Coronavirus Australia live news: NSW records 478 cases, 7 deaths; Melbourne’s curfew back with 22 new Vic cases; 19 cases in ACT, NT snap lockdowns
Michaelia Cash will discuss how businesses can comply with health and safety obligations without mandating the jab in workplaces.
- Greater Darwin’s snap lockdown
- ACT lockdown extended with 19 new cases
- NSW has 478 new cases, 7 deaths
- Curfew imposed in Melbourne
- Victoria records 22 new cases
- PM fires warning at McGowan
- No new cases in Queensland
Welcome to live updates on Australia’s battle with the Covid-19 pandemic.
NSW has recorded its grimmest day of the pandemic: the highest number of cases and deaths in a single day. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says the record 478 new infections, along with seven deaths, are “disturbingly high”.
Melbourne will go into a 9pm to 5am curfew tonight after Victoria reported 22 new cases.
NSW Police and ADF personnel have started a new Covid-19 compliance crackdown, in a bid to reduce case numbers across the state.
The ACT has extended its lockdown by a fortnight after 19 new cases.
Greater Darwin and Katherine have entered a snap three-day lockdown after one community case, feared to be the Delta variant.
Footage has emerged of a man joking about breaching coronavirus restrictions at an engagement party allegedly held during Melbourne’s lockdown, with police now investigating. And NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has admitted there is now no way back to a zero Covid-19 strategy for the state.
Yoni Bashan11pm:Factions at war as crisis cabinet weighs tactics
In the end, it was a late Friday phone call that sealed the deal and resulted in some of the harshest restrictions to be imposed on Sydneysiders during the pandemic.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian had one day earlier assured Police Minister David Elliott that his officers would be handed whatever powers they thought necessary to curb the movement of people around the city – and hopefully stop the ever-rising numbers of Covid-19 infections.
By Friday afternoon, however, it had become clear to Mr Elliott that final approval for his proposals from the NSW crisis cabinet – the government’s most senior ministers charged with guiding the state through the pandemic – would not be forthcoming.
Mr Elliott and Police Commissioner Mick Fuller had wanted a 5km restriction on outdoor exercise to make it easier to track those breaking health rules and stop large numbers congregating at the city’s beaches and parks.
Even worse, he had learned that the pre-agreed measure had been deleted from the agenda by staff attached to Ms Berejiklian’s office, meaning the crisis cabinet had not even discussed the matter.
This is the story about how the state’s most senior pandemic decision-making body has buckled under the strain of Covid-19 cases, seemingly unable to stop daily records in case numbers.
Rachel Baxendale 10.15pm:Curfew is pointless: police, experts
Five million Melburnians will be living under a 9pm-5am curfew for at least the next 16 days, despite scepticism from epidemiologists over the efficacy of the measure and opposition from the police union and civil liberties groups.
The curfew comes alongside a 14-day extension of Melbourne’s lockdown, and bans on the use of playgrounds and on drinking alcohol in public.
It was imposed as Victoria recorded 22 new coronavirus cases on Monday, including eight in people who had not been isolating during their infectious period.
Of the 204 cases linked to outbreaks that have emerged since August 4, 124, or 61 per cent, have been in people who spent time in the community while infectious.
The cases are spread across eight separate outbreaks for which contact tracers are yet to establish a source of infection.
Testing numbers have been falling away, with 29,986 tests processed on Sunday compared with 38,987 the previous Sunday.
Jess Malcolm 9.30pm: NSW exposure list grows
NSW Health has added several new exposure venues in regional NSW as the outbreak worsens in the state’s west.
New casual contact venues have been listed in Dubbo, Glendale, Ingleburn and Kotara.
These venues include a Dubbo IGA, Bathurst Mitre 10, an Engadine Commonwealth Bank bracnh and a Glendale sports centre.
Any residents of these regions are asked to check the updated list and follow the public health advice.
Anyone who visited these venues at the date and time must get tested and isolate until receiving a negative result.
A full list of locations can be found on the NSW government website.
âš ï¸PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT – NEW AND UPDATED VENUES OF CONCERNâš ï¸
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 16, 2021
We have been notified of a number of new and updated casual contact venues of concern associated with confirmed cases of COVID 19. pic.twitter.com/qzzAAXzC8E
Liam Mendes8.45pm: Candid cameras on patrol as police get tough
Bondi beachgoers in Sydney’s east were shocked to discover they were under surveillance by portable CCTV cameras on Monday, as NSW police ramped up patrols and compliance measures to enforce the state’s tough new lockdown rules.
Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said the crackdown and harsher penalties would provide a much needed “circuit-breaker” to help drive down Covid-19 case numbers.
A major police operation is under way, with state highway patrol monitoring roadblocks and checkpoints in a bid to limit movement out of Sydney, and hundreds of police officers under instruction to issue tickets for noncompliance.
Jess Malcolm: 8.05pm: Vic to declare ACT an extreme red zone
Victorian Health authorities will declare the ACT an extreme red zone under its traffic light travel permit system from 10pm.
Anyone who has been in the ACT in the past 14 days will be barred from entering Victoria without an exemption or valid permit.
Anyone who enters Victoria with an exemption will need to quarantine for 14 days.
Victoria has also declared greater Darwin and Katherine red zones, meaning returning Victorian residents must obtain a permit to enter and isolate on arrival.
From 10:00pm 16 August, the Australian Capital Territory is an extreme risk zone under Victoria’s travel permit system. pic.twitter.com/0SrACZ2vIW
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) August 16, 2021
Jess Malcolm: 7.20pm: Qld declares Darwin and Katherine a hotspot
Queensland Health authorities have declared greater Darwin and Katherine a hotspot, after a new positive mystery case triggered a snap three-day lockdown.
From 1am on Wednesday, travellers from these regions will be banned from entering Queensland.
Special permits and exemptions will be granted for returning residents.
Anyone who has been in these regions on or after August 12 will also be banned from Queensland prisons, aged care facilities, disability accommodation services and hospitals.
All Queenslanders are being urged to reconsider travel to the Northern Territory.
📢 Queensland COVID-19 update - Greater Darwin & Katherine hotspot declaration
— Queensland Health (@qldhealthnews) August 16, 2021
From 1am Wednesday 18 August, anyone who has been to Darwin or Katherine, Northern Territory, cannot enter Queensland unless they are a returning resident or have been granted an exemption.
Ewin Hannan7.10pm:Cash to meet employers, union over rollout
Industrial Relations Minister Michaelia Cash will meet with employers and unions on Wednesday to discuss progress on the vaccine rollout and how businesses can comply with health and safety obligations without mandating the jab in workplaces.
Fair Work Ombudsman Sandra Parker will brief the meeting on the regulator’s recent legal guidance including how employers required to open in covid hotspots during lockdowns could have the power to direct workers to be vaccinated against covid.
Australian Information and Privacy Commissioner Angelene Falk, who says new laws might be required to protect privacy if vaccine passports are introduced, will also attend to answer questions from employers and unions.
The Australian reported last week that business and unions wanted greater guidance from the government on workplace vaccinations, with ACTU secretary Sally McManus calling for employers, unions and the government to act in a united way to support and encourage people to get vaccinated.
Senator Cash said a key focus of the meeting would be “on how businesses can comply with their work, health and safety obligations, including without mandating the vaccine”.
“The Morrison government’s position is clear,” she said. “Vaccination is free and voluntary, but we strongly recommend that everyone gets vaccinated as soon as they can.”
Employer organisations due to attend the meeting include the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Australian Industry Group, Master Builders Australia, and the Australian Mines and Metals Association.
As well as the ACTU, union representatives attending the talks include officials from the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association, the United Workers Union and the Australian Workers Union.
Ms McManus on Monday called on the government to provide a new universal leave entitlement through the National Employment Standards for paid vaccination leave for every worker, including casuals, to get the jab and recover from any ritine side effects.
She said NSW, Melbourne, Canberra, and parts of the Northern Territory were in lockdown “because of the Morrison government’s failed vaccine rollout”.
“We need the federal government to remove every barrier people may have to getting vaccinated,” she said.
“One important barrier is any financial penalty. Casual workers and anyone without leave will risk paying a price to get the vaccine due to routine side effects which means lost income because they have no paid leave. This can be rectified with the Federal Government taking action to guarantee paid vaccination leave.”
Jess Malcolm: 7pm: Vaccine doses reach 15.3m
A total of 15,338,926 Covid-19 vaccine doses gave been administered, including 94,497 in the past 24 hours.
The figure means 48 per cent of people over the age of 16 have had one dose, with 26.2 per cent fully vaccinated.
NSW has overtaken Victoria to lead with 5,170,324 vaccines — 47,864 of those completed in the past 24 hours. Victoria has administered 3,981,941, followed by Queensland with 2,837,758, West Australia on 1,394,495, South Australia on 1,040,250, Tasmania with 379,599, the ACT with 356,518 and the Northern Territory’s 178,041.
In the past 24 hours, state and territory clinics administered 52,755 vaccines and commonwealth clinics delivered 41,742.
A total of 660,961 vaccines have now been administered in aged-care and disability facilities, with 2179 given in the past 24 hours.
Jess Malcolm:6.30pm:Newcastle church exposed for 16 days
Worshippers of a Newcastle church have been placed on high alert after a confirmed Covid-19 case spent time in a venue for over two weeks whilst infectious.
The Redeemed Christian Church of God, City of David, in Waratah has been listed by NSW Health as a close contact exposure site for 16 days.
Anyone who visited the venue all day between Saturday July 31 to Sunday August 15 must get tested and isolate for 14 days regardless of the result.
A Dubbo Japanese restaurant, Sushi Zen, has also been listed as a new close contact venue. Anyone who visited the venue on Sunday August 8 from 12.45pm to 12.55pm must isolate for 14 days.
NSW Health has also added several new casual contact venues, and is urging all people to regularly check the NSW government website.
âš ï¸PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT – NEW VENUES OF CONCERNâš ï¸
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 16, 2021
NSW Health has been notified of new venues of concern across NSW, which are associated with confirmed cases of COVID 19. pic.twitter.com/qA2xATKloH
Jess Malcolm 6.20pm:New measures a much-needed ‘circuit-breaker’
NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller says the ramp up of compliance measures and tougher penalties imposed will provide a needed “circuit-breaker” to help drive down case numbers in Sydney.
A major police operation is now underway with state highway patrol monitoring roadblocks and checkpoints in a bid to limit movement out of Sydney, and hundreds of police officers under instruction to issue tickets for noncompliance.
Commissioner Fuller said the move to crack down was caused by the infectiousness of the Delta variant.
“There has been continual escalation, but obviously we are at the turning point where we need a circuit breaker,” he told the ABC.
“We pride ourselves on community policing, but we felt that in terms of the messaging that we put out there over the past particularly seven weeks in multiple languages, through different community leaders, and even our own feedback from community leaders was that it is at saturation point.”
But Commissioner Fuller said authorities were not considering imposing a curfew similar to Melbourne, based on a lack of evidence to prove it would work.
“We look worldwide in terms of what works and we don’t believe a curfew is what will work. We do believe the messaging that we put out, and the orders we have at the moment will make an impact.”
Rachel Baxendale5.10pm:‘Cruel, dark day for Victoria’: O’Brien
Victorian opposition leader Michael O’Brien says the reimposition of a curfew, closure of playgrounds and cancellation of state parliament represents a “very dark day” for his state.
“Extending the lockdown was always on the cards, but reimposing the curfew, closing down playgrounds. My goodness. That’s just cruel,” Mr O’Brien said.
“This is unnecessary overreach from a government which is punishing innocent Victorians, because they don’t have a plan to tackle the guilty, and they don’t have a plan to tackle Covid. So many Victorians have done the right thing, but they’re all being punished by this cruel decision today.”
Mr O’Brien said the curfew would see Victorians punished for walking their dogs or putting the bins out at 9.05pm.
“That doesn’t stop the spread of Covid. It’s an overreach,” he said, referring to evidence given in the Supreme Court last year by senior health department medical adviser Michelle Giles that there was no evidence a curfew in isolation was effective in stopping the spread of coronavirus during Victoria’s second wave.
“Last time, the government had to admit in legal proceedings, they had no evidence that the curfew itself had any impact on stopping the spread of Covid.
“The government admitted that in evidence before the Supreme Court of Victoria, and today, they’re reimposing it again, again with no evidence that it’s going to work. None whatsoever.
“The Chief Health Officer couldn’t provide any evidence today. We know that last year the Chief Commissioner of Police Shane Patton said he never requested the curfew. It was always a political decision from the Andrews government to appear tough. Well appearing tough doesn’t work against Covid.”
Mr O’Brien said he could not think of “anything crueller” than banning the use of playgrounds.
“These are often kids who have been denied the opportunity to go to school, denied the opportunity to see their friends, and now the government’s taking away that little bit of sunshine in their lives, to be able to go to a playground,” he said.
The Liberal leader also slammed the cancellation of sittings of state parliament due to take place from Tuesday to Thursday.
“This is appalling. This is not about me, it’s not about Daniel Andrews, it’s about the people of Victoria,” Mr O’Brien said.
“If ever there was a time when the people of Victoria needed governments held accountable for their actions, it’s now. When the government is exercising such extreme power, such draconian power over the lives of Victorians, that government must be held accountable to the people for its actions, and yet the government is shutting down parliament, closing down, no question time, no debate, no opportunity to demand answers of the Premier and his ministers who are doing this to Victorians.”
READ MORE:Strict Mebourne lockdown rules explained
Jess Malcolm3.40pm:Covid-19 outbreak in Sydney hospital cancer unit
Another Sydney hospital has been hit with a Covid-19 scare, after multiple staff and patients in St George Hospital oncology unit tested positive to the virus.
Three patients and two staff members first tested positive on August 13 and 14.
A spokeswoman for South Eastern Sydney Local Health District confirmed both staff members were fully vaccinated. Two of the three positive patients had received one dose of vaccine, and the third patient was not vaccinated.
“As a precautionary measure the hospital is treating all patients on the ward as close contacts and has implemented additional infection control procedures on the ward to maintain the health and safety of patients,” the spokeswoman said.
“The hospital is contacting patients who were on those wards at the same time that other patients may have been infectious and asking them to get tested and isolate.”
All staff have been contacted.
Jess Malcolm3.35pm:Tasmania closes border to Darwin, Katherine
Tasmania will close its borders to Greater Darwin and Katherine from 4pm today, in response to a new mystery case recorded in the Northern Territory.
Greater Darwin and Katherine will be upgraded to a “high-risk” area, barring anyone who has been to these regions since Thursday August 12 from entering Tasmania.
Tasmanian residents will be allowed in but will need to undertake 14 days mandatory quarantine in a “suitable premises”. Those who do not have a suitable residence will be required to enter government-designated hotel quarantine.
Public health authorities are also asking anyone who has recently arrived from the Northern Territory to closely monitor their symptoms and get tested if they arise.
John Ferguson3.00pm:Victoria’s curfew marks death of commonsense
“The Lockdown 6.0 extension in Melbourne is understandable but the curfew marks the death of commonsense,” writes John Ferguson.
“It is a vast overreach that misreads community sentiment and will deliver little to no practical benefit.
“It will punish the law-abiding for the deeds of a tiny minority, groups that for 18 months have been uncontrollable.”
READ the full story here.
Remy Varga2.26pm:Three lockdown breach engagement party guests positive
Three guests at a St Kilda East engagement party have now tested positive for Covid-19, including one on Monday.
Covid-19 logistics chief Jeroen Weimar said contact tracers had already identified 90 close contacts of the 69 guests who attended the illegal gathering last weekend.
“We think it is likely that party was a transmission event,” he said.
Eleven of the 22 cases recorded on Monday are linked to Al-Taqwa College in Truganina while two have been linked to the Newport cluster.
One case linked to the Caroline Springs shopping centre while another is linked to the Wolf Cafe.
Two other cases are linked to Glenroy West Primary School while an additional two are residents of the Lygon St towers.
Two cases are linked to Altona North and one is linked to Dandenong.
READ the full story here.
Paige Taylor2.13pm:NSW outbreak reaches Bourke in far west
The Covid-19 outbreak in the far west of New South Wales has infected 91 people and reached Bourke.
The latest figures in NSW’s far west were revealed Monday at a press conference held by local MP Dugald Saunders and Western NSW Local Health District chief executive Scott McLachlan, who said it was a serious concern that most of the new cases were infectious while in the community.
Over the weekend, testing picked up 35 new cases in the far west. Of those, 32 were in Dubbo. There are now three cases in Mudgee and one in Bourke. The person infected in Bourke is a man now in hospital.
READ MORE:Strict Mebourne lockdown rules explained
Remy Varga1.35pm:Extended lockdown’s ‘heavy burden’: Sutton
Victoria’s chief health officer Brett Sutton says deciding to extend the lockdown is a heavy burden for him as he acknowledged the mental health toll of lengthy restrictions.
Professor Sutton said he balanced the extension with the “awful prospect” of the lockdown lasting for months longer, which he said would be “catastrophic for mental health”.
“I don’t want people to have to suffer this for months and months to come,” he said.
Paul Garvey1.17pm:Unrepentant WA premier slams NSW, defends border control
An unrepentant Mark McGowan has slammed NSW’s handling of the Covid crisis and defended his commitment to maintaining the state’s border controls for the longer term.
A day after his comments about wanting to keep WA Covid-free even once the state hits an 80 per cent vaccination rate sparked criticism from business leaders and Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Mr McGowan told reporters on Monday that he did not understand the controversy.
“I’m getting criticised over east, I understand, for saying I’d prefer to not have Covid. What’s the alternative? NSW? Is that what they want? This defence by the Sydney press corp of NSW is getting a bit ridiculous,” he said.
“Their management of this issue has meant that they now have mass cases all over NSW, they are costing the taxpayers of all states of Australia countless billions of dollars. They’ve got people dying. I don’t want to go there. I don’t want us to be like NSW and we’ve done everything we can to avoid it at this point in time.”
Mr McGowan noted that the transition plan agreed by the states at a meeting of national cabinet late last month explicitly stated that “highly targeted” lockdowns would still be possible even once vaccination rates exceed 80 per cent and the nation enters phase C of the transition.
Only at phase D, which does not have an agreed vaccination rate trigger, would lockdowns fall away and international borders be reopened. In the meantime, he said, WA would continue to target minimal or no Covid in WA.
The current criticism directed at WA was like “Groundhog Day”, he said, noting that WA similarly came under fire last year when Victoria was battling with a major outbreak.
“We’ve been through nearly two years of all the criticism and carping and undermining, and what’s Western Australia achieved? The freest most successful society in the world, the strongest economy in Australia and possibly the world,” he said.
“And yet for some reason, probably because there’s a fanatical desire by some people in NSW to protect the NSW government, we are under attack. I think they need to take a look at the management of NSW rather than the management of WA.”
He said WA — which has kept its mining industry operating throughout the pandemic, allowing the big iron ore mines of the Pilbara to take advantage of record-high prices – was bankrolling financial support for virus-hit NSW.
“What we’ve successfully done because of our industries is fund the bailout for NSW. The people of WA have funded it,” he said.
“If people want to criticise us for doing the right thing, let them. But we will continue to do the right thing.”
He also noted that the agreed transition plan included a host of social distancing measures that are not currently in place in WA, such as the 2 square metre rule, crowd and workplace capacity limitations, and social distancing measures, and which he wanted WA to avoid if possible.
READ MORE:‘Can I finish’: Gladys fires up at presser
Remy Varga1.15pm:‘Shitty choices’: Partygoers ‘not the victims’, says Andrews
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has blasted the “shitty choices” of the St Kilda partygoers, saying he was not going “to cop” that they were the victims.
But Mr Andrews defended the Jewish community, saying the poor behaviour captured on video was reflective of individuals.
“This is not an act of faith. This is not part of cultural practice. This is just bad behaviour,” he said.
“I know for a fact the vast majority of the Jewish community … Melbourne and Victoria have a proud Jewish community … are doing the right thing and that’s why they as a community are so angry as well.”
Remy Varga1.05pm:$350,000 in fines: Cost of lockdown engagement party
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said he’s referred a St Kilda engagement party to his investigators, saying collectively the guests have earnt themselves more than $350,000 in fines for the illegal gathering.
Blasting the guests as selfish, disappointing and outrageous, Mr Patton said he expected all 69 guests, excluding children, would be fined $5452.
“That’s going to be over $350,000 in fines,” he said.
“That’s an expensive engagement party.”
Mr Patton warned the time for discretion was over, saying police would be instructed to take a harder line against public health breaches.
READ the full story here.
Remy Varga1.00pm:No masks off to street drink: Premier blasts pub crawl
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says Victoria Police and the state liquor regulator are looking at the venues that participated in a pub crawl in the inner city suburb of Richmond over the weekend.
Mr Andrews said he was “angry” at the venues that had participated, saying it devalued the hard work of pandemic shattered hospitality industry.
Unveiling new restrictions on Monday, Mr Andrews said: “You will no longer be able to remove your mask to drink a cocktail at a pop-up beer garden on a footpath as part of a pub crawl.”
“The VCGLR and I understand Victoria Police are looking at what occurred at the weekend at a number of licensed venues.
“There are being reviews conducted into the terms of those licences and whether any of those licence holders have done the wrong thing.”
Remy Varga12.56pm:Delta has Victoria ‘an the brink’: Sutton
Chief health officer Brett Sutton says Victoria is “at the brink”, saying the state is struggling to get ahead of the Delta outbreak.
Professor Sutton said the nation was facing a substantial challenge and the state needed to step up, saying cases could explode if tighter restrictions were not introduced.
“We are at the brink and maybe need to step back from the brink,” he said.
Remy Varga12.51pm:Disappointed, angry: Fury at engagement party attendees
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says he’s angry and disappointed after Covid-19 transmission occurred at an engagement party in St Kilda, saying the dozens of guests have created thousands of hours of work for contact tracers.
Mr Andrews said the party devalued the rest of the hard work and sacrifice undertaken by the rest of Melbourne and said the event could become a super spreader event.
“What makes me really angry about that event is that each of those 69 people will have to be interviewed,” he said.
“Their close contacts will have to be spoken to and tested.
“Our contact tracers who are working their guts out for all of us will have to spend literally thousands of hours dealing with hundreds and thousands of people connected to that engagement party.”
“That is the work that they must do, but it is all entirely preventable. That is what makes me angry and disappointed.”
The gathering last weekend is believed to have been attended by as many as 100 people, including a St Kilda East mother and her son whose positive test results were among Sunday’s Victorian mystery cases.
The engaged couple, who The Australian has chosen not to name, are understood to be members of Melbourne’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish community.
READ the full story here.
Remy Varga12.43pm:Victoria confirms curfew, tougher extended lockdown
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has confirmed a tougher lockdown will be in place until September 2, saying the state is at a “tipping point” and risks becoming NSW.
From 11.59pm tonight, a curfew will be enforced between 9pm and 5am and will apply to intimate and single partner visits.
Outdoor playgrounds, basketball courts, skate parks and exercised equipment will be closed.
Permits will be required for essential workers and some higher education students.
Only two people will be allowed to exercise together including household members but excluding dependants who cannot be left at home.
Construction will be reduced to 25 per cent and mobile pet grooming and letterboxing will be prohibited.
People will no longer be able to remove a mask outdoors to drink alcohol.
Rachel Baxendale12.38pm:Victoria’s exposure sites balloon to 531
Victoria’s exposure site list has now hit 531, after 54 new sites were added in the 24 hours to Monday, extending from Dandenong in the outer southeast to Meadow Heights and South Morang in the outer north, and across the inner city.
Other suburbs with exposure sites include St Kilda, Caulfield North, Malvern and Balaclava in the inner southeast, Carlton, Brunswick, North Melbourne, Kensington, Coburg North and Glenroy in the inner north and northwest, Footscray, Altona, Altona North, Laverton and Williamstown in the inner west and southwest, and Tullamarine in the outer northwest.
One recent exposure site of particular concern is the public housing tower at 480 Lygon St, Carlton.
A sewage detection at a facility specific to the building alerted authorities to the likelihood of a case there over the weekend, and residents were tested on Saturday and Sunday, with a positive case expected to be confirmed among Monday’s numbers.
While some areas of the building linked to the case have been classified as Tier 1, requiring 14 days quarantine, most of the building is Tier 2, requiring testing and isolation until a negative result is received.
Remy Varga12.35pm:Police don’t want curfew in Victoria
Victoria police union boss Wayne Gatt says his officer members don’t want a curfew and has warned the cops are already stretched paper thin by the pandemic.
The Police Association Victoria secretary told 3AW on Monday that the “contentious” public health measure wasn’t wanted by police during the second lockdown in 2020.
“Our members didn’t really see great value in it to be quite honest,” he said.
“If they turn something like that [curfew] on again, it’ll be the police again that’ll be asked to enforce it and we are stretched paper thin.”
Mr Gatt said police were already stretched by pandemic redeployments, with between 600 and 700 seconded to hotel quarantine, about 300 on the NSW border and about 250 enforcing compliance with public health rules.
“We’ve still got a business as usual police to run, crime continues unabated of course and public safety remains a focus for us,” he said.
“We are flat out and we do have some station closures as a result of these deployments now to help us manage those workloads.”
“Our members are tired, they’re stretched and they really are juggling those priorities Neil.”
Max Maddison12.30pm:Delta strain suspicion prompts snap Darwin lockdown
Greater Darwin has been plunged into a snap, three-day lockdown after a case of Covid-19 was recorded in the territory overnight, Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner has announced.
The lockdown will also include Palmerston and Katherine, which was enacted for 72-hours from midday today. The positive case, a man in his 30s, had travelled to the territory for legitimate work purposes on August 12 after arriving from overseas and completing his 14 days mandatory quarantine.
“He landed in Darwin very late Thursday night, just before midnight, and travelled via taxi to the Hilton Hotel on Mitchell Street,” Mr Gunner told a press conference on Monday.
“Later on Friday morning, he travelled back to the airport in an Uber car to collect a hire car.
The man visited various locations in the Darwin CBD over the next few days for a limited period of time. There are a number of exposure sites.”
With the man asymptomatic, Mr Gunner said health officials were working under the assumption it was the Delta strain. He said there was a “very real risk” the virus had travelled across the community and had come into contact with vulnerable people.
READ the full story here.
Max Maddison12.18pm:ACT lockdown extended by two weeks
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has extended the territory’s lockdown by an additional two weeks, after 19 new cases were recorded.
The spike in infections took the total number of recorded cases to 28 since the worsening outbreak emerged on Thursday. ACT Chief Health Office Kerryn Coleman warned there would be a rise in cases before lockdowns began to take effect.
There were about 6500 close contacts currently in isolation. This included student’s at Lyneham High School in Canberra’s north, in addition to a raft of new exposure sites.
“This is concerning and it demonstrates that the virus is active in our community. We have been expecting this, though. And we will continue to see more cases in the coming days,” Mr Barr told a press conference on Monday afternoon.
READ the full story here.
Debbie Schipp12.14pm:Parts of NT go into snap three-day lockdown
The Northern Territory capital of Darwin and the town of Katherine have entered a snap three-day lockdown.
The lockdown began at midday.
NT chief minister Michael Gunner said “we have an urgent and important update for the residents of greater Darwin region and Katherine”.
“The NT has recorded one new case of Covid-19 overnight. Because of the circumstances of this case, we have had to make a difficult decision this morning to escalate our pandemic response.
“From midday today, the Darwin, Palmerston, Darwin rural area and Katherine will enter a full lock down for 72 hours. We are in lockdown until midday Thursday.”
Debbie Schipp12.10pm:ACT records 19 new Covid-19 cases
ACT COVID-19 update (16 August 2021)
— ACT Health (@ACTHealth) August 16, 2021
â–ªï¸ Cases today (since yesterday’s press conference): 19
â–ªï¸ Active cases: 28
â–ªï¸ Total cases (since March 2020): 152
â–ªï¸ Test conducted (past 24 hours): 5,723
â–ªï¸ Negative test results (past 24 hours): 6,444
â–ªï¸ Total negative tests: 298,964 pic.twitter.com/i6Sq0ALucO
Nicholas Jensen12.05pm:Zero daily cases ‘not possible’: Berejiklian
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and CHO Kerry Chant have defended the government’s public health messaging saying the main aim is to reduce case numbers and accelerate vaccination.
“We have to get case numbers down. This level of case numbers is not where we want them to be, where we need to be … We will never eliminate Covid from the world. We have the privilege now of having a vaccine. But vaccination is not a silver bullet,” said Dr Chant.
“We have to work hard to get vaccine levels up and even when we have the high vaccine coverage, we will still have to move around in society in a way that acknowledges the threat of Covid.”
Ms Berejiklian said while Covid is active globally and the Delta variant is “causing carnage”, zero daily cases was not possible.
“Even when you follow the Doherty Institute report to the enth degree, after you have 80 per cent of double doses and you open up to an extent, depending on your case numbers, you are still at risk and you will see cases pop up.
“When you have 80 per cent of your population vaccinated that reduces the number of people that will end up in hospital and the number of people that will die … It is (zero daily cases) always our aspiration and we have to work hard to get the case numbers down.”
“It is a horrible situation. We need to turn it around. But to suggest that we are going to have zero the whole way through until the pandemic ends across the world is not a realistic proposition,” she said.
Nicholas Jensen11.50am:Deputy Premier backs plan to help regional spread
NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro said he was confident that the Regional Permit System, designed to limit traffic outside of Greater Metropolitan Sydney, would reduce transmission of the virus across regional NSW.
“We have made a decision about a permit system for Greater Sydney for access to the regions and we will have a limited list of reasons why you can go … There are a number of changes we will make but we will make that clear this week.”
“There have been many examples of people who have left Sydney to go and tender a second residence. We will limit that to one person only.”
Mr Barilaro said residents outside of Sydney are permitted to move within an LGA for essential reasons.
“We want you to minimise that movement but we know sometimes the grocery store is more than 5km away … There is no distance rule within an LGA. If you have to go to the neighbouring LGA to go grocery shopping, there is no limit if that is the only option that you have.”
Nicholas Jensen 11.45am:NSW police chief warns on crackdown
Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said the state will continue to ramp up the enforcement of public health orders in the coming weeks, after issuing another 500 infringements on Sunday.
Of those infringements, 120 were issued to people for not wearing masks and disobeying “a mix of health orders”.
“Over the next 21 days, the NSW community needs to know we are out there enforcing these health orders to stop the spread of the virus so we can come out of lock down … I don’t apologise for that.”
“We all want the same thing but we need a circuit breaking from a law enforcement perspective and that started at midnight last night.”
Rachel Baxendale11.35am:Victoria imposes strict 9-5 curfew
The Andrews government has decided to impose a fortnight-long 9pm to 5am curfew on Melburnians.
The Australian understands senior ministers see the measure as one of the few options they have left to avoid a NSW-style scenario of uncontrolled Covid spread.
A time is yet to be set for today’s press conference, at which the new restrictions are expected to be announced.
The Australian understands Melbourne’s lockdown will be extended for two weeks, and expanded statewide, with the curfew to be imposed across greater Melbourne.
Essential workers will require permits to leave their homes, and a specialised workers list similar to that used in 2020 will be introduced.
Playgrounds will be closed.
Nicholas Jensen11.30am:NSW battles ‘outbreak’ in mental health facility
NSW Health has reported 30 cases in the Nepean Blue Mountains connected to two exposure sites.
Dr Chant said there has been a “clear outbreak” in a mental health facility there and also across some other wards in the Nepean Hospital.
“I want to confirm that Nepean Hospital, including the emergency department, remains open. All precautions have been put in place to protect both health and staff and the health of patients presenting to that facility.”
Meanwhile, sewage surveillance has detected the presence of viral fragments in Bourke, Lennox Head, Parkes, Wallacia treatment plants. But no cases have been linked to those sites.
Paul Garvey11.25am:WA moves to vaccinate 16-year-olds
Western Australians as young as 16 will now be eligible for the Pfizer vaccine under changes announced on Monday by WA Premier Mark McGowan.
The state has for the first time opened up its vaccination programs to people aged between 16 and 29 as it tries to lift the lowest vaccination levels of any state.
Less than 23 per cent of West Australians have received two vaccine doses, compared to between 24.56 per cent and 32.37 per cent in other states and territories.
Mr McGowan said the expanded eligibility was a “brilliant” opportunity for all West Australians over 16 to get vaccinated.
“I know many young people are very keen to get vaccinated and do their part to keep themselves, their families and their community safe,” he said.
The eligibility change comes as WA launches a two-week “vaccination blitz”, with state-run clinics to operate extended hours and a new clinic opening at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre in the CBD.
Nicholas Jensen11.15am:Man in his 40s among latest NSW deaths
chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant announced seven deaths, include a man in his 40s from southwestern Sydney, who had severe underlying health conditions and was not vaccinated.
The others are a man in his 80s from the southwest, a woman in her 70s from the northern suburbs, a woman in her 80s from the inner west, a man in his 70s from the southwest, a man his 80s from the southwest and a man in his 80s from western Sydney who died at Nepean Hospital.
“It is important that we understand the true impact that Covid is having on the community and why it is so critical. We all play a key role in protecting our loved ones from disease,” said Dr Chant.
Nicholas Jensen11.01am:NSW records 478 cases, seven deaths
NSW has recorded 478 locally acquired cases of Covid-19, the highest number the state has recorded since the beginning of the current outbreak.
There were seven more deaths, only two of them were vaccinated.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said “our community transmission numbers are disturbingly high”.
Rachel Baxendale10.55am:Victoria ponders harder, longer lockdown
Victoria’s crisis council of cabinet is meeting this morning to discuss recommendations from the state’s health authorities to bolster coronavirus restrictions, with the current lockdown certain to be extended beyond Thursday.
Options on the table include a 9pm to 5am curfew, increased enforcement, a permit system for essential workers, and making the lockdown Statewide.
Eleven days into the state’s sixth lockdown, coronavirus case numbers are not falling, with authorities particularly concerned about 10 clusters with unknown sources of acquisition which have emerged since August 4 – eight of which have come to light since last Wednesday.
This is in addition to five cases in Monday’s numbers which are yet to be linked to previously known outbreaks.
Recent infections have been linked to restriction breaches, including sleepovers, children attending others’ houses for homework clubs, office workers refusing to work from home, and an engagement party.
Authorities are also increasingly concerned about lax behaviour in public spaces linked to hospitality venues, exemplified by a pub crawl which saw crowds flock to inner city Richmond over the weekend.
There is widespread fear among health authorities and within government that if the current outbreak is not controlled soon, Victoria will find itself in a similar predicament to that being experienced by NSW.
Max Maddison10.30am:Morrison fires warning shot at McGowan
Scott Morrison has issued a stern warning to West Australian Premier Mark McGowan, saying after agreeing to the vaccination reopening plan on “three occasions”, he would be walking away from a commitment to his own citizens.
On Sunday, Mr McGowan walked away from the national commitment to limit the use of draconian restrictions once 70-80 per cent of the population had received jabs, saying he reserved the right to enact lockdowns and hard border closures in the pursuit of an eradication strategy.
With the country’s road map seemingly already fractured, the Prime Minister declined to criticise the Labor Premier, but said Mr McGowan would be reneging not only on his commitment to national cabinet, but also to the people of WA, saying “on three occasions, we agreed to this plan”.
“That was done in our first discussion of the national plan, it was then agreed in-principle with the targets set by the Doherty Institute, which made it very clear that once you get to 70 per cent and 80 per cent, at that level … then you are managing the virus just like you are the flu and that was what the national plan was about,” Mr Morrison told ABC News Breakfast on Monday morning.
“It gives people that hope and the path forward, it is the path out and that is the national plan and that plan was agreed to.”
Yoni Bashan10.20am:Police ordered to get tough on breaches
NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller has issued a directive to all officers ordering them not to issue warnings and cautions to people who allegedly breach the state’s public health orders, in a move that is likely to result in a steep increase in fines and other penalties across NSW. Read more here
Lydia Lynch10.05am:‘Wonderful’ news on Queensland cases
No local cases have been detected in Queensland for a second consecutive day.
Annastacia Palaszczuk said it was “wonderful” news after a school-based outbreak earlier this month spawned 130 cases.
“Thank you Queensland for that mighty effort,” she said.
Ms Palaszczuk said the movement across the Queensland/NSW had to be “minimal” and from Friday all essential travellers moving across the border must have at least one vaccine dose.
“We are very concerned,” she said. “These strict border measures are necessary and they will be enforced.”
Rachel Baxendale9.50am:Intrigue surrounds Richmond case
One recent Victorian Covid case in a teacher who lives in inner city Richmond and works at Glenroy West Primary school, in Melbourne’s northwest, had sparked interest, because exposure sites linked to her had been listed as far back as August 2.
This predated the August 4 detection of a case in an Al-Taqwa College teacher, whose case was the first to emerge among the current outbreaks.
Exposure sites linked to the Richmond teacher also overlapped with sites listed in July for people linked to the MCG, AAMI Park, Ms Frankie and Trinity Grammar as part of the outbreak which sparked our fifth lockdown.
But Covid logistics chief Jeroen Weimar said on Sunday there were no genomic or epidemiological links between the Richmond teacher and the earlier cluster, sparked by removalists who visited the Ariele apartments in Maribyrnong and spread via the MCG.
“There are no connections there whatsoever, so we’ve excluded that from our considerations,” Mr Weimar said.
He said there were some possible genomic links to a cluster spread across five households in Coolaroo, in Melbourne’s outer north, which emerged around the same time as the MCG cluster.
He said the Richmond teacher’s exposure sites had been dated back to August 2, out of an abundance of caution, because she had developed symptoms on July 31 and tested negative on August 2.
“As you know, we’re always really conservative about the timing of our exposure sites, particularly when we’re starting to see more community transmission than we’d like to see,” Mr Weimar said.
“She did a test, I believe on the 31st of July, from memory. That was a negative test. Based on her symptom onset, based on her own experience, based on her reporting back, we’ve taken her infectious period from the 2nd of August.”
It is possible the August 2 negative was a false result, with authorities hopeful serology testing may indicate how old the teacher’s case is likely to be.
He said contact tracers did not believe the teacher was the source for the Glenroy West Primary School cluster, now linked to 29 cases.
Nicholas Jensen9.40am:Deputy Premier defends social media announcement
NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro has defended his government’s decision to announce a statewide lockdown over social media at the weekend, saying it was “very difficult” to get the information “out through the media”.
Asked if an announcement via social media limited the reach of the lockdown news, Mr Barilaro told ABC RN that was “always going to be the case”.
“Even if we had done a press conference in the middle of Sydney, a lot of people would not have seen that press conference … it would have given them a chance to see the message.”
“We were able to get media releases out, we were able to get through all our media channels, all through our social media channels, using your MPs who are leaders in their communities to talk to their community leaders and get the message out,” he said.
Mr Barilaro also defended his government’s approach to lockdown, saying “it’s irrelevant what Daniel Andrews has to say and what other premiers think” about the state’s current lockdown settings.
“There are a lot of people doing the wrong thing, and regardless of the rules you put in place with people that attempt to do the wrong thing they’ll continue to do the wrong thing.”
“What we’ve now done is address that there are gaps, there are loopholes and of course we will be coming down harder,” he said.
Rachel Baxendale9.35am:Removalists, MCG not linked to latest clusters
The search for the source of acquisition is ongoing for 10 Victorian clusters of varying sizes which have emerged since August 4, but Covid logistics chief Jeroen Weimar says authorities have all but ruled out a link to the main cluster which sparked the state’s fifth lockdown and originated with removalists from NSW and spread via an AFL match at the MCG.
However, Mr Weimar said on Sunday there were genomic similarities between the current cases and a cluster spread across five households centred on Coolaroo, in Melbourne’s outer north.
The Coolaroo cluster was sparked around the same time as the MCG cluster by a man who had recently returned from NSW breaching home quarantine and interacting with someone he knew at a local Coles supermarket.
It spread through further home quarantine breaches involving family members interacting with one another when making deliveries to one another’s homes.
“We’ve got strong genomic connections across all of the cases (in the outbreaks since August 4) that we’ve looked at so far,” Mr Weimar said.
“I don’t have the results for yesterday’s cases yet, but just about every case before that is genomically connected to this cluster.
“We’re still seeing that and very close connections with the wider NSW, the current active cases in NSW, are still quite closely connected genomically.”
Mr Weimar said that of the most recent cases to emerge, the first cases to present, in an Al-Taqwa College teacher and her Caroline Springs optometrist partner who live in Newport, were still believed to be “upstream” of other cases in the cluster.
“But, as I say, we’ve got (10) different subclusters at the moment, still some linkages we haven’t quite nailed down. I can’t exclude the possibility that there’ve still been some new incursions in from NSW, but we don’t have any more details on that.”
Mr Weimar said it was “very clear” there was no connection to the MCG cluster.
“That is a completely different strand altogether. So we’re not dealing with that, and we’ve not picked up any cases that have any relationship to that outbreak, genomically or epidemiologically.”
“It may be that we never find out the exact source of acquisition for the Newport couple, bearing in mind it’s now going back into very early August, end of July, so it may be that some of those will just get lost in the mists of time. That’s a regret.
“Our focus at the moment is on making sure that everything downstream is being (linked).”
Nicholas Jensen9.20am:Rail, bus services cancelled in NSW
XPT train and bus services have been cancelled across NSW after a series of Covid-19 infections have led to staffing shortages.
The state’s long-distance train service has been paused after scores of staff were identified as close or casual contacts of a number of infected staff members.
XPT says the growing list of close and casual contacts has led to “mass staff isolations” and the cancellation of a range of services.
In Sydney’s inner west, buses will operate on a Sunday timetable from Monday after services were disrupted throughout last week.
The cancellations come after two staff at Leichhardt’s Transit Systems depot tested positive for Covid-19 more than a week ago, causing staff to isolate until they received their test results.
Rachel Baxendale9.10am:10-plus mystery clusters under investigation
Victoria’s number of clusters since August 4 with no identified source of acquisition bounced back up to 10 on Sunday, and is now likely higher, with five of Monday’s cases yet to be linked to a source of infection.
Over the weekend, two previous mystery cases were linked to other clusters, and two entirely new ones emerged.
The mystery cases include:
– An Al-Taqwa College teacherin her 20s and her optometrist partner, who live in Hobson’s Bay. The partner worked at Caroline Springs Square shopping centre and played football at the Newport Football Club;
– A Maribyrnong man in his 20s who works at a warehouse in Derrimut;
– A Melton family of two parents and a child;
– A City of Melbourne father who works at the Royal Children’s Hospital, and his son who is in Grade One at St Michael’s Primary School in North Melbourne;
– A Brunswick West man who had visited sites in Flemington and Parkville;
– A Glenroy family linked to Glenroy West Primary School, where there are now 29 cases. This cluster now includes two previous mystery cases in a Roxburgh Park resident who works in Bundoora, and in a Glenroy family whose child attends Corpus Christi Primary School in Glenroy;
– A delivery truck driver who lives in Wyndham Vale in Melbourne’s outer southwest, and does not drive interstate;
– A person who lives in Middle Park and visited the South Melbourne Market and a string of sites in Melbourne’s inner south and southeast. This case is believed to be linked to a case in a cleaner who lives in the City of Greater Dandenong, in Melbourne’s outer southeast, and works in Fitzroy Street. The exact link is not yet clear;
– A construction worker who lives in West Footscray;
– A mother and her adult son from East St Kilda who attended an illegal engagement party last week;
– Five cases in Monday’s numbers which are yet to be linked to a source of infection.
Rachel Baxendale9am:Victoria looks to rebound from peak cases
Monday’s 22 cases in Victoria follow 22 on Sunday, 21 on Saturday, 15 on Friday, 21 locally acquired and two interstate acquired cases on Thursday, 20 on each of Wednesday and Tuesday, and 11 last Monday.
The outbreak peak so far was 29 on August 7, just three days after short-lived celebrations of zero on August 4 – the day before the state’s sixth lockdown was announced.
Of 204 cases linked to Victorian outbreaks which have emerged since August 4, 80, or 39 per cent, have been in quarantine for the duration of their infectious period, including 14 in Monday’s numbers, 12 in Sunday’s, 11 in Saturday’s, eight in Friday’s, 15 in Thursday’s and 14 in Wednesday’s.
There are currently 205 active cases, including up to two active cases acquired overseas.
As of Sunday, there were four people in Victorian hospitals with coronavirus, one of whom was in intensive care.
The latest cases come after 29,986 tests were processed on Sunday, compared with 32,286 on Saturday, 33,675 on Friday, 40,737 on Thursday, 45,408 on Wednesday, 41,571 on Tuesday, 34,892 on Monday and 38,987 last Sunday.
Victoria’s testing record is 59,355 tests on July 20.
Max Maddison8.50am:Indigenous MP makes vaccinations plea
Indigenous Australians Minister Ken Wyatt has urged First Nations communities to come forward to get their jabs, but has denied low vaccination rates represent a “failure”.
With 55 infections appearing in Western NSW – the majority of those believed to be Indigenous people – Mr Wyatt defended the Morrison government’s track record on vaccinating vulnerable populations, blaming the media for instilling fear of blood clots in Indigenous Australians.
Mr Wyatt called on Indigenous communities to receive their vaccinations, but conceded that with First Nations people being a priority group, the 14.6 per cent vaccination rates for both doses was “too low”.
“You should not be fearful, this is about protecting you, your community, your family and your elders,” Mr Wyatt told ABC’s Radio National on Monday morning.
“I’m always worried about people dying from the Delta Australian because in many of their communities we’ve, we’ve got vulnerable elders, we have vulnerable adults, what I understand from my agency is that a lot of the adults are attending but not the young ones.”
Rachel Baxendale8.40am:Victoria records 22 new Covid cases
Victoria has recorded 22 new cases of coronavirus in the 24 hours to midnight on Sunday.
Reported yesterday: 22 new local cases and 0 new cases acquired overseas.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) August 15, 2021
- 19,880 vaccine doses were administered
- 29,986 test results were received
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl1hf3W#COVID19Vic#COVID19VicData [1/2] pic.twitter.com/q70bSom9HK
The source of infection for five of the 22 remains under investigation, while eight of the 22 spent time in the community while infectious.
Nicholas Jensen8.20am:Man ‘drove at’ testing clinic security guard
A man has been charged after allegedly driving at a security guard at a Covid-19 testing clinic in Sydney’s south at the weekend.
At 10.30am on Sunday, a 61-year-old man attended a drive-through testing clinic at Forest Road in Sutherland. The man allegedly ignored directions from staff before becoming verbally abusive toward a security guard.
When the man was directed to leave the clinic, he allegedly drove his vehicle toward the security guard before colliding with two signs and accelerating from the area.
The man was later arrested at a property at Jannali and taken to the Sutherland Police Station.
NSW Police says he was charged with operating a vehicle “so as to harass or intimidate a person, negligent driving and behaving in an offensive manner in or near public place”.
The man was granted strict conditional bail and is due to appear at Sutherland Local Court on September 24.
Nicholas Jensen8.05am:Sydney workers face plea to get vaccinated
The NSW government is urging tens of thousands of eligible workers across western and southwestern Sydney to access vaccination clinics in a bid to curb rising Covid-19 infections in those areas.
Following yesterday’s so-called ‘Super Sunday’ event at the Sydney Olympic Park and South Western Sydney Vaccination Centre – which saw almost 10,000 people receive AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccinations – prioritised workers from the 12 worst-affected LGAs can continue to access the clinics until August 22.
Authorised workers in health care, construction, transport, food production and education are eligible for a Covid-19 vaccination if they live in one of the following LGAs or suburbs of concern:
Blacktown, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool, Parramatta, Bayside, Burwood, Strathfield, and Penrith for the following suburbs: Caddens, Claremont Meadows, Colyton, Erskine Park, Kemps Creek, Kingswood, Mount Vernon, North St Marys, Orchard Hills, Oxley Park, St Clair and St Marys.
NSW Health says eligible workers will receive a link to book their vaccine appointment and will be required to bring photo ID as well as proof of their place of work to receive their vaccination.
Nicholas Jensen 7.50am: NSW police launch Covid compliance blitz
After issuing more than 500 infringement notices on Saturday, NSW Police has overnight launched Operation Stay at Home in a bid to boost public health compliance and reduce case numbers across Greater Metropolitan Sydney.
Deputy Commissioner Mick Willing said the operation will see thousands of police officers from across the state deployed alongside ADF personnel, with more than 1400 highway patrol officers “out and about with their specialist equipment”.
“Police will be patrolling back roads, setting up roadblocks, so there is simply nowhere for you to go if you want to breach public health orders,” he said.
“We now have a statewide lockdown, and we need 100 per cent of people to stay at home and comply with the orders. Not 90 per cent, 100 per cent.”
Launch of the operation comes after 31 people were fined for holding a public gathering in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, while eight residents were fined for gathering inside a garage in Jesmond.
“We are faced with a situation with the Delta variant that spreads across young people, so it is particularly disappointing to see young people involved in breaches of the public health order,” said Deputy Commissioner Willing.
READ MORE: Lockdowns likely to stay until November
Nicholas Jensen 7.30am: PM: ‘Distressing’ situation in Afghanistan
Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the situation in Afghanistan remains “very dangerous” and “distressing”, after the Taliban entered Kabul overnight, following a week-long lightning offensive in which Islamist militants captured most of the country.
This morning Mr Morrison told Sky News the government was working to transfer people out of the country, but said operational details remain sensitive.
“Already, since April, we’ve been able to extract some 430 Afghan locally engaged employees and their families. We already shut down our mission back in May to ensure that Australian diplomatic personnel were able to be safely exited from that region.”
“I can’t discuss the operational details of what we’re doing with our partners, but the situation has been declining rapidly over the last few days. We’ll be meeting again this morning and getting an update on our operations,” he said.
Regarding the supply of one million Pfizer doses from Poland, Mr Morrison said he was very pleased by the first delivery that arrived overnight.
“With these doses we’ll be getting out there in NSW and targeting particularly those 20-to-39 year olds in the hotspot areas of Sydney. We believe that will have a slowing impact on the transmission of the virus.”
“The balance of those vaccines will go to all the other states and territories as well because I don’t take anything for granted in any of those other states.”
Asked whether he was disappointed the US government did not contribute supplies of Pfizer to Australia, Mr Morrison said the US was “dealing with its own Delta outbreak” and understood it was not possible for them to transfer vaccines to Australia at this time.
READ MORE: Taliban storms Kabul
Evin Priest 7.15am: Sydney teen dies with Covid-19
A Sydney teenager who was admitted to hospital for meningitis and also contracted Covid-19 has died overnight. Read more here
Nicholas Jensen 6.30am: Emergency Pfizer supplies arrive in Sydney
Australia’s first delivery of Pfizer vaccines from Poland arrived in Sydney overnight, after the federal government secured additional supply from its European counterpart last week.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the NSW outbreak was a deciding factor in Poland’s decision to supply the doses to Australia.
“The one million doses, I’ve discussed this with the NSW Premier yesterday, will be targeted at Australians aged 20 to 39 years of age who are identified in the Doherty modelling as the peak transmitters for COVID-19,” he said.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian welcomed the announcement, saying the doses would be “put to good use”.
“We will be targeting 16 to 39-year-olds in those LGAs of concern … They are the ones who cross three generations, and they are ones who were part of the 70 per cent of cases we are currently experiencing in those most problematic areas,” she said.
Approximately 530,000 doses of the allocation will be dispatched to Sydney’s 12 worst-affected LGAs, while 470,000 will be divided across the country on a per capita basis.
Further deliveries of the vaccine are scheduled to arrive from Poland later this week.
The additional one million Pfizer doses are on top of the 40 million the federal government has already locked in.
Paul Kelly 6am: Premiers’ scrambled strategy will lead to chaos
Australia’s hopes of sticking by a national plan at 70-80 per cent vaccination to open the economy, the internal borders and ease restrictions are being torn apart.
The premiers continue to run their agendas. And the premiers are divided. On a bleak Sunday NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian admitted reality, saying it was “not possible” to eliminate Covid cases, while West Australian Premier Mark McGowan boasted that even at 80 per cent vaccination, his goal would still be “zero” cases and he would attempt to achieve that.
Sydney and Perth are divided by more than the Nullarbor; they have different Covid experiences and have conflicting views on the national cabinet opening-up strategy that Scott Morrison worked long and hard to secure. Read more here
Rachel Baxendale 5am: Police investigate illegal lockdown engagement party
Footage has emerged of a man joking about breaching coronavirus restrictions at an engagement party allegedly held during Melbourne’s lockdown, with police now investigating.
The gathering, held mid-last week, is believed to have been attended by up to 100 people. Two people – a St Kilda East mother and her son – returned positive Covid-19 tests on Saturday, and one of those people is understood to have attended the engagement party while infectious.
The engaged couple, who The Australian has chosen not to name, are understood to be members of Melbourne’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish community.
Authorities fear the gathering could spark another Covid-19 cluster, with the actions of attendees at the engagement party widely condemned by Melbourne Jewish leaders, including Council of Orthodox Synagogues of Victoria president Mark Cohen and Rabbi James Kennard, who is principal of Australia’s largest Jewish school, Mt Scopus.
In the footage, the engaged man jokes in reference to his doctor father: “Clearly this is legal because this is a group-therapy session. That’s why my father’s here.”
Rabbi Kennard condemned the behaviour on social media, saying that while it was “painful to speak out against fellow Jews in public … at this time, the danger of staying silent is too great”.
“The law states that we must stay at home, because the experts tell us that this is the way to save lives, because of the risk of terrible Chillul Hashem (desecration of God’s name), every rabbi and leader must cry out,” Mr Kennard said.
“We must take the heartbreaking path and stop the gatherings – for prayer, for s’machot, for school. Just stop.”
It is understood some members of the ultra-Orthodox community – which represents a small minority within the wider Jewish community – have continued to meet for prayer and schooling during Victoria’s six lockdowns.
READ MORE: No word on Melbourne lockdown extension, but signs ‘not good’
Geoff Chambers 4.45am: No way back to zero Covid-19, Berejiklian says
Gladys Berejiklian has conceded NSW will not return to zero Covid-19 cases and that severe restrictions and lockdowns will remain in place until November, as Western Australia warned it may keep its borders closed despite a national agreement to open up after jab rates hit 70 to 80 per cent.
With NSW and WA warning of continuing restrictions, Scott Morrison announced the emergency purchase of one million Pfizer vaccines from Poland, with 530,000 to be redirected into 12 Sydney hot spots for 20-to-39-year-olds in an effort to avoid surges in deaths and hospitalisations.
Ms Berejiklian, who imposed a snap statewide lockdown on Saturday, said she would not risk unnecessary deaths by reopening the state too soon, with health officials adopting a new strategy after NSW recorded 881 new cases and eight deaths in 48 hours.
Ms Berejiklian said the focus had shifted to a “dual strategy” of suppressing further outbreaks and prioritising an aggressive vaccination campaign across NSW, which would see Covid-19 restrictions in place until at least 80 per cent of residents had received “double dose” vaccinations. On current projections, that would occur around mid-November.
“This is a time when all of us have to take stock and take the situation for what it is,” she said. “It’s not possible to eliminate it completely. We have to learn to live with it. The best chance we have to live with it freely and safely is to get the case numbers down as low as possible.”
While Ms Berejiklian said she would continue to reassess what restrictions could be modified in coming months as immunisation rates increased, she indicated it would be nothing close to what residents considered “living freely” until well into November.
Read the full story, by Geoff Chambers and Steve Jackson, here.
Adeshola Ore 4.30am: Business’ plea to McGowan: ‘stick to the plan’
West Australia Premier Mark McGowan’s declaration that he reserves the right to impose border restrictions and lockdowns even when an 80 per cent vaccination rate is reached has angered business leaders.
Mr McGowan doubled down on his eradication approach at the weekend, saying his state would not tolerate any Covid-19 cases or deaths.
He also signalled he would mandate vaccinations in some sectors such as the mining and port industries.
His statement puts him at odds with Scott Morrison, who said there would be no requirement to make Covid-19 jabs compulsory unless governments’ health advisers advocated for a mandate in a specific industry.
Mr McGowan’s comments on an elimination strategy come just weeks after national cabinet agreed to a plan that Australia would open up when 80 per cent of the eligible population was fully vaccinated. The plan, based on Doherty Institute modelling, outlined that at an 80 per cent target, lockdowns would almost entirely end and international travel would restart.
Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Andrew McKellar said the nation’s business sector was desperate for a nationally consistent approach for reopening the country. “We would really urge all leaders to stick to the plan and not pre-empt the situation that we may face in two or three months time. ” he said.
Read the full story here.
Kerr’s trashy outburst should’ve been the end of the story. Sadly, it’s not
Two women. Two court cases. Each much ado about nothing. But there is a bigger tale here about a plodding prime minister who took too long to intervene.
Trump’s Gaza gambit is brazen and naive
Donald Trump has shown the gulf between his position and Anthony Albanese’s, wedging Labor on Palestine. But his plan to ‘own’ Gaza won’t work.