Coronavirus Australia live news: WA, SA borders shut as NSW virus cases surge
Queensland will close its border to all of Greater Sydney as the Bondi cluster grows.
- Vic, Qld ban Sydney travellers
- Flight alert as Sydney cluster grows
- Palaszczuk warning on NSW travel
- Vaccine push ‘must target ethnic groups’
Welcome to live updates on Australia’s battle with the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the latest political news from Canberra and around the nation.
Gladys Berejiklian has announced new restrictions to combat the growing spread of Covid-19 cases as NSW recorded 14 cases today. The Sydney outbreak has triggered border closures from WA and South Australia, while the other states and territories have tightened travel conditions.
New Zealand has suspended its travel bubble with NSW as the state’s growing Covid-19 outbreak closes an eastern suburbs school and residents overwhelm testing clinics.
Rhainnon Down 10.45pm: New venues declared hotspots
A TAFE campus, cafes and several supermarkets are among the venues added to the list of NSW hotspot venues, pushing total number of exposure sites past 100.
Diners at Tropicana Café in Darlinghurst, eastern Sydney, on Friday, June 18, from 12pm to 2pm and Ikaria Bondi in Bondi Beach on Sunday, June 20, between 5pm and 7pm have been identified as a danger for close contacts and must get tested and isolate for 14 days.
Anyone who ordered takeaway from Tropicana Café during the danger period are also asked to get tested.
Exposure times for Coles Express at the Shell Petrol Station at Bondi Junction, Woolworths Metro Bondi Beach, Mascot BWS, United Cinemas Narellan and Coles King Cross have also been added.
Students or staff on site at the TAFE NSW Meadowbank Campus in Building J on Wednesday, June 16, between 8.40am to 5.20pm are asked to get tested and isolate until they receive a negative result.
The lobby and lifts of the CBD office building at 338 Pitt St have also been added.
Several train and bus routes from the city as well as from Bondi Junction, Central Station and Glenfield are also on the list.
The new venues bring NSW Health’s total exposure to 42 close contact and 72 casual contact locations, not including public transport routes.
âš ï¸PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT – TRANSPORT ROUTES AND VENUESâš ï¸
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) June 23, 2021
NSW Health has been notified of new transport routes and venues of concern associated with confirmed cases of COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/GY89FbRCpu
Natasha Robinson10pm:Pfizer supply to hit two million a week
Australia will have the capacity to vaccinate as many as two million people every week with the Pfizer vaccine by October, with the federal government planning to phase out AstraZeneca.
Coordinator-general of the national Covid vaccine taskforce, Lieutenant General John Frewen, made public on Wednesday national dose allocation figures supplied to the states and territories.
It’s planned that AstraZeneca will only be supplied upon request by October as Australia relies on Pfizer and Moderna to inoculate the population.
Nicholas Jensen, Ellie Dudley9.15pm: High society hair scare
A nervous tremor rippled through Sydney’s socialite set when celebrity hairdresser Joh Bailey’s salon in Double Bay was declared a Covid-19 exposure site, as the surging number of cases in NSW sparked stringent new restrictions across the state.
Health authorities were scrambling to find missing links as the Bondi cluster grew to 31, as some states closed their borders to NSW and New Zealand paused quarantine-free travel to the state.
The high-profile Joh Bailey closed his doors on Wednesday, after NSW Health informed staff an infectious case attended his exclusive Double Bay salon on Sunday. The salon, which spans two floors, has long been a drawcard for royalty and celebrities, including Princess Diana, Cate Blanchett, Miranda Kerr, Elle Macpherson and Kylie Minogue.
Rhainnon Down 8.42pm: Comedian Gleeson blocked from entering WA
Comedian Tom Gleeson has expressed his dismay at being barred from entering Western Australia after landing in Perth from NSW despite being fully vaccinated.
The host of ABC’s Hard Quiz said he was informed he was unable to enter the state having been in NSW, under tightened border restrictions introduced in response to the Bondi outbreak.
“Just arrived in Perth to be told NSW residents aren’t allowed in,” he said in a Twitter post.
“I’ve visited no exposure sites, no hotspots and here’s the fun part … I’M FULLY VACCINATED! LOL!”
“Sorry for cancelled gigs Perth. I did my best.”
The stand up shared his COVID-19 digital vaccine certificate demonstrating he had received his vaccinations.
Just arrived in Perth to be told NSW residents aren’t allowed in. I’ve visited no exposure sites, no hotspots and here’s the fun part … I’M FULLY VACCINATED! LOL! (Sorry for cancelled gigs Perth. I did my best.) pic.twitter.com/XRROfPfVBs
— Tom Gleeson (@nonstoptom) June 23, 2021
Rhainnon Down 7.55pm:NSW exposure list grows
Bus routes, restaurants and supermarkets have been added to the list of exposure sites, as Sydney steps up its Covid-19 restrictions.
The 600 bus route from Parramatta to Pennant Hills and 665 bus from Parramatta to Rouse Hill have been implicated as a Covid-19 hotspot, with any passengers across several exposure windows identified as close contacts.
The Nandos in Stockland Wetherill Park Shopping Centre, Lumiere Café in Surry Hills and Bamboo Thai in Redfern were also added to the list, with diners present during the identified times asked to get tested and isolate for 14 days.
Exposure times for Spring Farm Woolworths, Bondi Beach Woolworths Metro, Coles Willowdale at Willowdale Neighbourhood Centre and the Ampol service station in Bondi North were also listed by NSW Health.
âš ï¸PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT – TRANSPORT ROUTES, VENUES AND SEWAGE DETECTIONSâš ï¸
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) June 23, 2021
NSW Health has been notified of new transport routes and venues of concern associated with confirmed cases of COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/9KDP8IElvN
Residents in the Cronulla and Bellambi areas have been put on high alert after viral traces were detected in the sewage networks.
The Cronulla catchment services about 233,000 people and includes about 60 suburbs including Sutherland, Engadine, Heathcote, Lilli Pilli, Port Hacking and Botany Bay.
The Bellambi catchment covers about 82,000 people and includes suburbs: Keiraville, Balgownie, Mount Pleasant, Mount Keira, Mount Ousley, West Wollongong, Gwynneville, East Corrimal, Fernhill, North Wollongong, Fairy Meadow, Towradgi, Wollongong, Woonona, Bellambi, Russell Vale, Thirroul, Bulli, Austinmer, Coledale, Corrimal, Wombarra, Scarborough, and Tarrawanna.
“NSW Health is aware of recently confirmed COVID-19 cases who are in isolation in both the Cronulla and Bellambi catchments,” the health body said.
“However, we urge everyone in these areas to be especially vigilant for any cold-like symptoms.
“If they appear, please immediately be tested and isolate until a negative result is received.”
John Ferguson7.45pm: Morrison facing a viral landmine in Sydney
Covid-19’s spread in Sydney looms as a potentially momentous development for Canberra and the states.
While anyone with a brain is rooting for the Berejiklian government’s health response, a large outbreak in the nation’s population capital would up-end much of the federal Coalition’s rhetoric on fighting the coronavirus.
It’s no secret that the Morrison government has used NSW’s success (so far) as a blunt weapon to bludgeon the policy and strategic failures that have inflicted a succession of lockdowns on Victoria and border closures elsewhere.
Rhiannon Down 7.15pm:AstraZeneca to be phased out
The AstraZeneca jab will be phased out of the nation’s vaccine rollout by October, with fresh supplies of mRNA vaccines expected to reach Australian shores.
Those who want the locally manufactured AstraZeneca vaccine will be able to access the jab “subject to request”, according to a national vaccine rollout plan released on Wednesday.
Nationwide 21,000 to 30,000 Moderna jabs and 223,000 to 317,000 Pfizer jabs will be available by September, according to the six month strategy plan.
While 1.7 million to 2.3 million Pfizer jabs and between 430,000 to 615,000 Moderna jabs will be allocated nationally between October and December.
“Given the size of the Australian population over 60, it is assumed that demand for AstraZeneca doses will reduce in Horizon 2 (September) and be met by Horizon 3 (October),” the COVID Vaccination Allocations Horizons document said.
“However, AZ doses will be available if demand continues through Horizon 2 and 3.”
No mention of the Novavax vaccine was made in the modelling, despite Australia inking a deal for 51 million doses.
AFP6.45pm:Eurozone economy booms
Business activity in the eurozone jumped at its fastest rate in 15 years this month, a closely watched survey said on Wednesday, as a reopened economy unleashed pent-up demand.
Economic data group IHS Markit said the “impressive progress” of vaccinations was jump-starting the single-currency area, fuelled by eased restrictions that are at their lowest since September.
This “brightening prospect of life increasingly returning to normal has ... pushed confidence to an all-time high, fuelled greater spending and encouraged hiring,” said Chris Williamson, Chief Economist at IHS Markit.
Accordingly, the firm’s PMI index — which indicates trends in the manufacturing and service sectors — said activity leapt from 57.1 in May to a booming 59.2 in June, far above the 50-point level that indicates growth.
The data set the scene for major growth in the second and third quarters, closing the chapter on a double-dip recession that came with the lockdowns of last autumn and winter, the firm said.
The explosive growth was creating its own spillover effects, with supply chains under pressure and prices reflecting the sharp increase in demand, IHS Markit said.
“The strength of the upturn - both within Europe and globally - means firms are struggling to meet demand, suffering shortages of both raw materials and staff,” Mr Williamson said.
“Under these conditions, firms’ pricing power will continue to build, inevitably putting further upward pressure on inflation in the coming months.”
Lydia Lynch6pm:Queensland closes border to Sydneysiders
Queensland will close its border to all of Greater Sydney as the Bondi cluster grows.
Health authorities decided to extend restrictions from seven local government areas to include all of Greater Sydney, blocking about five million people from entering the state.
Travel from the Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Wollongong and Shellharbour will also be restricted from 1am on Thursday.
People who have been in those areas in the past 14 days will not be able to enter Queensland unless they have an exemption. Queensland residents will be permitted to return home, but will need to quarantine at a hotel.
Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said Queensland was taking a cautious approach as new positive cases emerged in NSW.
“I know this is a difficult time, but my priority is always the health and safety of Queenslanders,” she said.
“The sharp rise of cases in Sydney today is extremely concerning due to many of these cases being infected by fleeting contact.
“The Delta variant is much more contagious than other variants and we do not want it circulating in Queensland.”
The hotspot declaration will not be backdated. It will apply to anyone that has been in the hotspot locations on or after 1am on Thursday.
Queenslanders should not travel to Greater Sydney and surrounding regions at this time.
Ellen Ransley5.45pm: Masks now a must — even in the office
Sydney’s mask mandate has been extended to all indoor spaces, including workplaces, as the Bondi cluster balloons with an additional 14 Covid-19 cases overnight.
Masks will now be required across Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Wollongong and Shellharbour local government areas when on public transport, at retail venues, theatres and aged care facilities. Masks are also mandatory for front-of-house hospitality staff.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said workplaces, including Parliament House, will require employees to mask up, unless they are speaking, eating or drinking until at least Thursday, July 1.
Masks will also be required at outdoor sporting events.
Gym classes are limited to 20, with masks mandatory,
The indoor areas where a face mask must be worn are:
- retail or business premises that provide goods or services to members of the public who attend the premises, including
- supermarkets
- shopping centres (excluding an indoor recreation facility in a shopping centre)
- bank branches and post offices
- hairdressing, nail, beauty, tanning and waxing salons
- spas, tattoo parlours and massage parlours
- betting agencies
- any part of a licensed premises that is used for the purposes of gaming, and gaming lounges
- entertainment facilities
- places of public worship being used for public worship or religious services
- residential aged care facilities.
You must wear a face mask if you
- work at a hospitality venue located in the relevant local government area and
- deal directly with members of the public.
READ MORE:Number that shows lockdown may be unavoidable
Debbie Schipp5.30pm: Greater Sydney’s new restrictions at a glance
Gathering limits, masks in workplaces and travel are among a raft of new resitrictions which came into force in Gretaer Sydney at 4pm.
The new measures were announced for people in Sydney, the Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Wollongong and Shellharbour.
They include:
— Vists to households are limited to five guests, including children
— Masks compulsory indoors at non-residential settings, including workplaces, and at organised outdoor events.
— Drinking while standing at indoor venues is not be allowed
— Singing at indoor shows or indoor places of worship is not allowed
— Dancing not allowed at indoor hospitality venues or nightclubs. Dancing allowed for the bridal party only at weddings, for no more than 20 people
— Dance and gym classes limited to 20 people per class, and masks must be worn.
— One person per four square metre ruleis back for for all indoor and outdoor settings, including weddings and funerals
— Outdoor seated events limited to 50 per cent of seated capacity
— Public transport capacity limits, indicated by green dots, are back in force.
— Those living or working in seven LGAs — City of Sydney, Waverley, Randwick, Canada Bay, Inner West, Bayside and Woollahra — cann’t travel outside metropolitan Sydney unless the travel is essential.
Rhiannin Down5.00pm: Nine NSW aged care facilities still waiting for first jabs
The army’s Lieutenant General John Frewen has confirmed there are no aged care facilities within the seven hotspot LGAs that have not received the jab, with nine aged care facilities across the state still waiting.
“All but nine of the 883 residential aged care facilities in NSW have already received their first and second dose visits, and there are no facilities in the seven affected areas that have not received their second doses yet,” he said.
“There are 94 facilities across the states that are yet to have their second doses of the vaccine and we will be bringing forward those visits over the coming days.
“We’ll be activating some roving vaccination teams that will get around the facilities in affected areas just to make sure we pick up on any residents there who are yet to have their second doses.”
Lieutenant General Frewen added that the 50,000 additional doses of Pfizer doses would be in Sydney by Friday.
READ MORE:Is vaccine rollout designed to be slow?
Rhiannin Down4.30pm: CMO declares seven Sydney LGAs as hotspots
Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly has declared several NSW LGAs as COVID-19 hotspots, amid rising concern about the highly contagious Delta variant.
Professor Kelly said declaring the areas hotspots would trigger “extra support” to protect those in aged care safe and allow personal protective equipment to be provided from the national medical stockpile.
“I have declared those same seven LGAs, Waverley, City of Sydney, Woollahra, Bayside, Canada Bay, Inner West and Randwick as a COVID-19 hot spot for an initial period of seven days starting from today through to the June 30,” he said.
That unlocks federal fudning for people unable to work, if the areas go into lockdown for more than seven days.
“So NSW has announced the occurrence of over 30 cases in metropolitan Sydney including cases that have visited Wollongong and one case that went to New Zealand.
“Genomic sequencing has confirmed that these cases are related to the new Delta variant of concern.
“This is a higher transmissibility of the virus and results in more public health stringent measures, as have been announced today by the NSW government.”
Olivia Caisley3.40pm: Liberals won’t support Nationals on Murray-Darling
Finance minister Simon Birmingham says the government will vote against the Nationals’ controversial proposed amendments to the Murray-Darling River Basin Plan.
Senator Birmingham said the government did not support moves by the Liberal’s coalition partner to overhaul the plan and remove 450GL of up-water, water buybacks and green light new offset projects. The Nationals are also proposing that no further water be taken when the Basin Plan concludes in 2024.
“Yes, it is the case that when those amendments come to a vote, I and the government will be voting against those amendments,” Senator Birmingham said.
“We are proud as a government to have ensured that billions and billions, thousands of billions of litres of additional water entitlement have been secured to support environmental flows across the Murray-Darling Basin.
“The government stands resolute in its support for the implementation of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, as we have said, in full and on time.”
READ MORE:Murray-Darling wetlands ‘degraded’
Rhiannon Dopwn3.28pm: Australia closes in on 7 million vaccine doses
The nation’s total number of vaccination jabs has surpassed 6.8 million doses after 140,892 were administered in the past 24 hours, as NSW health authorities battle to contain a growing outbreak in Sydney.
Some 2,803,664 doses were administered by the states and territories and 4,056,612 were delivered by the federal health system, according to Department of Health figures.
An additional 66,061 jabs have been administered in primary care and 2265 doses in the disability and aged care sectors in the past 24 hours.
A total of 17,682 jabs were delivered by NSW Health in the past 24 hours as the state prepares to step up its Covid restrictions from 4pm today.
The NSW government will receive additional Pfizer jabs to assist its efforts in fighting the virus, with Gladys Berejiklian confirming today she would continue to pressure the federal government for more doses.
Matthew Denholm3.08pm: Tasmania declares Sydney LGAs ‘high risk’
Seven local government areas in Sydney have been declared high risk by Tasmania, effectively closing the state’s border to people who have been in those areas since June 11.
“The LGAs of City of Sydney, Randwick, Inner West, Woollahra, Waverley, Canada Bay, and Bayside will be high-risk areas from 4pm today, Wednesday 23 June 2021,” director of public health Mark Veitch said.
“Anyone who has been in these high-risk LGAs on or since 11 June 2021 will not be allowed to enter Tasmania unless approved by the deputy state controller.
“Tasmanians returning home who have been in any of these high-risk LGAs will be required to quarantine for 14 days at a suitable premise.Transit through high-risk local government areas directly to the airport is permissible under existing arrangements.
“Anyone other than returning Tasmanians who have been in any of these LGAs since 11 June will not be permitted to enter Tasmania from 4pm today unless granted essential traveller status.”
READ MORE: Anti-trolling bill passes Senate
Jess Malcolm2.52pm: Borders: How each state has reacted to NSW cluster
A fresh Covid-19 outbreak in Sydney has triggered a number of states and territories to update their travel advice for NSW residents.
The Victorian government upgraded seven local government areas in Sydney to red under its traffic light permit system, barring travellers from the City of Sydney, Waverley, Woollahra, Bayside, Canada Bay, Inner West and Randwick. Anyone from Wollongong must obtain a permit to enter Victoria, and isolate on arrival until a negative result is received.
Queensland has declared the City of Sydney, Woollahra, Bayside, Canada Bay, Inner West, Randick and Waverley will be a hotspot from 1am Thursday morning. Anyone entering Queensland who has been in any of these areas within the past 14 days must go into hotel quarantine. Non- Queensland residents who have been in the seven LGAs will need to apply for an exemption to enter the Sunshine state.
South Australia shut its border with NSW on Tuesday afternoon effective immediately. People who have been in NSW in the past 14 days will not be able to enter SA. Some exemptions will be granted for essential travellers, returning residents, people fleeing domestic violence and other special reasons. Health authorities have implemented a 100-kilometre buffer zone along the SA/NSW border to help border communities.
West Australia also slammed shut its border to NSW. West Australians who are currently in NSW will be allowed to return home on “compassionate grounds”. Only people who meet the criteria for an exemption will be allowed into WA from NSW, but even exempt travellers will need to self-isolate for 14 days on arrival. These rules will apply to anyone who has travelled through NSW since June 11. Anyone currently in WA who has been to NSW since June 11 will also need to self isolate for 14 days.
Tasmania’s Department of Health has also declared the seven local government areas “high risk” barring any returning travellers from these areas from entering the state since June 11. These restrictions will be enforced from 4pm today. Tasmanians returning home from any of the local government areas will be required to quarantine at home for 14 days. Some special permits may be granted if required.
The Northern Territory has yet to update its previous declaration of Waverley and Woollahra as active hotspots, forcing people from these areas into hotel quarantine upon arrival.
The ACT is refusing entry into the state for anyone who has visited a listed exposure site, and entry to the ACT from NSW must obtain a border permit.
READ MORE: Whyalla steelworks gets six-week reprieve
Max Maddison2.45pm: Dutton to Labor: ‘Don’t whinge’
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has told Labor “don’t whinge about it”, after they accused the Coalition of stifling debate during question time.
After the Coalition stopped Labor from moving a standing order, th
e manager of Opposition Business Tony Burke accused the government of failing to “accept a debate” about the pandemic.
“How bad does a crisis have to be before the government will allow this Parliament to be used as a Parliament?,” Mr Burke asked.
But Mr Dutton said Labor was using double standards now they didn’t have the numbers in the chamber.
“Don’t whinge about it. It’s a result of your own failings. You went to the last election promising taxes on every Australian. And you wonder why they voted you out,” Mr Dutton said.
Max Maddison2.32pm: We need less stabbing and more jabbing: Albanese
Anthony Albanese has used question time to seize on the unfolding Covid outbreak in Bondi, pursuing Scott Morrison over hotel quarantine and the rate of vaccination, claiming he has “bungled both jobs”.
The Opposition Leader again attempted to move a motion, drawing attention to the cluster in Sydney’s eastern suburbs which was “worsening by the hour”, as he said the country needs “less stabbing and more jabbing”.
“Therefore calls on the Prime Minister to urgently fix his bungled vaccine rollout and establish a safe, national system of quarantine,” Mr Albanese told question time on Wednesday afternoon.
The Coalition shut down the attempt to suspend standing orders.
Paige Taylor2.23pm:WA again slams border to NSW shut
Western Australia has again closed its border to NSW after confirmation of new coronavirus cases linked to the Bondi cluster.
WA premier Mark McGowan says West Australians who are currently in NSW will be allowed to return on compassionate grounds.
Only people who meet criteria for an exemption will be allowed into WA from NSW. Even exempt travellers will need to self isolate for 14 days on arrival. The rules apply to anyone who has travelled through NSW since June 11.
Anyone currently in WA who has been in NSW since June 11 will also need to self quarantine for 14 days.
“It is a difficult decision we don’t enjoy this,” Mr McGowan told reporters.
“We have to take action as a consequence to protect the people of Western Australia.”
South Australia follows suit
South Australia has officially shut its border to New South Wales amid growing concern authorities do not have control of the rapid spread of the delta variant.
People who have been in NSW in the past 14 days will not be able to enter South Australia effective immediately.
Exemptions will be granted for essential travellers, returning residents and special cases.
Travellers currently on flights to South Australia from NSW will be managed on a case-by-case basis. – Jess Malcolm
Jess Malcolm 2.20pm: Celebrity hairdressing salon on new list of exposed venues
NSW Health has issued a fresh public health alert for new venues which have been exposed to Covid-19.
Anyone who attended the following venues at the times listed is a close contact and must immediately call NSW Health, get tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result.
Christo’s Pizzeria, 224 Glenmore Road, Paddington, Monday June 21 from 5.55pm to 8.30pm
Joh Bailey hairdresser, 7 Knox Street, Double Bay on:
Thursday June 17 from 8am to 5pm
Friday June 18 from 8am to 5pm
Saturday June 19 from 8am to 5pm
Matteo Restaurant, 29 Bay Street, Double Bay, Monday June 18 from 5.30pm to 7pm
Jess Malcolm 2.07pm:Wellington locks down after infected Sydney man’s visit
New Zealand health authorities have enforced a host of new restrictions after a Sydney man spent time in multiple venues across Wellington while infectious last weekend.
From 6pm tonight, residents of the capital will enter a level two public health alert.
Workplaces, childcare and schools will remain open but gatherings will be restricted to 100 people.
Public and hospitality venues will remain open, but there will be limits on gathering sizes.
Face masks are also now mandatory on public transport, and health authorities are also urging people to wear them while waiting for public transport.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said the contact tracers were working “at pace”.
“We’ve always had plans in place for situations like this and that is what we’re working through now,” Hipkins said.
Patrick Commins2.03pm:‘It’s not over’: RBA support to continue
Reserve Bank of Australia assistant governor Luci Ellis has underlined the central bank’s commitment to maintaining “highly supportive monetary conditions” well beyond the immediate post-Covid economic rebound, saying that reaching full employment was “an important national priority”.
Speaking at an Ai Group event in Adelaide this afternoon, Ms Ellis recognised Australia’s “swift bounce back”, but said “the pandemic is not over”.
“During the height of the pandemic, when restrictions on activity are tight, the task for policy is to build a bridge to the recovery,” Ms Ellis, who leads the RBA’s economics group, said.
“ As economies move through recovery to the expansion phase, the focus naturally turns to sustaining that expansion. That means ensuring that demand continues to be supported for as long as spare capacity remains.
“Absorbing spare capacity and achieving full employment is an important national priority.”
Ms Ellis said that shooting for full employment – which the RBA judges at 4 per cent unemployment, and Treasury at 4.5 per cent – was “a worthy goal for its own sake”, but that it was also a “precondition for achieving the rates of wages growth that would be consistent with inflation being sustainably within the 2–3 per cent target range that the bank is mandated to achieve”.
READ the full story here
Jess Malcolm1.05pm:A breakdown of Sydney’s new Covid cases
As the growing Bondi-cluster grows to 31 cases today, NSW health authorities fear an emerging cluster in Sydney’s south-west.
Of the 10 new locally acquired cases recorded in the past 24 hours, seven of them were announced yesterday.
These included a child who attends St Charles Catholic Primary School in Waverley. There was also a man in his 60s from Wollongong who is a household contact of a previously reported case and has been isolating while infectious. There were also five family members who were household contacts of a previously recorded case, all in isolation while infectious.
The three new cases were a man in his 50s who works in Bondi Junction, a woman in her 40s from Wollongong who is a close contact of a previously reported case, and a man in his 30s from South West Sydney is was also a close contact.
Dr Kerry Chant said it was pleasing to see the “vast majority” of yesterday’s cases in isolation while infectious.
There were also 13 new cases which were recorded after the 8pm cut-off, raising concern for health authorities about an emerging cluster in south-wastern Sydney.
Eight of these cases are linked to a birthday party in West Hoxton which was attended by a previously reported case who contracted the virus while at work in Bondi Junction.
Health authorities said the case was not symptomatic when he attended the party, and about 30 people have been tested and are in isolation.
Ten people who attended the party have now tested positive for Covid-19, including a two-year-old child who attended Little Zak’s childcare centre in Narellan Vale on Monday.
Another one of the 13 new cases is a close contact of a previously reported case linked to the Bondi cluster.
NSW Health is racing to contact and trace a further four cases detected in the community which are currently unlinked. Authorities say they are all in “close proximity” to the south-east cluster” but are urgently investigating the source.
NSW Health is asking anyone who was in Westfield Bondi Junction (including the car park), particularly Fitness First, at any time between 12 June and 18 June to get tested for COVID-
19.
NSW Health is also asking anyone who attended Wallabies Thai Restaurant in Mascot on 19 June between 11:30 am and 12 pm (sitting either inside or outside) to please contact NSW Health.
READ MORE:Empty CBD stores hit Woolies
Greg Brown12.45pm:Fitzgibbon blasts ALP’s ‘ideological craziness’
Joel Fitzgibbon has lashed his Labor colleagues after they used the Senate to strike out an expansion of the remit of the renewable energy agency. Read more here
Remy Varga12.30pm:Victoria announces easing of restrictions
Acting Premier James Merlino has confirmed restrictions in Victoria will further ease from 11.59pm Thursday, with the updated rules slated to last for 14-days despite the state’s low case numbers.
Residents in both Melbourne and regional Victoria will be allowed 15 visitors in their homes, increasing from two and five respectively, and gatherings in public places will increase to 50.
Masks will need to be worn inside but up to 75 per cent of employees at Melbourne workplaces will be allowed to work onsite.
Restaurants and hospitality venues will be allowed to serve 300 people and live music will be permitted but dancefloors will remain closed.
Density limits for hospitality venues remain.
Funerals and weddings will be allowed to have 300 people attend.
Crowds at outdoor sporting events will increase to 50 per cent, as well audiences at theatres.
READ MORE:MPs isolate after hotspot dinner
Remy Varga12.20pm:NSW travellers set to be turned back at Vic border
People arriving in Victoria from red zones in NSW without a valid travel permit will be turned away while those allowed entry will have to quarantine for 14-days.
The Chief Health Officer has declared the following NSW Local Government Areas (LGAs) as red zones under Victoria’s travel permit system, effective at 1:00am 23 June:
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) June 22, 2021
•City of Sydney
•Waverley
•Woollahra
•Bayside
•Canada Bay
•Inner West
•Randwick
[1/10]
Chief health officer Brett Sutton said Victorians without a valid red zone permit returning from seven local government areas would be turned away at the border after the rules, which came into effect at 1am on Wednesday.
He defended giving Victorians just hours notice to return home, saying decisions had to be made quickly in response to the escalating outbreak.
“Those new cases yesterday in NSW were only available to us through the course of yesterday to make an assessment of,” he said.
The rules came into effect from 1 anyone in the areas of City of Sydney, Waverley, Woollahra, Bayside, Canada Bay, Inner West and Randwick will need to obtain a permit before quarantining for 14-days.
Wollongong remains an orange zone.
Lydia Lynch 12.14pm: Delta strain ‘underscores need for regional quarantine’
Annastacia Palaszczuk has renewed calls for the federal government to build a regional quarantine centre in her state after the more contagious Delta variant was passed along corridors at a Brisbane hotel.
“Once again, I stress – we need to have regional quarantine,” she said.
“This Delta variant is spreading quickly in our hotels, so we are inspecting that and we’ll be doing an investigation in relation to that matter.
“We’ve been saying for some time now, months and months, that hotel quarantine is not proving as effective as it was with earlier strains.”
State chief health officer Jeannette Young said the delta variant was being transmitted with “very fleeting contact”.
“If you remember at the start of this pandemic I spoke about 15 minutes of close contact being a concern, now it looks like five or 10 seconds that is a concern.
“The risk now is so much higher than it was a year ago.”
Ms Palaszczuk’s deputy, Steven Miles, said the federal government had
assessed defence sites in Queensland and determined none were suitable effectively ruling out a regional quarantine facility for the state.
“The criteria for a regional quarantine facility ... says that they have to be on Commonwealth land,” he said.
“If they have assessed defence facilities in Queensland and determined none are suitable, that doesn’t leave any other suitable Commonwealth land.”
Jess Malcolm12.11pm:Why the Bondi cluster is different
Chief health officer Kerry Chant says the Bondi-cluster is unlike anything authorities have dealt with before, with authorities fearful for its spread in retail settings for the first time.
Dr Chant said CCTV footage shows the virus was transmitted through “inadvertent” contact but just stopped short of saying it “jumped across the room”.
“Every cluster has a unique characteristic and what we saw with the northern beaches cluster was a superspreader event in which there were two different values that amplified the transmission and then we were able to get on top of it,” Dr Chant said.
“We were not dealing with Delta at that time. What is particularly concerning is usually we would have seen a retail environment as low risk settings.”
“If you are shopping in the department store, they are generally not crowded places. When walking around, generally people do try to keep some distance.
“We saw close contact but it would be the inadvertent contact you would have in retail settings that we would not have suspected transmission could happen as objectively like we have seen.”
Health minister Brad Hazzard said he was as worried as he has ever been since January last year at the beginning of the outbreak.
“This is a very serious situation that we are in now. This delta virus has shown itself to be very capable of spreading quickly and in circumstances that New South Wales residents have not experienced in the same way before.”
Olivia Caisley12.08pm:Nationals launch Murray-Darling grenade in Senate
The Nationals have launched a grenade into the Senate putting forward sweeping amendments to the Murray-Darling River Basin plan in an attempt to “address basin communities’ concerns about availability during the drought”.
The amendments include removing 450GL of up-water, removing water buybacks and enabling new offset projects.
The Nationals are also proposing that no further water be taken when the Basin Plan concludes in 2024.
“The amendments will see the removal of the controversial 450 gigalitres that federal Labor hastily added to the Plan in 2012 to get South Australia to sign up, but the 450GL was never guaranteed,” a statement from Bridget McKenzie said.
The Australian understands the amendments were discussed during Monday’s leadership meeting when Barnaby Joyce was elevated to the role of Deputy Prime Minister.
The amendments, which have been tacked on to new legislation to install an inspector general of water compliance, were approved by the Nationals partyroom under Mr Joyce’s leadership and the government was unaware of the decision.
READ MORE:Nationals open to net zero deal
Angelica Snowden 12.05pm: Victorians have Covid restrictions lifted
A host of COVID-19 restrictions will be eased in Victoria, the state’s acting premier has announced.
They include an increase to the number of people who can gather outdoors, which will lift to 50 from 11.59pm on Thursday.
Hospitality venues, weddings and funerals will also be able to host up to 300 people subject to density limits.
As well, residents can have up to 15 visitors at home and a maximum of five people can visit friends or family in hospital or at other facilities.
Office limits will be increased to a capacity of 75 per cent, and the recommendation for staff to work from home if they can will be lifted.
Despite the significant easing of restrictions, masks are still required to be worn indoors.
Jess Malcolm 12.01pm: NSW to push for more Pfizer doses as cluster balloons
Gladys Berejiklian will continue to pressure the commonwealth for more Pfizer doses as Sydney’s outbreak balloons to 31 forcing hundreds of thousands of people under new restrictions.
“We don’t have any control over the number of doses we receive and what those doses are. That is the responsibility of the commonwealth,” the NSW Premier said.
“They are the facts. I can’t control how many doses New South Wales receives but can make sure we support the efforts of the commonwealth which we have.”
Ms Berejiklian has renewed calls for the nation’s troubled vaccination rollout to speed up, but has told reporters she has no capacity to increase vaccinations to GP.
“We have had restrictions imposed before and what this does is provide us with a timely reminder that the pandemic is real and ongoing,” she said.
“That is why New South Wales has had a real sense of urgency in relation to the vaccine rollout. Until the vast majority of our population is vaccinated, these threats will be real and ongoing.”
“No matter how good we are dealing with the outbreak and this one is still ongoing, the threat is real until the majority of our population is vaccinated.”
Chief health officer Kerry Chant also revealed that none of the vaccinated people who attended the party in South-west Sydney have tested positive to Covid-19.
Lydia Lynch11.56am: Palaszczuk offers window of hope for trapped family
Annastacia Palaszczuk says state authorities will do “everything it can” to help a man trapped in a Sydney hotel finish his mandatory quarantine in Queensland so he can see his dying father, if NSW organises transport.
Mark Kilian and his wife Anneli Gericke are in hotel quarantine in Sydney after arriving from the United States last week.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison wrote to Mr Kilian on Wednesday to express his disappointment that the Queensland government had not granted him an exemption to see his 80-year-old father Frans, who has terminal pancreatic cancer.
“I know what an important time this is for you and that you can never get these days back,” he wrote. “I am disappointed the Queensland government has not found a workable and compassionate solution.”
Ms Palaszczuk said her government would allow Mr Kilian and his wife into the state if the NSW Government agreed to release the pair early.
“If NSW is happy to end that 14-day mandatory quarantine standard, write that immediately to Dr Young and we will facilitate it,” she said.
Once the couple arrive in Queensland, health authorities will facilitate a visit “as quickly and as comfortably as possible”.
Since the start of the pandemic, international arrivals have been required to quarantine in the city they first arrive in.
Ms Palaszczuk said she would let other families shift quarantine stays between states if it was agreed to at national cabinet.
“We’ve got a letter here from Scott Morrison saying this is now a new standard,” she said.
“If he is happy to have the new standard I am more than happy to facilitate it.”
Jess Malcolm11.31am: Limit your travel, use common sense: Berejiklian
Gladys Berejiklian has stressed that the new restrictions on seven local government areas in central Sydney are not a stay-at-home order, but has requested people to “limit non-essential activity”.
“If you happen to work in a regional community but travel to those LGAs, we recommend you consider working from home or else living in the LGA where you work,” the NSW Premier said.
“But for essential purposes, people can still conduct their business. Just be extra cautious. If it is for an essential reason, you are able to move around. But what we are saying is if you live or work in those LGA is, we don’t want you moving outside of metropolitan Sydney.”
On the topic of weddings and funerals, the NSW Premier said the government is “relying on people’s common sense”, but has requested for these events to be “massively scaled down”.
These events will now be subjected to the one per four square metre rule, mask wearing for funerals and no more than 20 people on the dance floor at weddings.
“At the end of the day people need to rely on their common sense,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“Nobody wants those closest to them, their loved ones, their friends and families, to be exposed, especially vulnerable family members, to be exposed to the virus.”
“We asked people to make individual decisions based on their own circumstances.”
Jess Malcolm 11.25am: Serious concern over 10 cases from birthday party
Health authorities have outlined their serious concern for several cases in the community which are yet to be linked to a known source.
NSW Health has recognised a growing cluster in Sydney’s south west.
Of the 13 acquired overnight past 8pm, there are four unlinked cases that are being urgently investigated.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said that Sydney is facing a “very real, and present danger” due to the speed of transmission.
“We all need to take this seriously,” he said. “We each have the future of our fellow New South Wales residents and Sydney residents in our hands.”
chief health officer Kerry Chant is worried about the rate of transmission, after one infected person who visited a birthday party spread the disease to 10 cases in one day.
The birthday party took place on Monday night in West Hoxton and was attended by a previously reported case linked to the Bondi cluster.
There are now 10 people who have tested positive since the party, including a two-year-old child who attended the childcare in Sydney’s south west.
“You understand how quickly transmission is occurring, that party and gathering occurred,” Mr Hazzard said. “There were about 30 people there, in a house and the person was infectious at the time, unknowingly, didn’t have symptoms, was unaware, hadn’t attended venues.”
Jess Malcolm11.00am:New restrictions, 14 new cases recorded in NSW
Gladys Berejiklian has announced new restrictions to combat the growing spread of Covid-19 cases as NSW recorded 14 cases today.
NSW recorded 10 locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night, seven of which were already announced yesterday morning.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) June 23, 2021
NSW Health has also been notified of 13 new locally acquired cases overnight. These cases will be included in tomorrow's numbers. pic.twitter.com/OFxWSq0ocb
The state recorded ten cases to 8pm last night, one of which is a new case further to those reported yesterday. Another 13 additional cases have emerged after the cut off reporting period.
There were 44,000 people who came forward for testing.
New restrictions for Greater Sydney
The Premier announced a swathe of restrictions effective immediately but enforced from 4pm today in response to the latest Bondi cluster ballooning to 31 cases.
Residents of Sydney, Blue Mountains, Central Coast and Shellharbour will not be allowed to host more than five people in their homes.
People who live or work in the seven outlined local government areas – City of Sydney, Waverley, Woollahra, Bayside, Canada Bay, Inner West and Randwick – must not leave greater Sydney, and must now wear a mask indoors while at work.
Hospitality will go back to the four square metre rule, and visitors will no longer be able to stand up to eat or drink.
There will be no more singing or dancing at any events, except for weddings which will be allowed to have 20 people on the dance floor.
Weddings, places of worship, nightclubs will be reverted to the four square metre rule.
Major sporting events will be reduced to a 50 per cent capacity.
Gym classes will be limited to 20 people and attendants must wear a mask.
Angelica Snowden11.02am: Victoria set to announce restriction easing
Victoria’s acting Premier James Merlino will hold a press conference at 11.30am.
He is expected to announce a significant easing of restrictions in the state, after no new locally acquired cases were reported overnight.
Jess Malcolm 10.35am:Clue over NSW Premier’s lockdown decision
NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet has hinted that Sydney residents will today avoid a city-wide lockdown ahead of the announcement of today’s Covid-19 cases at 11am.
Speaking to Sky News, Mr Perrottet said NSW will continue its balanced response in order to keep businesses open while ensuring people stay safe.
“I’m not going to steal the Premier’s thunder but what you can be assured of is that NSW will continue with its balance and proportionate response.”
Sydney-siders are anxiously awaiting an announcement from NSW Health as the city battles to contain the largest outbreak of the Delta variant in Australia.
WATCH LIVE: NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian‘s Covid update will be available in the video player above
Yoni Bashan10.22am:Four NSW National MPs isolating after faction dinner
Four NSW Nationals MPs have gone into isolation after being potentially exposed to Covid-19 dinner on Monday night.
The MPs – Trevor Khan, Steph Cooke, Adam Marshall and Ben Franklin - were gathered for a dinner, which was described to The Australian by an official with knowledge of the matter as a “factional” gathering.
Comment has been sought from the MPs. Mr Franklin confirmed he was currently in quarantine, but disputed the description of the dinner as a “factional” gathering.
“We’re all just mates,” he told The Australian. “We shall wait for the (Covid-19) results and follow the health advice.”
The incident has prompted a ramp up of health measures across NSW Parliament, with departmental staff issuing an email on Monday saying there would be increased cleaning activity and a “more cautious” Covid setting across the building.
Four NSW Nationals MPs are in isolation after being exposed to COVID-19 at a factional dinner on Monday. Ben Franklin, Trevor Khan, Steph Cooke & Adam Marshall.
— Yoni Bashan (@yoni_bashan) June 23, 2021
“This morning we have been informed that several individuals who were at Parliament House yesterday are getting Covid tests after visiting a potential exposure site,” the email, obtained by The Australian, said.
“While not mandatory, Members and staff moving around the building, in particular in the public areas, may wish to consider wearing masks. This could include in the Chambers.”
READ MORE: Aussie wealth rockets despite virus
Jess Malcolm9.51am: Daycare centre on alert as child tests positive to Covid
A daycare centre in Sydney’s southwest is on high alert after health authorities informed parents a child tested positive to Covid-19.
A new case has emerged at Little Zak’s Childcare Centre in Narellan Vale, after it was revealed through a social media post.
The centre is an hour away from Bondi Junction Westfield, raising fears the virus has spread further into the community.
“It has come to our attention from the NSW Health Department and Liverpool Health that we have had a confirmed Covid-19 case from one of our children,” the post reads.
The child attended the centre on Monday June 21 from 9am to 5.15pm. Anyone who attended the centre on Tuesday is considered a close contact and must get tested and self-isolate for 14 days.
The source of the reported case is not yet clear but it is expected it will be included in today’s figures.
The infected child and family are doing well and the centre is closed for deep cleaning, the post says.
READ MORE: Pandemic rips heart out of South America
Lydia Lynch 9.21am:Queensland bans travellers from more Sydney areas
Queensland will close its border larger parts of Sydney on Thursday morning.
Six more local council areas have been declared hotspots – Sydney City, Woollahra, Inner West, Canada Bay, Bayside and Randwick.
Travel from Waverley had already been restricted.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she had “serious concerns” about the spread of the more contagious delta variant from NSW.
She said Queensland Police would ramp up patrols along the border.
The border to those council areas will close at 1am Thursday.
Sydney’s Bondi cluster grew to 21 after another 10 cases were added on Tuesday.
Wednesday 23 June – coronavirus cases in Queensland:
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) June 22, 2021
No community transmission in Queensland overnight.
One new case was recorded, acquired overseas and detected in hotel quarantine.
#covid19pic.twitter.com/UbvRHlKRSY
No local cases were detected in Queensland overnight. One person infected with the Delta variant tested positive in hotel quarantine.
Ms Palaszczuk said the variant had spread inside a hotel and called again on the federal government to set up regional quarantine centre.
READ MORE:Chefs, engineers fast-tracked for visas
Jess Malcolm 9.03am: States shut borders as Sydney braces for new cases
A fresh Covid-19 outbreak in Sydney has triggered a number of states and territories to update their travel advice for NSW residents.
Overnight, the Victorian government upgraded seven local government areas in Sydney to red under its traffic light permit system, barring travellers from the City of Sydney, Waverley, Woollahra, Bayside, Canada Bay, Inner West and Randwick.
Also, anyone from Wollongong must obtain a permit to enter Victoria, and isolate on arrival until a negative result is received.
For Queensland, currently only Waverley local government area has been declared a hotspot, limiting entry into the Sunshine state to only essential reasons. But there are fears Annastacia Palaszczuk could shut the border to NSW completely if case numbers continue to rise.
For South Australia, restrictions apply to anyone who has been in Waverley, Randwick, Canada Bay, Inner West, City of Sydney and Woollahra. Travellers will be forced into 14 days of self-quarantine, and to undergo testing on day one, five and 13.
The Northern Territory has declared Waverley and Woollahra as active hotspots, forcing people from these areas into hotel quarantine upon arrival.
West Australia is requiring all travellers from NSW to get tested upon arrival, wear a mask and isolate until a negative result is received. Any travellers who have visited a listed exposure site must self quarantine for 14 days from the date of exposure and get tested again on day 11.
Tasmania is refusing entry into the state for anyone who has visited a listed exposure site, and entry to the ACT from NSW must obtain a border permit.
READ MORE: Sector facing Covid ‘trilogy of terror’
Adeshola Ore8.50am:Nationals ‘weighing nuclear energy policy’
Deputy Nationals leader David Littleproud says his party will consider if nuclear energy will form part of its policy, as negotiations take place for a new climate change deal between the Coalition parties.
The Australian has revealed there have been cabinet-level discussions about taking a proposal for nuclear power to the next election, as pressure grows within the Morrison government to prepare for a nuclear energy industry.
Mr Littleproud said Australia needed to be “pragmatic” about energy technology.
“I think that’s part of the conversation that our party room will have to have,” he told 2GB radio.
“There’s new technology in small cell gen nuclear that’s starting to be tested in the United States and Canada. Now, it’s only early days, but that obviously takes away some of the community concern about having a huge nuclear power plant on our backyard.”
New Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce has previously advocated for a ban on nuclear energy to be overturned.
Senior Nationals MPs are also open to backing a 2050 net zero emissions target under the leadership of Mr Joyce under strict conditions, paving the way for a new emissions policy compromise between the Coalition parties.
But Mr Littleproud said the party would not compromise on any deal before seeing the details of an agreement.
“You don’t make compromises on anything unless you can see the detail of how we’re going to get there and who’s going to pay for it,” he said.
“But you’ve got to be open to the opportunities that lay particularly for who we represent as regional Australia. And if that can be done and it can be demonstrated, then obviously you never say never.”
READ MORE:Nuclear energy proposed to cabinet
Jess Malcolm8.31am: Silver lining to child’s Covid infection
NSW Deputy chief health officer Jeremy McNaulty says it’s good news that rates of spread of Covid-19 among children has been low in the past, but has urged for testing rates to rise.
St Charles primary school in Waverley was shut down yesterday after a primary school child tested positive to Covid-19.
While health authorities are still racing to trace the source of the case, Dr McNaulty was hopeful.
“In the past, children haven’t proved as infectious as adults so the older you get the more infectious you tend to be,” he told Nine’s Today.
“That’s partly good news in a school but every case is a concern and that’s why we have taken the response working very closely with the school and the school body to get people tested, isolated until the 14 days risk period is over and help us understand how this fits in with other cases.”
Dr McNaulty refused to answer whether the unfolding outbreak is set to worsen, but conceded further testing may see numbers rise.
“We do want to find every case,” he said. “So if that means flushing out people who haven’t been tested yet, so be it and we really want to do that. So if there are more cases out there, we need the community’s help to find them.”
READ MORE: School in fear as outbreak grows
Jess Malcolm 8.30am:Victoria records 0 local virus cases
Victoria has recorded no new locally acquired cases of Covid-19, and one new case in hotel quarantine.
Reported yesterday: no new local cases and 1 new case acquired overseas (currently in HQ).
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) June 22, 2021
- 17,279 vaccine doses were administered
- 28,267 test results were received
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl0ZEco#COVID19Vic#COVID19VicDatapic.twitter.com/UJxHdIvb7S
There were 28,267 tests conducted and 17,279 vaccines administered.
It has now been a week since the state recorded just one or zero coronavirus cases.
Low levels of community transmission mean restrictions are set to ease across Melbourne following a meeting with senior cabinet ministers and health officials this morning.
Overnight, the Victorian government updated its travel advice for seven local government areas in Sydney, barring travellers from the City of Sydney, Waverley, Woollahra, Bayside, Canada Bay, Inner West and Randwick.
READ MORE: Pubs hit insurers for lockdown payback
Adeshola Ore 8.22am:Joyce ‘has acknowledged his past wrongs’
Deputy Nationals leader David Littleproud says Barnaby Joyce has “acknowledged the wrongs of the past.”
Mr Joyce was re-elected deputy prime minister after toppling Michael McCormack as Nationals leader in a partyroom spill on Monday.
Mr Littleproud said Mr Joyce had “demonstrated remorse” for his “wrongs of the past.”
“He now believes he has learnt his lesson and all he’s asking for is a fair go to prove he has changed his ways,” he told the ABC.
“All he’s asking for is the opportunity to do that. And there will be a differing opinion on that. The proof of that is the test of time in his actions and Barnaby is very keen to demonstrate that.”
Mr Joyce’s resignation from Nationals leader in 2018 followed revelations of his affair with a former staffer and a separate sexual misconduct allegation from former WA Rural Woman of the Year Catherine Marriott.
An investigation into that allegation by the NSW National Party found there was insufficient evidence to support Ms Marriott’s complaint.
READ MORE:Albrechtsen – BHP work culture unfair to men, insulting to women
Jess Malcolm 8.11am: ‘Proportionate response keeps NSW open’
NSW Customer Services Minister Victor Dominello has dodged questions about the potential of a lockdown amid a surge in cases associated with the Bondi cluster.
Asked why the government was resisting a city-wide lockdown, Mr Dominello said authorities were “monitoring the situation carefully”.
“We always take the view that we have a proportionate response here in NSW,” Mr Dominello told ABC’s RN.
“That’s kept the economy open and kept people safe.”
“Theres never going to be a situation where we can eliminate the virus completely, we need to respond in a proportionate way if we are going to live with the virus.”
Mr Dominello also forecast a public health alert to be issued which will enforce mandatory use of QR codes in retail settings.
“Brad Hazzard is going to issue an order for retail to use QR codes.”
“This is an important part of the public health response. The information goes directly to contact tracers. It’s honestly been one of the things that has kept us going through the pandemic.”
The Customer Services Minister said he thought complacency and fatigue were the causes of growing non-compliance for QR codes and mask wearing in Sydney.
READ MORE: Pubs hit insurers for lockdown payback
Jess Malcolm7.50am:Victoria to ease restrictions on gatherings, workplaces
Restrictions are set to ease across Victoria this morning after a meeting of senior government ministers and health officials was held on Tuesday night.
Authorities are expected to announce gatherings outdoors in groups to increase up to 50 and for workplaces to allow a 75 per cent capacity.
Victorians will also be able to visit each other’s homes, with the number of visitors expected to increase to five.
The new rules will likely be a move towards mirroring restrictions in place for regional Victoria, but the finalised structure will be decided in a meeting this morning.
Victoria has recorded six consecutive days with one case or fewer, giving health authorities the confidence that the risk of transmission in the community is low.
chief health officer Brett Sutton foreshadowed it would be “good news” for Victorians.
There has been no decision yet on how many people will be allowed to attend the AFL matches at the MCG this weekend.
READ MORE: Lockdown hammers hospitality jobs
Jess Malcolm7.34am:NSW health action ‘no match for serious Delta’
Infectious diseases expert Mary-louise McLaws has criticised the NSW government for not acting fast enough in its response to the unfolding Covid-19 cluster in Sydney.
“Masks being made mandatory should have happened right at the start,” she told the ABC this morning.
“The rhetoric around this Delta tells everyone it’s serious. But the action didn’t match that.”
Professor McLaws also forecast that health authorities should have a good understanding of the rate of community transmission by this weekend, but has not ruled out the possibility of a lockdown.
She also reiterated testing rates in Sydney must go up to assist authorities in their response.
“I’m sure the authorities will feel quite confident by Saturday because they had a look at the timeline. And that gives a good incubation period for any slow people who are slower to incubate and show the signs and then get tested.”
“A quick sharp stay at home order could have been in order.”
READ MORE: Jab campaigns ‘must target ethnic groups’
Jess Malcolm7.21am:Littleproud shuts down ‘succession plan’ talk
Deputy leader of the National Party David Littleproud has attempted to hose down reports that Barnaby Joyce’s return as party leader was part of a “succession plan”.
The Australian revealed today that Joyce and Littleproud struck a deal for the long-term strategy to set up a path for the Agriculture Minister to claim the leadership in the future.
Mr Littleproud said “there can be no deal” when asked by the ABC.
“I have been consistent with those comments, there’s lots of theories, a lot goes on, I’m not listening to any of it,” Mr Littleproud told ABC News Breakfast.
Mr Littleproud also disputed reports there had been an agreement made to support the Liberal party in a commitment to getting to net zero by 2050.
“No, we haven’t been formally asked to support the Liberal Party in any commitment they made,” he said. “I don’t think their partyroom has either.
“All the National Party have said is we continue to make sure that farmers should be rewarded financially for the stewardship of their land.
“If there’s to be any move towards it, then farmers should be part of the solution and they shouldn’t be penalised. They have footed the bill for the country’s social conscience.”
READ MORE:How Nationals MPs plotted McCormack’s downfall
Jess Malcolm7.05am:CSIRO director urges NSW to ban large gatherings
CSIRO Health Director Dr Rob Grenfell has urged NSW health authorities to ban large gatherings amid a surge in cases in Sydney of the highly infectious deltra strain.
Dr Grenfell told Nine’s Today that the Delta strain infects up to five to seven people, rather than the initial Covid-19 strain which infected two to three people.
“I think I would have to continue with the urging of Dr Kerry Chant as well by saying
please restrict large groups, please restrict the amount of contact you’ve got with other people until we get a handle on this,” he said.
“When it appears in a school, you wonder how many other children have got it or taken it home to their parents. And only the testing over the next few days will tell us how far this virus has spread across Sydney and how much caution.”
Dr Grenfell said the type of transmission will determine if NSW goes into lockdown.
“If they find they have got more cases coming out of the community that they haven’t got in their trace lines, or if they generally feel comfortable and know where that case has come from and they can trace it back to that other one because they can get and isolate all the contacts.”
READ MORE:Urgent alert for Westfield shops
Jess Malcolm6.45am:NZ authorities considering Wellington lockdown
New Zealand Health authorities are considering enforcing a strict lockdown in Wellington after a Sydney man spent a long weekend in the capital.
The New Zealand Herald is reporting the man spent the weekend visiting a number of popular tourist sites, before returning home and testing positive.
Director general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield told RNZ health officials were currently considering a possible lockdown to curb any potential outbreak.
“Everything is on the table,” Dr Bloomfield said on NZ television show Morning Report.
The man reportedly became infectious while on his flight back to Sydney on Monday.
Four close contacts have been identified and are since isolating.
New Zealand authorities are yet to release the list of sites visited by the case, but it is expected to be public this morning.
READ MORE:NZ halts travel bubble with NSW
Jess Malcolm6.35am:Race to track infected person who flew to New Zealand
Authorities are racing to contact and trace a person who flew to New Zealand while infectious with Covid-19, just hours after the travel bubble was closed and raising fears the virus has already spread into the Wellington community.
Passengers on-board Qantas flight QF163 departing Sydney on June 18 at 7.05pm and arriving in Wellington on June 19 at 12.12am and Air New Zealand flight NZ247 departing Wellington at 10.13am and arriving in Sydney at 11.33am have been identified as close contacts.
The New Zealand Ministry of Health has not yet revealed where the person visited while in the city or whether they used the contact tracing app.
The news came just hours after New Zealand Covid-19 Response Minister said the government was taking “a precautionary approach” in its decision to close the bubble to NSW, and that the public health risk was “low”.
NSW Health has also updated its growing list of exposed venues, including a popular eastern suburbs restaurant, pub and a supermarket.
Saturday June 19
Anyone who attended the following venue is a close contact and must immediately call NSW Health, get tested and isolate for 14 days regardless of the result.
Totti’s Bondi (within the Royal Bondi), 238 Bondi Rd, Bondi, 5pm to 6.30pm
Anyone who attended the following venues at the times listed is a casual contact and must immediately get tested and self-isolate until a negative result is received.
The Royal Bondi (other than Totti’s), 283 Bondi Rd, Bondi, 5pm to 6.30pm
Sunday June 20
Woolworths, 254 Richardson Rd, Spring Farm, 9.30am to 10am
Health authorities are bracing for more Covid-19 cases today, and are still urgently investigating the source of an unknown case in a primary school child announced yesterday.
READ MORE:Chefs, engineers fast-tracked for visas
Jess Malcolm6.17am:Victorian border closes on Sydney hot spots
Victoria has slammed shut its border to thousands of Sydney residents as the cluster in the city’s east ballooned to 21.
In a statement late on Tuesday night, Victorian authorities declared seven local government areas as red zones under the state’s travel permit system.
The areas include the city of Sydney, Waverley, Woollahra, Bayside, Candara Bay, Inner West and Randwick.
“If you are a Victorian resident and have been in a red zone (other than for transit), you can obtain a red zone permit to enter but you will be required to quarantine at home for 14 days,” the statement read.
“If you are a non-Victorian resident and you have been in a red zone (other than for transit), you cannot obtain a permit and you cannot enter Victoria.”
The border restrictions come as Victorians are free to travel to most states and territories by Friday. Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory will revoke their travel ban on Victorian residents after health authorities deemed community transmission was low.
NSW residents are also banned from travelling across the Tasman, after New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern temporarily paused the bubble late on Tuesday night.
Authorities are now racing to trace the person who flew on a Qantas flight on June 18 to Wellington, amid fears the highly infectious Delta variant has already spread into the community.
READ MORE: School in fear as outbreak grows
Rhiannon Down5.15am:Flights on exposure list as Sydney cluster grows
International flights between Sydney and Wellington, a Bondi restaurant and a supermarket have been added to NSW’s list of exposure venues after the so-called Bondi cluster ballooned to 21 cases.
Passengers on-board Qantas flight QF163 departing Sydney on June 18 at 7.05pm and arriving in Wellington on June 19 at 12.12am and Air New Zealand flight NZ247 departing Wellington at 10.13am and arriving in Sydney at 11.33am have been identified as close contacts.
Diners at Totti’s Bondi and the Royal Bondi as well as the Spring Farm Woolworths on Richardson Road have also been added to the list.
âš ï¸PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT – FLIGHTS AND VENUES OF CONCERNâš ï¸
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) June 22, 2021
NSW Health has been notified of flights and venues of concern associated with confirmed cases of #COVID19. pic.twitter.com/OILyWdEOKb
The news came as testing clinics in Sydney’s east were overwhelmed on the news tens of thousands of people who attended Westfield Bondi Junction would need to be swabbed.
A Year 3 student at St Charles’ Catholic Primary School in Waverley was the one mystery infection among 10 new cases, with the school forced to close yesterday.
As contact tracers raced to identify a link between the student and three key transmission events — Westfield Bondi Junction, Vaucluse’s Belle Cafe, or a Salvation Army store in Tempe — Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced mask rules would be extended until June 30.
Read the full story here.
Lydia Lynch5am:Palaszczuk issues new Sydney travel warning
Queensland’s border with Sydney is poised to slam shut as the state prepares to welcome Melbourne residents in time for school holidays.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced yesterday that the state’s border would reopen to Melbourne at 1am on Friday when the city’s hotspot status was revoked.
Ms Palaszczuk said authorities were keeping a close eye on community spread in NSW and warned Queenslanders again not to travel to Sydney.
Travel from Sydney into Queensland is still allowed, except for people who have visited an exposure site or been to Waverley Council in the past 14 days.
Queensland chief health officer Jeannette Young said she would increase restrictions on Sydney if contact tracers were unable to handle the growing list of exposure sites.
The border update came as Ms Palaszczuk addressed concerns her state may have to stop administering first doses of coronavirus vaccines by the end of next month to ensure it has enough stock to administer second jabs.
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Rachel Baxendale4.45am:Coronavirus vaccine push ‘must target ethnic groups’
Community groups in Melbourne warn that without co-ordinated campaigns to address vaccine hesitancy among older people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, Australia will struggle to achieve the levels of Covid-19 immunity required to return to normal life.
Australian Multicultural Community Services chief executive Elizabeth Drozd said while many older Australians from non-English-speaking backgrounds did not regularly access the internet or even have mobile phones, most did consume news from their home countries and were influenced by local community leaders.
“Ethnic communities watch news and what’s happening in their home country, and for a lot of them the messaging has been mixed. In most cases, the pandemic hasn’t been managed as well over there as here, so they’re often aware of the numbers of deaths from Covid-19 – but media coverage of the very rare fatalities from vaccines also seems to have stuck in some people’s minds.”
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