in Melbourne’s outer southwest (an decrease of one case since Monday due to a reclassification);
219 cases and 35 deaths linked to Epping Gardens Aged Care in Epping, in Melbourne’s north;
216 cases and 44 deaths linked to St Basil’s Homes for the Aged in Fawkner, in Melbourne’s north;
166 cases and 17 deaths linked to Estia Aged Care Facility in Ardeer, in Melbourne’s west;
140 cases and 20 deaths linked to Kirkbrae Presbyterian Homes in Kilsyth, in Melbourne’s outer east;
131 cases and 11 deaths linked to BlueCross Ruckers Hill Aged Care Facility in Northcote, in Melbourne’s inner north;
128 cases and 20 deaths linked to Twin Parks Aged Care in Reservoir, in Melbourne’s north;
124 cases and eight deaths linked to Cumberland Manor Aged Care Facility in Sunshine North, in Melbourne’s west;
122 cases and 17 deaths linked to Japara Goonawarra Aged Care Facility in Sunbury, in Melbourne’s outer northwest (an increase of one case since Monday);
121 cases and 10 deaths linked to Estia Aged Care Facility in Heidelberg, in Melbourne’s northeast (an increase of two cases since Monday);
Non-aged care outbreaks with the highest numbers of active cases on Tuesday include:
22 active cases linked to the Casey community outbreak involving at least five households in Melbourne’s outer southeast, down from 28 active cases on Monday (total cases: 43 – no increase since Sunday);
11 active cases linked to Footscray Hospital in Melbourne’s inner west, up from 10 cases on Monday (total cases: 17 – an increase of one since Monday);
Seven active cases linked to Alfred Hospital – the same number as Monday (total cases: eight – no increase since Monday);
Five active cases linked to Wydinia Kindergarten in Colac in southwest regional Victoria – the same number as Monday (total cases: 16 – no increase since Sunday).
READ MORE: Andrews urged to scrap new laws
Rachel Baxendale 4.50pm: A breakdown of Victoria’s Covid cases
Of 20,076 people who have had coronavirus in Victoria since the pandemic began, 18,628 have recovered – an increase of 61 since Monday.
Of 620 active cases in Victoria on Monday, 595 are in people in metropolitan Melbourne, 20 are in people from regional Victoria, four are from unknown locations or subject to further investigation, and one is an interstate resident.
Of the total number of cases since the pandemic began, 18,686 have been in people from Melbourne, while 1192 have been in those from regional Victoria.
There have been 9573 cases in men (47.7 per cent) and 10,490 in women (52.3 per cent).
Until the pandemic took hold in aged care facilities during Victoria’s second wave, slightly more men than women had the virus.
For example, on June 16, the split was 53.0 per cent to 47.0 per cent men to women.
The total number of cases in health workers has increased by three since Monday, to 3507, despite the number of active cases in health workers falling by five to 74.
There are four cases linked to residential disability accommodation – all of them in staff – the same number as on Monday.
Rachel Baxendale 4.45pm: Earlier deaths included in latest tally
Of Victoria’s three newly reported deaths on Tuesday, two occurred prior to Monday, but DHHS has not disclosed when it occurred.
This brings to 167 the total number of deaths added to Victoria’s death toll days and in some cases weeks after the event.
Of the 167, 67 of these deaths have been added in small daily instalments since 53 deaths were added in a single day on September 4, when Victorian authorities failed to clearly explain why it had taken them weeks to reconcile state, federal and nursing home records after Victoria and the federal government agreed on how this should be done on August 12.
No explanation has been offered as to why deaths are still being belatedly reported almost six weeks later.
Rachel Baxendale 4.30pm: Aged care still source of Victoria cases
Of Victoria’s 28 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, 24 have been linked to outbreaks at 11 different aged care facilities, highlighting the challenge the state still faces in getting case numbers down amid ongoing clusters in these settings.
The facilities linked to Tuesday’s new cases include:
– Churches of Christ Care Arcadia, in Essendon, in Melbourne’s northwest. As of September 8, this facility had been linked to 18 cases and one death;
– Mercy Place Parkville in Melborune’s inner north. As of September 8, this facility had been linked to 97 cases and 14 deaths;
– Princeton View in Brighton East in Melbourne’s bayside southeast. As of September 8, this facility had been linked to 66 cases and four deaths;
– Opal Hobsons Bay in Melbourne’s inner southwest. This facility had not been linked to any cases or deaths as of September 8, but was linked to one of Monday’s new cases;
– Glendale in Werribee, in Melbourne’s outer southwest. As of September 8, this facility had been linked to 104 cases and 17 deaths;
– Estia Heidelberg in Melbourne’s northeast. As of Tuesday, this facility has been linked to 121 cases. It had been linked to 17 deaths as of September 8;
– Embracia Moonee Valley in Melbourne’s northwest. As of September 8, this facility had been linked to 46 cases and five deaths. It was also linked to two of Monday’s new cases;
– Mercy Place Templestowe, in Melbourne’s east. This is the first time DHHS has publicly reported cases at this facility;
– Estia Keilor, in Melbourne’s northwest. As of September 8, this facility had been linked to nine cases;
– Doutta Galla Woornack, in Sunshine, in Melbourne’s west. As of September 8, this facility had been linked to 28 cases;
– Blue Cross Ruckers Hill in Northcote, in Melbourne’s inner northeast. As of Tuesday, this facility has been linked to 131 cases, including one of Monday’s new cases. It had been linked to 11 deaths as of September 8.
The following Melbourne local government areas have new cases on Tuesday:
– Brimbank (outer west): 5
– Moonee Valley (northwest): 4
– Hobsons Bay (inner southwest): 3
– Maribyrnong (inner west): 3
– Darebin (inner northeast): 2
– Melton (outer northwest): 2
– Wyndham (outer southwest): 2
– Banyule (northeast): 1
– Greater Dandenong (outer southeast): 1
– Hume (outer north): 1
– Melbourne: 1
– Moreland (inner north): 1
– Stonnington (inner southeast): 1
Rachel Baxendale 4pm: Premier won’t weigh in on Eccles evidence
His departmental secretary couldn’t say who decided on private security for hotel quarantine. The Premier won’t say if that’s good enough. Read more here
Remy Varga 3.45pm: Hotel security farmed out without approval
Three private security firms contracted to oversee Victoria’s quarantine hotels subcontracted work out to 14 companies. Read more here
Rachel Baxendale 3.25pm: Police reveal details of restriction breaches
People catching up with mates in carparks and those having parties in short-term rental apartments in the city were among 92 issued with fines by Victoria Police in the 24 hours to Tuesday for breaching coronavirus restrictions.
Police said four people intercepted in the carpark at Mernda railway station, in Melbourne’s outer northeast, had been fined after they said they were there because they “just wanted to catch up with their mates”.
Another five were fined after being found having a party at a short term rental apartment in City Road, Southbank.
And in the local government area of Casey, in Melbourne’s outer southeast, three men were fined after being found in a shopping centre carpark and telling police they were out to “get a feed” and celebrate a 20th birthday.
Under Melbourne’s current restrictions, people may only leave their houses for permitted work, exercise, essential shopping or medical care.
A curfew applied from 9pm to 5am.
Police issued nine $200 fines for failing to wear a face covering in the 24 hours to Tuesday, as well as 11 fines as a result of 26,623 checks conducted at vehicle checkpoints.
Another 36 $1652 fines were issued for curfew breaches.
Police conducted 1,965 spot checks on people at homes, businesses and public places in the 24 hours to Tuesday, with a total of 452,852 spot checks conducted since 21 March.
READ MORE: Job losses continue to mount
Rebecca le May 3.15pm: WA’s new cases all returned travellers
Three new coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Western Australia, all returned overseas travellers, and one of them has been hospitalised.
Premier Mark McGowan said the travellers were two West Australians and one person from NSW who arrived from the UK, Middle East and India.
The other two are in hotel quarantine.
At a feisty National Cabinet meeting on Friday, the Labor leader managed to convince Prime Minister Scott Morrison to compromise his plan to repatriate more Aussies stranded overseas.
Mr McGowan was angry he’d heard about the proposal through a journalist, saying the state was given too little notice to accept more arrivals in one hit under the original plan.
It will now ramp up under two stages, with WA taking an extra 200 travellers from next week and a further 300 per week from October 12, lifting the state’s total intake to 1025 per week, up from 525 currently.
READ MORE: Property prices cop a hit
Remy Varga 2.51pm: Hotel inquiry asked Andrews to reschedule
Hotel quarantine inquiry chair Jennifer Coate says the board made the decision to move Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews’ scheduled appearance to 2.15pm on Friday.
“It was at the request of the Board that those changes were made,” she told the inquiry on Tuesday.
“Ms Ellyard [counsel assisting] on my behalf expressed our thanks to the Ministers for rearranging their schedules at short notice from the Board,” she told the inquiry.
Mr Andrews was originally scheduled to appear on Wednesday along with other key ministers.
Jobs Minister Martin Pakula and Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville are still due to front the inquiry on Wednesday.
Health Minister Jenny Mikakos will now appear on Thursday.
READ MORE: Durie — Costs still a sore point for NBN Co
Richard Ferguson 2.19pm: Open borders ‘not before time’: Morrison
Scott Morrison has welcomed border openings in South Australia and Queensland, saying the changes will help get Australians back into work.
South Australia will reopen its borders with NSW from Wednesday night and Queensland will extend its border exemptions to a number of northern NSW towns including Byron.
The Prime Minister said on Tuesday he looked forward to further border relaxations and said the changes were “common sense.”
“I welcome the changes that have been in Queensland. I look forward to more in the future as we open up Australia,” he told Sky News.
“These are common sense changes, not before time. And I think that will just further assist getting people back into jobs and make sure we live alongside the virus, and not have it dictate how we live.”
READ MORE: Rex needs FIRB nod for $150m injection
Bruno Waterfield 1.59pm: Sweden ‘has beaten the coronavirus’
Evidence is mounting that Sweden has beaten the coronavirus with herd immunity rather than a lockdown, according to a renowned expert on the spread of disease.
Sweden’s infection rate has remained low and stable at a time when other European countries are facing a strong resurgence.
In Britain there are 69 cases per 100,000 people compared with 28 per 100,000 in Sweden, which did not implement strict lockdown measures in the northern spring. The infection rate in France is almost seven times higher than in Sweden, and in Spain ten times higher.
Kim Sneppen, professor of biocomplexity at Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen, told the Politiken newspaper: “There is some evidence that the Swedes have built up a degree of immunity to the virus which, along with what else they are doing to stop the spread, is enough to control the disease.”
READ the full story here
David Ross 1.31pm: Go further on borders, Berejiklian tells Palaszczuk
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has welcomed the move from South Australia to remove border restrictions and Queensland to increase its border bubble but said restrictions must end.
“I’m very pleased to learn that the SA premier said that from midnight tonight the SA borders will open so long as we keep community transmission low,” she said.
“I welcome that and obviously encourage Queensland to go further, given where NSW is in the pandemic.”
Ms Berejiklian said it was important to be mindful of how tough the border restrictions had been for northern NSW residents.
“We understand how difficult that period has been for you and I would argue necessarily so,” she said.
“It’s sad to think that families at Christmas could be separated when borders are up unnecessarily.”
“It is time for the Queensland government to bring down the whole border”.
READ MORE: Sloan — Complex awards are costing jobs
Richard Ferguson 1.21pm: Australia to set carbon target by 2035: Taylor
Energy Minister Angus Taylor says Australia will have a carbon emissions target for 2035, as he unveils his low emissions technology roadmap in Canberra.
The Australian revealed last week Labor is set to dump its 2030 target — taken to the last election — and focus on a net zero emissions target for 2050. It may go for a 2035 target instead of 2030.
Mr Taylor told the National Press Club said the Coalition would have a 2035 target, but would not commit to detailing that standard by the next federal election.
“As it’s required by the Paris Agreement – in a couple of years time, we will have to extended,” he said.
“I note that the Opposition doesn’t have a 2030 target. That is the primary target of the Paris Agreement.
“Let’s be clear. That is what we have to focus on. We have to meet and beat that and we have to set ourselves up.
“Not just in Australia. The Paris Agreement is about global outcomes. And we have to set ourselves up to achieve those global outcomes. Not just through to 2030 but beyond. And technology is the key.”
READ MORE: Canavan — Gas is not the answer to our power costs
Rachel Baxendale 1.15pm: Aged care cases: Mikakos hits out at ‘pyjama parties’
Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos has hit out at the private aged care sector, after 24 of Victoria’s 28 new cases on Tuesday have been linked to aged care.
Deputy Chief Health Officer Allen Cheng earlier said 19 of 22 cases linked to outbreaks were linked to aged care, with six under investigation.
It is understood five of those six have since been linked to aged care.
Referring to revelations on Monday that staff at an aged care facility in Melbourne’s east had been filmed dancing with residents having removed their PPE at a high tea party, Ms Mikakos tweeted:
“Today 24/28 of our new cases are related to aged care outbreaks. Aged care workplaces represent 73% of today’s active healthcare worker infections. Whether it’s pyjama parties or this, it’s really just not good enough.”
Today 24/28 of our new cases are related to aged care outbreaks. Aged care workplaces represent 73% of today’s active healthcare worker infections. Whether it’s pyjama parties or this, it’s really just not good enough. https://t.co/ayJNcLpZoI
— Jenny Mikakos MP #StayHomeSaveLives (@JennyMikakos) September 22, 2020
Video emerged on Monday of the tea party AdventCare Whitehorse in Nunawading, where staff and residents were seen dancing and mingling closely together, without wearing masks.
Currently anyone leaving their home in Victoria is required by law to wear a mask, and strongly advised to maintain a distance of at least 1.5m from others if at all possible.
AdventCare CEO David Reece defended staff contact, telling the Nine Network only those who lived or worked at AdventCare had been involved.
Premier Daniel Andrews slammed the comments.
“I am not here to quarrel with the CEO of that facility, but I have seen comments from him talking about the fact that it was a closed event and only people who lived there and work there were involved but, frankly, staff do not live there, they live in the community and we have community transmission so I do not know that is the best rebuttal,” Mr Andrews said on Monday.
“We all have to be vigilant and aged care is and will remain for the foreseeable future a high-risk environment.”
In a statement, AdventCare Whitehorse said staff put their PPE back on immediately after the performance.
“As part of the afternoon activity a few of the staff put on a brief dance routine for the residents who were seated at their tables,” the statement read.
“AdventCare maintains appropriate use of PPE at all times and all staff wore masks at the afternoon tea.
“During the brief dance routine, the dancers did not wear masks, but they put them back on as soon as they had finished.”
READ MORE: Victoria continues to bleed jobs
Rachel Baxendale 12.42pm: Three Melbourne contact tracing hubs set to open
Three of the Andrews government’s five proposed suburban contact tracing hubs are set to open this week and next, Premier Daniel Andrews says.
The hubs are modelled on successful localised contact tracing in regional Victoria, which has been done out of six major hospitals across the state.
Mr Andrews announced a fortnight ago that new hubs would be set up in Melbourne’s west, south, north, northeast and southeast as part of a revamp of Victoria’s troubled contact tracing system.
“I can confirm that three of the five proposed suburban public health units, local public health teams, that is in the west, the northeast and the southeast of Melbourne, will be set up in the next few days,” Mr Andrews said on Tuesday.
“Western Health, Austin Health and Monash Health will be the health service leads, working closely with primary care, and also community partners to replicate the success that as I’ve said we’ve seen across regional Victoria.”
Mr Andrews said Monash Health had already done “amazing work” managing a cluster of 43 cases linked to seven households in the Casey local government area in Melbourne’s southeast in recent days.
“Western Health has also been doing some contact tracing for a little while now and some prevention work within their local communities,” Mr Andrews said.
“They’ve been working very closely with primary care providers across the west of Melbourne.
“From next week, both of these services will begin to stand up local public health units. We’ll report progress as that occurs.
“As well as that, the northeast public health unit will be led by Austin Health, and that will, that’ll be more next week than towards the end of this week, but we’ll provide you with updates as we go.
“It’s important to set these teams up do it properly, and as I’ve said on many occasions, this really does come into its own when you’re trying to keep numbers low and when you’re trying with the inevitable positive cases, the inevitable outbreaks that we will see as a result of the wildly infectious nature of this virus.
“That localised response, that even faster response, because of the input of local knowledge, will really come into its own when we are trying to keep already low numbers even lower, or at least to maintain them so that we can maintain that COVID normal.”
READ MORE: Loss of foreign students strips funds
Remy Varga 12.39pm: Quarantine team warned of ‘cowboy industry’
The Victorian bureaucrats tasked with hiring private security companies for hotel quarantine knew it was a “cowboy industry” with “heaps of cash work” and did not know there was a preferred contractors list, WhatsApp messages show.
In messages between the Working for Victoria team in the hours before the program began, shown to the hotel quarantine inquiry on Tuesday, a staffer tasked with procuring companies asked for recommendations.
One person, whose name has been redacted, said: “Gotta be careful with a lot of security companies. Heaps of cash work [redacted].
“Cowboy industry … It’s the quarantine roles … be working in hotels.”
Another person replied: “Needs to be reputable. Don’t want [redacted] rogue [redacted] prowling the corridors.” — With Ewin Hannan
READ the full story here
Ben Wilmott 12.36pm: Immigration risks 10% house price hit
Australia’s house prices are set to fall by up to 10 per cent over the next 12 to 18 months, as net immigration weakens sharply, credit agency Fitch Ratings has warned.
The agency expects drops to be in the range of 5-10 per cent and is in keeping with recent forecasts by economists who are calling a softer landing for the housing market than initially feared.
But the COVID-19 pandemic could cut underlying demand for new private houses and apartments in Australia by between 129,000 and 232,000 over the next three years, the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation said this week.
READ the full story here
DAVID Ross 12.26pm: ACT relaxes crowd restrictions, warns on coast venues
The ACT has released guidelines that would see a return to public events with more than 100 people which are currently not permitted in the capital.
Large events are considered higher risk for COVID-19 transmission and pose difficulties for contact tracing.
The protocols classify events into three categories:
Class A — Low-risk events up to 100 people. These events are currently allowed and do not require an exemption unless there is some aspect of the event that does not comply with the public health directions
Class B — Mid-level risk events between 101 people and 500 people, which will require an exemption from the Chief Health Officer.
Class C — High-risk events of more than 500 people. These events will be considered by an Event Exemption Committee who will provide a recommendation to the Chief Health Officer as to whether an exemption can be approved.
The ACT has also issued warnings for its residents after COVID cases visited venues on September 12 and 13 on the NSW South Coast, where many ACT residents holiday or visit.
ACT Health advises that anyone who attended the following locations on the specified dates and times for at least one hour must get tested for COVID-19 and immediately self-isolate until 14 days after they attended the location. They must complete their full isolation period even if their initial COVID-19 test is negative.
Mollymook: Bannisters Pavilion Rooftop Bar & Grill – Sunday 13 September, 12:30pm to 2:15pm
Ulladulla: Carlo’s Italian Ristorante Bar & Seafood – Saturday 12 September, 8:00pm to 9:30pm
Ulladulla: Milton Ulladulla Ex Servos Club – Saturday 12 September, 2:00pm to 6:15pm
ACT Health advises that people who were at these venues on the specified dates and times, but for less than an hour, must monitor themselves very closely for symptoms of COVID-19 and if symptoms develop, must immediately get tested for COVID-19 and self-isolate.
Richard Ferguson 12.18pm: LIVE: Taylor to unveil energy roadmap
Energy Minister Angus Taylor is set to unveil the government’s long-awaited low emissions technology roadmap at the National Press Club in Canberra at 12.30pm.
The roadmap will back new energy-efficient power sources to slice 250 million tonnes of Australia’s emissions a year by 2040 and lay the groundwork for the federal government’s long-term emissions strategy.
In his NPC speech, Mr Taylor will set out clear timelines for new technologies to become more competitive than existing energy sources and support 130,000 jobs over the next decade.
The Morrison government’s five priority emissions technologies — scaled back from a list of more than 140 — are: clean hydrogen; energy storage; green steel and aluminium; Carbon Capture and Storage; and soil carbon projects.
WATCH live in the video livestream above
READ MORE: Energy roadmap to slash emissions
Ben Packham 11.42am: ‘We’ll wear cost of standing up to China’
Australia’s Ambassador to the United States Arthur Sinodinos says Australia has shown it is prepared to wear the economic cost of standing up to China, warning the position means the nation faces “a bumpy time for a while”.
In a webinar with Harvard University’s Kennedy School, Mr Sinodinos said Australia was open to talking with China about problems in the bilateral relationship, “but it has got to be on terms which safeguard our national interest”.
“It can’t be a situation where we are being asked to essentially compromise our national interest to safeguard our economic interests,” Ambassador Sinodinos said.
“We cannot infringe our sovereignty in that way and it would not be a good example to the region either.
“That is why … I think we could be in for a bumpy time for a while.”
Australia’s trade relationship with China has deteriorated rapidly in recent times, with new trade barriers being imposed on Australian barley, beef and wine.
READ the full story here
Hannah Moore 11.14am: Zero community transmission recorded in NSW
Two new cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed in the 24 hours to 8pm last night, bringing the total number of cases in NSW to 4,017.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) September 22, 2020
Both are returned overseas travellers in hotel quarantine. pic.twitter.com/LjYTesBF5z
Only two new cases of coronavirus were diagnosed in New South Wales up to 8pm on Monday night, with both in hotel quarantine.
The low number marks a 24-hour period with no community transmission of the virus, a welcome statistic as surrounding states consider reopening their borders to NSW residents.
South Australian Premier Steven Marshall said he would reopen the state’s border with NSW at 12.01am on Thursday – provided there was no community transmission between Tuesday morning and midnight.
While Tuesday’s numbers are a positive sign, Deputy Chief Health Officer Jeremy McAnulty said testing numbers were still too low.
“There were 7616 tests reported in the 24 hour period to 8pm on Monday night, compared to 7765 the previous day,” he said.
“Testing numbers have declined in recent weeks in NSW, and we are appealing to the community to come forward for testing right away if you have a runny nose, scratchy throat, cough or fever, or other symptoms that could be COVID-19.”
Dr McAnulty said without increased testing, there was no way to keep the pandemic at bay.
“We’d like to see testing levels above 20,000 (per day) as achieved last week, particularly in south western Sydney and ahead of the school holidays,” he said.
“For the sake of your friends and family, get a test – and if symptoms recur, get another test. It’s free.” — NCA Newswire
READ MORE: Summer-safe plan is no shore thing
EWIN HANNAN 11.03am: Andrews hotel quarantine inquiry appearance delayed
The much-anticipated appearance of Daneil Andrews before the hotel quarantine inquiry has been delayed until Friday.
Mr Andrews had been due to appear before the inquiry on Wednesday along with key Cabinet ministers.
The inquiry announced on Tuesday that Mr Andrews would now give evidence from 2.15pm on Friday.
READ MORE: Gottliebsen — Pandemic brings double standards out in the open
David Ross 10.55am South Australia to open border to NSW tomorrow
South Australia will reopen its borders with New South Wales from Wednesday night after the state’s premier Steven Marshall said he was satisfied the health advice allowed the move.
“This will be massive relief for people dislocated from family, friends and business opportunities. we know this has been a massive burden on the business community, families and individuals but we did this to keep people safe,” Mr Marshall said.
The reopening comes despite the case of a taxi driver in Sydney who worked eight days while infectious and in the community, which Mr Marshall said concerned him.
Under current restrictions, only residents of NSW and Victoria must quarantine when entering SA.
READ MORE: Creighton — We shut for a virus unlikely to kill us
Alice Workman 10.46am: Selfie-obsessed Ardern in hot water
New Zealand’s PM accused of double standards for blatantly disregarding Covid regulations on the campaign trail.
READ Strewth in full here
Patrick Commins 10.38am: Lower rates an option, RBA says
Reserve Bank deputy governor Guy Debelle has flagged that a further reduction in rates towards, but not through, zero and buying longer term bonds remain the most likely policy tools at the central bank’s disposal should the economic recovery falter.
In a speech on Tuesday morning, Dr Debelle said “overall, the recovery has not been a rapid bounce but more of a slow grind”.
“As the outlook for the Australian economy unfolds, the board will continue to assess the merits of the range of monetary options to best support the economic recovery,” he said.
The country’s second most senior central banker repeated that, given the RBA’s forecast for growth out to the end of 2022, it was “highly unlikely” that the cash rate would be lifted over the coming three years.
READ the full story here
Damon Johnston 10.29am: Top jurists call on Andrews to drop bill
An eminent group of retired judges and high-powered Queen’s Councils has written an open letter calling on the Victorian Parliament to reject legislation that makes it easier to detain people during the coronavirus pandemic.
Fourteen legal figures have taken the unusual step of coming together to launch a scathing attack, warning the Andrews Government’s COVID-19 Omnibus (Emergency Measures) and Other Acts Amendment Bill 2020 (Bill) endangered the freedoms of Victorians.
“We are deeply concerned by the passage of the … Bill through the Legislative Assembly,” the letter states. “The Bill would also allow any person the Secretary considered appropriate to be authorised to exercise emergency powers. There would be no requirement that persons authorised be police officers, or even public servants.
“Authorising citizens to detain their fellow citizens on the basis of a belief that the detained person is unlikely to comply with emergency directions by the “authorised” citizens is unprecedented, excessive and open to abuse.
“We call on the Legislative Council to amend the Bill, or to vote against it.”
READ Damon Johnson’s exclusive story here
Rachel Baxendale 10.20am: Six of today’s Victorian cases under investigation
Victoria’s 28 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday have taken the state’s total number of cases since the pandemic began to 20,076, after three previously notified cases were reclassified.
Premier Daniel Andrews said one case from July and one from September had been reclassified due to duplication, while another had been a false positive.
Of the 28, 22 have so far been linked to known outbreaks — the majority of them in aged care facilities, Mr Andrews said.
The remaining six cases are under investigation.
Three more deaths reported in the 24 hours to Tuesday have taken Victoria’s coronavirus death toll to 766.
These include the deaths of a woman in her 70s, a woman in her 90s and a woman in her 100s, all of which were linked to aged care.
This brings the total number of coronavirus deaths linked to aged care in Victoria to 607.
There are 83 people in Victorian hospitals with coronavirus on Tuesday, including eight in intensive care, of whom five are on ventilators.
This compares with 92 people in hospital on Monday, including six in intensive care, of whom three were on ventilators.
Tuesday’s 28 new cases come after 11,123 tests were processed in the previous 24 hours, bringing the total number of tests processed since the pandemic began to 2,593,744.
Tuesday’s positive test rate is 0.25 per cent, up from a more than three month low of 0.11 per cent on Sunday, and 0.15 per cent on Monday, but well down from the record of 3.73 per cent on August 2.
The number of cases where contact tracers have been unable to establish a source of infection has increased by two since Monday to 4268.
There are 74 active cases in health workers, down from 79 on Monday.
There are 20 active cases in regional Victoria, down from 23 on Monday.
The number of active cases linked to residential disability accommodation is four, all of whom are staff – the same number as Monday.
There are 328 active cases linked to aged care facilities, down from 332 on Monday.
Victoria now has 620 active coronavirus cases — a decrease of 37 since Monday.
Deputy Chief Health Officer Allen Cheng said there were 1173 close contacts of those active cases currently in isolation.
READ MORE: Time for Andrews to finally fess up
Charlie Peel 9.41am: Queensland to relax border to parts of NSW
A further 41 postcodes along the NSW border will be added to Queensland’s border bubble.
The restrictions for Byron, Ballina, Lismore, Richmond Valley and Glen Innes shires will be lifted from 1am Friday, allowing 152,000 residents there to apply for a border pass to travel into Queensland.
Queensland residents will also be able to travel into those shires and return without needing to quarantine.
There are now 11 local government areas covered in the border bubble.
Queensland recorded no new cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to Tuesday morning and there are 16 active cases in the state.
It has been 12 days since a known infected person was in the community. Chief Health Officer Jeanette Young said the lack of community transmission meant she would consider relaxing some restrictions on gatherings in southeast Queensland later in the week.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Health Minister Steven Miles warned the growing second wave of the virus in the UK was a frightening warning about the need for restrictions.
READ MORE: Majority support Queensland border stance
Rachel Baxendale 9.16am: Andrews to address media at 10am
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is due to address the media at 10am,
alongside his Minister for Disability, Ageing, Carers and Child
Protection, Luke Donnellan.
READ MORE: Damon Johnston — Voters not ready to slam Andrews
Rachel Baxendale 8.53am: Victoria records 28 new virus cases
Victoria has recorded 28 new cases of coronavirus and three deaths in the 24 hours to Tuesday.
The 28 cases come after the state reached a more than three month low of 11 cases on Monday.
#COVID19VicData: Yesterday there were 28 new cases & the loss of 3 lives reported. Our thoughts are with all affected.
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) September 21, 2020
The 14 day rolling average & number of cases with unknown source are down from yesterday as we move toward COVID Normal. Info https://t.co/eTputEZdhs #COVID19Vic pic.twitter.com/8NkTWU489K
The three deaths bring Victoria’s coronavirus death toll to 766.
All but 19 of these deaths have occurred as a result of the state’s second wave of coronavirus cases, sparked by breaches in the Andrews government’s hotel quarantine program.
Melbourne’s 14 day daily average number of new cases is now 32.8, down from 34.4 on Monday
This compares with a 14-day daily average of 1.6 in regional Victoria — the same as on Monday.
There have been 45 cases with an unknown source of infection in metropolitan Melbourne in the most recent fortnight for which this statistic is available, compared with 47 in Monday’s figures.
Regional Victoria has had no cases over the same fortnight, which spans September 6 to September 19. and regional Victorian hospitality businesses able to reopen.
In order for Melbourne to move to its next step of relaxing coronavirus restrictions by next Sunday September 28, the 14-day daily average needs to be 30-50 — a threshold already achieved.
This will enable public outdoor gatherings of up to five people from up to two households, the resumption of childcare, and a staged return to the classroom for Prep to Grade Two and VCE students.
For the following step, which would see Melburnians released from a stay-at-home lockdown and a curfew by October 26, the statewide 14-day daily average needs to fall below five cases, with fewer than five cases with an unknown source over that fortnight.
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READ MORE: Andrews’ man ‘no idea’ on guards
David Ross 8.38am: Energy investment framework ‘still lacking’
Climate Change and Energy Opposition spokesman Mark Butler has said despite recent announcements from the federal government on energy an overall investment framework was still lacking.
“You can’t just have a description of technology, you need investment rules that will see that technology built on the ground,” Mr Butler told Radio National Breakfast.
“What investors need is to understand what the rules on their investments might be.”
Mr Butler said the government’s announcements would not spur investment as businesses needed certainty to commit the hundreds of millions of dollars major projects required.
“You need to know what the ultimate destination is, that’s why I’ve criticised the government and business groups have criticised this government,” he said.
READ MORE: Energy roadmap to slash emissions
David Ross 8.13am: Victoria ‘smashing’ its viral suppression targets
Deakin University chair of epidemiology Catherine Bennett has said Victoria was “smashing” its viral suppression targets which she had been worried the state would be unlikely to meet”.
“We could be in a position for the Government to use those same metrics they have set, which are very challenging, to potentially consider opening up earlier on that basis,” Professor Bennett told the Today Show.
“When you look at the hot spots still on the DHHS website there is only ten or so now that where the exposure was within the last two weeks. The others are older than that.”
Professor Bennett said the improvement in Victoria’s contact tracing system and the linking up of state schemes across the country improved the chance to control the spread across state borders.
“We are in a level of containment that hopefully, for the rest of Australia and Victoria, in these coming weeks we will be in a position to have a different conversation about those borders,” she said.
But she said this did not mean the virus could be kept out forever.
“We know from our experience and from the New Zealand experience it’s really difficult to be able to guarantee that,” she said.
“We have to be ready to put out these pot fires if we find the virus remerging.”
READ MORE: Patience plea as infections fall
David Ross 7.53am: ‘Low taxes important for recovery’: Cormann
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has spruiked the government’s plans to bring forward tax cuts.
“Our mission is to maximise the strength of economics and jobs, recovery. Leaving people with more of their own money,” Senator Cormann told Seven’s Sunrise program this morning.
“We want to have the strongest economical jobs recovery. Low taxes and leaving more money in the economy rather than taking it out of people’s pockets is an important part of the equation.”
Senator Cormann said the government would do anything it could to “help businesses to be more successful and sell more Australian products and services around the world” to support a post-pandemic economic recovery.
“We need to ensure that businesses across Australia have the chance to be successful, viable and profitable. A growing business will hire more Australians,” he said.
Senator Cormann, speaking later on the Today Show, said the government was still considering the economic support currently being provided to the economy.
“At this stage we have extended the enhanced JobSeeker arrangement and coronavirus supplement at a lower rate to the end of this year. We will continue to assess all the economic data, we will assess the speed with which jobs are being restored and the economy continues to recover and later in the year we will be making further judgments if and as required,” he said.
READ MORE: Shoppers ringing up early recovery
David Ross 7.40am: Andrews timeline wins medical backing
Melbourne University epidemiologist Tony Blakely has supported Victoria’s lockdown timeline, saying he was encouraged by the state’s progress in recent days.
“We’re doing really well at the moment,’’ Professor Blakely told Seven’s Sunrise this morning. “If we were doing really badly, people would say we need to stay in lockdown a bit longer.’’
But he said the government should stick to the plan as deviating potentially opened the state to difficulty in keeping on top of the virus.
“You need about three weeks to make sure that people are in control and it allows a couple of integration periods and the data to come in,” Professor Blakely said.
But he said he was no longer looking to eliminate COVID-19 but now “advocating for a vaccine” to return things to normal.
“We are doing the aggressive suppression where we still have quite tight restrictions and, if we’re lucky, we might eliminate for a period of time,” he said.
Professor Blakely said the virus would “keep popping up” and it was critical to keep numbers low “until we get a vaccine”.
READ MORE: Odds of 50-50 are enough for a jab
David Ross 7.33am: ‘Strange that no-one in Victoria knows anything’: Kennett
Former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett has said it was shocking that no one in the Victorian government wants to accept responsibility for the COVID quarantine failings in the state
“We are in this strange position here in Victoria where no-one knows anything,’’ Mr Kennett told Nine’s Today show this morning. “We just seem to operate on osmosis. No politician will accept responsibility. It is the most extraordinary situation and bear in mind, as you said, the failure at those quarantine hotels led to the second wave here which to date has taken over 750 lives. Not to mention the number of businesses that have had to close.
“Industry is on its knees, our debt levels have soared and I think the most amazing thing in all of this is that the concept of the practice of democracy, of Westminster democracy is out the window.”
Mr Kennett said he did not support moves to eliminate the virus, saying governments needed to “manage the virus”.
“NSW has done it very, very well, except with Ruby Princess,’’ Mr Kennett said. “Even with that you managed exceptionally well and the other states have as well. So you’ve got to live with this virus.’’
He said despite the opinion poll published in The Australian, showing Daniel Andrews’ Labor government had strong support, the government would suffer from the lockdown at the next election.
“Opinion polls are, in my opinion, almost irrelevant, but they are less relevant when you are two and a bit years out from an election,” he said.
“When people have to focus on what they are going to do. I know what they are going to decide, this government will not survive.”
READ MORE: Victoria backs Dan: Locked down and living with it
David Ross 7.05am: Virus alert for NSW sports club
NSW Health has issued an alert to anyone who dined at Moorebank Sports Club at Hammondville on the evening of Monday, 14 September after a patron tested positive for COVID-19.
Anyone who attended Moorebank Sports Club at Hammondville on the evening of Monday, 14 September should monitor for symptoms, and if they appear, get tested and isolate until they receive a negative result.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) September 21, 2020
The club has closed this afternoon for thorough cleaning. pic.twitter.com/pEiKyZetSz
Anyone who was at the Club on the evening should monitor for symptoms and get tested should they appear.
Moorebank Sports Club at Hammondville closed on Monday for a deep clean after the case was confirmed.
Health authorities are working with the Club to identify and contact people who were at the venue at the same time as the positive case to identify close contacts.
READ MORE: Majority support Queensland border stance
David Ross 6.55am: Global cases soar beyond 31.17 million
Global cases of COVID-19 cases are soaring beyond 31.17 million while deaths are nearing 1m.
The United States, Brazil, India, and Mexico lead the world as the worst-hit countries for deaths, but the true extent is likely much higher with many countries known to be hiding the true extent of the pandemic.
The grim toll comes as some governments look to reimpose more stringent lockdowns in Europe as the toll in the content threatens to surpass the peak of the first wave.
This comes as Czech prime minister Andrej Babiš admitted the country moved too quickly to relax its coronavirus restrictions in time for summer.
“Even I got carried away by the coming summer and the general mood. That was a mistake I don’t want to make again,” Mr Babiš said in a televised speech.
The Czech Republic has recorded 50,071 cases and 521 deaths since the start of the pandemic, with many in recent weeks.
The country’s previous health minister has been replaced after he resigned on Monday after leading the initial fight against the virus.
Colombia’s capital Bogota will lift most of its restrictions imposed in March to curb the coronavirus.
More than 765,000 cases have been confirmed in Colombia since the start of the pandemic, with more than 250,000 in the Bogota region.
On Saturday, Colombian President Ivan Duque announced the country would reopen its borders to international flights.
New Zealand will relax its anti-Covid restrictions from midnight on Tuesday while Auckland’s restrictions will be eased on Wednesday after the country recorded no new cases since a renewed outbreak of the virus arising from a cluster in Auckland.
READ MORE: Shoppers ringing up early recovery
Greg Sheridan 6.30am: Data shows our vulnerability to third wave
It’s the last thing anyone will want to hear. But based on contemporary international experience, Victoria could face a devastating third wave of COVID-19, as infection rates soar in Europe, the US passes the grim milestone of 200,000 dead from the virus, Israel enters a severe second lockdown with citizens restricted to within 500m of their homes and one in five Brits operating under some form of restrictions as Boris Johnson sees a second wave of infections and publicly considers a second, short lockdown.
Melbourne University Professor Jodie McVernon, head of epidemiology at the Doherty Institute, says “only a fool” would rule out a third wave in Victoria when the state finally does emerge from its current second wave.
Professor Raina MacIntyre of the University of NSW predicts that the normal pattern of recurring bouts of infections in such pandemics will play out. She describes the cycle as: mass infection followed by severe social distancing and isolation, testing and tracing which gets the infections back under control which then leads to community complacency which then triggers a renewed outbreak. This goes on until there is a vaccine.
The bald figures of the virus around the world show nations and regions that thought they had beaten the bug are coming under renewed attack by a resilient and rebounding virus.
Worldwide, COVID-19 is still growing at 300,000 new cases a day and about 5000 deaths daily.
READ the full story here
Staff writers 6.00am: UK on course for 50,000 cases per day
The British government has upgraded its coronavirus alert level, as senior scientific and medical advisers warned the UK could see up to 50,000 cases a day by mid-October and a death toll of more than 200 a day unless action is taken immediately.
Chief medical officer Chris Whitty said rates of infection in England were replicating the strong resurgence seen in France and Spain, roughly doubling every seven days.
“We are seeing a rate of increase across the great majority of the country,” he said, urging the public to respect stricter guidelines on social distancing.
“This is not someone else’s problem. It’s all of our problem.”
The government’s Joint Biosecurity Centre later changed its COVID-19 alert level from three to four to reflect the increase in cases.
Level three states that a COVID-19 epidemic is in general circulation while level four reflects that “transmission is high or rising exponentially”.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce tougher rules on Tuesday to try to flatten the curve going into the winter months when other respiratory infections are typically high.
He called rising infection rates “a cause for great concern”. Steps under consideration reportedly include early closing for pubs in England after widely shared pictures of young revellers out in force in British cities.
“The virus is spreading. We are at a tipping point,” Health Secretary Matt Hancock told parliament, adding: “We must all play our part in stopping the spread.”
Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser, held out the possibility of a vaccine being available by the end of the year “in small amounts for certain groups” but said that the more likely scenario for widespread use was the first half of 2021.
With AFP
READ MORE: Summer safe plan no shore thing
Damon Johnston 5.45am: Voters not ready to slam Andrews
Melburnians trapped in our “leper colony” are, at least for now, treating this pandemic as a health crisis and not a political crisis. That’s what Tuesday’s Newspoll tells us.
More than five million of us entered stage four restrictions — the shuttering of most businesses, a curfew and limits on leaving home — on August 2. We’ve endured one of the most draconian lockdowns on our coronavirus-riddled globe.
That’s more than 50 days ago, and it followed several more weeks of other limitations and the original lockdown throughout April and May.
Despite the economic and social devastation of the scorched earth policies imposed by Premier Daniel Andrews, the Newspoll indicates that, if there is to be any political blame apportioned, that can wait.
Thirty seven per cent of those surveyed on September 16-19 agreed the restrictions were too strict and should be relaxed. That’s a sizeable number. But not as big as the 54 per cent who agreed the restrictions were “about right”.
Mr Andrews’s satisfaction levels are holding up too, at 62 per cent. Granted, this is down from a peak of 75 per cent in April. But it’s up from 57 per cent in mid-July. Even among those identifying as traditional Coalition supporters, 57 per cent said the Andrews restrictions were “about right” to defeat the second wave.
READ the full story here
Richard Ferguson 5.30am: Loss of foreign students strips funds
Australia’s biggest universities face an “extremely high” risk of losing their research capacity as COVID-19 and the loss of foreign students strip as much as $7.6bn from higher education.
A report from the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Higher Education released on Monday found University of Technology Sydney, Macquarie University in Sydney and Deakin University in Melbourne face the biggest hits to their research funding because of their exposure to the international student markets. Sandstone universities also face big research funding shortfalls.
The report comes as university leaders anxiously wait for the research funding package to be announced in the budget on October 6. Some are lobbying for a British-style major spending scheme to help researchers endure the pandemic.
“Without the same level of discretionary funding available for the next few years there is likely to be a significant loss of research momentum,” the report states. “This outcome will have enduring national and international economic and social consequences.
“It is unlikely that strengthening industry-university research co-operation will substantially offset the funding shortfall because of the low R & D performance of Australian businesses as a percentage of GDP.”
The report — authored by higher education experts Frank Larkins and Ian Marshman — also found 6100 full-time research jobs were at risk from a COVID recession that could lose universities between $6.8bn to $7.6bn from their research funds.
READ the full story here
Trump excised as allies flex Quad muscles
Anthony Albanese has touched down in Philadelphia for potentially awkward Quad meeting with the leaders of US, India and Japan to discuss how to push back against Chinese expansionism in the Indo—Pacific.
‘The big lie’: the mounting case to change Mount Kosciuszko’s name
The real-life Kosciuszko never even set foot in Australia, let alone climbed our highest peak. Is it finally time to call it by a name Indigenous people have used for tens of thousands of years?