Coronavirus Australia live updates: Nation on the way back from virus measures, says Scott Morrison
Scott Morrison says he is proud of Australia’s effort to stem the virus spread, as he looks to ease social distancing measures in as little as three weeks.
- Westpac offers to wipe credit card interest
- NSW testing up to 8000 a day
- Pompeo: WHO funds may never be restored
- Antibody test reveals more people had virus
- Cruise ship manager blames NSW Health
- Morrison reads the riot act to banks
Welcome to live coverage of the coronavirus crisis.
Scott Morrison is looking to ease social distancing measures in as little as three weeks.
Westpac is offering customers facing financial distress the option of having interest payments wiped. NSW residents with even mild symptoms can now be tested as the testing regime is ramped up. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has read the riot act to banks, forcing them to immediately fast-track applications for bridging finance.
Matthew Denholm 8.45pm: Two more cases take Tassie total to 207
Tasmania recorded two more cases of coronavirus on Friday, taking the state total to 207.
Dr Scott McKeown, Acting Director of Public Health, said both cases were close contacts of a previously confirmed case.
“Both cases are from the North West( and) both are men aged in their 20s,” he said.
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Agencies 8.30pm: NT tenants get less help than states
Tenants struggling financially due to the coronavirus shutdown will be more protected under new laws in the Northern Territory, although the Labor government has stopped short of a six-month ban on evictions. Instead, the negotiation period between tenants and landlords on rent has been extended from 14 days to 60 days and the notice period for an eviction has also been increased from 14 days to 60.
That gives Territory tenants protection of 120 days, below the six-month eviction moratorium of most states including Victoria and NSW. Similar protections are in place for commercial tenants and incentives for their landlords to cut rent, including payroll tax breaks.
The Territory has not had a new COVID-19 case for 18 days and might start to ease restrictions before the other states.
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Joe Kelly 8pm: Cartoon to restore confidence in school reopening
An educational cartoon instructing children about the importance of good hygiene and social distancing is being devised by the Australian National University in the hope it will restore confidence about schools reopening.
Professor Darren Gray, co-chair of the ANU’s COVID-19 taskforce, said the cartoon would be part of a new teacher’s resource to help provide greater certainty for parents about a resumption of face-to-face classes.
“I think having something like this in play, some kind of educational resource, would give greater confidence to the states and teachers’ union to reopen,” Professor Gray said. “What is lacking is that, to date, there has been no health promotion campaign specifically targeting children.”
The ANU is collaborating with the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Queensland to adapt a similar program rolled out in China, The Philippines and Vietnam aimed at improving hygiene practices in children to combat infectious diseases.
“It’s a cartoon, a health eduction cartoon,” Professor Gray said. “And we believe an entertainment health intervention — an animated cartoon — is the best way to teach these kids and pitch the messages at the level they require.
“This could be rolled out both nationally and internationally.”
The cartoon — thought to be about eight minutes long — would detail the story of a pair of “magic glasses” that allow children to see the virus on surfaces and inside people’s bodies. It would demonstrate how regular handwashing and social distancing can combat the spread of COVID-19.
Robyn Ironside 7.15pm: Airport takes possession of Virgin planes
Perth Airport has taken possession of a number of Virgin Australia’s aircraft over the airline’s failure to pay its bills.
The airline went into voluntary administration on Tuesday, after being unable to secure the financial assistance needed to keep it afloat.
On Friday administrators’ Deloitte revealed Virgin Australia owed $6.8bn to creditors, including $71.2m to landlords such as airports.
The aircraft locked by Perth Airport, are not currently being used by Virgin Australia to operate government-subsidised domestic flights or charter flights within Western Australia.
Read the full story here.
Victoria Laurie 6.15pm: COVID-19 pressure could lead to 350,000 child deaths
A breakdown in malaria control in Africa due to pressures from coronavirus could lead to 350,000 child deaths, according to modelling by a West Australian team specialising in global malaria prevention.
Professor Peter Gething, from Curtin University and Telethon Kids Institute, says his team has conducted an urgent and largescale analysis in the last two weeks at the request of the World Health Organisation.
Their data forms the basis of a WHO alert, published on Friday, warning that levels of malaria among vulnerable African children could rise steeply, leading to more deaths from malaria than is likely among children due to COVID-19.
Professor Gething said the modelling showed that severe disruption from widespread coronavirus infection could lead to a doubling of malaria deaths as children fail to get access to anti-malarial drugs or the distribution of insecticide-treated bed nets.
“That takes us back fifteen plus years of progress in less than twelve months…It acts as a reminder that COVID-19 is not the only threat that people face.”
“We saw this with the Ebola outbreak in Africa – our analysis showed there were more deaths from malaria due to disruption than from Ebola itself.”
The former Oxford University infectious disease expert, now based in Perth, says their analysis over more than a decade gives a detailed picture of how many children are getting ill from malaria, and the impact of drugs and bed nets in bringing down transmission.
Countries badly affected by COVID-19 will not be able to get out and distribute malaria prevention as their health networks are overwhelmed, according to the WHO report. In 2018, 94 per cent of global deaths from malaria occurRed in sub-Saharan Africa.
“The global community is very concerned about what would happen if these control measures are disrupted because we have made enormous progress in controlling malaria in the last 15 years,” he said.
READ MORE: Peter van Onselen — PM’s double standard on JobKeeper
Imogen Reid 5.55pm: Fifth death at Syndey nursing home
A fifth resident of a western Sydney nursing home has died after testing positive for COVID-19.
Operator Anglicare Sydney confirmed a 96-year-old woman with multiple health issues died at Newmarch House this morning.
“We are saddened to inform you that a fifth resident of Newmarch House, who had tested positive for COVID-19, died this morning,” a statement said.
“This resident’s family has been contacted as have all the relevant authorities.”
Almost a third of the 100 residents at Newmarch House have been infected with the virus, while 12 staff have tested positive and 55 staff are in home isolation.
The outbreak began with an aged-care worker who worked at the home six days running, unaware her mild respiratory symptoms and a “scratchy throat” were symptoms of coronavirus.
The woman tested positive on April 11 and NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said she had been “mortified and distraught” at the thought she had unknowingly infected her vulnerable patients.
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Ewin Hannan 5.14pm: McManus slams employer review call
ACTU secretary Sally McManus has slammed employer calls for a wholesale review of the industrial relations system once the country emerges from the coronavirus pandemic.
Labor leader Anthony Albanese also rejected calls by former Business Council of Australia Tony Shepherd and the small business lobby to scrap the award system.
The Australian reported on Friday that the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry believed the pandemic highlighted the need for a root and branch review of the Fair Work Act.
Australian Chamber workplace policy director Scott Barklamb said the crisis underscored the failure of the enterprise bargaining laws to promote productivity.
But Ms McManus hit out at the review call, declaring “these people have no shame”.
“When this is over, the only people who should remain in iso (lation) are the employer groups who called for more power for themselves during a pandemic, while working people were on the front lines keeping them safe,” she said.
Asked about Mr Shepherd’s call to scrap awards, Mr Albanese described the push as the “old playbook”, noting it was nurses and teachers as well as supermarket, childcare, aged care and transport workers who had got the community through the crisis.
“As soon as we get through the crisis, what we shouldn’t do is attack their wages and conditions,” he said.
READ MORE: Pete Evans fined $25k over virus machine
Amos Aikman 3.55pm: Police brace for lockdown laws to be broken
Police are bracing for a possible spike in the numbers of people breaking coronavirus movement restrictions once higher JobSeeker payments begin to flow next week.
From April 27, jobseekers will be eligible for a maximum base rate of $1115.70 a fortnight, excluding rent assistance and family payments, compared with a current base rate of $565.70. The supplement is available for six months as an economic stimulus.
Vast tracts of northern and inland Australia are supposedly locked down under biosecurity legislation. Many of the people in those areas, which spread across three states and the Northern Territory, live in welfare-dependent remote communities.
Organisations administering remote travel permits have seen huge pressure from residents wanting to head into larger towns to shop and, some say, to drink. Anyone leaving the bush is meant to spend two weeks in isolation before returning, but there have been numerous reports of people circumventing or ignoring the rules. Authorities are also understood to be concerned about late-night cross-border movements.
Northern Territory police southern commander Bradley Currie said his officers were preparing to respond to any increase in mobility.
“The secondary supply of alcohol continues to be an ongoing concern, and Northern Territory Police are proactively enforcing the NT Liquor Act to reduce the harm of alcohol-related crime and anti-social behaviour across the NT.”
READ MORE: How to take part this Anzac Day
Olivia Caisley 3.44pm: Distancing measures could be eased in three weeks
Scott Morrison is proud of Australia’s effort to stem the spread of the coronavirus, declaring the nation is “on the way back” as he looks to ease social distancing measures in as little as three weeks.
The Prime Minister told Sky News on Friday Australia’s progress was “very pleasing” and he will consider bringing forward that date if the opportunity arises.
However, a “stop and start” approach would only hurt the economy more.
“The cost of restarting your business, getting your people back and getting the kids back to school, you know we’ve already gone through that traumatic phase,” he said. “We could be in a far worse position.”
Mr Morrison said he understood why some people in parts of the country with low infection rates were confused as to why life had not returned to normal, but said outbreaks, such as those in north-west Tasmania, showed why the government should not rush the process.
“What we don’t want to do is get that decision wrong and then in several weeks’ time, lock things down harder,” he said.
Mr Morrison said that despite Australia’s successful effort at preventing an explosion of coronavirus-related deaths as has been seen in other European countries, it was no time to be complacent.
He conceded complete eradication was possible, but said such a strategy would involve a complete lockdown and you “can’t run a country like that.”
“If you pursue an eradication strategy that is basically everyone getting in under the doona and not getting out and you can’t run a country like that,” Mr Morrison said.
He would not be drawn on whether the government will consider broadening or raising the GST as part of the recovery effort, but said everything should be on the table with the goal being jobs, investment and growth.
“You don’t have to put people’s taxes up,” he said.
READ MORE: Labor responds to tracing app
Olivia Caisley 3.22pm: PM urges Aussies to download tracking app
Scott Morrison has urged Australians to download the government’s coronavirus tracking app, declaring it will make individuals, families and communities safer.
The Prime Minister told Sky News on Friday the app has one purpose, which is to track potential coronavirus cases and halt community transmission.
“Download the app, he said. “To make yourself safe, your family safe, and your’re making your community safer. It means we can get back to where we want to.”
He says the app would be more effective than the manual contact tracing method that relies on human memory.
READ MORE: How we halt the contagion
Kieran Gair 2.40pm: Social distancing rules ignored at Sydney beach
People at Coogee Beach in Sydney’s east are openly flouting social distancing rules despite a heavy police presence stretching along the beach’s promenade.
At least one man is expected to charged with a COVID-19 public infringement notice after he ignored multiple requests by lifeguards to leave the beach.
As he was escorted from the sand by five police officers, he told reporters: “someone has to go to stand up to these people, they’re taking our liberties. Who gave them the right?”
One young woman appeared to back the man’s controversial stance, yelling out: “you’re a legend.”
Randwick Council ordered the beach be closed just after 1.30pm, along with Maroubra and Clovelly, after people breached strict social distancing rules.
Police officers are continuing to tell defiant beachgoers they risk being fined if they choose to stay on the promenade and ignore orders to leave.
READ MORE: One tenth of patients survive on ventilator
Olivia Caisley 2.34pm: COVID-19 testing extended across nation
Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy has confirmed COVID-19 testing will be extended across the nation in order to track clusters of community transition. “National Cabinet was informed today that every single jurisdiction has now - every state and territory has now broadened their testing criteria from today,” he said.
“So that anybody with acute respiratory symptoms - cough, sore throat, runny nose, cold symptoms, flu-like symptoms - can get tested.”
Dr Murphy said the move would significantly expand the amount of people being tested.
“We’re pretty confident that most of them will be negative, but this will give us a really broad reach of what we call passive surveillance.”
Dr Murphy flagged that the Morrison government was looking at a range of active surveillance mechanisms to test people without symptoms and that work in a range of front-line occupations.
“National Cabinet is very clear that they want to be absolutely confident before relaxing any measures that we are in a position in this country to detect any community transmission of any significance.”
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Craig Johnstone 2.26pm: ‘Might be possible for schools to return in June’
Queensland chief health officer Jeannette Young says it “might be possible” for schools to return to normal by June 1 but cautioned against lifting restrictions on attendance immediately.
Speaking before Prime Minister Scott Morrison said social distancing rules in classrooms were not necessary, Dr Young said more needed to be done before restrictions on school attendance could be lifted.
“It’s really important that, although they’re extremely onerous, and I don’t underestimate how onerous the conditions that people are living under at the moment are, it’s important that we think very strategically about when we’re going to lift the restrictions and what needs to be done to be able to do it,” she said.
Responding to federal education minister Dan Tehan’s comments that schools should return to normal routines by June, Dr Young said: “It might be possible. Let’s wait and see. Rather than predict the future, let’s take it one step at a time”.
She said teacher unions were concerned that they did not want restrictions lifted too quickly.
“And that’s what we’re doing here in Queensland. We are methodically looking at what we can do, and before we can go and lift any restrictions we need to increase the amount of testing we’re doing.”
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Olivia Caisley 2.13pm: Federal parliament to return next month
Scott Morrison has confirmed that federal parliament will return on the 12th, 13th and 14th of May, when a number of “COVID-19 bills” will be presented.
The Prime Minister said the chamber would continue to operate with appropriate social-distancing measures in place and he hoped to see more members return to the people’s House.
“I anticipate we’ll see a lot more members back in the Parliament House, but obviously they can’t all be in the chamber at the one time or, indeed, in the Federation Chamber at the one time,” Mr Morrison said. “The business of the Parliament in that week, it will be the ordinary business of the Parliament.”
Mr Morrison said he anticipated a number of COVID-related bills, which would be “worked through” with the opposition in advance of parliament’s return.
READ MORE: Tests reveal more had virus than thought
Olivia Caisley 2.04pm: PM backs Dutton over Palaszczuk tweets
Scott Morrison has backed his colleague Peter Dutton after the Home Affairs Minister slammed the Queensland Premier for failing to reopen schools in her state.
Mr Dutton on Friday tweeted that Queensland students should be back at school and the only reason they were still studying at home “is because the Premier is running scared of the militant QTU”.
Queensland kids should be back at school and the only reason they’re not is because the Premier is running scared of the militant QTU. Premier @AnnastaciaMP it’s time to put the interests of our Qld kids ahead of the union bosses.
— Peter Dutton (@PeterDutton_MP) April 24, 2020
But the Prime Minister downplayed any signs of disunity between the Federation and the states, saying Mr Dutton was simply expressing his views as a local.
“I’d simply say that Peter, of course, is a minister in my government, but he’s also a Queenslander and these are issues that are being debated and addressed in Queensland,” Mr Morrison said.
“Whether you’re a local member, a minister or just any old Queenslander, then you do get to have the right to have a view as a local and I’m sure that’s the context in which Peter expressed those views.”
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Lachlan Moffet Gray 1.58pm: ACT’s first virus case in five days
The ACT has confirmed its first coronavirus case in five days, lifting the territory’s total number of cases from 104 to 105.
The case, a man in his 60s, is still under investigation according to ACT Health, which also said that there are no more COVID-19 patients in Canberra hospitals.
A total of 97 cases have recovered from the illness, with the remaining eight recovering at home.
#COVID19 update 24 April: There has been 1 new case in the past 24 hrs. The individual is a male in his 60s. The case is still under investigation. The total is 105 with 97 cases recovered. There are no COVID-19 patients in Canberra Hospitals. The number of negative tests is 7336 pic.twitter.com/aiLkqMVOvi
— ACT Health (@ACTHealth) April 24, 2020
“As we have been saying, this pandemic is not over and we do expect to see more cases in Canberra,” Dr Coleman said.
“We are still in a very good position in here in the ACT as this is only our third confirmed case in the past two weeks.
“The details of this case are still being investigated but early indications are that this individual has had very minimal contact with other people. ACT Health will contact anyone identified as a close contact.
Dr Coleman also reminded residents of the territory to practice social distancing and stay at home over the Anzac Day weekend.
“This year we will observe Anzac Day in a different way and we encourage the community to commemorate by holding your own dawn service at the end of your driveway at 6am tomorrow morning, or by observing a minute of silence at 11.30am,” she said.
“The safest thing to do tomorrow is to stay at home. If people wish to lay a wreath or leave a poppy at a significant site across Canberra, please do so in groups no more than two people, keep a distance of 1.5m from people, maintain good respiratory hygiene, and leave the area as soon as possible.”
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Olivia Caisley 1.50pm: Aged-care homes ‘must justify tighter lockdown’
Aged care homes may have to seek a special exemption if they want to ban visitors or confine residents to their rooms, Scott Morrison has revealed.
The Prime Minister on Friday said the government may step in if facilities don’t allow each resident to have two visitors a day.
Mr Morrison said nursing homes would have to argue why they had a “very real and serious medical reason” to need a tighter lockdown.
“Having people stuck in their rooms, not being able to be visited by their loved ones and carers and other support people, that’s not OK,” he said.
However Mr Morrison said that in cases where there were “valid reasons” for restrictions on visitors such as a cluster of coronavirus cases that was “entirely sensible”.
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Olivia Caisley 1.35pm: Plans for ‘back to work, back to sport’
Scott Morrison is working on plans to restart sports activities and to get Australians back at work, revealing the National Cabinet will develop a set of “National Principles” to help the process.
The Prime Minister on Friday said health experts will release guidance on how to make professional and community sport safe.
“That is such an important part of our way of life here in Australia,” Mr Morrison said of sport. “And the principles that can help guide decisions by states and territories in the future.”
The guidelines are divided into three levels:
- Elite/professional athletes and codes
- Community competitive sport
- Individual passive sport (surfing, hiking etc)
Mr Morrison said Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter had been working closely with the COVID-19 Commission and union representatives to come up with a “back-to-work” protocol.
“This is all about getting Australians back to work, and ensuring that when they go back to work that they and their families can feel safe in going back to work, and to ensure that there are important principles in place,” he said.
“The Minister for Industrial Relations has been working closely with the COVID Commission, union representatives and others to ensure we get helpful tools in place.”
READ MORE: Can we keep it together?
Lachlan Moffet Gray 1.30pm: Maroubra, Coogee closed again
Sydney’s famous Maroubra and Coogee beaches have been closed days after their reopening for exercise purposes only on Monday, with the local Council saying beachgoers were not abiding by new rules.
This morning there were a lot of people exercising, which is great,” a spokesman for Randwick City Council said.
COOGEE: As Predicted, there were too many people at @RandwickCouncil beaches and it was forced to close it at 1pm. It will reopen tomorrow morning... but if it’s too busy - it will close again. @10NewsFirstSyd @10Daily pic.twitter.com/zzNEKygXBh
— Kimberley Pratt (@Kim_Pratt10) April 24, 2020
“But in the last hour there were lots of families and kids there just cooling off...that’s not on, so we had to close the beaches.”
The spokesmen said the beaches would reopen on Saturday, but did not rule out their closure if “exercise-only” limits are ignored.
He also said that the Council might resort to restricting entry to the beaches.
Earlier on Friday Randwick mayor Danny Said warned that the council’s beaches will be tightly monitored over the Anzac
ay weekend and closed if maintaining social distancing becomes difficult.
“If residents head to the beach, it should be to go for a quick swim, surf or soft sand run, then home again,” he said.
“Get fit and go, as we like to say. Our beaches are not open for leisure, they are available for exercise only. Once that has been complete, people must move on immediately.”
READ MORE: ‘Bureaucracy gone mad’
Olivia Caisley 1.25pm: PM: Pupils don’t need to social distance
Scott Morrison has provided greater clarification on social distancing requirements within schools, declaring that students are not required to keep a 1.5m distance from other students when studying in their classrooms.
The Prime Minister said the medical advice could “not be more clear” and such social distancing practices were not necessary in the classroom context.
“The four square metre rule, and the 1.5m distancing between students during classroom activities is not appropriate and not required,” Mr Morrison said. “I can’t be more clear than that.”
READ MORE: Parents urged to send boys back to school
Olivia Caisley 1.20pm: Contact tracing app ‘in final stages’
Scott Morrison has confirmed the government’s coronavirus tracing app is “on its way”, declaring the tool is now in its final stages.
The Prime Minister on Friday said the app would be an important tool for managing outbreaks as social distancing restrictions are relaxed.
“That will be also an important tool for the country as we seek to manage how we live in a COVID-safe economy and community into the future and the rapid response to individual outbreaks,” the Prime Minister said.
However, he warned Australians should be prepared for an uptick in cases and additional waves of outbreaks as current measures are eased.
“We should be aware, as a community right across the country, that when we take further steps to ease restrictions, of course, we will continue to see outbreaks. That is to be expected. What matters is being able to move on them quickly.”
Mr Morrison began the press conference by paying tribute to the four Victorian police officers killed in a tragic freeway accident on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister said the tragedy was discussed at Friday’s National Cabinet meeting with the group offering their sincere sympathies to the families, friends and colleagues of the victims.
He said the National Cabinet expressed their sympathies and support for the broader police family, police officers serving all around the country, and their family members.
“This is a devastating reminder of the risks that their serving police officers in their families take each and every day,” he said.
READ MORE: PM roasts banks
Lachlan Moffet Gray 1.10pm: Biden slams Trump over postal votes
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is demanding Congress provide enough money to allow voters to cast votes by mail in the November presidential election, citing coronavirus concerns.
Speaking about the issue on Thursday night, Mr Biden blasted President Donald Trump for working to block emergency funding for the US Postal Service, accusing Mr Trump of being “un-American” by undermining the election and making it harder for Americans to vote.
“We have to make it easier for everybody to be able to vote, particularly if we are still basically in the kind of lockdown circumstances we are in now,” Biden told about 650 donors on an online fundraiser.
“But that takes a lot of money, and it’s going to require us to provide money for states and insist they provide mail-in ballots.”
Mr Trump recently said mail-in voting was “horrible.”
“There’s a lot of dishonesty going on with mail-in voting, mail-in ballots,” he told reporters on April 7.
Mr Trump’s administration separately ensured that the Postal Service got no exta assistance in last month’s massive $2 trillion coronavirus aid package,
“He’s already trying to undermine the election with false claims of voter fraud and threatening to block essential COVID assistance if any extra funds go to the US Postal Service,” Mr Biden said.
“What in God’s name was that about other than trying to let the word out that he’s going to do all that he can to make it very hard for people to vote.”
Mr Biden also claimed Mr Trump would seek to cancel or postpone the upcoming election.
“Between he and the Russians, there’s going to be an attempt to interfere,” he said.
“This president, mark my words, I think he’s going to try to kick back the election somehow, come up with a rationale why it can’t be held.”
READ MORE: Race to find vaccine
Lachlan Moffet Gray 12.55pm: ’I thought Boris’ thanks was a joke’
The New Zealand ICU nurse who cared for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson when he was sick with coronavirus said he was just “another patient we were trying to do our best for” and revealed that she had thought Mr Johnson’s public thank you to her was a prank.
“My first reaction was that it was a joke. I thought my friends were playing a joke on me … it was totally out of the blue,” Jenny McGee told TVNZ on Thursday.
On April 13 Mr Johnson praised the care he received from NHS workers while battling COVID-19 in a video, specifically singling out “Jenny from Invercargill” for the care she provided to him at the ICU in London’s St Thomas Hospital.
Very poignant video by Boris Johnson shot shortly after being discharged by the hospital.
— Antonello Guerrera (@antoguerrera) April 12, 2020
He also thanks all doctors and nurses who saved his life, especially nwo nurses “who stood by his bed for 48h: Jenny from New Zealand and Luis from Portugalâ€.
pic.twitter.com/CEMSf4B0TP
But Ms McGee said helping one of the most powerful men in the world fight for his life “was just another day at the office,” and that the two of them “chatted away,” with Mr Johnson “interested in where I came from and what my story was.”
An ICU nurse for 10 years, Ms McGee said she felt a duty to help fight coronavirus in the UK, despite being in New Zealand for a holiday when the outbreak occurred.
“I have lived here for 10 years and I have worked in NHS for that amount of time and I’m one of the sisters on the unit, a leader on the unit.
“It wasn’t an option not to come back and I think by being over here and helping over here I’m hoping one day to get back to New Zealand.”
When Mrs McGee does return home, she will receive a hero’s welcome, with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern personally sending the nurse a message over Facebook.
“She just said how proud she was of me and the country was so proud and it was so heart-warming and that’s something I will never forget,” Ms McGee said.
Boris Johnson was just "another patient we were trying to do our best for," New Zealand nurse Jenny McGee, credited with helping to save his life, sayshttps://t.co/JQASL0e3fY pic.twitter.com/QqflqY1Hdm
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) April 23, 2020
In his thank you video, Mr Johnson also singled out Portuguese nurse Luis Pitarma, and thanked him for saving his life.
READ MORE: One tenth of patients survive on ventilator
Lachlan Moffet Gray 12.40pm: Pandemic ‘could ruin weather forecasts, climate records’
The global coronavirus pandemic could ruin our ability to forecast the weather and predict climate change as global lockdowns cause ecological and meteorological monitoring exercises to halt, meteorologists warn.
Science journal Nature reports that this disruption in scientific activity will compromise future forecasting efforts by creating yawning gaps in decades-long data sets used to make predictions.
READ MORE: Pandemic ‘could ruin weather forecasts, climate records’
Lachlan Moffet Gray 12.25pm: Fourth death linked to Artania cruise ship
WA Health Minister Roger Cook has revealed another passenger from the ill-fated Artania cruise ship died of coronavirus overnight in Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth.
The victim, a man in his 70s, is the eighth person in the state and the fourth passenger from the Artania to die of the illness.
The state also recorded a further two cases, bringing the total to 458.
The Artania cruise ship from Germany was allowed to dock in Fremantle on March 27 after more than 40 crew and passengers contracted COVID-19.
The ship left Fremantle on April 18, a day after a Filipino crew member died of the disease in the Royal Perth Hospital.
The national death toll is now 78.
READ MORE: Virus-hit Ruby Princess leaves our shores
Will Pavia 12.15pm: One tenth of patients survive on ventilator
Little more than a tenth of COVID-19 patients who have been put on ventilators survive, according to the largest and most comprehensive study of hospitalised patients in the United States.
Ventilators have been held up as the last hope for the sickest patients and shortages of the breathing machines last month prompted a desperate scramble by state governors and contingency plans in which one machine might be rigged to serve two patients.
READ MORE: One tenth of patients survive on ventilator
Lachlan Moffet Gray 12.05pm: ‘Containment working’: two new cases in Queensland
Queensland has recorded a further two cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases in the state to 1026.
Queensland Health Minister Stephen Miles said that containment measures were working and that that 375 of the state’s cases were diagnosed while the individuals were isolated.
“Those quarantine measures that we put in place very early have paid a massive dividend as 375 of our just over 1000 cases were confirmed as positive while in quarantine.
“That is 375 people who could have been out there spreading the virus to two or three others who would have then spread it to two or three others, who did not because they were in quarantine.”
Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D’ath said widespread surveys of the 3500 Queenslanders in quarantine revealed that 93 per cent of them were complying with orders.
“What these 3500 people do and every person who goes into isolation or quarantine over the coming days, weeks and months, will decide the future of Queensland’s health,” Ms D’ath said.
“It is in their hands whether this virus spreads throughout our community. So we thank them for their compliance but we require their compliance, at law, because 5 million Queenslanders and their health are in the hands of the 3500 people who are required to be staying at home by law.”
Ms D’ath also revealed that the government’s enforcement capacity was growing, with 500 public servants to learn how to carry out contract tracing.
READ MORE: Stokes avoids hotel quarantine
Mackenzie Scott 11.55am: Isolated Australians yearning to travel domestically
Social distancing measures have agitated the travel bug itch on many stuck at home, with a majority of Australians ready to explore the country to support the local economy once coronavirus restrictions are lifted.
A survey conducted by the University of Queensland Business School shows 58 per cent of Australians hope to get away, with many already starting to plan ahead and waiting for the green light from governments to book.
READ MORE: Isolated Australians yearning to get travelling
David Penberthy 11.50am: Teachers union forced into apology over CMO smear
The teachers union has issued a humiliating apology after its South Australian branch was denounced by both sides of politics for releasing a political smear sheet personally attacking the state’s respected Chief Medical Officer Dr Nicola Spurrier.
In a genuine PR disaster for the union, the SA branch of the Australian Education Union posted a mocked-up information sheet on social media on Thursday night headed “SERIOUSLY SPURRIER?’ and smeared with grubby hand prints, ridiculing the Associate Professor’s advice over COVID-19.
READ MORE: Teachers union forced into humiliating apology over CMO smear
Lachlan Moffet Gray 11.47am: UK’s Chinese ambassador rejects cover-up claims
The Chinese ambassador to the United Kingdom has rejected claims that his government has obscured the true extent of the coronavirus outbreak on the mainland and said the United States should not encourage the country to be bullied in a way reminiscent of the 19th century, Reuters reports.
The remarks come after a number of Tory politicians called for a reset of UK-Sino relations over the Chinese government’s handling of the crisis.
“This can’t go back to the grovelling business as normal, which was signing up to ludicrously one-sided business deals and the suggestion we were enjoying a ‘golden age’ with China,” former governor of Hong Kong and Tory Peer Lord Patton told the Financial Times.
“We know how this crisis started and the costs of Chinese mendacity and the cover-up are clear.”
Ambassador Liu Xiaomang said such assertions were “speculation”.
“I hear quite a lot of this speculation, this disinformation about China covering up, about China hiding something - this is not true,” he said on Thursday.
“The Chinese government was transparent and very quick to share data.”
Mr Xiomang said such rhetoric was comparable to the way western nations interfered with China’s sovereignty during the gunboat diplomacy age of the imperial era.
“Some politicians, some people, want to play at being the world’s policeman - this is not the era of gunboat diplomacy, this is not the era when China was a semi-colonial, semi-feudal society,” he said.
“These people still live in the old days - they think they can bully China, think they can bully the world.
“China is not an enemy of the United States - if they regard China as an enemy they chose the wrong target.”
READ MORE: Wuhan labs hacked
Amos Aikman 11.27am: No QT in extraordinary day of NT parliament
The Northern Territory Labor government has refused to allow question time during an extraordinary day of parliamentary sittings to pass coronavirus legislation, prompting claims from the Opposition and independents it is exploiting the crisis for political gain.
Parliament resumed on Friday to strengthen the Top End chief health officer’s powers to bill people for the cost of their quarantine and to amend residential tenancy laws to give parties up to four months to negotiate in times of hardship.
There are no more sitting days scheduled before the Gunner government faces the voters in August to ask them for a second term. Labor has also delayed the budget until October, meaning there will be no budget estimates or pre-election fiscal report.
Country Liberal Opposition leader Lia Finocchiaro accused Labor of “shutting down scrutiny of its actions” and of moving the Territory “towards dictatorship”.
“The Opposition moved an amendment to the government’s motion on business which would have allowed for question time to go ahead with only non-government questions,” she said.
“We’ve shown goodwill, but the government has used its numbers to shut down scrutiny by not even allowing debate on an amendment to allow question time and then moved to axe question time. It’s undemocratic and unacceptable.”
Chief Minister Michael Gunner has announced that the public accounts committee will hear from agency heads and key ministers for two hours once per month, giving the Opposition and independents a chance to question what the government is doing.
But independents say the committee process lacks the rigour of parliamentary question time and is an attempt by the government to manipulate the coronavirus crisis for political gain. Some already fear movement restrictions will stymie their campaigns.
Ms Finocchiaro said parliaments elsewhere around the country had continued question time during the pandemic and that the Territory had no good reason for an exception.
Parliament made special arrangements on Friday for some members representing remote electorates to appear by phone. Had that not occurred, some would likely have had to spend two weeks in isolation before heading home.
READ MORE: Territory urged to get a jump on the rest of the country
Rosie Lewis 11.22am: Privacy laws for tracing app to be introduced
The Morrison government will introduce legislation to “protect people’s privacy” while using the coronavirus tracking app, due to be launched within weeks.
The Australian understands the legislation will ensure that only state and federal health authorities can access encrypted data stored by the app. Use of the “track and trace” tool will be voluntary.
If the app is launched before parliament returns and legislation can be introduced, a determination under the Biosecurity Act will be used as a contingency to ensure access to people’s information is restricted to health authorities.
Scott Morrison on Thursday appealed for the public to help Australia’s paramedics, nurses and doctors by downloading the government’s app. A state and federal advertising blitz urging people to use it will also be released across television, print and social media.
READ MORE: Ad blitz to coax tracking app adoption
Lachlan Moffet Gray 11.17am: Police coughed, spat on in Sydney’s west
NSW Police are appealing to the public for information after a man and woman coughed and spat on three staff members at Blacktown station in Sydney’s west.
At about 1pm on Thursday police observed a woman entering the station while smoking a cigarette.
A male staff member intercepted the woman, informing her that smoking was not allowed on the station concourse, an interaction that was met with the woman spitting in the man’s face, then saying “I have COVID.”
The woman walked through the ticket barrier while a nearby man ran to the scene, coughing and spitting in the staff member’s face before punching him in the neck and on the back of the head multiple times.
A second female staff member attempted to intervene and was also punched in the head, while a third female staff member sustained a laceration to her tumb and a back injury when she joined the fray.
The man and woman then fled the train station and were last seen running down David Lane.
The female is described as being Caucasian in appearance, aged 15-17, 157cm tall, with black hair. She was last seen wearing a black ‘Nike’ t-shirt with ‘Just do it’ emblazoned in red and white on the front, long black pants and black shoes.
The male is described as being Caucasian in appearance, aged 15-17, 155cm tall, with a black moustache. He was last seen wearing a brown baseball cap, a white Nautica branded t-shirt with a red and black logo, long dark pants and black shoes.
READ MORE: Things still on the boil outside urban areas
Gerard Cockburn 11.16am: Westpac offers to wipe credit card interest
Westpac is offering customers facing financial distress the option of having interest payments wiped, as part of a coronavirus support package.
Australia’s second largest bank will offer a three-month support package, which will enable credit card users to have charged or accrued interest payments applicable to their outstanding debt waived.
Customers who suffered a loss of income due to job losses or reduced hours will eligible for the scheme.
READ MORE: Westpac offers to wipe credit card interest
Matthew Denholm 10.33am: Northwest Tasmania will remain in hard lockdown
Northwest Tasmania will remain in hard lockdown for at least another week, after the state recorded another COVID-19 death and authorities declared it was “not safe” to ease restrictions.
The death of a 79-year-old woman from northwest Tasmania overnight on Thursday is the state’s ninth death linked to the regional outbreak, which appears to have been triggered by returning Ruby Princess cruise ship passengers.
Despite the set-back, Premier Peter Gutwein said Thursday’s absence of new cases – the first zero increase in almost three weeks – was “promising” and efforts were being made to make businesses “COVID-ready” for the easing of restrictions.
Mr Gutwein said the latest death was deeply distressing. “However … it sharpens my resolve to get on top of this and to stamp out this insidious virus,” he said.
To that end, a hard lockdown in the northwest, where 132 of the state’s 205 COVID-19 cases have been recorded, would be extended for another week, from Sunday’s initial expiry date.
“We can be cautiously optimistic about the road ahead but what need to do, particularly in the northwest, is to deepen our testing, to ensure that we have a really good understanding of what’s occurring across that community,” he said.
For the first time, frontline public servants in the northwest — including teachers and police — will be tested for the virus. Statewide, anyone with respiratory symptoms is now being encouraged to come forward for testing.
The extended hard lockdown in the northwest means non-essential businesses remain closed, as well schools.
In other regions, schools will remain open, but parents encouraged to keep their children at home for online and distance learning where possible.
Mr Gutwein apologised for not being able to grant any exemptions for wreath-laying on Anzac Day, but urged all Tasmanians to show their respect for veterans by shining a light from their driveway or porch at dawn.
He was “concerned” by revelations emerging from the inquiry into the release of diseased passengers from the Ruby Princess. However, he urged people to await the outcome of the probe, as well as a state investigation into the northwest outbreak.
READ MORE: Health boss changes his tune on return to schoolyards
Lachlan Moffet Gray 10.09am: NSW Health clarify Ruby Princess numbers
NSW Health has clarified the NSW Police Commissioner’s earlier statements on the number of Ruby Princess crew remaining in NSW following the ship’s departure on Thursday, saying in a statement that 44 crew members remain, 33 of which have coronavirus and have been transported to “health-managed hotels” since April 21.
A further two crew members are being treated in Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital while a further nine are in the RPA’s virtual hospital, which allows for remote hospital care.
A further two crew members were discharged from the RPA virtual hospital and departed by plane to the Philippines on Thursday night.
Of NSW’s 2982 confirmed cases 2056 have recovered, with 230 cases being treated by NSW Health, 19 of which are in ICU, with 15 requiring ventilators.
One previously identified case has been removed from the tally after further investigation.
READ MORE: How we halt the contagion
Matthew Denholm 9.40am: Woman in Tasmania north-west dies
A 79-year-old woman with coronavirus has died in Tasmania.
The woman was being cared for at the Launceston General Hospital but came from the state’s northwest, where an outbreak has occurred.
READ MORE: Homes stand firm on visitation
Lachlan Moffet Gray 9.30am: Outbreak in Vic psychiatric hospital
An outbreak of coronavirus has occured at a private psychiatric hospital in Victoria, infecting at least fourteen people, state Health Minister Jenny Mikakos told reporters on Friday.
“At this stage there are 14 known cases linked to this outbreak,” the Health Minister said.
“The advice that I have is that five are patients, five are staff, and four are household close contacts.
“Further testing will be undertaken today to determine if there is any further spread at the facility.
In fact, all patients and staff at this facility will be tested today, regardless of whether they are exhibiting symptoms.”
Victorian Chief Health Officer Dr Brett Sutton said the first case at the private psychiatric facility, which he refused to give a location for, occurred in late March, with additional patients testing positive for coronavirus within the last week.
“(It) has caused concern about transmission in the facility,” Dr Sutton said, adding that actions have been taken to slow any potential spread at the facility, including:
“The cessation of transfers to any other health facility, making sure that staff are only working in single wards and that there is no work outside the facility for those staff, that everyone in that facility, from 24 March, are considered close contacts and, therefore, either in quarantine, if it’s within the last 14 days, or need to be tested before they are cleared.”
Dr Sutton said that of the 14 cases related to the facility, three are in hospital and one of those is in intensive care.
Despite the outbreak, Dr Sutton said the Victorian Health Department was working “on the presumption there will be no second wave”.
“We are working tirelessly to keep this case number suppressed but the potential for waves into the future will be there, as long as - you know, people are not following the restrictions that we have in terms of physical distancing,” he said.
The state has confirmed six new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours and no new deaths, bringing the state’s total number of cases to 1343.
Twenty seven people are being treated in Victorian hospitals, a decrease of one on Thursday, while 11 are being treated in ICU, an increase of one on Thursday.
Ms Mikakos said three more people have recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 1254, while more than 96,000 tests have been carried out in the state.
Community transmission remains at 135, while Victoria Police issued 54 fines relating to the violation of public health orders on Thursday, Ms Mikakos said.
READ MORE: Vaccines that could offer hope
Lachlan Moffet Gray 9.25am: Trump - can we inject patients with disinfectant?
The US House of Representatives has approved a $US484 billion coronavirus relief bill providing relief to small businesses and hospitals as President Donald Trump ponders the possibility of treating patients with disinfectant.
The relief bill brings the total spending in response to the pandemic near US$3 trillion and was passed in the Democrat-controlled house 388-5, with the “no” votes including strange bedfellows New York Democratic Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who believes the bill doesn’t go far enough, and Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie, who frequently votes down spending bills.
The bill passed in the Senate on Tuesday, and is due to be signed shortly by Mr Trump, who was delivering a press briefing while Congress was in session.
At the briefing, Mr Trump lauded the ability of common disinfectant to kill the virus and questioned if there was a way to use the cleaning materials in a medical way, or UV light to kill the virus.
“I see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in a minute - one minute,” he said.
“And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning? Because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number in the lungs. It would be interesting to check you’re going to have to use medical doctors with that, but it sounds interesting to me.”
US coronavirus task force response coordinator Dr Deborah Brix quickly downplayed these ideas, saying “Fevers are the body’s way of applying heat to treat itself” but adding she hadn’t heard of it being used as a treatment”while Department of Homeland Security official Bill Bryan said his department was not investigating the injection of disinfectants as a treatment, but indicated that there was promising research showing effects of heat and humidity on the virus.
”Our most striking observation to date is the powerful effect solar light appears to have on killing the virus on both surfaces and in the air,” he said.
Mr Trump also said “it was interesting” that “the states that seem to have the problem happen to be Democrat,” while lashing out at Republican governor of Georgia Brian Kemp for rolling back coronavirus restrictions faster than the federal government’s official guidelines.
“I don’t want this thing to flare up because you’re deciding to do something that’s not in the guidelines, Mr Trump said.
READ MORE: Trump - get US back to business
Angelica Snowden 9.10am: Funding boost for NSW mental health
NSW mental health services will receive a $73 million funding boost to support people through the coronavirus pandemic.
Mental Health Minister Bronnie Taylor announced the funding package this morning and said it would provide relief to anyone in the community who needs support.
“I am committed to ensuring that people across NSW have access to the support they need regardless of their circumstances or where they live,” she said.
“Whether you are a young mother or dad that has recently had a baby and your village of support has been affected, or your someone who suffers from an acute mental illness, everyone in our community needs support at this time.”
Ms Taylor said 180 new mental health clinicians will be deployed across the state as part of the funding boost.
The 1800 NSW Mental Health line will also be able to take an extra 60,000 calls per year.
READ MORE: Parents urged to send boys back to school
Lachlan Moffet Gray 8.55am: Albanese: Will rhetorical economic changes last?
Anthony Albanese has continued to press the government on what a post-coronavirus economic recovery policy should look like, advocating for more government involvement in parts of the economy but rejecting the idea of a price on carbon, major reform to industrial awards and downplaying the efficacy of tax cuts for business.
Speaking to ABC News on Friday, the opposition leader said that he hoped that some of the government’s “rhetorical changes” amid the coronavirus crisis would last beyond the pandemic.
“They’ve acknowledged that unions play a constructive role in society rather than their previous concentration on attacking the rights of working people and the trade union movement,” he said.
“They have acknowledged that we need to listen to the science and I hope that that translates into other issues beyond medical science, into environmental science, into listening to what the scientists are telling us about the need to act on climate change and they have acknowledged there is a role for Government in providing support for the private sector to operate.
“We certainly will need a strengthening of the private sector coming out of this crisis but we will also need to acknowledge the vital role the government plays, the contracting out, for example, of Centrelink services meant that we weren’t in a position to actually look after people when it was needed during this crisis.”
Despite calling for more climate action, Mr Albanese did not endorse the idea of a new price on carbon, saying renewables are now economically viable and a “price signal” was needed a decade ago, but no longer.
“No, one of the things that has happened over recent times of course is that the cost of energy, the cheapest form, is new renewables,” he said.
“What it needs is a government that is prepared to provide certainty in terms of the energy market and providing a policy framework that will drive that investment.”
Mr Albanese said tax cuts for businesses would also not be appropriate in the aftermath of the pandemic, but did not rule them out completely.
“I think it’s rather strange at a time when you have a substantial increase in Australia’s debt. Of course this Government had already doubled the debt before the bushfire and coronavirus crisis and now we’ve seen debt that may well reach a trillion dollars.
“I think the first step that we should be looking at is what the implications are of any proposals for decreases in taxation and revenue and how that will impact on that debt.”
Calls made by business leaders to reform the industrial relations systems were rejected out of hand, with Mr Albanese saying workers who are responsible for keeping essential services running during the crisis should not be hit with a pay cut in its aftermath.
“Part of the problem in the economy last year was that wages weren’t keeping up with the cost of living,” he said.
“That was identified by the Reserve Bank of Australia and what we shouldn’t do is use this crisis, and the goodwill that working people have shown, to turn it against them and say, ‘Rightio, thanks very much, we will now go after existing wages and conditions that are there in the awards’.”
READ MORE: Joe Hockey: Welcome to new world of flashdemics
Angelica Snowden 8.25am: 40 Ruby crew remain in Sydney
NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said 40 crew members from the Ruby Princess will remain in Sydney healthcare facilities after the ill-fated cruise ship departed Port Kembla yesterday.
The commissioner said none of the crew members onboard tested positive before the ship left.
He also said detectives boarded the vessel before it left to seize a number of additional “exhibits” as a result of the special commission of inquiry.
READ MORE: Trouble left in Ruby’s wake
Lachlan Moffet Gray 8.20am: Palmer defends controversial antimalaria drug
Mining magnate Clive Palmer has defended the effectiveness of antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine following his purchase of more than 32 million units of the drug to donate to the National Medical Stockpile.
Despite being challenged by Sunrise hosts on Friday on the effectiveness of the drug, Mr Palmer seemed to imply that the drug was responsible for Australia’s low coronavirus mortality rate.
“The Health Minister Greg Hunt authorised the use of the drug in hospitals...We have seen Australia have the lowest mortality rate in the world and seen the curve flattened,” Mr Palmer said.
Mr Palmer said that the many millions spent on securing the drug is of no consequence as he can afford it, maintaining that he acted in the interest of his fellow Australians.
“I did that for Australians. This is my country and I spent my money and
took the risk,” he said.
“If anything goes wrong with it or it doesn’t work out, all that happens is that Clive has lost a bit of money.
“But we have to be able to protect our own country and provide for our own people. The reason I donated it is because I wanted it free of charge to anyone who needs it, regardless of how much money they have.”
Mr Palmer added that the drug has a three-year shelflife, and will be available for years to come.
READ MORE: How we halt the contagion
Angelica Snowden 8.05am: NSW ramps up testing to 8000 a day
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has urged anyone with even mild respiratory symptoms to get tested, with the testing regime ramped up to 8000 a day.
“We’re increasing the testing to include everybody across the state,” she said.
“If you think you have symptoms, are concerned you might have it, and especially those who work in vulnerable communities.”
Ms Berejiklian said of the 7352 COVID-19 tests carried out in the last 24 hours, there were only seven new cases in the state.
She said the new testing regime was being introduced in a bid to accurately capture the true spread of COVID-19 and how it is slowing.
Ms Berejiklian said: “We can’t keep living the way we are”, but everytime a COVID-19 restriction is lifted infection rates will increase.
“That’s why the testing regime and actually broadening it gives us more options about what we can do with the restrictions because none of us want to see us living with these restrictions for a long period of time,” she said.
“But for us to lift some of those restrictions, we must have more testing.
“That’s why we are broadening the criteria to say that anybody who has symptoms or anybody who works with vulnerable people, please get tested.”
NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant total said the majority of people who contracted COVID-19 have now recovered.
She said of the 2982 confirmed cases in the state, 2056 people have now recovered.
Dr Chant said the death of a 79-year-old elderly woman at the Newmarch House aged care facility was the only new COVID-19 fatality in the state overnight.
The death of the elderly woman brought the total number of residents who have died at the facility in Sydney’s west to four and was reported in the media yesterday.
READ MORE: Push to be eradication nation
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7.55am: Hanks’ kindness to bullied Aussie boy Corona
Very few people live up to their own theme songs - but this week actor Tom Hanks did, befriending an eight-year-old Gold Coast boy bullied for being named Corona, ensuring the young boy that “you have a friend in me.”
Corona DeVries, 8, wrote to the actor and his wife Rita Wilson at the start of the pandemic in Australia when the couple contracted the disease on our shores while filming a project with Baz Luhrmann.
According to 9News, Corona told the couple that he knew what it was like to feel down and wished them well.
A few weeks later, a package arrived at the young boy’s Helensvale home from Santa Monica, California, containing a vintage Corona typewriter and a typewritten note from Tom Hanks himself, who is an avid typewriter collector.
Tom Hanks has befriended an 8-year-old boy named Corona, who wrote him a letter about being bullied for his name. #9Today pic.twitter.com/h7PckxoA4J
— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) April 23, 2020
Dear Corona,” it reads, “thank you for being such a good friend - friends make friends feel good when they are down.
“Even though I was no longer sick, getting your letter made me feel even better.”
“I thought this typewriter would suit you...I had taken it to the Gold Coast, and now, it is back - with you.
“Ask a grown-up how it works,” he wrote, before signing off with “you’ve got a friend in me.”
Corona was overjoyed by the gesture.
“It’s awesome,” Corona told 9News about the gift.
“Because it’s so old it must have belonged to someone before they gave it to Tom Hanks.”
READ MORE: Prince marks birthday with rainbow tribute
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7.45am: NRL season length decided today
A decision on the length of this year’s NRL season will be decided on Friday, Rugby League Commission Chairman Peter V’Landys has said, resolutely stating that “the procrastination has been long enough.”
Confirming that the target date of May 28 for the resumption of the season is still in place, Mr V’Landys told Nine’s today on Friday that the country will soon know whether the 2020 season will last for 17 or 21 weeks.
“Look, that’s been a discussion we’ve been holding with our broadcasters,” Mr V’landus said.
“We got two different broadcasters. One has a different view to the other. Today is D-Day for me. A decision will be made as to the length of the season, between the two broadcasters.
“We will meet our contractual obligations to the broadcasters, but a decision has to
be made. I think the procrastination has been taking long enough, and decisions will be made today.”
Mr V’landys also described the public health risk of the game as “minimal to zero”, and urged people to tone down “scaremongering” rhetoric.
“Look, we have done our negotiation with governments. We are applying to governments, we’ll continue to do so. It’s five weeks away. In the last 14 days, our infection rate has been less than 1%. We are confident that it’s safe,” he said.
“The risk is minimal to zero. So why shouldn’t we start playing? Why are we going to rob our fans and players, because of scaremongering and alarmist rhetoric?”
Mr V’landys said the Commission has a 40 page biosecurity plan in place to deal with the possibility that a player may test positive, and they will send it to the Queensland government on Friday to help inform the health department’s decision on whether to grant travel and quarantine exemptions for players.
READ MORE: V’Landys to broker deal on season length
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Angelica Snowden 7.40am: Singapore man jailed for breaking self-isolation
Singapore has handed down its first prison sentence for a virus-related offence, after a man breached quarantine orders to buy food.
Alan Tham Xiang Sheng was jailed for six weeks after he failed to self-isolate for 14 days when he returned to Singapore from overseas in March.
He went out to a food court to enjoy a pork rib soup dish, according to local media, and also visited several other places.
Hong Kong has also jailed a number of people for breaching the city’s strict quarantine guidelines.
Singapore, which has used the test and trace strategy to get its epidemic under control, has seen an explosion of cases since it started testing migrant workers, many of whom live in tightly-packed dormitories.
The city-state on Wednesday announced that it would keep social distance restrictions in place until June after a surge in cases, mostly among migrants, took the country’s caseload above 9,000.
READ MORE: Push to be eradication nation
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7.35am: Dutton slams banks over loans fail
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has slammed the banking sector for failing to provide loans to keep businesses afloat until the implementation of the Jopkeeper wage subsidy program next month, saying they “have a lot of stepping up to do.”
“I think this is an opportunity - and I thought this at the time, when we made this announcement - it was an opportunity for the banks to remake their own image in the community,” Mr Dutton told Today on Friday.
“There’s been a lot of activity already, where you can point to cases where they have provided significant assistance, but it needs to be more widespread.”
Mr Dutton also strongly endorsed the reopening of schools, saying “the medical advice has been clear that kids can go back to school.”
“I don’t want to speak on behalf of all families or all parents at the moment, but our 13 and 14-year-old sons are at home online, and you’ve got to make sure they’re not doing
YouTube, they’re not playing Fortnite, not texting their mates, not on Snapchat and at the same time, and it just doesn’t happen,” he said.
“In my home State of Queensland, the Teachers Union has their firms firmly around the throat of the government here, and - the decision is being made for the wrong reasons.”
READ MORE: Morrison roasts banks over virus loans fail
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7.25am: Half Europe COVID deaths occur in nursing homes
Up to half of Europe’s coronavirus deaths are happening in long-term-care facilities like nursing homes, according to WHO regional director Dr Hans Henri Kluge.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Dr Kluge said “a deeply concerning picture” has been emerging.
“According to estimates from countries in the European region, up to half of those who have died from COVID-19 were resident in long-term care facilities,” Dr Kluge told reporters on Thursday.
“This is an unimaginable human tragedy. To the many who are experiencing this loss, my thoughts are with you.
“All those dying in homes from COVID-19 have the right to be attended to and to receive end-of-life care, including symptom relief with adequate medication, surrounded by their loved ones.”
Dr Kluge said that going forward, long-term care facilities had to change how they operate to minimise disease spread, empower care workers to make the changes, and “build systems that prioritize people’s needs.”
More than 110,000 Europeans have died of the virus.
READ MORE: Staff at fatal nursing home down by a third
Angelica Snowden 7.20am: Berejiklian daily update at 8.00am
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian will give her daily update on the COVID-19 pandemic in her state at 8am AEST.
The Premier will be joined by the Minister for Mental Health, NSW Chief Health Officer.
The press conference can be watched live above.
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7.05am: South Africa eases restrictions as deaths rise
South Africa has confirmed it will start easing its strict lockdown on May 1, despite the number of cases in the country continuing to rise.
On Thursday the number of confirmed cases shot up by 318 to more than 3900, with 75 deaths. The Ministry of Health said the increase in cases could be attributed to increased testing carried out in communities across the country.
Despite the inherent risk, the news of the lockdown ease was greeted with cheers and fireworks in Johannesburg.
Businesses will resume operations in phases, first by preparing the workplace for a return to operations, followed by the return of the workforce in batches of no more than one-third,
However, most restrictions aimed at containing the virus and limiting transmissions will remain in place. These include the ban on local and international travel, except for the repatriation of South Africans who are still stuck abroad.
The country’s borders will remain closed and large gatherings including sports events and church services remain banned. Restaurants, taverns and bars will remain closed but the sale of cigarettes will be allowed.
Nothing has been said about the sale of alcohol, which has been banned since the lockdown began on March 27.
Other relaxations include permission for people to exercise outdoors. The easing will be carried out in five phases, determined by the number of cases from community testing and the numbers of people hospitalized.
READ MORE: How we halt the contagion
Lachlan Moffet Gray 6.45am: Elizabeth Warren’s brother dies of COVID-19
Former Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren has revealed that her elder brother, Donald Reed Herring, has died of coronavirus at the age of 86.
What made him extra special was his smile—quick and crooked, it always seemed to generate its own light, one that lit up everyone around him. pic.twitter.com/SFMOaBVCN3
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) April 23, 2020
The news comes as the number of dead in the US surpasses more than 47,000 - almost double that of the second-worst hit country, Italy, where 25,549 people have died of the disease.
Mr Herring was an Air Force Pilot in his youth, who flew 288 combat missions in Vietnam before becoming a B-52 squadron pilot.
I’m grateful to the nurses and frontline staff who took care of him, but it’s hard to know that there was no family to hold his hand or to say “I love you†one more time—and no funeral for those of us who loved him to hold each other close. I'll miss you dearly my brother. pic.twitter.com/oOG6HArEL6
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) April 23, 2020
In 1973 he retired to start an auto-detailing business. A Republican, he often featured in anecdotes told by Ms Warren on the campaign trail about her politically diverse upbringing.
“I’m grateful to the nurses and other front-line staff who took care of my brother, but it is hard to know that there was no family to hold his hand or to say ‘I love you’ one more time,” Ms Warren told the Boston Globe in a statement.
“And now there’s no funeral for those of us who loved him to hold each other close.
“I will miss my brother.”
READ MORE: Party conventions without parties
Angelica Snowden 6.40am: Pompeo: WHO funds may never be restored
US Secretary of state Mike Pompeo says funding may never be restored to the World Health Organisation unless it is fundamentally reformed.
Mr Pompeo told Fox News late on Wednesday that there needed to be a “structural fix of the WHO” to address its “shortcomings”.
He was asked if he would rule out a change of WHO leadership and responded it was possible that funding may never be returned.
“Even more than that, it may be the case that the United States can never return to underwriting, having US taxpayer dollars go to the WHO,” he said.
The news comes after Democrats from the House of Representatives called for the immediate restoration of funding to the WHO after President Donald Trump suspended it last week.
The democrats accused Donald Trump of using the WHO as a scapegoat after sustained criticism of his handling of the pandemic.
READ MORE: Bullish Trump: US to get back to business
Lachlan Moffet Gray 6.25am: Call for EU Marshall Plan
The European Union is set to revamp its long-term budget in order to set up an enormous recovery fund compared to a new Marshall plan to offset the impact of the coronavirus on the bloc’s 27 member states, as the number of those dead from the disease in Europe passes 100,000.
European Parliament President David Sassoli said the economic damage the virus has done means Europe faces its worst economic crisis in a century.
“We are extremely concerned because we can see a downward spiral, and we are going to need every instrument available,” he said.
“We’ve all called for this new Marshall Plan for Europe, but with a major difference of course. The funds will not be coming from abroad this time, but rather from European countries and economies.”
The revamp of the EU’s seven-year-budget to fund the yet-to-be-agreed-upon recovery plan could cost, according to estimates, in excess of 1-1.5 trillion euros, funded mainly by wealthier northern states like Germany and the Netherlands.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel endorsed the plan, saying: “Of course this means Germany must calculate with higher contributions for the next budget ... but that’s right and good.”
Germany has 151,285 confirmed cases of the virus and 5367 deaths.
Embattled French President Emmanuel Macron, who has seen 157,135 of his countrymen contract the disease and 21,856 deaths said the recovery process must include “not simply only loans, but transfers to the worst affected regions and sectors.”
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who has steered his country through the worst of the deadliest outbreak in Europe, welcomed the progress.
“The recovery fund will finance all the countries hardest hit, Italy but not only. It is an urgent and necessary instrument,” he told Italians in a video address.
“It was unthinkable until now. It is a new instrument that makes us more solid, more coordinated and more efficient.”
189,973 Italians have contracted the disease and 25,549 have died, the most of any country in Europe - although Spain, with 213,024 confirmed cases and 22,157 deaths, is not far behind.
EU leaders also endorsed a separate 540 billion euro rescue package to start operating in June that will help keep companies and health care systems operating.
READ MORE: Joe Hockey writes: Welcome to the new world of flashdemics
Jacquelin Magnay 6.25am: UK plan to confine over-70s for a year
A Boris Johnson government plan to indefinitely confine people over 70 to their homes during the coronavirus pandemic has been labelled “draconian” and “authoritarian”.
Lord David Blunkett, the former Labour home secretary, told the House of Lords that: “Older people must not be subjected to arbitrary incarceration as well as isolation.”
WATCH: We're making #coronavirus testing faster and simpler. pic.twitter.com/TnWYAlDOkd
— Matt Hancock (@MattHancock) April 23, 2020
As the British government continues to flounder without any public plan to respond to coronavirus, and deaths slowly decrease, there is heightened anxiety among retirees what the next steps will be.
On Thursday 616 deaths were announced, taking the total hospital death toll to 18,738, with thousands of other deaths in care homes also believed linked to the virus.
The British government has refused to outline its plans to ease the lockdown after the next review, due on May 7, even though there continues to be speculation that people aged over 70 and those with particular vulnerabilities will be ordered to stay in their homes for up to a year when the current 12-week “shielding” operation ends in mid-June.
READ the full story here
Agencies 5.15am: New York antibody tests reveal far more had virus
More evidence is emerging that far more New Yorkers have had the coronavirus than the number confirmed by lab test.
A state survey of about 3,000 people found that nearly 14% had antibodies, suggesting they had been exposed to the virus, Governor Andrew Cuomo said at his daily news briefing.
In New York City, the epicentre of the pandemic in the US, 21% of the people tested had antibodies.
NEW: The first phase of results from a statewide antibody study are in.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) April 23, 2020
We collected approximately 3,000 antibody samples from 40 locations in 19 counties.
Preliminary estimates show a 13.9% infection rate.
Mr Cuomo cautioned that the data was preliminary. The sample of people tested was small. Participants were hastily recruited at shopping centres and grocery stores, which meant they were healthy enough to be out in public. But the governor said knowing how many people had antibodies, and who might possibly be immune to the virus, could potentially help set policy on when to reopen parts of the state.
“We’ll have a larger and larger sample. But I want to see snapshots of what is happening with that rate. Is it going up, is it flat, is it down? And it can really give us data to make decisions,” Mr Cuomo said.
Percent positive by demographic:
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) April 23, 2020
Female: 12%
Male: 15.9%
Asian: 11.7%
Black: 22.1%
Latino/Hispanic: 22.5%
Multi/None/Other: 22.8%
White: 9.1%
(Weighted results)
New York City’s health commissioner said as many as 1 million people in New York City may have been exposed to the coronavirus. At least 263,000 people statewide, including about 142,000 people in New York City, have tested positive for the coronavirus, but city Health Commissioner Dr Oxiris Barbot called those numbers “the tip of the iceberg.” She noted the city was still telling people who suspected they had the virus but weren’t seriously ill that they didn’t need to seek a test, so the true number of sick people was unknown.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if, at this point in time, we have probably close to 1 million New Yorkers who have been exposed to COVID-19,” she said.
Another 438 people were killed by the virus in the state Wednesday, bringing its total death toll to more than 15,700. That number doesn’t include more than 5,100 other deaths in New York City that were believed to be caused by the virus but haven’t been confirmed by a lab test.
More than 15,000 people remain hospitalised statewide, with nearly 1,400 new patients admitted each day over the past few days.
READ MORE: ‘Send G20 swat team to fight flashdemics’
Yoni Bashan 5am: Ruby Princess manager puts blame on NSW Health
A second high-ranking Ruby Princess official has placed the blame for the cruise ship fiasco — resulting in at least 20 coronavirus-related deaths and more than 700 infections — on NSW Health, saying he was stunned by its lack of oversight and unsure why passengers were allowed off the vessel without undergoing screening. .
Charles Verwall, hotel general manager of the Ruby Princess, told a NSW special commission of inquiry on Thursday there were heightened concerns on board about the risk of COVID-19 before it docked in Sydney last month.
The senior cruise official was giving evidence on the second day of the inquiry via videolink from the luxury liner, just hours before it departed Australian waters, ending a month-long standoff between officials on how to deal with the ship at the centre of Australia’s largest coronavirus outbreak.
Read the full story here.
Simon Benson 4.45am: PM orders tax commissioner to read riot act to banks
Australia’s biggest banks have been stymieing business attempts to gain bridging finance for wages before the $130bn JobKeeper payments begin next month, prompting Scott Morrison to order them to be read the riot act.
The Australian understands the banks buckled to demands to lift their game after a furious Prime Minister vented his anger about the big four during a phone hook-up with tax commissioner Chris Jordan and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg early on Thursday.
Business groups had reported staff had been laid off because they couldn’t afford to wait for the JobKeeper payments, despite the banks pledging to temporarily underwrite the wages bill.
Mr Jordan is believed to have delivered Mr Morrison’s blunt message to the chief executives of ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, Westpac and NAB in a later phone conference that included Mr Frydenberg and Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar.
The banks immediately agreed to fast-track applications. Read the full story here.
Jim Chalmers’ easy home lending to win younger voters
The Treasurer has instructed financial regulators to soften home-lending rules for millions of Australians, in a pre-election move to help achieve Labor’s 1.2 million new homes target and woo younger voters.
Big business urged to lift game on R&D
Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic says Australia’s economy is too reliant on a ‘narrow set of industries’.