Coronavirus live news Australia: Gladys Berejiklian ‘utterly disgusted’ by Sydney protests; 163 cases recorded in NSW
Gladys Berejiklian lashes the ‘utter contempt’ shown by thousands of protesters as NSW Police Minister warns of ‘high price to pay’.
- ‘Utterly disgusted’: Premier slams lockdown protest
- Health Minister blasts state leaders for abandoning NSW
- NSW records 163 new cases
- Victoria records 12 new cases
- Premier’s desperate vaccine plea rejected
- Queensland Delta outbreak causes alarm
- How shock death toll spurred faster vaccine rollout
Welcome to The Weekend Australian’s live rolling coverage of the coronavirus crisis and national response.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has slammed the ‘utter contempt’ shown by thousands of protesters who took to the streets of Sydney today in breach of strict lockdown orders.NSW Police have vowed to hunt down the organisers of the anti-lockdown protest that threatens to become a superspreading event. NSW recorded 163 new cases of locally acquired coronavirus, compared to 12 in Victoria, as Health Minister Brad Hazzard blasted the commonwealth and other states for ‘casting aside’ NSW in its hour of need.
Joseph Lam7pm:Let’s not pretend marching brings freedom: Sutton
Brett Sutton has taken to Twitter to deliver a short, sharp reality check to the thousands of protesters who descended upon the Melbourne CBD on Saturday.
“Let’s not pretend that ‘marching for freedom’ will actually deliver the precious freedom that we all need and desire,” the Victoria Chief Health Officer said.
The thread was posted thread hours after mask-less protesters converged on the city, resulting in Victoria Police setting up blockades along Flinders and Swanston streets in attempt to slow them.
“I love freedom. Who doesn’t love freedom? I want freedom from being amongst the over 4 million official (and likely 10 million actual) Covid deaths globally,” he began.
“And freedom from being amongst the over 13 million current active cases. Or millions of current Long Covid cases.”
“Long Covid doesn’t make you free — debilitating fatigue, ongoing shortness of breath, neurological and psychiatric symptoms for weeks to months. We’ve avoided a huge potential burden of illness in Australia but the 30,000 cases we’ve had still represents so much suffering.”
I love freedom. Who doesn't love freedom? I want freedom from being amongst the over 4 million official (and likely 10 million actual) COVID deaths globally. And freedom from being amongst the over 13 million current active cases. Or millions of current Long COVID cases. 1/
— Chief Health Officer, Victoria (@VictorianCHO) July 24, 2021
READ MORE:Health Minister in the dark about key vaccine information
Christine Kellett6.45pm:Berejiklian slams ‘utter contempt’ of protesters
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has slammed the “utter contempt” shown by thousands of protesters who took to the streets of Sydney today in breach of strict lockdown orders.
Dozens were arrested and several police officer injured — some of them seriously — after clashes in the CBD.
“I am utterly disgusted by the illegal protesters in the city today whose selfish actions have compromised the safety of all of us,” Ms Berejiklian said of the anti-lockdown demonstration.
“The protesters have shown utter contempt for their fellow citizens who are currently doing it tough.
“I want to thank the brave police officers who put their own safety on the line to ensure the protest action ceased.
“This type of activity during lockdown will not be tolerated and the full force of the law will be brought against anyone who engages in this type of illegal activity.”
Ms Berejiklian did not front today’s daily press conference, instead leaving it to Health Minister Brad Hazzard to announce 163 new Covid cases.
Later, Police Minister David Elliott said it was “statistically impossible” for no one to have been infected while at the demonstration, warning of a case spike in coming days as a result.
READ MORE:Urgent alert for four Melbourne suburbs
Emily Cosenza5.45pm:Melbourne ‘w--kers’ in Covid breach: Gunner
A number of Victorians who allegedly arrived in the Northern Territory illegally have been dubbed “w —kers”.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner’s harsh words came after six people allegedly provided false information on their Border Entry Form when they arrived in Darwin from Melbourne earlier this week.
Based on information provided to police on July 15, two men, aged 29 and 30, and four women, aged between 29 and 31, had left Victoria and travelled together into South Australia before arriving in the NT on July 20.
However, Victoria was declared a hot spot at the time which meant travellers needed to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival.
Police found the group and removed them from their Darwin accommodation on Wednesday and escorted them to the Howard Springs Quarantine Facility.
Mr Gunner said the group of six were collectively going to be fined about $30,000.
“I’m furious that six w —kers from Melbourne thought they could gamble with Territory lives for a holiday and a wedding,” he said.
“Our message is simple — Don’t lie. Don’t come here if you’ve been in a hotspot. Don’t put Territorians at risk.”
Incident Controller Acting Commander Hege Burns said it was “absolutely unacceptable” that the group was willing to put the community at risk because of their “selfish actions”.
READ MORE:Yoni Bashan — If it's not working, then unlock Sydney
Rhiannon Down5.10pm:Police surround protesters in Sydney park
NSW Police have managed to break up the remains of an illegal anti-lockdown protest that saw thousands of demonstrators take over Sydney’s CBD, evading police for more than three hours.
The foot convoy of protesters re-formed at their starting point in Victoria Park at about 2.30pm, where police pounced, making multiple arrests and deploying tear gas.
Officers with police dogs and mounted units surrounded the group at the centre of the park, directing them to go home or else be arrested.
Demonstrators trapped inside the police line broke out into spontaneous choruses of the national anthem, while others waved flags and brandished signs with anti-vaccination and anti-lockdown slogans.
“The only shot I want, is a shot of Hennessey,” one sign read.
One man, who was walking three dogs on a leash, yelled at police that he “cleaned up his dog sh--, don’t you?” while others decried the “lies” being told by police and health authorities.
The man was later arrested in a final stand-off with police, and his dogs were seen being taken away.
Police officers issued their last move on directives at about 3pm when protesters spilled onto City Road near Victoria Park, bringing traffic to a stop, with police arresting the more stubborn protesters.
One group of protesters told The Australian they were protesting against “the patriarchy” and had travelled from Sydney’s western suburbs.
READ MORE: Lockdown no problem for Sydney prestige property
Jess Malcolm 4.35pm:‘Selfish boofheads’ threaten superspreader event
NSW Police Minister David Elliott has lashed protesters in Sydney CBD today, announcing a new police operation to investigate the organisers and ensure they are punished.
Mr Elliott has told reporters that 22 detectives have now been deployed as part of Strike Force Seasoned, calling for anyone with footage or information to come forward.
“What we saw today was 3500 very selfish boofheads,” he said.
“This selfish inappropriate behaviour is what is going to continue this lockdown.”
“There is no doubt in my mind that some will pay a high price for this.”
Mr Elliott said it was “statistically impossible” for none of the thousands-strong crowd to be Covid-infected, triggering a potentially super-spreading event.
He warned the illegal protest would cause a spike in cases and appealed to all people who attended to get tested.
NSW Police have so far issued 90 infringement notices, with 57 people charged with multiple offences.
Deputy Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon revealed several police officers suffered injuries, some of them serious.
“Our work starts now,” he said. “Anyone who thinks they can get away with this will be chased by the law to the full extent.”
READ MORE: We can’t live like this any longer
Jess Malcolm3.42pm:Tik Tok comedian spotted at Sydney protests
Tik Tok comedian Jon-Bernard Kairouz, known for correctly predicting the NSW case numbers, has been seen rousing a crowd of anti-lockdown protesters in Sydney.
Standing on the Town Hall steps and speaking to a sea of people through a megaphone he said: “Ladies and gentlemen it’s a pleasure to be here as the people’s Premier.”
“I will say I’ve crunched the numbers. I don’t think the cases are going to be going up tomorrow but from what I’ve calculated there’s over 50,000 people here today.”
“For everyone that’s here, small businesses that are doing it tough, all we want is freedom.”
He was also seen interacting with other protesters without wearing a mask.
Oh look who it is, #tiktokguy joining hundreds of people at the #sydneylockdown protests in the city. I hope they all feel the full force of the law. #covidnswpic.twitter.com/TF1P83twqR
— Adella Beaini (@adellabeaini) July 24, 2021
READ MORE:Tick tock, tim’e up Premier, it’s time you trusted us
Jess Malcolm3.37pm:ATAGI upgrades AstraZeneca advice for over 18s
Australia’s top immunisation advisory group ATAGI has upgraded its medical advice on AstraZeneca in response to the NSW Covid outbreak.
In a statement released on Saturday, it is now advising anyone aged 18 years and above in greater Sydney to strongly consider getting vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine.
It says it is “reaffirming” previous advice that in a large outbreak, the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine are greater than the risk of rare side effects.
“All individuals aged 18 years and above in greater Sydney, including adults under 60 years of age, should strongly consider getting vaccinated with any available vaccine including COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca,” it read.
“This is on the basis of the increasing risk of COVID-19 and ongoing constraints of Comirnaty (Pfizer) supplies.
“In addition, people in areas where outbreaks are occurring can receive the second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine 4 to 8 weeks after the first dose, rather than the usual 12 weeks, to bring forward optimal protection.
“In the context of the current risk of COVID-19 in NSW and with the ongoing constraints on Comirnaty (Pfizer) vaccine supplies, all adults in greater Sydney should strongly consider the benefits of earlier protection with COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca rather than waiting for alternative vaccines.”
READ MORE:China rejects WHO push for second probe
Jess Malcolm3.15pm:NSW to get an extra 50,000 Pfizer doses
Australia’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd has confirmed reports that NSW will get an additional 50,000 Pfizer doses from the national stockpile.
“The Commonwealth will increase the emergency allocation to New South Wales of additional doses of Pfizer from 150,000 to 200,000 doses this week,” he said.
“As the supply of vaccines increases, the Commonwealth stands ready to continue to work with the states and territories to support the rollout of vaccines.
“The Commonwealth will constantly assess requests against any reserves held by the Commonwealth. In New South Wales, the Commonwealth will be providing a sustained weekly increase of an additional 20,000 doses to general practices and an additional 20,000 doses to New South Wales government clinics on an ongoing basis.”
“This increase is consistent with increases for all states and territories on a per capita basis.”
Professor Kidd said the additional vaccines are one component of the public health response to Covid, urging people in NSW to follow the advice and stay home.
READ MORE: Janet Albrechtsent — The man who took on the super bullies and won
Anthony Piovesan2.51pm:Wild scenes as Melbourne demonstrators join protest
Anti-lockdown protesters are marching shoulder-to-shoulder through the streets of Sydney despite NSW recording its highest number of daily infections since the Covid-19 outbreak started.
A shock photo emerged showing the brazen protesters huddled together as they walked through Broadway in Sydney’s innerwest chanting, holding signs and halting traffic.
The protest is one of about nine across the country as anti-lockdown and anti-vaccine protesters hold a “worldwide rally for freedom” on Saturday afternoon.
In Melbourne, police made arrests before the protest even took place with officers arresting multiple people for not wearing a mask and failing to show their ID.
Protesters gathered about 12pm at Flinders Street Station, before walking up Swanston Street towards Parliament House.
About 5000 people took to the streets, chanting, waving flags and halting trams and traffic.
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said he was “beyond disappointed” at the protests and urged people to rethink their motives to protest amid a global pandemic.
“Please be on the side of humanity, not the side of the virus,” he said.
READ MORE:Flight crew triggers fresh Delta alarm
Jess Malcolm2.21pm: Arrests as police launch major operation to curb rally
Several anti-lockdown protesters have been arrested as police launched a major operation to contain an illegal march in Sydney’s CBD.
NSW Police say officers from across the central metropolitan region were deployed with assistance from specialist resources, in a bid to contain an angry mob of protesters demonstrating against lockdowns and Covid vaccines.
As attendees disperse, movement is being facilitated down George St. Trains continue to operate at Wynyard and Circular Quay Statons, but access is limited at Town Hall.
St James and Museum Railway Stations are closed.
Thousands of protesters have now outnumbered police and are marching down Broadway to the city. The foot march has brought traffic to a complete stand still. â¦@australianâ© pic.twitter.com/GNpkeAQhM7
— Rhiannon Down (@rhi_down) July 24, 2021
Protesters have invaded Town Hall where the group has come to a stand still, with police forced to watch on as many take to the roof tops. Most people aren’t wearing masks unless it’s of the Guy Fawkes variety. @australianpic.twitter.com/vc7tFGpquy
— Rhiannon Down (@rhi_down) July 24, 2021
“A high-visibility policing operation was launched in response to unauthorised protest activity in Sydney’s CBD about 12pm today (Saturday 24 July 2021), to ensure the safety of participants, as well as the community and local businesses,” a statement read.
“The NSW Police Force recognises and supports the rights of individuals and groups to exercise their rights of free speech and peaceful assembly, however, today’s protest is in breach of the current COVID-19 Public Health Orders.”
READ MORE: Urgent alert for four Melbourne suburbs
Jess Malcolm2pm:Foley denies tensions with NSW over Pfizer supplies
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley has hosed down talk of tension brewing between his state and NSW, saying there is “extreme co-operation” between health departments.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard expressed his disappointment earlier today about Victoria’s refusal to send Pfizer doses amid an uncontrolled outbreak in south-west Sydney.
Mr Foley said he was very comfortable with the cooperative relationship he has with NSW, but any decisions to help his counterpart would not come at the expense of Victorians.
“I have nothing but respect for the minister and the New South Wales public health team.
They are dealing with extremely difficult circumstances and Victorians know those circumstances alter well from our winter 2020 experience so our position is the position of national cabinet and indeed the position that the commonwealth put to the Senate yesterday and that is a pretty clear.
“We all get allocated Pfizer and AstraZeneca and soon Moderna, based on our proportion as part of the Australian population.”
“We cannot beat this as a nation until such time as New South Wales gets on top of that
wave of outbreaks at the moment. That cannot be at the expense of allowing the further importation of that wave into any other state or territory.”
Mr Foley said Victoria has no unallocated doses of Pfizer and sending any north would mean cancelling appointments for some Victorians.
READ MORE:Poetic justice for Premier’s craven opportunism
Rhiannon Down1.15pm:Clashes as police corner protesters in Sydney CBD
Protesters have swamped the light rail tracks near Sydney Town Hall, as police close in on a particular group of about 100 demonstrators among thousands that have massed in Sydney’s CBD to rally against lockdowns.
A man waving a Eureka flag, who refused to give his real name, said he was protesting because he believed the pandemic was a hoax.
SYDNEY 💥💥💥💥💥💥🥊 pic.twitter.com/13bH8EBTfu
— âœžâ˜¬ã€°ï¸ á´¬áµ€á´¸á´¬á´ºáµ€á´¬ ˢ〰ï¸â˜¬âœž (@AtlantaRodgers) July 24, 2021
“We’re completely f — ed right now none of this is law, none of this are real rules or anything we’re facing,” he said.
“It’s completely made up media hysteria is there a rest that tells you about the delta variant, but where are they testing the Delta variant.”
Some protesters chanted “Aussie Aussie Aussie, oi oi oi”, while others simply shouted “Freedom”.
Some are wearing Guy Fawkes masks, while others are brandishing signs with images of Donal Trump and carrying signs reading: “This is Gene Therapy not vaccine”.
Another said: “we’re not anti vaccine we’re pro choice”.
“There is no virus, it’s a hoax,” another man said, when asked why he was protesting today.
“The carbon dioxide is worse (than the virus).”
“You need to go and do some science lessons,” one women told The Weekend Australian.
More to come …
Rhiannon Down12.44pm:Thousands of anti-lockdown protesters converge on Sydney
Thousands of anti-lockdown protesters have overpowered police near Broadway, in Sydney’s CBD, with the group now marching to Town Hall.
Protesters holding banners and flags with slogans saying “love not lockdown” and “yes to freedom” as well as conspiracy messages have brought traffic to a stop along Broadway St.
Activists yelled at passer-by to “join us” between cries of “freedom”.
Protesters have been filmed clashing with police who are trying to break up the rally, which is in breach of public health orders.
Groups of protesters clashed with police in small suburban streets in Chippendale, but have quickly out numbered police swarming at a major intersection near Victoria Park.
Police have started to make arrests with two women being seen being led away by police.
Mounted units have attempted to round up protesters with officers on foot surrounding the group but law enforcement have been overwhelmed.
More to come …
Jess Malcolm12.37pm:Victoria on track to come out of lockdown
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton says the state is “on track” to come out of lockdown as scheduled on Tuesday.
While new cases will emerge over the coming days, Professor Sutton said authorities were monitoring the emergence of new exposure sites.
“I feel we are on track,” he said.
“I have been surprised in the past, pleasantly and unpleasantly, and I hope this can bring further news in terms of everyone being in home quarantine and isolation throughout the infectious period, that would be the good news for Tuesday.”
Professor Sutton said the number of new exposure sites has “tapered off” in recent days which has been pleasing to see.
“They are part of our overall assessment but the key aim is to have no new exposure sides emerging.
“If they happen to emerge, to have that level of confidence that we can chase them down, that they are known, controlled and can respond to them quickly.”
Authorities have refused to release regional Victoria from lockdown early as previously suggested, but will review restrictions for some parts of the states in the coming days.
READ MORE: Greg Sheridan — Covid zero is no longer king
Jess Malcolm12.32pm:Another Melbourne apartment complex quarantined
Residents of another Melbourne apartment complex have been forced into quarantine after a Covid case was detected in the building.
People living at 673 La Trobe St in Docklands must go into isolation until further notice.
Residents will be contacted throughout the day to give them time to attend a pop-up testing clinic being set up to perform testing for all people living in the building.
“It is never easy to receive that news and know that you are potentially exposed and know that you need to quarantine until we make further assessments and get results back,” Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said.
“We do understand that that will be challenging as it is the case for 20,000 plus Victorians, that is a sacrifice that we are grateful for to keep us all safe.”
READ MORE: Paul Kelly — Lessons in failure must be learnt
Jess Malcolm12.16pm: Two of Victoria’s 12 new cases out in the community
Two of the 12 cases of community transmission were infectious in the community, Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley has confirmed.
“We are pleased to see an encouraging trend down in case numbers and certainly not an increase,” he has told a press conference in Melbourne on Saturday.
“Not a huge trend down but in terms of the direction and particularly the issues that the chief health Officer will go into, a reassuring trend towards cases overwhelmingly being in quarantine and being in-home isolation for the entirety of their infectious period.”
Of the new cases, five are linked to the AAMI Park cluster, one is a social contact of a previously identified case that attended the game, four are household contacts of a previously announced case and a further three are linked to Ms Frankies restaurant.
A further two are linked to the Burnley apartment restaurant, one is linked to the Bacchus Marsh outbreak and one is linked to the Young and Jackson’s pub.
There are now over 400 exposure sites and over 22,000 close contacts.
Victoria now has 10 cases in hospital, with three in intensive care and one who requires ventilation.
READ MORE:Premiers the true power steering the nation
Jess Malcolm11.53am: South Australia records one new case
South Australia has recorded one new case of locally acquired Covid-19, already linked to the Tenafeate Winery cluster.
This person was in quarantine for their entire infectious period, the Premier Steven Marshall has confirmed. The state is now on track to come out of lockdown as scheduled on Tuesday.
Mr Marshall has also advised waiting times for Covid testing has dramatically reduced, after reports people were waiting up to 14 hours for tests.
“I know that South Australians have endured some very long wait times in some pretty horrendous conditions as well, and so again I reiterate my apology to the people of South Australia, but also my grateful thanks to the people of South Australia for lining up and getting that testing done,” he said.
There were over 23,000 tests conducted yesterday.
READ MORE: Marshall uses ‘vicious stick’ of lockdown
Jess Malcolm11.37am:Ring of steel not the right approach: Hazzard
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard says a “ring of steel” around NSW, as suggested by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, is not necessary.
Mr Hazzard said the Victorian government was entitled to respond to the pandemic as it saw fit but NSW health authorities did not agree with the approach.
“I did notice that the Police Union in Victoria had expressed concerns about putting all your regulars in a ring of steel type concept,” Mr Hazzard said.
“I don’t see that as being the appropriate approach. We already have limits in terms of workers being able to come out of the five most challenged local government areas at the present time,” he said.
“So I think that’s very appropriate as to the balance that we’ve struck to date.”
Mr Hazzard also flagged the possibility of people’s second dose of Pfizer being delayed if other states didn’t respond to its request for more vaccines.
“The reason for looking at that is really more a case of, well, if we can’t get our friends in other states or our federal government to respond to our request, then how else can we do it?
“The alternative, the second choice — not the preferred choice — is to put out the second dose and try and get a much greater percentage of the population, particularly in south-west and the western part of Sydney, to have their first dose.”
READ MORE:Katrina Grace Kelly — Face it, this lockdown has not worked
Jess Malcolm11.25am:Number of NSW hospitalisations grow
There are currently 139 Covid cases being treated in hospitals in NSW, with 37 people in intensive care, 17 of whom require ventilation.
Health authorities have confirmed the latest death announced yesterday was a man in his 80s who passed away in Liverpool Hospital.
“The numbers in hospitalisation is quite serious,” NSW Health’s Jeremy McAnulty has told a press conference on Saturday, where 163 new cases were revealed in the overnight numbers.
“Fifty-five of those people in hospital are under the age of 50, so they are not old people. In fact, 28 of those are under 35 years old.”
Of the 37 people in ICU, 36 people are not vaccinated and one is partially vaccinated, having received the first dose of AstraZeneca.
Dr McAnulty has also urged residents of Warriewood on the northern beaches, Moss Vale, Coffs Harbour and Byron Bay to be on high alert after fragments were detected in sewage surveillance.
More to come …
Jess Malcolm11.18am: NSW ‘cast aside’ by other states in hour of need
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard says he is disturbed that Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s pleas for Commonwealth help to rush Pfizer doses out to Sydney’s Covid hot spots have been rejected.
NSW recorded 163 new cases in the 24 hours to Saturday.
Ms Berejiklian, who has not fronted today’s daily update, asked for vaccines to be redirected to NSW from other states as it battled the worst Delta outbreak in the country, but was turned down by national cabinet yesterday.
Mr Hazzard compared the reaction to other states’ willingness to help during various bushfire and flood crises, when the states had happily pitched in.
“Last time I looked, we were a Commonwealth, we worked together, and it disturbs me that it would seem all we’ve ever done to work together has just seemingly been cast aside,” Mr Hazzard said.
“I can’t quite see the difference between beating backfires and beating back and addressing the problems of floods, and beating back this Covid virus.”
More to come …
Jess Malcolm11.03am:Sydney records 163 new cases
Sydney has recorded 163 new cases of locally acquired coronavirus, from more than 93,000 tests.
Forty-five of those people were out in the community while infectious.
That’s up from 136 new cases the day before.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard has told a press conference the situation is escalating but pleas to stay home and in your immediate family unit were still being ignored.
“It was only a few days ago that we were in the 70s. So what it is telling us is we have a continuing and growing problem, particularly in south-west and western Sydney,” Mr Hazzard said.
“It will continue to cause massive grief … if family members mix with family members from other households. Just, please, stop doing it. Stop.”
He said just one instance of this had led to an emerging cluster of 18 cases, after a family group gathered to mourn a loss.
“Just one group of family members coming together with other family members where they shouldn’t have been and that accounted for 18 cases.”
Watch live:
More to come …
Jess Malcolm10.45am: Sydney removalists not expected to be charged
The three Sydney removalists who sparked Melbourne’s fifth lockdown are unlikely to be charged, the Herald Sun reports.
The publication said police will be unlikely to penalise the workers except for one fine for not wearing a mask.
Footage revealed the men were not wearing a mask or socially distancing while delivering furniture to apartment blocks which later infected four people and triggered a statewide lockdown.
Sources told the Herald Sun the workers have not been found to have broken any other rules, as they travelled as per the conditions of a travel permit which allowed them to deliver furniture from interstate on July 8.
This comes after a Herald Sun poll found 97 per cent of Victorians wanted the men charged.
READ MORE:Angela Shanahan — Battlers want to avoid the virus, not live with it
Jess Malcolm10.21am:Premier to miss press conference as cases tipped to surge
NSW Health authorities will provide a Covid-19 update at 11am this morning, but Gladys Berejiklian will not be attending.
The update will be given by Health Minister Brad Hazzard, NSW Health’s Jeremy McAnulty and Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys.
The state is bracing for another surge in Covid cases today, after recording its highest daily figure on Friday triggering authorities to declare the crisis a “national emergency”.
READ MORE:Sydney restrictions overhaul to ease lockdown
Jess Malcolm10.12am:Berejiklian may bring in the military
Gladys Berejiklian will consider introducing military checkpoints to ensure people remain in “hot zones” as the state battles its worsening Covid crisis.
The NSW Premier will spend the weekend scoping out a road map to allow people to live “as freely and as safely as possible” until the majority of the population is vaccinated.
The Daily Telegraph is reporting troops could be brought in to set up physical barriers or checkpoints on major roads in and out of the local government areas with high case numbers.
“At the moment, it is very much based on trust,” an unnamed NSW government minister told The Daily Telegraph.
“The government might have to get tougher on a more micro-level. This could mean hardening the lockdown like putting up physical barriers.
“We’ve been offered troops – let’s use them.”
This comes as new restrictions came into effect for Blacktown and Cumberland overnight, with residents now unable to leave their local government area unless it is for essential work.
Residents on the Central Coast, Illawarra and northern beaches are likely to be freed from restrictions as their areas enjoy low levels of community transmission.
READ MORE:Yoni Bashan — If it’s not working, then unlock
Jess Malcolm9.48am:Queensland records no new cases
Queensland has recorded zero new locally acquired cases overnight, and none in hotel quarantine.
This comes after a Qantas flight attendant worked while infectious on six regional flights between Brisbane, Longreach, Hervey Bay and Gladstone.
Several new exposure sites were added by Queensland Health overnight in several locations including Banyo, Sandstone Point, Caboolture, Virginia, Broadbeach, Coomera, Brisbane Airport, Gladstone Airport and Hervey Bay Airport.
There were 14,382 tests conducted in the past 24 hours.
Saturday 24 July – coronavirus cases in Queensland:
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) July 23, 2021
0 new acquired cases recorded in Queensland overnight.#covid19pic.twitter.com/YCDuG44IRa
READ MORE:Low-paid Aussies locked out of Covid support
Jess Malcolm9.27am:NSW upgraded to “extreme risk” by Victoria
The Victorian government has introduced an “extreme risk” category to its traffic light travel permit system, upgrading all of NSW to the new risk level overnight.
The Victorian travel permit system will now designate areas across Australia and New Zealand as green, orange, red or extreme risk zones according to their public health risk.
Anyone entering Victoria from an extreme risk zone without an exemption will be put on a return flight or placed in 14 days mandatory hotel quarantine. Exemptions will only be granted in exceptional circumstances.
Victorian residents returning from a red zone who have been in an extreme risk zone in the last 14 days can only enter Victoria with an exemption, exception or another valid permit, such as a specified worker permit.
Help get the word out and tag a friend in the comments section if you think they need to know about one or more of the listed exposure sites. [1/9] pic.twitter.com/GK7Podsl29
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) July 23, 2021
The declaration is backdated 14 days and therefore effective from 9pm on Friday July 9.
People with a red zone permit must return straight home (or to your accommodation) in Victoria, and self-quarantine for 14 days from the day you enter and get tested within 72 hours of arrival and again on day 13 of your home quarantine.
READ MORE:Chris Kenny — Where is the country I knew?
Jess Malcolm9.18am:NSW Southern Highlands on high alert
The NSW Southern Highlands have been placed on high alert after two new exposure sites were listed in Mittagong overnight.
The Station Coffee House and Mittagong Cakes and Pies were both exposed to Covid last Wednesday morning, sparking fears the virus has again seeped into the regions.
Health authorities have also detected Covid fragments at the sewage treatment plant in Moss Vale in the Southern Highlands, which is of great concern considering there are no known cases in the area.
âš ï¸PUBLIC HEALTH ALERTâš ï¸
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) July 23, 2021
NSW Health has been notified of a number of new and updated venues of concern and public transport routes associated with confirmed cases of COVID‑19, and of a new sewage detection. pic.twitter.com/ehPOZUlQuB
Several new venues were added to its growing list of exposure sites overnight, including multiple supermarkets, banks, restaurants and public transport routes.
People are being urged to check the list regularly and come forward for testing if they have any symptoms.
READ MORE:Self interest clouds Delta response
Yoni Bashan9am:NSW firms face ruin but fast recovery tipped
NSW chief economist Stephen Walters has warned that small businesses are likely to go broke and he remains concerned about job losses as a result of Sydney’s ongoing lockdown, but the state is unlikely to fall into recession, with a swift recovery predicted once restrictions are eased.
Mr Walters told The Australian that his preference was for the federal government’s JobKeeper wage subsidy to be reinstated due to its proven ability to shore up jobs, with current financial-support helpful as a substitute but less likely to guarantee job security.
The federal government has already ruled out reinstating the wage subsidy and instead has increased its commonwealth disaster payments for workers who are suffering from a loss of weekly hours.
While it remains unclear how long the Sydney lockdown will continue, Mr Walters said it seemed clear the state would encounter negative GDP growth in the September quarter followed by a return to normality in the December quarter if economic activity resumed.
“We’re in a pretty difficult position, clearly, with numbers not coming down. The economic impact is relatively modest, relative to last year, but if the health outcomes end up poor we’ll end up with poor economic outcomes as well,” he said.
Read the full story here.
Christine Kellett8.42am:Victoria records 12 new cases
Victoria has recorded 12 new cases of locally acquired coronavirus, down slightly from 14 cases yesterday.
The state conducted 39,840 tests in the same period.
Health authorities in Victoria say the 12 new cases are all linked to known outbreaks and 10 of the cases were in quarantine during their infectious period.
Reported yesterday: 12 new local cases and 0 new cases acquired overseas.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) July 23, 2021
- 19,281 vaccine doses were administered
- 39,846 test results were received
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl1hf3W#COVID19Vic#COVID19VicData [1/2] pic.twitter.com/QFcQI7SRL5
More to come …
Natasha Robinson, Richard Ferguson8.30am:Premier’s desperate vaccine plea rejected
Scott Morrison and the national cabinet have rejected a desperate appeal from Gladys Berejiklian for more Pfizer vaccines to be sent to Sydney’s Covid-19 hot spots, with NSW officials calling a “national emergency” after health restrictions failed to slow the spread of the virus across the city.
Second Pfizer doses will instead be spaced further apart – six weeks instead of three – to free up more supply after the NSW Premier was unable to convince her counterparts in other states and territories to redirect vaccines to younger essential workers in Sydney’s southwest and west.
With 136 new cases reported in NSW on Friday, a record for the current outbreak, officials have extended to 600,000 residents of Cumberland and Blacktown a prohibition on leaving those local government areas.
NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant conceded that the lockdown across the rest of the city, in place since late June but tightened at the weekend, was not having the impact that authorities had hoped.
Instead, Dr Chant said, urgent additional vaccination measures needed to be put in place.
In particular, health officials are worried about essential workers who live in the worst-affected suburbs in Sydney’s southwest and west, aged between 20 and 49.
But the request for more Pfizer vaccines was immediately rejected by several state leaders, including Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and his West Australian counterpart, Mark McGowan, who described restrictions in NSW as “half-baked”.
Read the full story here.
Peter van Onselen8am:Shock death tolls spurred faster vaccination rollouts
Scott Morrison has finally apologised for the slow vaccination rollout, doing so this week.
But the Prime Minister has long sought to remind Australians of the successes we’ve had managing the pandemic itself. This essentially pits the vaccine rollout against deaths from Covid-19, which can be neatly examined country by country on a simple x and y axis graph, as we’ve done here with OECD nations.
Plotting nations along the horizontal and vertical axis according to deaths per million (the vertical axis) and percentage of first doses of the vaccine administered (the horizontal axis) gives us a visual picture of overall performance managing the twin most important facets of the pandemic.
I’ve picked first doses rather than second doses because the latter distorts the data according to the type of vaccine used and the time frame between the two. Equally, I have used vaccinations as a percentage of the total population rather than the eligible population because eligibility is distorted by national decision-making criteria and approvals.
You can see that for the most part nations like Australia, which have kept deaths per million low, have struggled to replicate the speed of the vaccine rollout in countries where the death rate was higher. New Zealand and Australia are the two countries that have most successfully limited the number of deaths but are also the two countries with the lowest percentage of the population to have received their first vaccine dose. South Korea comes in third for keeping deaths under control and, lo and behold, it’s also one of the worst performers at rolling out vaccines.
Read the full story here.
Lydia Lynch7.30am:Flight crew triggers fresh Delta alarm in Queensland
A new Delta outbreak has sprouted in Queensland after a regional flight attendant waited more than a week to be tested after developing Covid symptoms.
The woman, aged in her 30s, crewed six flights while infectious between Brisbane and regional towns Longreach, Hervey Bay and Gladstone.
Chief health officer Jeannette Young said the unvaccinated flight attendant developed symptoms on July 13 but did not get tested until July 21.
“She’s told us that she essentially stayed at home, so we are just working that through to check that is the case,” she said.
She has been deemed infectious with the Delta variant since July 11 and has the same genome sequence as a strain circulating in Sydney.
While infectious, the woman from Brisbane’s northside, visited Dreamworld theme park and a restaurant on the Gold Coast.
Her positive result forced Queensland Water Minister Glenn Butcher and Fraser Coast mayor George Seymour into isolation as they had both been on flights with the woman.
Read the full story here.
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