Coronavirus Australia live news: NSW to open walk-in AstraZeneca clinics amid 145 new cases, two more Sydney deaths
A man and woman in their 80s have died after contracting the Delta Covid-19 variant in Sydney.
- Walk-in AstraZeneca vaccine hubs for Sydney
- Glimmer of NSW lockdown hope for some
- SA to ease out of lockdown, restrictions remain
- NSW records 145 new virus cases
- Victoria records 11 new local cases
- Delta not time to give up on ‘Covid Zero’: Coatsworth
- Lockdown protests plotted for weeks
- Sydney lockdown until mid-September
- PM continues AstraZeneca push
Welcome to live coverage of Australia’s battle with the Covid-19 pandemic.
The number of people infected and in the community remains stubbornly high in NSW, with 51 of the state’s 145 new local cases not in isolation for their whole infection period.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian says Friday may mean relief for some, but won’t name an end date.
Victoria on track to emerge from lockdown with 11 new local cases all isolated as Australia is warned it as Australia is warned it will have to give up on ‘Covid Zero’ dream, but not while Delta rages.
Violent protests on the weekend were plotted weeks before the lockdown was even declared by a group of hard-core conspirators, The Australian can reveal. The news comes as the NSW government requested financial modelling for a lockdown of Greater Sydney that extends until mid-September.
Rachel Baxendale9.20pm:Vic lockdown to end on Tuesday night
Victoria’s lockdown is set to lift from midnight on Tuesday, with schools, retail, hairdressers, beauticians and even gyms set to reopen.
The 5km travel limit will also be scrapped.
As was the case after the last lockdown, 25 per cent of office workers or up to 10 people — whichever is larger — will be permitted to return to the workplace, and outdoor gatherings of up to 10 will be allowed.
Hospitality may be granted an upper limit of up to 100 patrons — up from 50 when the state reopened after last month’s lockdown — although a final decision on this measure will not be made until Tuesday morning and a density limit of one person per 4sqm will apply.
The Australian understands masks will remain compulsory inside and outside, with mask rules likely to continue until a substantial proportion of the population has been vaccinated.
The immediate reopening of gyms is likely to be welcomed by the struggling industry, which stayed shut for an extra week following the last lockdown.
However, the density quotient is likely to remain a challenge for many businesses.
Senior Andrews government ministers and health officials met on Monday night to map out the easing of restrictions, with the final details including the hospitality caps set to be agreed to on Tuesday morning, ahead of a press conference.
Angelica Snowden, Rachel Baxendale8pm: Hospitality fears a ‘lockdown-lite’ future
Victoria’s pubs, restaurants and events companies say they face ruin because of expected ongoing caps on customer numbers as the state slowly exits its fifth lockdown.
The state is likely to emerge from lockdown at midnight on Tuesday, after recording 11 new cases of Covid-19 on Monday, all of which have been linked to current outbreaks and are in people quarantined throughout their infectious period.
Stringent rules on density limits are expected to remain.
Pickett and Co owner and restaurateur Scott Pickett said if contact tracing was effective and no mystery infections were identified, rules on hospitality should be eased significantly. “Operating under restrictions is extremely difficult and it’s the fifth time we have had to deal with this,” he said.
“Whilst our thoughts are lockdowns seem to be working, we should be able to (snap back) to business and life as usual.
“If we are going to continue to have these short sharp lockdowns, it should be stop and go. There should not be limits.”
The Melbourne-based chef with seven restaurants to his name — including Longrain, Matilda 159 and Estelle — said in the absence of JobKeeper and sufficient vaccination rates, the sector would continue to suffer under lockdowns and ongoing restrictions.
“What happens is consumer confidence takes two, three, four, five weeks to build. We struggle to get that momentum going again (after lockdowns). There are impacts for many months,” he said.
The founder of one of the nation’s biggest catering and events companies The Big Group, Bruce Keebaugh, said businesses in the sector were just surviving, with many unable to open since the state’s last lockdown began in May. “We are still in lockdown four. Financially, it is basically sending people to the wall,” he said. “Hospitality will be the worst-affected industry because we are the first to shut down and the last to open.
Geoff Chambers 7.20pm:High-vax nations face lockdown relapses
Josh Frydenberg’s claim that getting vaccinated will make lockdowns “a thing of the past” and be Australia’s ticket “out of this crisis” is set to be tested as countries with high vaccination rates impose fresh Covid-19 restrictions.
With more than 16 per cent of the adult population fully vaccinated, the Treasurer on Monday issued a call to arms for more Australians to access Covid-19 jabs.
“Go and get vaccinated. If you want your family to be safe, go and get vaccinated.
“If you want to make lockdowns a thing of the past, go and get vaccinated. If you want Australia to open up, go and get vaccinated,” Mr Frydenberg said.
“Getting vaccinated is our ticket out of this crisis. Significantly, there is now alignment between the medical advice and the situation on the ground in Greater Sydney.”
Singapore and Israel – which have world-leading vaccination rates – have imposed new lockdowns and restrictions in response to a wave of cases linked to the highly contagious Delta variant. Singapore’s Health Ministry released data showing vaccinated individuals accounted for 75 per cent of Singapore’s Covid-19 infections in the past four weeks.
Natasha Robinson 6.20pm:Two million AZ doses sitting unused in fridges
More than two millions doses of Covid-19 vaccine distributed to GP surgeries are sitting in fridges unused as hesitancy over AstraZeneca drives vaccine wastage.
The federal government’s latest weekly vaccine rollout update shows that one in five of the doses administered to GPs so far is yet to be administered, with 2,315,343 of the available doses unused.
There are also hundreds of thousands of vaccine doses yet to be utilised in some states, with only NSW fully utilising its dose allocation.
There are 286,008 vaccine doses as yet unadministered in Victoria, which has utilised 94 per cent of its dose allocation from the commonwealth.
There are also 105,943 doses not yet utilised in Western Australia, which has administered only 91 per cent of its allocation.
NSW will now allow walk-in appointments at its vaccination hubs for the AstraZeneca vaccine as authorities struggle to convince the public to take the vaccine.
Joseph Lam5.40pm:Two more NSW deaths
A man and woman in their 80s have died after contracting the Delta Covid-19 variant.
The man, who died at Campbelltown Hospital in southwest Sydney on Monday morning, is Sydney’s ninth death linked to the highly contagious variant. The woman, who passed away at her home in Pendle Hill, in western Sydney, on Monday afternoon, is the 10th.
Four lives have been lost since Sunday, including Brazillian national Adriana Midori Takara, who at 38 is the youngest victim.
The other death was a third western Sydney resident in her 70s.
READ MORE:‘Terrible mistakes’: McGowan’s dig at Gladys
Agencies4.50pm:French parliament adopts vaccine passports law
France’s parliament voted to make vaccine passports a key part of daily life in the battle against Covid-19 on Sunday, after a compromise between lawmakers from the upper and lower houses.
The breakthrough in talks came a day after France was again shaken by protests against the rules that saw over 160,000 rally and dozens arrested.
President Emmanuel Macron last week ordered that the health pass -- proof of full vaccination or a negative test -- would be required for the French to visit venues such as cinemas or nightclubs.
The announcement was a move by Macron to make vaccinations the top weapon against Covid-19 as new variants emerge, essentially requiring people to become vaccinated if they want to continue daily routines.
Those changes were implemented by decree, but parliament has been engaged in a marathon session since Tuesday debating whether to extend them.
Vaccine passports have encountered fierce opposition from some, who believe they erode civil liberties.
The ruling party has faced a tough task pushing the legislation through parliament. Pro-Macron MPs control the National Assembly, but the Senate -- the upper house -- is dominated by the opposition right.
The Senate had approved the legislation but added numerous amendments that the government feared risked limiting its impact.
The two sides held three hours of talks Sunday, finding a compromise to pass the bill that evening by a large majority -- 156 votes for, 60 against and 14 abstentions.
The legislation still needs to be approved by France’s highest administrative authority, the Constitutional Council, before becoming law -- an extra step requested by Prime Minister Jean Castex.
READ MORE:Vaccine coercion has no place in a liberal democracy
Anthony Piovesan4.20pm:Shock finding: What Covid does to your IQ
People who have recovered from Covid-19 are more likely to score poorly on intelligence tests, according to new research.
Brain scientists from Imperial College London have shared results of the Great British Intelligence Test.
The online IQ test was completed by 81,337 people between January and December last year, including almost 13,000 who had been infected with Covid-19.
After accounting for variables such as age, medical history and occupation, researchers found those who had contracted the virus performed worse than expected.
Those who had been on ventilators had the biggest deficit, equal to a seven-point drop in IQ.
“The deficits were most pronounced for paradigms that tapped cognitive functions such as reasoning, problem solving, spatial planning and target detection,” the authors wrote.
“These results accord with reports of long Covid, where ‘brain fog’, trouble concentrating and difficulty finding correct words are common.”
Their research was published in the Lancet journal EClinicalMedicine.
The authors also concluded that the results “accord with reports of long Covid cognitive symptoms” that persisted beyond the patient’s initial recovery from the virus.
Victorian chief health officer Brett Sutton said there were “millions” of long Covid cases around the world.
He described the symptoms as: debilitating fatigue, ongoing shortness of breath, neurological and psychiatric symptoms for weeks to months”.
The authors of the study noted there was “little information” about how broad cases of long Covid were, but the results should act as a “clarion call” for further research.
They called for more investigation into the issue to understand the recovery process from Covid-19 and how the virus affected people cognitively.
Health authorities continue to implore Aussies to get vaccinated against Covid-19, saying the jab could protect people against more serious symptoms of the disease.
“Maximum protection requires two doses of either vaccine, but even a single dose provides substantial protection by more than 70 per cent against hospitalisation,” Australian deputy chief medical officer Michael Kidd said.
“If they do get exposed to Covid-19, their risk of becoming seriously unwell is reduced, their risk of transmitting to other people is reduced as well.”
READ MORE:Brain fog and tinnitus among 200 symptoms of long Covid
Rachel Baxendale3.55pm:Breakdown of Victoria’s largest clusters
As of Monday:
• 46 cases have been linked to the Ms Frankie restaurant in Cremorne, in Melbourne’s inner east. The cases include staff members, patrons who variously visited on the 13th, 14th and 15th of July, and household contacts. This cluster was sparked by a Trinity Grammar teacher who caught the virus at the MCG on July 10 and transmitted it to other people at the Crafty Squire Hotel in Melbourne’s CBD and Trinity Grammar on July 12, and Ms Frankie restaurant in Cremorne and nearby AAMI Park on July 13.
• 26 cases have been linked to Trinity Grammar in Kew, in Melbourne’s east. This includes seven staff members, nine Trinity students, a student from nearby Ruyton Girls’ School, eight household contacts and one social contact.
• 18 cases have been linked to the Wallabies vs France rugby match at AAMI Park on July 13. This includes at least seven people who attended the game, as well as their close contacts.
• 17 cases have been linked to the City of Hume cluster, spread across five households in Melbourne’s outer north who are connected through extended family and social links. This cluster was sparked after a family member returned from Sydney on July 8 and breached home quarantine on July 10.
• 14 cases have been linked to people who went to the Geelong vs Carlton match at the MCG on July 10, alongside a resident of the Ariele Maribyrnong apartments in Melbourne’s west, who caught the virus from Sydney removalists.
• 14 cases have been linked to Bacchus Marsh Grammar, 60km west of Melbourne. They include teachers, students, and household contacts. The index case for this cluster was a teacher in his 50s who visited Young & Jackson and the MCG with his Ariele apartments resident friend.
• 11 cases have been linked to the Young & Jackson pub in Melbourne’s CBD. All are derived from the Ariele apartments resident who went to the pub on his way to the MCG on July 10. They include the Bacchus Marsh Grammar teacher who is friends with the index case, a student in her 20s who on Tuesday tested positive in Queensland, two other patrons, four workplace contacts of one of the patrons who is a cabinet maker, and three household contacts.
• 10 cases have been linked to St Patrick’s Primary School in Murumbeena, in Melbourne’s southeast. The index case for this cluster was a nine-year-old child who caught the virus at the MCG. The cluster now consists of nine students and one household contact.
• Eight cases have been linked to Phillip Island, 140km southeast of Melbourne, which was visited by a group of six, one of whom had caught the virus at the MCG. All six have since tested positive, as have two household contacts.
• Four cases are residents of Mildura, 540km northwest of Melbourne. These include a man who caught the virus at the MCG on July 10, and three household contacts.
• Four cases have been linked to the West Gate Tunnel workplace cluster, sparked by a Young & Jackson patron. This includes three workers and a household contact.
• Two cases are linked to the Isola apartment complex on Burnley St, Richmond. One of these cases is a social contact of the Trinity Grammar teacher, who accompanied him to Ms Frankie and AAMI Park.
• One case has been linked to the Crafty Squire hotel in Melbourne’s CBD, which was attended by the Trinity Grammar teacher during the Euro soccer final in the early hours of Monday July 12 - just 36 hours after he caught the virus at the MCG.
Note: Cases are classified as being part of a cluster if they caught the virus at the location, or are a primary close contact of someone who did. Subsequent rings of transmission are not included.
READ MORE:TikTok hits the spot for Covid messaging
Joseph Lam3.45pmSupermarket workers get priority access to Pfizer
Supermarket workers in the five Sydney LGAs under the city’s strictest lockdown measures will be given priority access to 500 Pfizer vaccines from Wednesday.
Workers from Woolworths, Aldi, Metcash and Coles as well as those in the corresponding distribution centres in the LGAS of Blacktown, Canterbury Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield and Liverpool will be eligible for the new allotment of vaccines after several supermarket unions penned an open letter to Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt.
The letter, which was sent on Friday, noted up to 80 per cent of close contact locations had been in shopping centres.
â¦@SDAunionâ© supermarket workers in Sydney’s 5 locked down LGA’s & Supermarket DC workers have just won priority access to Pfizer vaccines! Recognition they are essential workers after â¦@SDAunionâ© campaign. Next access for all supermarket workers. #ausunions#auspolpic.twitter.com/H0OIywM9C1
— Bernie Smith (@BernieSmith16) July 26, 2021
“Several thousand people in NSW are now in isolation, including a very high number of retail and fast food workers exposed to Covid at work,” it read.
“For this workforce to keep functioning during the lockdown and keep the community supplied with essential goods they urgently need access to age appropriate vaccines. This priority access is consistent with ATAGI’s guidelines of prioritising access to those workers who are critical to societal functioning, like supermarket workers and other essential retail workers.”
SDA NSW Secretary Bernie Smith said the vaccine allotment was “a significant breakthrough in protecting the health of frontline retail workers” and would ensure the community retains access to essential goods.
It’s understood that the vaccinations will take place at Sydney’s Olympic Park mass vaccination centre as well as at one of Woolworths five warehouses in the outbreak LGAs where a pop-up vaccination clinic will be set up.
The decision arrived just days after three staff members and a contractor tested positive to the virus at a Woolworths at Glenrose Village Shopping Centre in Belrose, in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, which forced thousands into isolation for 14 days.
The exposure period lasted from July 16 to 21 and saw a number of venues including an Aldi and a newsagency temporarily close their doors on Friday.
READ MORE:Woolworths shoppers will soon have access to a digital wallet
Matthew Denholm3.30pm:Go ahead for Tassie ‘blockbuster AFL weekend’
Tasmania will proceed with two AFL games this weekend, with a limit of 10,000 spectators.
Games between North Melbourne and Geelong at Blundstone Arena in Hobart and between Hawthorn and the Brisbane Lions at UTAS Stadium in Launceston, would proceed this weekend, said Premier Peter Gutwein.
Mr Gutwein said the “blockbuster weekend of football” would see 10,000 people allowed seated at each game, but asked to wear masks.
He did not commit to reopening Tasmania’s border with Victoria or South Australia but suggested this would be reviewed if, as expected, if the lockdowns were lifted in those states.
READ MORE:Miserly Cats tame toothless Tigers
Emily Cosenza3.10pm:Cops bust up lockdown house party
A group of 13 people have “incredibly frustrated” the state’s top cop after they were allegedly busted breaching South Australia’s lockdown rules by having a house party.
Officers were called to the Waterford Circuit home at Lightsview after they received reports at about 11.30pm on Sunday that more than 12 people were at the address where loud music was coming from.
When police arrived, they allegedly found 13 people at the property, which violated the state’s Covid-19 stay-at-home direction.
Police Commissioner Grant Stevens on Monday said it was the third time officers were called to the property, which was why the night ended with five arrests and eight people being fined.
Officers also attended the home on July 21 and 24 — the lockdown order came into effect on July 20 — which also ended in arrests and expiation notices being issued.
“Obviously we’ve taken a very low-tolerance approach to these people who simply haven’t heeded the warnings they’ve been given and they’ve suffered the consequences as a result,” Mr Stevens said.
“It’s incredibly frustrating, and it’s not so much my personal frustration. I think everybody else doing the right thing in SA should be really disappointed in the fact that some people think these rules don’t apply to them.”
The Commissioner, who is also the state co-ordinator, said he couldn’t be certain those people had learnt a lesson, but reassured the public police would keep a watchful eye on the accused.
As a result of the third police attendance, a 24-year-old man from the Lightsview address, a 29-year-old Torrensville woman and an 18-year-old Fairview Park woman were all arrested and each charged with stating false details and breaching the Emergency Management Act.
The fourth person arrested was a 24-year-old Salisbury North man who was charged with hindering police as well as breaching Covid-19 directions.
There was also a 19-year-old Fairview Park woman who was arrested and charged with breaching the same Act.
All five of the accused are due to appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court in September.
Two other male occupants of the home, one aged 27 and the other 21, were fined for breaching directions while a further six people, aged 18 to 24 and who did not live at the address, were all issued expiation notices and directed to go home.
SA Police said they had conducted numerous compliance checks on people during the lockdown, particularly in the north eastern suburbs, where the Covid-19 cluster broke out.
“Police wish to reassure the community that patrols have found the overwhelming majority of people are doing the right thing,” it said in a statement.
Individuals who breach Covid-19 directions can be fined up to $1060, but those who are arrested for breaching lockdown restriction rules could be served harsher penalties – fines of up to $20,000 and/or two years’ jail if found guilty.
READ MORE:Smiling student cut down by Covid
Anthony Piovesan2.55pm:‘Ten days’ to control Vic outbreak: Covid chief
Health authorities would still need 10 more days to completely quash Victoria’s Covid-19 outbreak despite the possibility of the state’s lockdown being lifted from 11.59pm on Tuesday.
Victorians were left hanging on Monday after officials said the end of the state’s lockdown – which has been in place for nearly three weeks – was “still being finalised”.
The government will leave its decision to end or extend the lockdown to Tuesday instead.
But whatever the outcome, Victorian Covid-19 testing commander Jeroen Weimar indicated health authorities would still need 10 more days to run the outbreak into the ground.
“You are always going to worry when you have 179 active cases in the community, the largest number we have had since September last year,” he told reporters on Monday afternoon.
“There is a difference between getting your arms around an outbreak and getting it under control. We have seen good control over the past three days, but there is still residual ongoing work for us to manage and that will take us another 10 days or so as we get to the end of all those exposure sites.”
There were about 365 venues listed on the Department of Health’s website as having had exposure to coronavirus in the past month.
There also about 21,000 primary close contacts across Victoria completing their isolation period.
Victorians need to have a clearance confirmed in writing by the health department, usually by email, along with a negative test on day 13 to be released from quarantine.
“That is a significant number of people you have got to support and enable within the wider community,” Mr Weimar said.
Victoria recorded 11 new local Covid-19 cases on Monday, with the number of cases in the outbreak that jumped the border from Sydney’s deadly Delta outbreak now at 180.
READ MORE:Calls to crisis lines jump in NSW and Victoria as lockdowns linger
Shae McDonald2.35pm:‘Modest room’: Cops defend Palaszczuk in quarantine
Queensland’s top brass have disputed claims Annastacia Palaszczuk is living it up in hotel quarantine amid suggestions she is staying in a luxe, three‐bedroom apartment.
The Premier touched down in Brisbane on Sunday after successfully securing Brisbane as the host city of the 2032 Olympics.
Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said reports Ms Palaszczuk had an inordinate amount of space were untrue.
“It is what I would call a modest room,” he said, adding reports she was in a multi‐roomed suite were completely inaccurate.
“Of course it has been set up so she can do her job, including being able to connect into national cabinet.”
While Mr Gollschewski would not confirm where Ms Palaszczuk was spending the next two weeks, she is understood to be at The Westin hotel in Brisbane’s CBD.
“Unfortunately, we do have to provide dignitary protection to our Premier because of threats that she sometimes faces,” he said.
“The room that she is in has been selected in consultation with the Queensland Police Service so that we can provide her with the appropriate protection.”
Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said at least 20 people were also quarantining on the same floor as Ms Palaszczuk, including Brisbane City Council Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner.
“There’s nothing unique about this arrangement, they are hotel quarantine rooms,” she said.
The Queensland Premier has been criticised for her controversial decision to fly to Tokyo to secure Brisbane as the host cityfor the 2032 Olympics.
More than 130,000 people signed a petition attempting to ban her from leaving the country because of her harsh stance on halving the number of returning travellers in a bid to stop the spread of Covid‐19.
READ MORE:How a new Olympics voting process was a key to Brisbane’s win
Ellie Dudley2.15pm:Three crew evacuated from suspected Covid-infected ship
Western Australia’s health department has confirmed three potentially infected crew members aboard a bulk carrier off Fremantle’s coast will be medically evaluated.
The boatmen, who were onboard the Darya Krishna, will be taken to Fiona Stanley Hospital in Murdoch to undertake examination.
All three reported flu-like symptoms, and the remaining 17 people on the ship will be tested for Covid-19.
READ MORE:‘Terrible mistakes’: McGowan’s dig at Gladys
Ellie Dudley2.10pm:Aged care home on high alert after worker tests positive
An aged care home in Bankstown has been put on high alert after a staff member tested positive on Sunday.
The Bankstown Terrace Care Community home experienced three deaths in elderly during Sydney’s first wave, after they contracted the virus at the centre.
An email sent to the families of residents from general manager Rick Morgan said the facility had “immediately put in place a number of actions” while they await further advice from health authorities.
“We will continue to work closely with the PHU to manage the situation,” Mr Morgan said in the email, acquired by The Daily Telegraph.
Mr Morgan confirmed “the majority of” residents and workers have been vaccinated against the virus.
READ MORE:Calls for rapid antigen testing in high risk settings
Max Maddison1.55pm:‘Condemn vax falsities in same way as protestors’: Hunt
Health Minister Greg Hunt has condemned anti-lockdown protestors who marched through Sydney’s CBD, while he implores Sydneysiders to consider AstraZeneca.
While he denied that the Morrison government’s mixed messaging on AstraZeneca had contributed to misinformation, he moved to criticise thousands of protestors who defied lockdown restrictions on Saturday.
“There are people who put out false information with regards to vaccines and, frankly, I condemn it in the same way that I condemn the protests on the weekend because they were dangerous, where they were in breach of State public health orders, they were frankly endangering people,” Mr Hunt told a press conference on Monday afternoon.
Due to the increased risk of COVID-19 in greater Sydney, ATAGI advises all people 18 years and over in this area to strongly consider getting the COVID-19 Vaccine, AstraZeneca. You can also get your 2nd AstraZeneca dose 4-8 weeks after 1st. https://t.co/6AgW8ZSwT3pic.twitter.com/wPxfXItgbR
— Australian Government Department of Health (@healthgovau) July 25, 2021
Updated vaccination figures saw the number of fully vaccinated Australians rise to 16.3 per cent, and those with one vaccination rise to 38 per cent, but with 1.3 million doses of AstraZeneca available Mr Hunt encouraged further uptake of the vaccine.
“That’s a decision of ATAGI in relation to the Sydney outbreak and the benefits outweigh the risks for all ages. I think that is a very important message. I think that is a very important message. Our job is to make sure that the vaccines are available in Sydney right now,” he said.
READ MORE:Freedom’s a long shot thanks to sick sense of entitlement
Staff writers1.40pm:Hunt welcomes another vaccination record
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt says more Australians are coming forward to get vaccinated, with a total of 11.2 million vaccinations across the country.
Almost 1.1 million were issued last week, with 3.3 million Australians having had double doses and 7.8 million people with their first dose.
“Six of the last seven days were daily records for that day in the last week. That’s important because there is a pattern and what we see is if those individual days continue to increase, that is more Australians coming forward for more vaccinations,” Mr Hunt said.
Angie Raphael 1.37pm:‘Terrible mistakes’: WA lashes Berejiklian’s lockdown
West Australian Premier Mark McGowan says the NSW government has made some “terrible mistakes” with its handling of the latest Covid-19 outbreak, claiming it is not taking it seriously.
In his latest attack on NSW, Mr McGowan also labelled the weekend protesters as “hooligans, drop kicks (and) disgusting people”.
The Premier singled out Victoria, South Australia and Queensland as having done a good job recently of “crushing and killing” the virus, indicating they were all on track to have looser travel restrictions with WA soon.
But in his longest rant yet against NSW, Mr McGowan said the eastern state had failed to put appropriate measures in place.
“Obviously, the NSW government has made some terrible mistakes,” he told reporters on Monday.
“We just want them to put in place measures that work. They’ve got to actually take it more seriously. They’ve got to lock down properly.”
“They don’t have a mask mandate outside … people are wandering out in the streets without masks on.
READ the full story here.
Ellie Dudley 12.18pm:Up to 83 of NSW’s latest cases infectious in community
The source of 79 of Monday’s Covid-19 cases in NSW are still under investigation and up to 83 were in the community while infectious.
NSW recorded 145 new cases of the virus in total on Monday, as the state’s outbreak continues to grow.
There have been 2226 locally acquired cases reported since the first case in the Bondi cluster was reported.
There are currently 156 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital, with 44 people in intensive care, 18 of whom require ventilation.
Olivia Caisley 12.18pm:No public: Federal parliament to lock down for August
Federal parliament will go into public lockdown for the August parliamentary sitting with politicians told to only bring essential staff in a bid to keep the Canberra community safe from Covid-19.
The “strict as possible” measures will include the Chamber and Senate galleries being closed to the public, a reduction in the number of members and senators attending in person and staff restricted to “essential” workers only.
Physical distancing will also be required, the fitness centre closed and the check-in CBR app extended to all food and beverage venues at parliament house, which will operate as take away only.
Speaker Tony Smith and Senate President Scott Ryan said the changes would ensure the Commonwealth Parliament can “continue its essential work while reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission.”
“The numbers of members and senators attending sittings in person will be substantially reduced, co-ordinated by party whips,” they said. “Remote participation for those unable to attend will be facilitated and supported. We expect that many will participate remotely during this period.”
READ MORE: Urgent virus warning for childcare centre
Ellie Dudley 12.01pm:SA to ease out of lockdown, just one new case
South Australia will come out of lockdown as planned at midnight on Tuesday, after the state recorded just one new case of community transmitted Covid-19.
The new case was an 87-year-old man who had been in quarantine for the entirety of his infectious period.
“We are on track to lift the restrictions at midnight tomorrow night,” Premier Steven Marshall said.
“First thing on Wednesday morning, we will be out of the lock down situation and I want to say a very grateful thanks to every single South Australian who has abided by the restrictions and significantly reduced the movement across the state.”
Some restrictions will remain in place for South Australians when the lockdown is lifted on Tuesday for at least a week, Mr Marshall said.
A density requirement of one person per four square metres will apply and food and beverages may only be consumed while seated.
Restrictions on dancing and singing will continue for the next seven days, and masks will be required in all high-risk settings including personal care services, transport and health care.
Household gatherings and private activities will be limited to 10 people maximum per household, including members of the household.
Weddings and funerals can host up to 50 people and otherwise are bound by the overall density arrangements with the particular venue.
Gyms may reopen but it is a density of one person per eight square metres.
Ellie Dudley 11.50am:Walk-in, all-age AstraZeneca vaccine hubs for Sydney
NSW residents will soon be able to access walk-in appointments for the AstraZeneca vaccine, chief health officer Kerry Chant says.
“I will be announcing that tomorrow,” she told reporters.
“There is a massive strategy and can I acknowledge my colleagues who have been working so hard over the weekend with their local health districts and community partners to identify sites that may be appropriate for walk-in visits.”
Dr Chant said locations of the sites would be dependent on the most vulnerable communities, which groups in the communities don’t have access to the vaccine and how health authorities can make it easier to get vaccinated.
Remy Varga 11.44am:Victoria ‘on track’ to ease lockdown: Foley
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley says the state is on track to be released from lockdown at midnight Tuesday but says the restrictions that will be lifted are yet to be confirmed.
Mr Foley said the decision would be made based on the most up to date public health advice.
He said while the 22 cases recorded over the weekend were isolated during their infectious period, there were still 22 cases.
“We are on the right track,” he said.
Of the 11 cases recorded in Victoria on Monday, two are linked to Ms Frankie’s outbreak while the remaining nine are household contacts of primary contacts.
Two are linked to Trinity Grammar in Kew, two are linked to Bacchus Marsh Grammar, two are linked to the Wallabies match at AAMI Park, two are linked to a City of Hume family and one is linked to the Young and Jacksons pub.
READ MORE:UK Covid cases fall as jabs turn tide
Ellie Dudley 11.40am:Glimmer of hope for some in lockdown
Gladys Berejiklian has said “settings might change” on July 31, sparking hope for NSW residents in lockdown.
The NSW Premier said she “doesn’t want to rule out” updated restrictions on Friday, as her government looks to potentially loosen restrictions in low-affected areas.
“We might need to go harder in some areas and release some settings in others,” she said.
“Please know our Government is always looking at the best options we have available.”
Ms Berejiklian said it was “looking positive” that the central west regions of Orange, Blayney and Cabonne would come out of lockdown at midnight on Tuesday as planned.
“In relation to the communities of the central west, can I thank them for being so obliging during their lock down and fortunately, to date, I haven’t been advised of any additional cases,” she said.
“We will rely on the health advice in relation to that. It is looking positive.”
READ MORE:Sydneysiders have every right to be frustrated
Ellie Dudley 11.30am:Did PM advise Berejiklian to tighten lockdown?
Premier Gladys Berejiklian has not denied claims Scott Morrison advised her to tighten NSW’s lockdown.
On Sunday, the Prime Minister supported tight restrictions, and said “the lockdown comes to an end by the lockdown effectively working” despite condemning citywide stay-at-home orders a month prior.
When asked by a reporter whether Mr Morrison had advised her to tighten the current rules, Ms Berejiklian said: “Can I be honest and say a lot of people have given me a lot of free advice.”
“The best advice I will continue to rely on is that of Dr Chant and her team, the NSW Health experts.
“They are the experts and theirs is the advice which we give basis to our decisions and announcements on.”
Greg Brown 11.26am:Labor dumps negative gearing reform plans
Labor has formally dumped plans to reform negative gearing and will not propose any changes to stage three tax cuts.
Caucus on Monday morning backed the decision of shadow cabinet to not repeal legislated tax cuts for high income earners if Anthony Albanese becomes prime minister. The caucus also agreed that a Labor government would make no changes to negative gearing.
The Australian revealed in May that Labor was moving to maintain the government’s tax package.
Ellie Dudley 11.24am:Constrained Pfizer supply preventing rapid push: Chant
NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant has blamed “scarcity of supply” for the slow roll out of the Pfizer vaccine across the state.
NSW health authorities have set up mass vaccination clinics, a GP network and a pharmacy network to administer the jabs, which Dr Chant said could be used to administer hundreds of thousands of jabs a week.
“We could well have a very rapid push of well over 350,000 just ourselves, if we had the opportunity to do so,” she said.
“It is about supply constraints of the Pfizer vaccine.”
Dr Chant said she was “distressed” to see how few Australians over 60 had come forth for the AstraZeneca jab.
“It is actually quite distressing, when I review the numbers, to see how few over even 60-year-olds and over 70-year-olds we have managed to reach,” she said.
“For me, anyone who is over 60 or over 70 should be going to their doctor as a matter of urgency … and get a dose of vaccine and please keep yourself safe.”
Ellie Dudley 11.22am:Chant renews pleas on vaccination, AZ is ready
“The future is driven by our vaccination coverage,” says NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant.
Dr Chant said on Monday the vaccine had “two fold protection”, first protecting the person who received the jab, and second preventing further transmission.
“If you’re vaccinated it protects you, but it means you’re less likely to pass it on to other people,” she said.
Dr Chant announced pharmacies across western Sydney — including Bankstown, Cabramatta and Panania — will be able to administer the AstraZeneca jab from Monday.
“I would urge everyone in the community to please come forward and get vaccinated,” she said.
Ellie Dudley 11.18am:‘Amazing outcry’: calls on illegal protest top 10,000
More than 10,000 Crimestoppers reports have been filed since Sydney’s anti-lockdown protest on Saturday, Police Commissioner Mick Fuller says.
Mr Fuller said the civilian reports were an “amazing outcry by the community”, and said NSW Police would “chase down” anyone who was at the protest illegally on the weekend
“We have a Strike Force established and they will continue to investigate and chase down every individual that we can identify will be either arrested and/or given tickets for their behaviour,” he said.
Some 227 tickets were issued overnight for breaches to public health orders, 107 linked back to the rally.
READ MORE:Rallies were plotted on social media
Max Maddison 11.08am:No JobKeeper return, Frydenberg backs disaster payments
Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has continued to resist calls to reinstate JobKeeper payments, instead putting faith in Covid disaster payments to “alleviate some of the pain” of widespread lockdowns.
Amid widespread pressure to reinstate the successful wage subsidy payments, including from his NSW counterpart Dominic Perrottet, the Treasurer said the current policy measures were designed to be flexible, with payments under the new scheme faster than they were under JobKeeper.
“Our policies are never set and forget. You never know what is around the corner, you need to be flexible, you need to respond to changing circumstances,” Mr Frydenberg told a press conference on Monday morning.
“The payments that we have today, the income support payments, the business payments, they are significant, substantive, comprehensive, and will provide welcome relief to people.”
Mr Frydenberg again implored people to get vaccinated, especially after the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation altered its advice for AstraZeneca, urging those in Greater Sydney to consider the jab.
“The situation in New South Wales is more difficult and different. The message from our medical experts is abundantly clear – go and get vaccinated,” he said. “If you want Australia to open up, get vaccinated. Getting vaccinated is our ticket out of this crisis.”
Ellie Dudley 11.06am:Berejiklian welcomes updated ATAGI advice for AstraZeneca
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has welcomed updated advice from ATAGI that anyone over the age of 18 should access the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd on Sunday the worsening situation in Sydney had brought on the change.
“The advice from ATAGI is 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 AstraZeneca,” he said.
Ms Berejiklian on Monday said she “welcomed the revised health advice” to have everyone in Sydney vaccinated as soon as possible.
Ellie Dudley 11.02am:NSW records 145 new Covid-19 cases
NSW has recorded 145 local cases of Covid-19, 51 of which were infectious while in the community.
Some 98,000 tests were conducted in the 24 hours to midnight on Sunday
Premier Gladys Berejiklian reminded Sydneysiders”not to leave home unless they absolutely have to.”
Lydia Lynch 10.37am:One local Covid-19 case detected in Queensland
One new local Covid-19 case has been detected in Queensland on Monday.
The man, aged in his 40s, had recently finished a two week hotel quarantine stay after arriving from China.
Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said the man had tested negative on his quarantine exit tests.
He was fully vaccinated.
Ellie Dudley10.04am:SA Premier expected to announce lockdown end
South Australia’s Premier Steven Marshall will provide a Covid-19 update at 11am local time (11.30am AEST) and is expected to reveal the end of the state’s lockdown.
Mr Marshall will present alongside health minister Steven Wade, police commissioner Grant Stevens and chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier.
Mr Marshall on Monday said there was “no escalation” in cases overnight, and is expected to announce the state will be released from stay-at-home orders on time tomorrow.
Ellie Dudley9.48am:NSW Premier to front media at 11am AEST
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian will front the media for her regular 11am press conference on Monday.
She will present a Covid-19 update alongside health minister Brad Hazzard and NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant.
On Sunday, NSW recorded 141 new cases of Covid-19, 38 of which were exposed in the community for the entirety of their infectious period.
The Australian on Monday revealed the NSW government would announce the state’s lockdown would last until September 17.
But Ms Berejiklian disputed the claim, saying “I don’t know who came up with that date”.
READ MORE: September target to lift Sydney lockdown
Erin Lyons9.37am: Protest cases ‘won’t be known for a week’
Whether Sydney’s lockdown protest has sparked a ‘superspreader’ event will not be known for at least another week, the NSW Premier has revealed.
Gladys Berejiklian lashed the thousands of Sydneysiders who flocked to the city to voice their detest at the citywide lockdown amid fears it could trigger a spike in case numbers.
“I’d love to be able to say ‘I think this is it’ (peak) but when you see an event like Saturday … even if one or two people had the virus at an event like that, we won’t know for a week or two how many people have been infected because of that,” she told 2GB’s Ben Fordham on Monday.
“Even one or two superspreader events can really impact the way things turn out.”
She was probed about whether lockdown would be extended for several more weeks but said it was still too early to make the call.
Max Maddison9.00am:$4m for Opera Australia, further arts support flagged
Arts Minister Paul Fletcher has flagged further support for the struggling sector, saying the Morrison government’s priority is “getting money out the door”.
Renewed lockdowns across the country have smashed the fragile sector just as many businesses were getting back to their feet. While announcing a $4 million lifeline support package for Opera Australia, Mr Fletcher said he would look to provide extra funding.
The whole intention of this $35 million Sustainability Fund of which $4 million today is now going to Opera Australia is to be there to support our significant companies to get through the pandemic because they’re so key to our overall art sector,” Mr Fletcher told ABC Morning News on Monday.
“Look, yes, we’re absolutely focused on providing additional support, both in Sydney and around the nation as we back our performers and our creative sector to get through this difficult time.”
Max Maddison8.45am:Joyce refuses to criticise Christensen for protest support
Deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce says the country needs to swallow a “very bitter pill” and accept we’ll need to live with the virus, as he refuses to criticise George Christensen for his support of anti-lockdown protests.
With the country’s expert vaccine body in Greater Sydney now urging people to consider the AstraZeneca jab, Mr Joyce said with the risks of a blot clot the “same risk of being struck by lightning” there needed to be a proportionate consideration of the risks of the jab.
But he also moved to shoot down suggestions Australia would be able to eradicate the virus, saying the suggestion was simply being “dishonest” with people rather than “preparing them for reality”.
“It is a very, very bitter pill but you must be honest with people,” Mr Joyce told ABC’s Radio National.
“It’s like saying you’re going to get rid of anybody ever getting measles. You’re going to manage it to the best of your ability.”
After his Nationals colleague George Christensen attended an anti-lockdown protest in Queensland, in addition to posting about the protests on his social media, Mr Joyce said he “didn’t agree” with the comments, but questioned what mechanisms he had at his disposal to stop him.
“Let’s be realists about this. Everybody has the liberty to say what they want. What do you intend for me to do? To go up there without knowing the will kind of say? To tackle him?,” the Nationals leader said.
“What you’re implying there is that any person in Parliament has the capacity to tell George Christensen what to do. I mean, are you proposing that we lock him up?”
READ MORE:Lockdown protesters plotted on social media
Ellie Dudley8.23am:Berejkilian refuses to be drawn on September lockdown end
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has refused to comment on whether NSW’s lockdown would last until mid-September, and refused to give an indication on when Sydneysiders can expect restrictions to lift.
The Australian on Monday revealed the NSW Government was seeking financial modelling for small businesses of and out-of-work employees until September.
But Ms Berejiklian said she was not aware of that time frame.
“I don’t know who came up with that date but we are really making sure we make those important decisions to give the public as much information as we can,” she told Sunrise.
“This week will be communicating what life will be like after July 31 and for the rest of the weeks.”
Ms Berejiklian denied NSW had poorly handled the outbreak of the highly-contagious Delta variant in comparison to other states when asked if she wished she had been as strict as Victoria.
“In other states that had up to five lockdowns, this is our second,” she said.
“I don’t want to compare ourselves to other states but what I will say is this. That is that for the last 18 months we have done very well at keeping the virus at bay.”
Ms Berejiklian backed the current restrictions, claiming they “have had an enormous impact in not having thousands of cases.”
READ MORE:September target to lift Sydney lockdown
Rachel Baxendale8.20am:Victoria records 11 new local Covid cases
Victoria has recorded 11 new locally acquired cases in the 24 hours to Monday, and one overseas acquired case in hotel quarantine.
The state’s health department says all 11 locally acquired cases have been linked to the current outbreaks, and all were in isolation throughout their infectious period.
The latest cases come as Victorians grow hopeful that they will be released from what will have been 12 days of lockdown at midnight on Tuesday.
Reported yesterday: 11 new local cases and 1 new case acquired overseas (currently in HQ).
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) July 25, 2021
- 13,953 vaccine doses were administered
- 25,404 test results were received
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl1hf3W#COVID19Vic#COVID19VicData [1/2] pic.twitter.com/zb3azGekTB
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said on Sunday said that while it was too early to tell whether the state’s fifth lockdown would end on Tuesday, the lockdown strategy was working and there was hope restrictions could be eased on schedule, depending on the details of Monday and Tuesday’s cases.
Monday’s 11 cases follow 11 on Sunday who had similarly been in isolation throughout their infectious period.
There were 12 locally acquired cases on Saturday, 14 on Friday, a peak of 26 on Thursday, 22 cases on Wednesday, and 13 cases on each of Tuesday and last Monday.
The latest cases bring the total number of community acquired cases since two incursions from NSW emerged a fortnight ago to 181.
There are currently 190 active cases, including 11 active cases acquired overseas.
Several of those infected during the current outbreaks have recovered, and more are expected to do so in coming days.
The latest cases come after 25,404 tests were processed on Sunday, down from 32,385 on Saturday, and well down from last Tuesday’s Victorian record of 59,355, and last Sunday’s 54,839.
Ellie Dudley7.55am:SA on track to lift lockdown on Tuesday
South Australia is on track to lift its seven-day lockdown on Tuesday, after Premier Steven Marshall said there has been “no serious escalation” in cases overnight.
Two new cases of Covid-19 were recorded in the state on Sunday, both of which were linked to the pre-existing Modbury cluster.
Mr Marshall told SA radio station FiveAA on Monday he would meet with the Transition committee to discuss the easing of restrictions.
“No serious escalation in cases overnight, so we will continue to meet with the Transition committee this morning,” he said
“A massive thank you to all of the South Aussies who have done the right thing with our restrictions.”
Ellie Dudley7.50am:Now not the time to give up on ‘Covid Zero’ dream: Coatsworth
Australia must give up on its dream of “Covid Zero” at some point, says former deputy chief medical officer Nick Coatsworth.
While states and territories should continue to strive for no infections in the community, Australia will soon have to accept that Covid-19 leaks will occur, Dr Coatsworth told Sky News.
But he said the infectious nature of the Delta variant paired with low vaccination rates means states should continue to strive for no infections during the current outbreaks.
“At some point I think we do (need to give up on Covid Zero),” he said. “Now may not be the time — the Delta strain is too infectious. The number of people we have vaccinated is not yet high enough to get to that point.”
In order to curb the spread of Delta, Dr Coatsworth said the NSW authorities must use two tools: lockdowns and vaccinations.
He slammed the “phenomenon” of “Anti-AstraZenecism”, which he said cause hesitancy towards the Oxford-designed vaccine.
“The great hope we didn’t have won the second wave is that we have an effective vaccine in the Pfizer and the AstraZeneca,” he said.
“It angers me deeply that we still have people in the media talking about a duelling vaccine phenomenon.”
As the highly-infectious Delta variant of the virus continues to surge across the country, Dr Coatsworth said, while states should still aim to have no infections, Australia will soon have to accept cases in the community.
READ MORE:Weekend of Covid-19 discontent
Ellie Dudley7.25am:NSW braces for soaring case day; numbers yet to peak
NSW will not hit the peak of it’s Covid-19 outbreak for another couple of days, says UNSW infectious disease expert Mary-Louise McLaws, as the state braces for another day of soaring case numbers.
On Sunday, 141 new cases of Covid-19 were detected from a record of 102,000 tests.
Professor McLaws said due to the pace of contact tracers, it may be a couple of days before the state sees the fruit of those high testing numbers.
“What we’re seeing is always a few days late, and so the high numbers of testing, but also the testing positive rate, hasn’t started going down yet,” she told ABC News Breakfast.
“If we’re in a very hard lockdown, that sharp decline will happen faster because we won’t be allowed out.”
Professor McLaws called on Premier Gladys Berejiklian to support rapid-antigen testing in essential workplaces, to help curb the spread of the highly-infectious Delta variant of the virus.
“There’s about three or four highly sensitive ones that could be tested before you hop into your truck, before you go into the grocery store to do that important work, so that we then know that you can’t then spread it to others,” she said.
READ MORE:Smiling student cut down by Covid
Ellie Dudley6.55am:Covid-19 flies to Far North Coast; new NSW venue alerts
A series of new exposure sites have appeared in NSW, as health authorities scramble to trace new Covid-19 case infectious in the state’s north coast.
A public health alert was issued on Sunday afternoon after a positive COVID-19 case travelled on the Virgin Australia flight VA1139 from Sydney, arriving in Ballina on 14 July at 11.45am.
All passengers and cabin crew who were on this flight are considered as close contacts and must get tested and isolate for 14 days from the date of exposure, regardless of the result of the test.
In other sites across the state, anyone who visited the following venues at the stipulated times are classified as a close contact and directed to get tested and isolate for 14 days regardless of the result:
Campsie: Canterbury Late Night Pharmacy, 573 Canterbury Road, Thursday, 22 July 7:40pm to 7:50pm
Parramatta: Threefold Pastry, 404/12 Darcy St, Friday, 16 July, 10am to 3pm
Seven Hills: newsXpress, Seven Hills Plaza, Shop 38A/224 Prospect Hwy, Monday, 19 July, 4:15pm to 4:25pm
Those who attended any of the following venues at the time listed are classified as casual contacts, and should get tested immediately and isolate until a negative result is received:
Ballina: Ballina airport arrival lounge, 210 Southern Cross Drive, Wednesday, 14 July 11:45am to 12:10pm
Pendle Hill: Miruna Sri Lankan Restaurant, 150A Pendle Way, Wednesday, 14 July 12:30pm to 1pm, Thursday, 15 July 1pm to 1:30pm, Friday, 16 July 9am to 9:30am
Toongabbie: Commonwealth Bank, Cnr of Toongabbie Rd &, Aurelia St, Friday, 16 July 10:45am to 11am
Moore Park: Moore Park Golf Club, Cleveland St, Tuesday, 20 July 9am to 12pm, Wednesday, 21 July 8:45am to 10am
Bankstown: Blooms Chemist, Bankstown Central, 1 North Terrace, Thursday, 22 July 4:40pm to 4:45pm
Campsie: Cincotta Chemist, 157-159 Beamish Street, Thursday, 22 July 3:45pm to 3:50pm
Bankstown: Pharmacy 4 Less, Bankstown Central, Friday, 23 July 12:30pm to 12:50pm
Smithfield: Bunnings, Cnr Cumberland Hwy & Sturt St, Tuesday, 20 July 6:45am to 10:30am
Cabramatta: BreadTop, Shop 2/3 90 John St, Saturday, 17 July 8:45am to 8:55am
Fairfield Heights: Fairfield Heights News Agency, 251 the Boulevard, Monday, 19 July 5:15pm to 5:25pm
Wetherill Park: Big W, Cnr. Polding & Restwell St, Friday, 16 July 1:30pm to 2:30pm
Mount Lewis: Sea Sweet Patisserie, 177 Wattle St, Thursday, 15 July 8:55am to 9:05am
Cabramatta: Tan Thuan Loi Butchery, Dutton Ln, Saturday, 17 July 10:20am to 10:30am
Toongabbie: Woolworths, 17-19 Aurelia St, Wednesday, 14 July 5:50pm to 6:15pm
Pemulwuy: Woolworths, Greystanes Rd &, Butu Wargun Dr, Saturday, 17 July 7pm to 8pm
Auburn: Auburn Police Station, Queen Street, Wednesday, 21 July 4:40pm to 5:10pm
Kingsgrove: Woolworths, 1 Mashman Ave, Monday, 19 July 5pm to 6pm
Casula: Chemist Warehouse, 15/5 Parkers Farm Pl, Monday, 19 July 4:20pm to 4:45pm
Potts Point: Woolworths, Icon Building, 81 Macleay St, Thursday, 15 July 5:40pm to 6:50pm, Friday, 16 July 8:20am to 8:50am, Sunday, 18 July 6:30pm to 7:05pm, Wednesday, 21 July 2:05pm to 3:05pm
Greystanes: Woolworths, 656 Merrylands Rd, Saturday, 17 July 11:25am to 12:25pm
Parramatta: Threefold Pastry, 404/12 Darcy St, Thursday, 15 July 12:30pm to 1pm
Old Toongabbie: IGA, 56 Fitzwilliam Road, Friday, 23 July 12:20pm to 12:40pm
Chester Hill: Woolworths, Chester Square Shopping Centre, 1-13 Leicester St, Friday, 23 July 6:15pm to 7:15pm, Sunday, 25 July 8:50am to 9:50am
Eastern Creek: Red Rooster, 218 Western Motorway, Wednesday, 21 July, 12pm to 12:10pm
Edmondson Park: Oporto, 2/1942 Camden Valley Way, Tuesday, 20 July, 10:10pm to 10:30pm.
âš ï¸PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT – VENUES OF CONCERNâš ï¸
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) July 25, 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. pic.twitter.com/kP1sYLOzRY
Ellie Dudley6.30am:Vic, SA to hear lockdown fates; NSW hopes futile
Victoria and South Australia will hear whether they will be released from their respective lockdowns early this week, while New South Wales’ hopes for restrictions to be lifted by the end of the month appear futile.
Victoria’s senior government officials met on Sunday evening to discuss the end date to the state’s already-extended lockdown.
Premier Daniel Andrews is expected to announce today whether the lockdown will lift as planned on Wednesday.
Some 11 cases of the virus were detected across the state, but thankfully all had been in isolation for the entirety of their infectious period.
Thousands of Melburnians on Saturday fronted up to the CBD to protest the city’s fifth lockdown, raising concerns for health authorities of a super spreader event.
South Australia’s Premier Steven Marshall has referred to Monday as “D-Day”, as it is the day he will decide whether the state’s seven-day lockdown will lift on time.
Mr Marshall has said if it does lift on Tuesday, residents can expect some strict social distancing measures to remain in place.
Meanwhile in NSW, Sydneysiders are preparing for a long-haul lockdown which could last until September.
The Australian on Monday revealed the NSW Government was seeking financial modelling for small businesses of and out-of-work employees until September.
On Sunday, 141 new cases of Covid-19 were detected, with 38 in the community for the entirety of their infectious period.
The vast majority of cases were in the southwest Sydney area, where a new vaccination hub has been set up in a desperate attempt to have the area inoculated immediately.
Health authorities continue to be concerned about Saturday’s illegal anti-lockdown rally, which saw 5000 – mostly unmasked – protesters flock to the CBD to try to lift the current restrictions.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she was “utterly disgusted” by the actions of the protesters, some of which were violent with police when dispersed.
NSW Police have issued fines to 400 attendees, and will continue to look through CCTV footage to identify more.
READ MORE:September target to lift Sydney lockdown
Rhiannon Down6.25am:Covid-19 took just nine days to claim young victim
The bright, 38 — year-old woman who became one of the youngest people in Australia to die from Covid-19 succumbed just nine days after contracting the virus.
Adriana Midori Takara arrived from Brazil about two years ago to study accounting and, all things going well, become an Australian citizen.
Ms Takara did not suffer from any underlying medical condition, but suffered severely after contracting the virus.
Marlene Coimbra, who assisted Ms Takara when she came to Australia to study, said she was “shattered” by the death of her friend. “How can a healthy young woman be finished (by Covid-19)?” Ms Coimbra said.
Ms Coimbra said Ms Takara had suffered severely after contracting the virus.
“She was not getting better, she was having more and more complications,” she said.
“They called the brother to go there to say goodbye for the last time.”
READ the full story here.
Rhiannon Down5am:Lockdown protests plotted for weeks on social media
The violent protests that swept through Sydney’s CBD might have taken the city — and even police — by surprise, but they had been plotted weeks before the lockdown was even declared by a hard-core group of social-media-savvy conspirators.
Many of the same agitators were involved in a wave of similar “freedom” protests that rocked Melbourne during its second wave almost a year ago, with organisers tapping into a network of Covid-19 conspiracy activists and latching on to the “World Wide Rally for Freedom” movement overseas.
Saturday’s protests saw the fringe movement of anti-lockdown and anti-vax sceptics go national for the first time, with thousands of protesters flouting restrictions in Sydney and Melbourne, with rallies also taking place in Adelaide and Brisbane.
Organiser and self-described “vigilante” Anthony Khallouf, who runs website Australians vs The Agenda to fight the “socialist, communist, fascist state” pushing the Covid-19 “scam” — admitted he was surprised by the turnout.
“This was not only a slam dunk, it was a home run, a premiership team going from being 18 on the ladder to destroying Richmond by 100 points,” he said.
Mr Khallouf, who is facing charges of incitement for his alleged role in Melbourne’s protests last year, told The Australian last Thursday that Sydney would be “the main event”, predicting his cause would tap into the frustrations of locked-down Sydneysiders, especially in the southwest.
The details of Saturday’s protest had been circulated for weeks on social media, with early chatter about the protest on encrypted messaging app Telegram beginning in late May before Sydney’s lockdown had even begun, according to online discussions seen by The Australian.
In the week leading up to July 24, the protest hit the mainstream with “Sydney CBD takeover” plans being shared on Facebook and Instagram by Sydneysiders frustrated at the extended lockdown as fast as the social media platforms could remove the posts.
Meanwhile, multiple “freedom rally” Telegram groups in each state and city swelled to include thousands of activists, with many swapping protest strategy, plotting how to travel to the city from far away suburbs as well as scripts of “legalese” to tell police if arrested.
Read the full story here.
Yoni Bashan4.45am:Sydney lockdown expected to last until September
The NSW government has requested financial modelling for a lockdown of Greater Sydney that extends until mid-September due to the severity of the outbreak and an expectation that businesses and jobs won’t survive without more financial support.
The state’s crisis cabinet will convene this morning and is expected to imminently announce a significant extension of the lockdown – due to end on Friday – given rising case numbers, hospitalisations, and burgeoning infections concentrated in the city’s southwestern suburbs.
Officials were originally considering September 3 as an end date to the lockdown. However, it is now understood they are modelling multiple financial scenarios including those for a lockdown that ends on September 17.
NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet is expected to submit a request for the reintroduction of the JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme to the commonwealth based on the new timetable.
Read the full story, by Yoni Bashan and Tom Dusevic, here.
Adeshola Ore4.30am:Switch doctor to get AstraZeneca jab, PM urges
Scott Morrison has told younger Australians to switch doctors if they are blocked from the AstraZeneca jab after the nation’s leading immunisation panel advised Sydney residents over-18 to get the vaccine following criticism health experts had deterred take-up.
The Prime Minister on Sunday encouraged GPs to heed the updated advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation urging all adults in Greater Sydney to “strongly consider” any vaccine – including AstraZeneca – amid NSW’s Delta coronavirus outbreak.
But Royal Australian College of General Practitioners President Karen Price responded with caution, arguing that “doctor shopping” was not always in the best interests of patients.
Australian Medical Association President Omar Khorshid had a different view, suggesting there would be no need for younger Australians to shop around because GPs were now obliged to administer AstraZeneca to younger Australians in Greater Sydney following the update from ATAGI.
Read the full story here.
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