Coronavirus Australia live news: Andrews to appear before hotel quarantine inquiry
Confirmation of the Premier’s appearance at the inquiry comes as he dismissed calls on Sunday for a royal commission into Victoria’s handling of the virus pandemic.
- $3bn support package for Vic businesses
- Andrews must redo roadmap: Health Minister
- Stage Four restictions that will ease today
- Woman dragged from car in ‘ugly’ checkpoint clash
- Quarantine fiasco linked to aged care outbreak
- Police pounce on anti-lockdown protesters
Welcome to The Australian’s rolling coverage of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews will front the hotel quarantine inquiry on September 23. He today announced a $3bn support package in cash grants, tax relief and cashflow support for Victorian businesses, but there are concerns many will miss out. Health Minister Greg Hunt has urged the Victorian Premier to “redo” its roadmap. Stage Four restrictions will be eased from midnight for those living in lockdown in Melbourne; there have been more accusations of police heavy handedness in Victoria; and an AstraZeneca-Oxford Univerity vaccine trial has resumed after a setback.
Simon Benson 9.26pm: Benson: Cash splash ‘next to useless’
Daniel Andrews’s business relief package will be welcomed by some but completely useless for others. And it doesn’t absolve the government of dealing with the issue that has made it necessary.
For those struggling to survive under the extended lockdown, it will provide a modest lifeline to November when they can open their doors again. But the reality facing Victoria is that many small businesses have already closed for good. As the former ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel said: “They are finished.”
Read Simon Benson’s analysis here.
Rachel Baxendale 8.30pm: Premier to front hotel quarantine inquiry
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews will front the hotel quarantine inquiry on September 23.
Confirmation of the Premier’s appearance at the inquiry comes as he dismissed calls on Sunday for a royal commission into Victoria’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
As of Sunday 726 people in Victoria have died after contracting coronavirus - all but 19 of whom have died in the second wave of infections, linked to breaches in the Andrews government’s hotel quarantine program.
Asked to respond to calls from the Victorian opposition for a royal commission, Mr Andrews cited the inquiry already being conducted by retired judge Jennifer Coate.
“There’s an inquiry on at the moment, and that inquiry will make recommendations and findings,” he said.
“I think that our focus needs to be on getting to the other side of this, and all of us doing the very best we can to find this virus, to suppress it, and then to open in a safe and steady way and stay open.
“That’s my focus, that’s the focus of every member of the government, and, I’ve got to say, that’s the focus of the vast majority of Victorians who are doing the right thing.”
Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien said more than 700 Victorians had lost their lives, tens of thousands of businesses have closed, hundreds of thousands of people have lost their jobs, and millions of Victorians are in lockdown.
“This is one of the greatest disasters, catastrophes, to ever face this state, and we need a royal commission to get to the truth,” Mr O’Brien said.
“How did it get this bad? What lessons do we need to learn, because we can’t let this sort of mistake ever happen again.
“If the Andrews Labor government won’t establish a royal commission into Victoria’s pandemic, then an O’Brien Liberal-Nationals government will.
“We did a royal commission after 173 Victorians lost their lives on Black Saturday. We’ve lost over 700 Victorians to the coronavirus.
“The problems in Victoria go well beyond hotel quarantine. We’ve had problems with testing, with contact tracing, and with modelling and restrictions, so that’s why we need a full royal commission to get to the bottom of everything that’s gone wrong in Victoria.”
Mr Andrews said he had established the hotel quarantine inquiry “to find the answers that all Victorians are entitled to”.
“Given the program was established as a decision of National Cabinet, I always anticipated that I would need to appear in order to provide the context for its beginnings,” Mr Andrews said.
“I can confirm I have been asked to appear on Wednesday 23 September and I look forward to assisting the inquiry with its important work.”
READ MORE: Rescue package: who’s eligible?
Rachel Baxendale 8.10pm: Premier to look at real estate in roadmap reopening
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says he’s “happy to have a look at” the issue of private real estate inspections, which are banned in Melbourne under his coronavirus reopening roadmap until at least October 26.
The Australian has been contacted by numerous people who urgently need to move house or find tenants for a rental property, but are unable to do so due to the restrictions.
Some families have sold houses and need to move, but have nowhere to go because they’re not allowed to inspect a rental property or house to buy.
Others have bought a new house with the intention of selling the old one, and are stuck paying two mortgages until inspections resume.
Asked whether he was prepared to review the rules on Sunday, Mr Andrews said: “Not that I can announce today, but I’m happy to have a look at it.”
“There’s a whole range of different issues that are being looked at in some detail, and we did make some announcements yesterday about pet grooming, from an animal welfare point of view, beauty therapy and personal care being aligned with hairdressing. That’s been very warmly welcomed.”
Mr Andrews said people were permitted to move house, but conceded people were unlikely to move into a house they hadn’t viewed.
“Although 2020’s a strange year. People are buying houses they haven’t seen,” Mr Andrews said.
“Online auctions are still happening. Let’s take that offline and see if there’s some hardship provision or some special circumstance provision that we can use.
“We’re not anything other than trying to be as fair as possible.”
READ MORE: Flying where some fear to tread
Rachel Baxendale 8pm: Premier’s $3bn ‘like sending flowers to a funeral’
Victorian Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien has described the Andrews government’s $3bn business support package as being like Daniel Andrews sending “flowers to the funeral” of businesses.
“There’s nothing here for sole traders, and to say that payroll tax is going to be deferred, rather than waived, just means that they’re racking up the bills that they just can’t pay,” Mr O’Brien said.
“This government has caused so much damage to business by having these overly harsh and unnecessarily harsh restrictions and closures.
“Victorian businesses don’t want welfare. They just want the opportunity to safely reopen with a COVID plan.
“That’s what they should be given today, but Daniel Andrews has decided to deny them that.
“For Daniel Andrews to yet again ignore sole traders, ignore the smallest of small businesses and give them absolutely nothing, just tells you that this is a government that only cares about big business and big unions and doesn’t give a damn about small business.”
READ MORE: Who is eligible for what in Victoria’s $3bn rescue package
Angelica Snowden 7.30pm: Locked-down millenials hit the bottle
Young Australians say they have been drinking significantly more alcohol than usual during the COVID-19 pandemic, more so than older generations, and are being encouraged to curb the new habit.
Data from the Alcohol and Drug Foundation has revealed 41 per cent of Australians aged between 18 and 34 reported drinking more than usual during the COVID-19 lockdown, compared to 29 per cent of middle-aged Australians and 13 per cent of people aged over 55.
Alcohol and Drug Foundation spokeswoman Laura Bajurny said the increase in alcohol consumption was a result of a combination of “boredom” and an “undercurrent of uncertainty” about the future.
According to the data, 46 per cent of the 18-34-year-olds said their increased drinking was because they had more free time. Other reasons included stress and anxiety (34 per cent), boredom (30 per cent) and having fewer responsibilities (30 per cent).
Ms Bajurny said millennials and generation Z were more likely to feel concerned about their drinking habits because they had “high levels of health literacy”.
Read the full story here.
Rachel Baxendale 7pm: Scores arrested in Melbourne protests
Scores of people have been arrested and 176 fined, as several hundred police and anti-lockdown protesters clashed in extraordinary scenes at Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market on Sunday.
Up to 250 people are believed to have attended the “Freedom Day” rally, their numbers more than matched by police, who in full riot gear stormed the fruit and vegetable section of the market, with the public order and critical incident response teams, mounted branch and air wing also involved.
The protesters gathered at the market around 11am — the event following similar smaller rallies around Melbourne on Saturday which saw 14 arrested and at least 51 issued with $1652 fines.
Victoria Police said they had arrested 74 people and issued at least 176 infringement notices as a result of the protest at the market, which dispersed to the nearby Flagstaff gardens.
“A 44-year-old Burwood East man, believed to be a primary agitator for these protests, remains in police custody and is expected to be charged with incitement,” a police spokesman said.
“His home will be subject to a search warrant.”
Another person was arrested for assaulting police.
Police said they were disappointed that many protesters “were aggressive and threatened violence towards officers”, although no injuries to officers were identified, and protesters were wrestled to the ground and handcuffed by multiple police in numerous instances.
READ MORE: There’s nothing like kicking a state when it’s down
Geoff Chambers 6.30pm : ISIS using Covid to recruit terrorists
The threat of Islamic State extremists and hundreds of returned fighters across the Asia-Pacific region has remained at a high level through the COVID-19 pandemic, as terrorists shifted online to incite violence and recruit new supporters.
The Morrison government has relisted Islamic State East Asia, which has about 300 members, as a terrorist organisation after advice from national security agencies.
Security concerns over the ISIS offshoot, which is based in The Philippines but also has a footprint in Indonesia and Malaysia, have been enhanced by the large cohort of foreign fighters returning to their home countries and the rapid evolution of encrypted devices and the dark web.
Read the full story here.
Rachel Baxendale 5.45pm: Melbourne’s 99 mystery cases
As of Sunday, metropolitan Melbourne has a 14-day daily average of 56.9 new coronavirus cases, while regional Victoria has a 14-day average of 4.1.
There have been 99 cases in metropolitan Melbourne over the past fortnight with no identified source, and five in regional Victoria.
The threshold for regional Victorians to be allowed out of stay-at-home restrictions and for hospitality businesses to reopen to up to 10 people is a 14-day daily average of fewer than five cases, and no cases with an unknown source during that period.
From 11:59pm on Sunday night, Melburnians will benefit from a very slight easing of restrictions, delaying the beginning of the nightly curfew from 8pm until 9pm, doubling the permitted time away from home for exercise to two hours, and allowing singles to visit a designated person.
Playground and outdoor fitness equipment will reopen, as will libraries for click and collect services.
From tonight, regional Victorians will be allowed to have public outdoor gatherings of up to five people from a maximum of two households, childcare will reopen, and school students will begin a staged return to the classroom.
For Melburnians to reach this same stage of easing, due on or after September 28, the statewide 14-day daily average needs to reach 30-50.
Premier Daniel Andrews said regional Victoria was getting very close to the point where stay-at-home restrictions could be eased, and cafes and pubs could begin to reopen.
“This is being very closely monitored, and it looks likely, but again we have to wait and see the next few days’ numbers, but it looks likely that in just a few days’ time, regional Victoria will be able to take another step,” Mr Andrews said.
“Those numbers in regional Victoria are low, they’re getting lower, and ... I hope that people in Melbourne are looking to what’s occurring in regional Victoria as proof-positive, not a model, not a theory, but the actual delivery of this plan.
“Our aim was always to get those numbers down, to keep them low, and then to be able to take those safe and steady steps.
“That should give Victorians hope, that should see Victoria positive about beating this thing, opening and staying open. That’s the key.
“That’s what we’re after and that’s what we will stubbornly deliver, because we have to. This virus is stubborn. It’s not going to go away quickly, and it won’t go away easily.
“We’ve got to do this properly, and that’s exactly what we are doing.”
READ MORE:
Rachel Baxendale 5.15pm: Morrison backs state government aid
Scott Morrison has highlighted the scale of his government’s spending on JobKeeper for Victorians, declaring that any additional support for individual states should come from their state governments.
Responding to Victoria’s $3bn business support package, which brings the Andrews government’s pandemic support for business to more than $6bn, the Prime Minister said the federal government had spent $101bn on JobKeeper alone.
“This has provided an essential lifeline and much needed hope. The way we’re delivering that support means that it is provided in those places where it is needed most,” Mr Morrison said on Sunday.
He emphasised the proportion of payments going to Victoria, as a consequence of the state’s second wave of coronavirus, which was sparked by breaches in the Andrews government’s hotel quarantine program.
“Over the three months alone till the end of the year, 1.36 million Australians living in Victoria will receive $10.9bn in JobKeeper support, accounting for more than 60 per cent of all JobKeeper payments across the country,” Mr Morrison said.
“Victoria is where the need is greatest at the moment because of the scale of the outbreak that has occurred and that is why the majority of payments will be made in Victoria.
“Where additional support is needed above the considerable support already provided by the federal government, this should be done by those states directly.
“That is why we also welcome and commend the additional commitments made by the Victorian government today.”
Mr Morrison said Victoria’s announcement was consistent with Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe’s recent advice to national cabinet on the role of the states to provide additional economic support in response to the crisis.
“The federal government will be making further announcements about existing and new federal programmes to support our economic recovery across the country in the weeks ahead,” Mr Morrison said.
“All of these will further aid not just the Victorian economy, but the national economy more broadly, keeping Australians in jobs and businesses in business.”
READ MORE: Victorian protesters ‘give Dan the boot’
Rachel Baxendale, Kellie Southan 5.15pm: Frydenberg welcomes Victorian support
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says he welcomes the Andrews government’s announcement of additional economic support for businesses “who are really hurting as a result of Victoria’s second wave”.
“The Morrison government will continue to be there for Victorians at this challenging time, with $27bn of economic support already distributed to households and businesses through JobKeeper, the CashFlow Boost and other measures,” the Victorian-based Treasurer said.
“With the expansion and extension of JobKeeper around $11bn will go to Victorians in the December quarter from that one program alone, and there will be more Victorians on JobKeeper than from all the other states and territories combined.”
READ MORE: Rescue package: who’s eligible?
Rachel Baxendale, Kellie Southan 5pm: Active Victorian cases by LGA
Casey in Melbourne’s outer southeast has recorded the highest number of new cases of any local government area in Victoria on Sunday, with a net increase of 10 cases.
Wyndham, in the outer southeast, had seven new cases, while Hume in the outer north and Hobson’s Bay in the southwest had four each, and Melton in the outer northwest and Greater Dandenong in the outer southeast had three each.
Despite its 10 new cases, the overall number of active cases in Casey only increased by three, most likely due to people infected earlier having recovered.
Moreland in Melbourne’s north recorded the sharpest decrease in active cases, despite one new case, with an overall fall of 19 active cases.
There are now only two Melbourne LGAs with more than 100 cases of coronavirus: Brimbank in the outer west, with 151 cases, including two new cases on Sunday, and Wyndham in the outer southwest, with 147 cases.
Both these LGAs recorded net decreases in active cases, despite their new infections.
The total number of active cases in regional Victoria fell by six cases from 58 to 52.
Colac-Otway in Victoria’s southwest has the highest number of active cases with 26, followed by the Gippsland LGA of Latrobe in the state’s east with eight, and Greater Geelong with seven.
READ MORE: EU plotting food blockade: Johnson
Rachel Baxendale 4.35pm: Worst outbreaks outside aged care
Non-aged-care outbreaks with the highest numbers of active cases include:
● 16 active cases linked to Bulla Dairy Foods in Colac in southwest regional Victoria (total cases: 20)
● 10 active cases linked to Vawdrey Australia truck manufacturer in Dandenong South, in Melbourne’s outer southeast (total cases: 58)
● Nine active cases linked to Dandenong Police Station in Melbourne’s outer southeast (total cases: 14)
● Eight active cases linked to Wydinia Kindergarten in Colac (total cases: 13)
● Six active cases linked to Peninsula Health Frankston Hospital in Melbourne’s outer southeast (total cases: 90)
READ MORE: Vaccine trial resumes after safety scare
Rachel Baxendale 4.25pm: Active cases linked to aged care hits 572
A total of 572 active COVID-19 cases are related to aged-care facilities in Victoria as of Sunday — a decrease of 53 cases since Saturday. Some of the people will have recovered and some will be among six of the seven deaths reported in the 24 hours to Sunday that were linked to aged-care facilities.
As of Sunday there have been 566 coronavirus deaths linked to aged-care facilities in Victoria.
The 10 aged-care outbreaks with the highest cumulative total numbers of cases as of Sunday and deaths as of Tuesday are:
● 245 cases and 18 deaths linked to BaptCare Wyndham Lodge Community in Werribee, in Melbourne’s outer southwest (an increase of two cases since Saturday);
● 219 cases and 35 deaths linked to Epping Gardens Aged Care in Epping, in Melbourne’s north (an increase of two cases since Saturday);
● 213 cases and 44 deaths linked to St Basil’s Homes for the Aged in Fawkner, in Melbourne’s north (an increase of two cases since Saturday);
● 166 cases and 17 deaths linked to Estia Aged Care Facility in Ardeer, in Melbourne’s west;
● 139 cases and 20 deaths linked to Kirkbrae Presbyterian Homes in Kilsyth, in Melbourne’s outer east;
● 129 cases and 11 deaths linked to BlueCross Ruckers Hill Aged Care Facility in Northcote, in Melbourne’s inner north (an increase of three since Thursday);
● 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;
● 120 cases and 17 deaths linked to Japara Goonawarra Aged Care Facility in Sunbury, in Melbourne’s outer northwest;
● 119 cases and 10 deaths linked to Estia Aged Care Facility in Heidelberg, in Melbourne’s northeast;
READ MORE: Queensland border rules ‘an outrage’, says Dutton
Rachel Baxendale 4pm: Known outbreaks linked to 21 cases
Of Victoria’s 41 new cases of coronavirus on Sunday, 21 have been linked to known outbreaks, while 20 remain under investigation.
The total number of cases since the pandemic began has increased by 35 to 19,835 due to six previously reported cases being reclassified.
A total of 17,893 people have had the virus in Victoria and recovered — an increase of 122 since Saturday.
Of the 1157 current active cases in Victoria, 1094 are in people in metropolitan Melbourne, while 52 are in those in regional Victoria (down from 58 on Saturday), seven are from unknown locations or subject to further investigation, and four are interstate residents.
Of the total cases since the pandemic began, 18,464 have been in people in metropolitan Melbourne while 1197 have been in those in regional Victoria.
There have been 9455 cases in men and 10,366 in women.
The total number of cases in health workers rose by three to 3416 on Sunday, despite the number of active cases falling by 18 to 176.
READ MORE: Melbourne lockdown protests boil over
Rachel Baxendale 3.15pm: Vic Parliament guard tests positive for COVID
A security guard at Victorian Parliament has tested positive for coronavirus, prompting parliament’s presiding officers to close access to the building until further notice while cleaning occurs.
Speaker Colin Brooks and Legislative Council President Nazih Elasmar released a statement on Sunday afternoon, confirming that “a person who worked at Parliament House last week has tested positive to COVID-19”.
Victorian Parliament last sat on September 4, nine days ago, but the building is open in non-sitting weeks for staff, including MPs, to access their offices.
“We have closed access to Parliament House and its grounds until further notice while deep cleaning of the relevant areas is conducted,” the presiding officers said in a statement.
“The person concerned, a contracted security guard, stayed home on the day they started to feel unwell.
“Under current arrangements, Parliament’s contracted security guards do not work at other locations.
“Contact tracing by the Department of Health and Human Services has commenced.
“Deep cleaning of the areas where the person worked in the building has been undertaken and is continuing.
“This is on top of the ongoing high-level cleaning already undertaken in Parliament House each weekday.
“The welfare of the person concerned and of all Members and employees is of utmost importance to us.
“We are taking every precaution to maintain the health and safety of everyone working at Parliament.
“Further information about access to the building will be made available in due course.”
The presiding officers did not say whether the case would have any impact on this week’s sitting of state parliament, which is due to commence on Tuesday.
READ MORE: Changes to Victorian lockdown rules
Rachel Baxendale 2.43pm: Federal assistance Victoria has received so far
In light of the Andrews government’s announcement on Sunday of a $3bn support package for Victorian businesses, bringing the total spent by the state government on pandemic support for business to more than $6bn, here’s a recap of the federal assistance Victoria has received so far:
- More than $27bn in temporary support has been paid out or credited to Victorian households and businesses from the federal government;
According to federal Treasury estimates:
- In the December and March quarters more businesses will be on JobKeeper in Victoria than the rest of the country combined. This means 60 per cent of all JobKeeper Payments will be flowing to Victoria;
- In the December quarter about $10.9 billion out of $17.9 billion in JobKeeper payments will be delivered to Victorians.
- In the March quarter about $5.9 billion out of $10.1 billion in JobKeeper payments will be delivered to Victorians.
- Treasury estimates the cost of a Victorian $300 per fortnight top-up of JobKeeper Payment to be around $2.9 billion in the December quarter - almost equal to the entire $3bn package announced by the Andrews government on Sunday.
Morrison Government support to Victoria to date:
● JobKeeper payments - $15.7 billion paid to more than 300,000 Victorian organisations
(unique ABNs) (as of 10 September)
● Boosting Cash Flow for Employers – about $6.67 billion cash flow boost credits paid to
205,476 Victorian entities (10 September)
● Coronavirus Supplement - $2.2 billion paid out to 580,000 Victorians (August)
● $750 payments - $2.2 billion paid to Victorian pensioners and other welfare payment recipients, with 1.8 million Victorians receiving at least one of the payments (14 August)
● Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment (PLDP) - paid out to 7,908 Victorians totalling around $11.7 million (3 September)
● Supporting Apprentices and Trainees - $130.2 million in payments supporting 21,847 apprentices employed by 13,352 employers in Victoria (2 September)
● Coronavirus SME Guarantee Scheme - $510 million for 5,272 loans for businesses in Victoria (14 August).
READ MORE: Melbourne lockdown protests boil over
Rachel Baxendale 2.30pm: $3bn business rescue package: who is eligible?
Eligibility for Victoria’s third round of business support fund payments to small and medium businesses (worth $822m):
- Businesses must operate in a sector that is restricted, heavily restricted or closed and are not opening in the second step in metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria.
- These sectors include: accommodation, tourism operators, media and film production, creative studios, outdoor entertainment, museums and galleries, hospitality, other retail, hair and beauty services, repairs, maintenance and domestic cleaning, adult education, commercial passenger vehicles, healthcare and social assistance (private).
Grants of up to $20,000 are available for businesses with a payroll of up to $10m, including:
o $10,000 for businesses with an annual payroll of less than $650,000
o $15,000 for businesses with an annual payroll between $650,000 and $3 million
o $20,000 for businesses with an annual payroll between $3 million and $10 million
• Licensed Hospitality Business ($251 million): Grants of up to $30,000 for licensed pubs,
clubs, hotels, bars, restaurants and reception centres, based on their venue capacity and
location.
• Business Chambers and Trader Groups ($3 million): A competitive grants program to
support metropolitan and regional business chambers and trader groups.
• Alpine businesses ($4.3 million): Grants of up to $20,000 to help alpine businesses pay a
service charge to Alpine Resort Management Boards.
• $20 million voucher program to assist sole traders and small businesses in building their digital capability
• $15.7 million package to help Victorian exporters get their products to market and establish
new trade channels.
• $8.5 million expansion to the ‘Click for Vic’ campaign to encourage more Victorians to support local businesses.
Waivers and deferrals:
• $1.7 billion in payroll tax deferrals for the full 2020-21 financial year
• $41 million to bring forward the 50 per cent stamp duty discount for commercial and industrial property for all of Regional Victoria.
• $33 million to defer the planned increase in the landfill levy for six months
• $30 million to waive 25 per cent of the Congestion Levy this year, with the outstanding balance deferred.
• $27 million in liquor license fee waivers for 2021
• $6 million to waive Vacant Residential Land Tax for vacancies in 2020.
READ MORE: China boom headed for bust as we fight for Covid recovery
Rachel Baxendale 1.48pm: Couple breached virus rules ‘to buy vegetables’
A couple from the Gippsland town of Sale, in Victoria’s east, who travelled 185km to Dandenong in Melbourne’s southeast to buy specific vegetables their baby liked are among 200 people fined by Victoria Police in the 24 hours to Sunday for breaching coronavirus restrictions.
Others who allegedly broke the rules include a family from Gembrook, in the Dandenong Ranges east of Melbourne, who said they were making the 52km trip to Warragul, in Gippsland, to sign paperwork at the town’s hospital.
Police say they noticed the family’s car was “packed full of items” and that when police told the family they would phone the hospital to confirm the reason for travel and issue a fine if it could not be verified, the driver decided to turn around and drive home.
Six men drinking at a private residence in the regional city of Geelong, southwest of Melbourne, allegedly jumped the back fence when police arrived, with the home owner receiving a fine.
The 200 fines issued in the 24 hours to Sunday include 16 $200 fines for failing to wear a face covering, nine fines issued at vehicle checkpoints as a result of 8587 vehicle checks, and 48 $1652 fines issued for breaching Melbourne’s 8pm to 5am curfew.
Victoria Police conducted 2878 spot checks on people at homes, businesses and public places in the 24 hours to Sunday, with a total of 422,948 spot checks conducted since March 21.
READ MORE: Hotel quarantine guest ‘deliberately overdosed’
Rachel Baxendale 1.45pm: Woman dragged from car ‘should have given name’: Andrews
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says a woman who was filmed being dragged from her car by police should have given them her name when asked.
Ms Bonett claims she had shown police her licence and a permit while she was stopped at the Wallan checkpoint, about 45 kilometres north of Melbourne, on Saturday when a police officer told her it was illegal to have her mobile phone charging on a windscreen mount.
The footage shows the officer asking Ms Bonett to get out of the car, but she refuses.
Rachel Baxendale 12.54pm: Rescue package ‘leaves small business in the cold’
Small Business Australia executive director Bill Lang said 300,000 small business operators had been “left out in the cold again” by the Andrews government’s $3bn business support package, which includes no support for sole traders.
“Whilst the state government’s announcements offer some support to larger businesses, particularly larger traders in the hospitality sector, the vast majority of small businesses in Victoria remain without support,” Mr Lang said.
“These ‘micro-businesses’ made up of sole traders and those who employ a handful of staff represent over 300,000 Victorian businesses who have not had a cent in support from the state government, despite many being unable to trade for the past 6-months.”
“These are beauticians, hairdressers, independent retailers, tourism operators, small cafes, restaurants and tradies.”
Mr Lang said such businesses were facing a “day of reckoning”, when debts owed on rents, leases, bank loans and payments to other creditors are called in.
“Today these businesses were looking to the Premier and Treasurer for hope, and instead have been delivered the same message: they do not matter, that they are at the bottom of the government’s priority list,” he said.
“With the state government unwilling to save our small businesses, Small Business Australia is calling upon the federal government to step in with a support package aimed at these micro-businesses, before these businesses and the hundreds of thousands of jobs they bring, are lost forever.”
READ MORE: Coup rumour knocks punching-bag Premier
12.30pm: Protesters in standoff with police in Melbourne CBD
Hundreds of protesters are in a tense standoff with police after gathering in Melbourne’s CBD in a second day of demonstrations.
Conspiracy theorists, anti-lockdown advocates and coronavirus deniers are rallying at Peel St,
within the fruit section of Queen Victoria Market, along with more than 100 officers, including Public Order Response, CIRT and mounted police, the Herald Sun reports.
Several people have already been arrested and fined with police escorting more protesters away as they contain the demonstration.
Dozens of protesters marched away from police through the market and on to William St, where they chanted “freedom”.
READ MORE: 14 arrests as police pounce on anti-lockdown demonstrators
Rachel Baxendale 11.31am: Andrews announces $3bn business support package
The Andrews government has announced a $3bn support package in cash grants, tax relief and cashflow support for Victorian businesses crippled by the state’s coronavirus lockdown.
The package takes the state government’s total business support since the pandemic began to more than $6bn.
It includes more than $1.1bn in cash grants to support small and medium sized businesses “most affected” by coronavirus restrictions, including $822m as part of a third round of payments through Victoria’s business support fund.
About 75,000 eligible businesses with payrolls of up to $10m are expected to receive grants of $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000 depending on their size.
More than 108,00 businesses have already shared in $1.47bn from the first two rounds of grants.
.@DanielAndrewsMP and @timpallas announce $3 billion business assistance package including $1bn in cash grants and $1.7 billion deferral of payroll tax #COVID19Vic
— Ewin Hannan (@EwinHannan) September 13, 2020
Hospitality businesses including bars, restaurants, pubs, clubs, hotels and reception centres will receive grants of between $10,000 and $30,000 from a $251m dedicated licenced venue fund.
The Andrews government will also waive liquor license fees for 2021.
Businesses in Victoria’s alpine resorts will receive grants of up to $20,000 to help cover resort fees from a fund worth $4.3m, as compensation for the cancellation of the ski season.
Grants of up to $20,000 will also be provided to local business groups and chambers of commerce to help members adapt to a “COVID normal” environment.
According to government figures, almost 20,000 Victorian businesses have so far received payroll tax refunds in the last financial year worth more than $540 million – and thousands more received a full waiver.
In a measure worth $1.7bn, the government will now defer payroll tax for businesses with payrolls up to $10 million for the full 2020-21 financial year, as well as providing a further $137 million in waivers and deferrals of charges including liquor licence fees, the congestion levy and increases to the landfill levy.
A 50 per cent stamp duty discount for commercial and industrial property across all of regional Victoria will be brought forward to 1 January 2021, and the Vacant Residential Land Tax will be waived for properties that are vacant in 2020.
Another $44m will be put towards helping businesses adjust to trading amid the pandemic, including $20 million for small businesses to access off-the-shelf digital programs such as Shopify or Squareonline, training and workshops designed to help businesses adapt to online operations.
The Andrews government will also spend $8.5m on boosting marketing and advertising of its “Click for Vic” website promoting Victorian food, wine, gallery and homeware businesses online.
Since its launch last month, the government says Click for Vic has generated 211,000 leads to businesses featured.
A $15,7m export recovery package will be aimed at addressing logistics and supply chain issues caused by the pandemic, and establishing new export channels.
Exports previously contributed 12 per cent of Victoria’s GSP, and 330,000 Victorian jobs.
READ MORE: Premier now says modelling not so important
Rachel Baxendale 11.15am: Victoria’s coronavirus death toll reaches 723
Victoria’s 41 new coronavirus cases on Sunday have taken the number of cases since the pandemic began to 19,835.
Seven deaths in the 24 hours to Sunday have taken the state’s death toll to 723.
#COVID19VicData for 13 September, 2020.
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) September 12, 2020
Yesterday there were 41 new cases reported and 7 lives lost. Our thoughts go out to all those affected.
More information will be available later today. pic.twitter.com/xylZ2wnfcp
The latest deaths include those of a woman and a man in their 70s, a woman in her 80s, and four women in their 90s.
Six of the seven deaths have been linked to aged care facilities, taking the coronavirus death toll in Victorian aged care facilities to 566.
There are 116 people in Victorian hospitals with coronavirus on Sunday, including 11 in intensive care, of whom five are on ventilators.
This compares with 126 in hospital on Saturday, including nine in intensive care and five on ventilators.
There were 17,396 tests processed in the 24 hours to Sunday, compared with 14,426 over the same period in NSW, and taking Victoria’s total number of tests processed since the pandemic began to 2,488,773.
Sunday’s positive test rate is 0.24 per cent - the lowest positive test rate since June.
The number of cases with an unknown source in Victoria is now 4285 - a decrease of 11 since Saturday.
There are currently 1157 active cases of coronavirus in Victoria - a decrease of 94 since Saturday.
There are 176 active cases in Victorian health workers - a decrease of 18 since Saturday. This number includes aged care workers.
There are 572 active cases linked to aged care, including staff, residents and other contacts - decrease of 53 since Saturday.
There are 10 cases linked to residential disability accommodation, including six staff and four residents - the same number as Saturday.
The number of active cases in regional Victoria is 52 - the same number as Saturday, with no new cases on Sunday.
Premier Daniel Andrews said a case reported as being from Horsham, in western regional Victoria, had been diagnosed in a person who has been living in Melbourne for the past four months and poses no risk to anyone in Horsham.
The 14 day daily average for new cases in regional Victoria is 4.1 on Sunday.
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Greg Brown 10.57am: Federal authorities approved Hanks’ return: Dutton
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has confirmed federal authorities gave approval for Hollywood actor Tom Hanks to return to Australia.
Mr Dutton said Mr Hanks, who arrived in Australia last week to continue filming an Elvis biopic, was granted approval from Australian Border Force based on a letter of recommendation from the Queensland government.
“Based on the letter of support from Queensland Health and based on the fact that the Queensland Government had, as I understand it, provided financial incentive for the movie to be shot in Queensland,” Mr Dutton told ABC’s Insiders.
“So Border Force will only approve Mr Hanks if he’s coming in under that arrangement. If he was coming here as a tourist, he wouldn’t be approved by Border Force.
“The other point to make is that Mr Hanks and his party have not gone into hotel quarantine as other Australians would have to. The Queensland Government made separate arrangements for that.
“The point is that Mr Hanks should be treated no differently than somebody else coming back, and that’s the basis on which we argue here.”
Mr Hanks was tested positive for COVID-19 when he was in Australia in March.
Mr Dutton said comparisons between international and state border restrictions were “chalk and cheese”.
“Somebody coming from the ACT where there have been no cases, having to go into a hotel in Brisbane for two weeks before they can see a loved one, who has a life expectancy of only one week, is an outrage and there’s no comparison to make there,” he said.
READ MORE: Qld attacks Dutton over Tom Hanks’ entry
Greg Brown 10.30am: Health Minister urges Andrews to ‘redo’ roadmap
Health Minister Greg Hunt has urged the Andrews government to “redo” its roadmap out of COVID-19 restrictions after modellers from the University of Melbourne warned their research had been misrepresented.
Mr Hunt said the Victorian Labor government should ensure its plan has “achievable targets”.
“In short, the modellers from the University of Melbourne said yesterday that their model shouldn’t be used to justify zero cases as the basis for the road map, and they’ve encouraged Victoria to redo the road map,” Mr Hunt told Sky News.
“And I think that the improvements in contact tracing and the statements from the University of Melbourne mean we really have the opportunity now to work with Victoria, for them to work with the business community, the academic and medical communities and the commonwealth, to redo the road map, to have achievable targets which will help people with their mental health and their social wellbeing and their economic wellbeing.”
Writing in The Weekend Australian, Melbourne University’s dean and head of medicine urged the Victorian Premier to rerun the model with more realistic data that could allow an earlier move to restrictions being lifted.
Premier Daniel Andrews has based his roadmap on research from the University of Melbourne but has not released the full modelling.
READ MORE: Professors’ message for Daniel Andrews: redo the coronavirus modelling
Emily Ritchie 10.21am: Queensland’s special treatment for Hanks ‘an outrage’
The Home Affairs Minister says it is an “outrage” that movie star Tom Hanks was allowed to enter Queensland without having to go into hotel quarantine while people with dying relatives are being forced to follow the rules.
Queensland’s border row with the Commonwealth continues to escalate, with Deputy Premier Stephen Miles yesterday accusing Peter Dutton of lying about who exactly gave Mr Hanks permission to fly into the country, saying Border Force had authorised his entry.
On Sunday, Mr Dutton hit back, saying he did not have a problem with Mr Hanks being here, because a film he was shooting was good for the economy. But he said the Hollywood veteran, who has now recovered from a bout of coronavirus, should not have been given special treatment.
“The point is Mr Hanks should be treated no differently than somebody else coming back, and that’s the basis on which we argue here,” Mr Dutton told the ABC. “Somebody coming from the ACT where there have been no cases, having to go into a hotel in Brisbane for two weeks before they can see a loved one, who has a life expectancy of only one week, is an outrage.
“We want to see jobs created and to see industry grow. We’ve provided support for the arts industry and for many others and the Queensland Government has provided letters of support for other people as well, including Mr Hanks. Mr Hanks wouldn’t have been approved by Border Force without the letter of support from Steven Miles and the Queensland government. That’s very clear. “
Mr Dutton was also pressed about Tony Abbott being granted an exemption to travel to Europe while others have been barred from going overseas to attend family funerals.
“We’ve provided advice to Australians not to travel overseas from as far back as January and February of this year,” Mr Dutton said.
“We’ve been very clear about the fact that we closed our borders because of the COVID threat. And we’ve allowed people to travel to see a loved one overseas. We’ve allowed people to travel for business. It depends on the circumstances. And in many cases, we have provided that approval. On the facts of Mr Abbott’s case, the Border Force Commissioner approved that case. And in many cases where people have wanted to go for funerals, they’ve also been approved as well.”
READ MORE: Deputy Premier’s extraordinary attack on ‘lying’ Peter Dutton
Rachel Baxendale 10.09am: Victorian Premier to address media at 11am
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is due to address the media at 11am, alongside his Treasurer Tim Pallas and Jobs and Industry Support & Recovery Minister Martin Pakula,
The press conference comes a week after Mr Andrews unveiled his controversially cautious roadmap for reopening Victoria’s economy following the state’s second wave of coronavirus, and as his government faces immense pressure to announce further support for businesses crippled by the shutdown.
READ MORE: Brian Loughnane — Low-key Andrews suddenly looks exposed
Sarah Elks 9.47am: Qld doctors’ lobby backs tough funeral rules
The doctors’ lobby in Queensland has swung behind the state’s tough restrictions on funerals, telling critics to “back off” criticising Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young.
Health Minister Steven Miles announced Queensland had recorded zero new cases overnight, and now has 30 active COVID-19 cases.
AMAQ president and vice-president Chris Perry and Bav Manoharan have fronted the media on Sunday morning, at the invitation of Deputy Premier Mr Miles, to defend Dr Young, who has been criticised for not allowing people out of quarantine to attend relatives’ funerals.
Dr Manoharan said Queenslanders needed to consider whether “we want more people at funerals, or more COVID-19 funerals”.
Dr Perry said Dr Young had been attacked by online trolls unfairly, and said doctors backed her actions.
“Six deaths in Queensland, it carries through that we’re doing a very very good job in this state...politicians in Queensland are listening very very carefully to a (well-regarded) physician,” Dr Perry said.
“We want to support the Chief Health Officer...we’re not here to support governments, we’re an apolitical organisation.”
READ MORE: Queensland stands by tough stance on funerals
Rachel Baxendale 9.10am: Victoria’s coronavirus death toll reaches 723
Victoria’s seven deaths recorded in the 24 hours to Sunday take the state’s coronavirus death toll to 723, all but 19 of which have occurred as part of Victoria’s second wave of coronavirus cases, sparked by breaches in the Andrews government’s hotel quarantine program.
The 41 new cases recorded today follow 37 new cases on Saturday, which had been the lowest daily increase since 30 cases on June 26 — more than 11 weeks ago.
The new cases take the statewide 14 day daily average to 65.0, and the seven-day daily average to 49.1.
Melburnians are set for a very slight easing of restrictions from 11:59pm on Sunday night, which will see the 8pm to 5am curfew instead begin at 9pm, exercise extended from one hour to two, and single people permitted to visit one other nominated person.
In regional Victoria, where there is no curfew, outdoor gatherings currently at a maximum of two will be expanded to include up to five people from two households from 11:59pm on Sunday.
In order for Melbourne to move to the second step of relaxing coronavirus restrictions by September 28, the 14-day daily average needs to reach 30-50.
This would 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 third 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 no more than five cases with an unknown source over that entire period.
Saturday’s 14 day daily average was 61.6 for Melbourne and 4.3 for regional Victoria, with 115 cases with an unknown source in Melbourne over the past fortnight, and seven in regional Victoria.
READ MORE: Low-key Daniel Andrews is suddenly looking exposed
Emily Richie 8.46am: ‘Genuine hope’ in vaccine trial, says Health Minister
Health Minister Greg Hunt says there is “genuine hope and optimism” that a COVID-19 vaccine will be available in the first half of 2021 after Oxford University and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca resumed their trial overnight.
The late-stage trials of the experimental vaccine were suspended last week following an alleged report of a side-effect in a UK patient.
In a statement, the university confirmed the restart across all of its UK clinical trial sites after being cleared by safety regulatory agencies.
Minister Hunt said the halting of the trial to assess if a health episode was related to the vaccine or not was an “ordinary part of a safeguards process”, and should give people more faith in the vaccine development method because of the precautions taken.
“For us the number one is safety, that trumps everything,” Minister Hunt told Sky News on Sunday.
“These are very heartening steps for Australia and for the road out.”
Minister Hunt said he was “quietly becoming more optimistic” about the potential for a coronavirus vaccine by early next year with the resumption of the trial.
“There is genuine cause for hope and optimism for Australians on the path to a vaccine,” he said.
“We have been very cautious and that’s why we were able to look very carefully before choosing our vaccine candidate. We’ll continue to review the evidence. But each day I’m quietly becoming more hopeful and more optimistic about the prospect for vaccines for Australians in the first half of 2021, with the earliest available in the first quarter of 2021.”
The vaccine being developed by Oxford and AstraZeneca has been widely perceived to be one of the strongest contenders among the dozens of coronavirus vaccines in various stages of testing around the world.
Some 18,000 people have received the trial vaccine so far.
READ MORE: China injects hundreds of thousands with experimental vaccine
Rachel Baxendale 8.23am: Victoria records 41 cases, seven deaths
Victoria has recorded 41 new cases of coronavirus and seven deaths in the 24 hours to Sunday.
That’s up slightly from the 37 cases and six deaths recorded in the 24 hours to Saturday.
Tough Stage Four restrictions will begin easing in the state from midnight, with Melburnians allowed extra exercise time and a slighlty shorter curfew. Playgrounds will reopen and ‘social bubbles’ allowing singles to socialise with one nominated person also to be permitted.
#COVID19VicData for 13 September, 2020.
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) September 12, 2020
Yesterday there were 41 new cases reported and 7 lives lost. Our thoughts go out to all those affected.
More information will be available later today. pic.twitter.com/xylZ2wnfcp
Regional Victoria will skip straight to Step 2 of Daniel Andrew’s roadmap to reopening.
More to come...
Peter Loftus 8.10am: AstraZeneca vaccine trials resume after setback
AstraZeneca says clinical trials for its experimental coronavirus vaccine have resumed in the UK after regulators concluded it was safe to do so, following a pause in studies globally after a person who received the vaccine had an unexplained illness.
Trials in other countries, including the US, remain paused while AstraZeneca works with national health authorities, the company said.
AstraZeneca said Tuesday it paused trials globally of a vaccine it licensed from the University of Oxford after a vaccinated woman in the UK experienced the unexplained illness, which a US official described as a spinal cord problem.
The pause gave independent committees and country regulators time to evaluate the case and determine whether it would be safe for testing to begin again.
A UK committee has concluded its investigation and recommended to the UK Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency it would be safe to resume the trials. The regulatory agency confirmed that it was safe to resume, the company said.
The MHRA couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
AstraZeneca said it couldn’t disclose further information about the study subject’s illness. Oxford, which is running a UK study of the vaccine, said it couldn’t disclose medical information about the illness for reasons of participant confidentiality.
The UK study of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine was paused once before, in July, after a person in the trial experienced neurological symptoms, which were later diagnosed as multiple sclerosis and deemed unrelated to the vaccine. Testing resumed after the July pause following a safety review.
The Wall Street Journal
READ MORE: Oxford vaccine setback ‘no cause for panic’
Agencies 7.35am: Coronavirus kills uncle of Syria’s Assad
Syrian businessman Mohamad Makhlouf, uncle of President Bashar al-Assad and father of top tycoon Rami Makhlouf, died on Saturday from Covid-19, two sources close to his family told AFP.
Makhlouf, 88, the maternal uncle of Assad, was once seen as a pillar of the regime of Hafez al-Assad, the late father of the current president.
His grandson, also called Mohamad Makhlouf, mourned his death in a message posted on Instagram.
Makhlouf, one of the most prominent Syrian businessmen during the 1970s and 1980s, was taken to hospital in the capital Damascus on August 23, local media reported.
His businesses had already long been handed over to his son Rami, who developed a commercial empire estimated at several billion dollars.
Rami Makhlouf was close to his cousin Assad, but earlier this year they fell out in a power struggle.
Since the start of the pandemic, Syria has officially recorded 3,476 cases of Covid-19, with 150 deaths registered in zones controlled by the Damascus government, according to health ministry figures.
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Christine Kellett 7am: Minor easing of Stage Four from midnight
From midnight tonight, Melburnians will enjoy some minor easing of Stage Four lockdown restrictions.
They will be permitted two hours’ exercise daily — up from one — and the nightly curfew will be eased from 8pm-5am to 9pm-5am.
Social bubbles for singles will also come into effect, allowing single households to socialise with one other person in their home.
Playgrounds will also reopen.
Regional Victoria will skip straight to Step 2, with up to five people allowed to gather together in outdoor public places.
Read all about the Step 1 changes in Victoria’s road map out of lockdown here.
Christine Kellett 6.30am: Quarantine fiasco linked to aged care outbreak
Victorian health authorities have reportedly confirmed the first link between the state’s bungled hotel quarantine program and the spread of coronavirus to an aged care home.
The Health Department has identified a security guard who shared a home with an aged care worker, Nine Newspapers reports.
The link reportedly allowed infection to spread between the Rydges hotel on Swanston Street in the CBD to the Embracia Aged Care facility in Avondale Heights in June. Five people died at the facility.
READ MORE: Home, alone and in aged care hell
Christine Kellett 6am: Woman dragged from car at Vic checkpoint
A Victorian woman has posted footage of herself being dragged from her car by police at a roadside checkpoint.
Natalie Bonett claims she had shown police her licence and a permit while she was stopped at the Wallan checkpoint, about 45 kilometres north of Melbourne, on Saturday when a police officer told her it was illegal to have her mobile phone charging on a windshield mount.
The footage shows the officer asking Ms Bonett to get out of the car, but she refuses.
“No, I don’t feel safe, you’re attempting to get into my vehicle,” she tells the male officer.
He then reaches in to undo her seatbelt and Ms Bonett begins screaming as the officer then drags her out by the legs while she struggles.
A man in the car with Ms Bonnet pleads with the officer and tries to hold on to her as she is pulled out of the car.
“I am shaking and my blood is boiling,” Ms Bonett later wrote on Facebook, where she uploaded the footage.
“They called for backup and had 4 police officers grab me by the legs and pull me out of my car and arrested me. While trying to cuff me they had their knees in my back and couldn’t breathe.”
Liberal MP Tim Smith described the ordeal as “ugly” and an overreach of police power.
“I won’t jump to any further conclusions as context is important, but there had better be a good explanation by the Andrews Labor government tomorrow,” he wrote on Twitter.
It follows the arrest of pregnant Ballarat woman Zoe Buhler, who was arrested and removed from her home by police earlier this month for posting about a Freedom Day protest on Facebook
READ MORE: Janet Albrechtsen — Is this really Australia in 2020?
Frances Vinall 12.05am: Daniel Andrews announces reopening for some sectors
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced two consumer changes to lockdown rules in Melbourne.
Meanwhile, regional Victoria is on track to “significantly” open up over the next few days ahead of the rest of the state.
The first change is that contactless pet grooming will be allowed in the “second step” of the road map to recovery from September 28.
“It must be a venue. It cannot be a mobile pet-grooming business,” he said.
Owners will be able to drop their pets off for grooming and pick them up afterwards without risk, Mr Andrews told reporters Saturday morning.
The second major change is that beauty services will join hairdressers in reopening in the “third step” of the plan to ease restrictions.
Before Saturday, beauty and personal services were among the last businesses allowed to reopen.
But now beauty and personal services, and hairdressers, will be allowed to open from October 26.
However, the change only applies to services where a mask can be worn.
Mr Andrews said regional Victoria would beat Melbourne at easing out of lockdown, with changes to be made in a matter of days.
He said Melbourne should look to regional Victoria for inspiration, with only 58 cases now active outside of the metro area.
“There’s nothing certain, but regional Victoria remains on track to be open, to take not one but two steps, by, say, the middle of next week [week beginning September 13],” he said.
“Regional Victoria is so close. Just a few days, and they will potentially be able to take not just one, but two of those steps, and they will be, essentially, open.
“That is proof positive to every single Victorian that we can drive these numbers down, we can open up.’’
He said a new case in the town of Echuca flagged recently was a false positive.
NCA NewsWire
READ MORE: Changes to Victorian lockdown rules
Agencies 12am: US, India and Brazil report most new deaths
The novel coronavirus has killed at least 916,372 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP on Saturday.
At least 28,534,330 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 19,016,500 people are now considered recovered.
The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organisation, probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections.
Many countries are testing only symptomatic or the most serious cases. On Friday, 6012 new deaths and 316,377 new cases were recorded worldwide. Based on latest reports, the countries with the most new deaths were United States with 1289 new deaths, followed by India with 1201 and Brazil with 874.
The US is the worst-hit country with 193,016 deaths from 6,445,800 cases. At least 2,417,878 people have been declared recovered.
After the US, the hardest-hit countries are Brazil with 130,396 deaths from 4,282,164 cases, India with 77,472 deaths from 4,659,984 cases, Mexico with 70,183 deaths from 658,299 cases, and the United Kingdom with 41,614 deaths from 361,677 cases.
The country with the highest number of deaths compared to its population is Peru with 92 fatalities per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Belgium (86), Spain (64), Bolivia (62), and Chile (62).
China — excluding Hong Kong and Macau — has to date declared 85,174 cases, including 4634 deaths and 80,386 recoveries.
Latin America and the Caribbean overall has 307,425 deaths from 8,155,411 cases, Europe 220,762 deaths from 4,433,231 infections, the US and Canada 202,222 deaths from 6,581,156 cases.
In Asia, there have been 113,177 deaths from 6,339,527 cases, in the Middle East 39,576 deaths from 1,653,351 cases, in Africa 32,353 deaths from 1,341,140 cases, and in Oceania 857 deaths from 30,515 cases.
As a result of corrections by national authorities or late publication of data, the figures updated over the past 24 hours may not correspond exactly to the previous day’s tallies.
AFP
ALSO READ: China tests vaccines on many thousands of people
Jack Paynter 12am: Police pounce on anti-lockdown protesters
Fourteen people were arrested and at least 51 have been fined during anti-lockdown protests across Melbourne.
Police branded the activity “disappointing” and late on Saturday said they expected to issue further fines.
One man who was arrested says it was worth the fine after he bizarrely made himself known to police as they started to walk away.
The man called out to police as they crossed the road and proudly displayed a sign before being handcuffed and led away.
He told NCA NewsWire before his arrest he was not a conspiracy theorist, but just anti-government and anti-lockdown and was prepared to get arrested and fined for it.
About 100 people attended the protests across various locations, police said.
“Despite all the warnings, it was disappointing to see individuals turn out to protest in the city today, putting the lives of Victorians at risk,” the force said in a statement on Saturday afternoon.
“Our investigations into this protest will continue, and we expect to issue further fines once the identity of individuals has been confirmed.”
“Anyone thinking of attending a protest can expect the same swift and firm response from police as has occurred today and at previous protests that were in breach of Chief Health Officer restrictions.”
Police visited 90 “persons of interest” to urge them not to attend the demonstrations before today’s protests.
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Jared Lynch 12am: Big tech to uncork supply bottlenecks
Artificial intelligence and big data are being unleashed across Australian businesses to combat predicted shortages of groceries and other products in the lead-up to Christmas and help sidestep trade disruptions from an increasingly hostile China.
KPMG has unveiled a platform it calls a “powered supply chain with predictive modelling capability” that uses AI and big data to pinpoint bottlenecks in supply chains and allocate resources and inventory to where they are needed most.
It comes a day after Woolworths chief executive Brad Banducci warned the Victorian government that the state could run out of some food staples for Christmas if onerous coronavirusfuelled restrictions on workplaces, warehouses and distribution centres are maintained.
KPMG’s partner in charge of Asia-Pacific supply chain advisory, Peter Liddell, said COVID-19 had up-ended normal supply-and-demand modelling and greater visibility of “choke points” was needed to combat shortages of high-demand goods.
Mr Liddell said the use of AI enabled a real-time analysis of myriad data points that human-based systems could not absorb, which helped clear bottlenecks in supply chains by enabling businesses to predict disruptions and changes in consumer behaviour.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the devastating bushfires over summer had accelerated the use of such technology as supply chains came under unprecedented pressure from social distancing measures, product shortages and panic buying.
Mr Liddell said that underlined the importance of businesses being able to respond more quickly to potential disruptions, particularly in the lead-up to the busy Christmas period, which the nation’s supermarkets were expecting to be their biggest ever, forecasting COVID-19 restrictions to lift turnover by 20-30 per cent.
READ THE FULL STORY here.
Emily Ritchie 12am: Federal DCMO defends Queensland border call
Deputy chief health officer Dr Nick Coatsworth has defended his Queensland counterparts on the hard line they have taken on border exemptions, calling it a “very challenging situation”.
It comes just days after a grieving daughter was banned from attending her father’s funeral.
“It has clearly been challenging and deeply distressing for the families that have had to either not see loved ones or have to quarantine before seeing loved ones,” Dr Coatsworth said.
“These are the effects of having borders closed and we all have to consider the balance between those border closures and the effect that they are having to keep out COVID-19 from a state or territory and whether that balance is actually achieved — ultimately that’s a decision for the chief health officer in Queensland.”
Dr Coatsworth said there had been 46 new cases of the virus reported on Saturday — 37 in Victoria, six in NSW and three in Queensland.
“It is clear that those numbers are continuing to improve nationally and, very pleasingly, the numbers in Victoria continue to improve,” he said.
He took a moment to acknowledge our nation’s health workers — who have made up 15 per cent of the cases in Victoria’s second wave — ahead of Nursing in the Community week.
“More than 70 per cent of COVID-19 cases from healthcare workers infected in hospitals, have been nurses,” Dr Coatsworth said.
“In the second wave, in contrast to the first, the majority of these infections have related to workplace exposures. That is why we are working so hard with state and territory governments, and hospitals and health services, to support nurses and all healthcare workers so they can go about their work caring for Australians as safely as possible. We continue to support hospitals in their efforts to protect their workers from COVID-19 including the provision of personal protective equipment from the national stockpile.”
READ MORE: Scientists reveal why modelling doesn’t justify Victorian lockdowns
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