Coronavirus Australia live news: Lockdown grip widens after more signs of Covid spread in NSW
Other states watch nervously as NSW begins a full day entirely in lockdown after Delta infections leaked far from Sydney.
- NSW statewide move followed federal advice
- All of NSW to go into lockdown
- NSW records 466 cases, four deaths
- Queensland records six new cases
- Victoria records 21 new local cases
- ACT school outbreak still a mystery
How Saturday developed in Australia’s battle with the Covid-19 pandemic, and indications of what lies ahead for Sunday.
Neighbouring states are watching if NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian will succeed in preventing further worsening of a situation she calls “extremely concerning” amid another spike in cases and four more deaths. From 5pm on Saturday all of NSW was in lockdown. Victoria recorded 21 new local cases of Covid-19, with 10 in the community whilst infectious. The news came as new exposure sites – including a Richmond apartment block and a shopping centre – were declared in Melbourne.
The 10km travel limit in Greater Sydney has been reduced to a radius of 5km. Here is how to calculate the limit for a location:
Staff reporters11.30pm:NSW statewide lockdown followed federal consultation
The snap extension of the Sydney-centred Covid lockdown to the rest of NSW until at least next weekend followed evidence of spreading Covid infection and is reported to have been supported by the federal government before being announced.
It is being watched nervously by the Queensland and Victorian governments. Victoria is already being predicted to extend its present lockdown beyond the scheduled end of next Friday. South Australia has closed its travel bubble with Broken Hill in the NSW far west.
Canberra is also in lockdown until at least Thursday evening after a man in his 20s was confirmed as the ACT’s first case in the community in more than a year. It is also understood there may be some positive cases arising from a Canberra nightclub case.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has abandoned an incremental lockdown approach, and it was announced hours after her usual 11am news conference on Saturday that statewide restrictions would begin at 5pm, with limits on leaving home limited to essential shopping or work, exercise and medical or compassionate visits.
All schooling will be done at home and travelling for exercise and shopping is only permitted within a person’s LGA or within a radius of 5km (formerly 10km).
The Sunday Telegraph reports Prime Minister Scott Morrison “privately raised the issue of a statewide lockdown’’ with Ms Berejiklian in a phone conversation last week, and it was supported by Mr Morrison’s National Security Committee of cabinet.
Ms Berejiklian decided against it at the time with Health Minister Brad Hazzard also publicly ruling it out, the Sunday Telegraph says, but a change of mind occurred after Covid-19 fragments were found in more than 10 sewage treatment plants across rural and regional NSW.
The detection resulted in Nationals leader and Deputy Premier John Barilaro and the Premier agreeing that a statewide — rather than individual local government area — lockdown should occur, the Sunday Telegraph says.
Mr Barilaro said on Sky News the LGA by LGA approach had proved “death by a thousand cuts”.
Authorities said traces of Covid-19 had been found in sewage in Ballina and Broken Hill – two regional towns almost 1500km apart. As well 26 new cases had been recorded in western NSW and 16 in Hunter New England. There were 30 cases in Dubbo alone and four in Walgett.
The NSW crisis continues to cause headaches across Australia, with almost 500 cases announced in the state on Saturday and a growing recognition it could cause other states to bounce in and out of lockdowns until vaccination coverage soars, the Melbourne Sunday Herald Sun reports.
Harsh restrictions are also likely to remain in place into September in Victoria, as some government ministers and health officials fear stay at home orders may be needed for at least another fortnight if exposure sites and community transmissions don’t quickly nosedive, the SHS said.
But an infectious diseases expert said the present lockdown ordered across Victoria on August 5 should soon start to bite, meaning those testing positive have limited movements or are in isolation already.
Extra police were staffing Queensland’s border with NSW from Saturday night to stop anyone trying to breach the shutdown.
ALSO READ:What the NSW lockdown means for residents and Lockdowns won’t slow down housing market, says CBA
Alexis Carey and Alex Turner-Cohen7.10pm:Stores rushed in regional towns as restrictions widened
As a snap one-week statewide lockdown was announced for the whole of NSW, starting from 5pm Saturday, regional residents flocked to grocery stores.
They had just 1.5 hours to prepare for a lockdown, with them only being notified at 3.30pm.
This prompted a spate of panic-buying.
Photos of long queues and empty shelves have proliferated on social media, from NSW’s mid-north coast, to its Riverina region and even as far as the Queensland border.
One person tried to sell their spot in the Woolworths queue over a Facebook marketplace ad.
Police have been spotted standing outside a Woolworths store entrance in Griffith.
NCA NewsWire
ALSO READ: Qld-NSW border turmoil after statewide announcement
Wall Street Journal6.30pm:Israel suffers surge despite majority vaccinations
After becoming one of the first countries to open up thanks to a widespread Covid-19 vaccination campaign, Israel is again on guard, this time against the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus.
Mask mandates are back, including requirements to mask up for large outdoor gatherings. Many venues require people to show proof of vaccination, a negative Covid-19 test or proof of recovery from the virus.
People returning from most countries have to quarantine for at least a week, even if they are fully vaccinated. Over-60s are being offered a third, booster shot of Pfizer’s vaccine, and the government is planning to offer it to younger recipients with the hopes it can suppress the rise of cases of severe illness.
Health officials are warning that Israel could face a fourth lockdown during the Jewish holiday season in September if the country doesn’t deliver more booster shots and improve on its wider vaccination rate; 60 per cent of the total population are fully vaccinated, making up around 80 per cent of adults.
READ MORE here
Nicholas Jensen5.55pm:Grey nomads have pick of the jobs
South of Bundaberg, in the heart of Queensland’s fruit and sugarcane district, the avocado season is coming to an end. Orchards across the region are closing and growers have begun pruning in preparation for next year.
For grey nomad Allison Peters, it’s been a busy five months. After arriving in Childers at the end of summer, she set to work packing avocados at Dons Fort orchard, where she’s been living and working ever since.
“I used to work in retail in Maryborough and when I retired I decided I wanted to see more of the country and do a bit of work along the way,” she said.
In 2017, after convincing husband Michael, she bought a caravan and took the plunge.
But what started as a simple sea change for two retirees in their early sixties has recently stepped up a notch. “All of a sudden, grey nomads are in demand,” Ms Peters said. “We’ve been getting the kind of jobs we never used to get before the pandemic when it was harder to get picking and packing work because it went to the backpackers and seasonal workers.”
Read the full story here.
Staff writers5.40pm:Qld-NSW border turmoil after statewide announcement
The Queensland-NSW border zone has been plunged deeper into turmoil, with all of NSW going into lockdown for seven days from 5pm.
Extra police are being sent to the border, with the lockdown causing chaos for tens of thousands of people in nearby communities.
Police will ramp up patrols on the border checkpoints to stop anyone from NSW entering the state.
Previously only parts of northern NSW were in lockdown including Byron Bay, Ballina and Lismore local government areas.
READ MORE:Retailers to secure lease help
Jess Malcolm5.15pm:NSW lockdown to cost $1.5 billion a week
The Australian Retailers Association has slammed the state government’s regional lockdown announcement, estimating it could cost the economy $1.5 billion a week.
CEO Paul Zahra said the last-minute announcement would leave businesses scrambling to prepare at such short notice.
“Small businesses are the lifeblood of so many regional towns and the lockdown will come as quite a shock, given this is something many haven’t experienced since the very beginning of the pandemic,” he said.
“This announcement has come with only a couple of hours’ notice, which leaves regional businesses scrambling, standing down staff, reorganising stock and bracing for an uncertain future.
“Existing state and federal supports provide some level of comfort; however, it won’t totally offset the losses many businesses are set to suffer.
“We encourage customers to continue supporting their local businesses by shopping online, use contactless ‘click and collect’ or check out the takeaway and delivery options that might be available. Every dollar you spend keeps someone in a job.”
READ MORE: ‘Very concerned’ about Vic mystery cases
Jess Malcolm4.50pm:Milestone in the nation’s vaccination rollout
There have now been 15,012,023 doses of Covid-19 vaccine administered, with 264,802 doses given in the past 24 hours.
Victoria has now administered the most (1,925,864), followed by NSW (1,816,359), Queensland (1,079,442), West Australia (614,833), South Australia (464,447), Tasmania (191,795) and the Northern Territory (105,272).
In the past 24 hours, state and territory clinics administered 94,954 vaccines and commonwealth clinics delivered 169,848.
A total of 584,372 vaccines have now been administered in aged and disability facilities, with 6717 delivered in the past 24 hours.
The daily vaccination update marks a milestone in the nation’s vaccination rollout, signifying that more than one quarter of Australians have now received their first dose.
READ MORE: Cafe shut for ‘repeated’ breaches
Jess Malcolm4.30pm:Virus scare at Melbourne hospital
Victorian Health authorities have listed The Royal Women’s Hospital in Parkville as an exposure site, sparking fears patients and visitors could have been exposed to Covid-19.
The main entrance of the hospital was listed as a Tier 2 site on Saturday, requiring anyone who visited at the following times to get tested and isolate until receiving a negative result.
The positive case attended the venue on August 6 at 7.25am to 8am and 10am to 10.35am.
Goodstart Early Learning Centre in Richmond has also been listed, alongside Woolworths Opalia Plaza in Melton South and KFC Broadmeadows.
Authorities are urging all people to come forward for testing with any symptoms, amid concern there have been several mystery outbreaks emerging across Melbourne with their sources of infection still under investigation.
READ MORE: Head down, mouth shut, Premier just gets on with it
Caroline Schelle4.10pm:‘Handful of areas’ where Covid spreading in NSW
The NSW Premier has highlighted the key areas in Sydney and regional areas where Covid-19 is spreading most, as the state recorded its highest daily figure since the start of the outbreak.
Four people died of coronavirus and 466 cases were recorded in New South Wales on Saturday.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said there were a handful of areas “seeing the largest areas of growth”.
“I really want people in these communities to take heed; Blacktown, Doonside, Mount Druitt, Merrylands, Guildford and Auburn,” she said.
The Premier said things were also on a “concerning” upwards trend in western New South Wales, Dubbo and the surrounding areas.
The region saw 26 cases overnight and Ms Berejiklian said “it is likely” health advice would see the lockdown extended, with surrounding local government areas likely to be included.
Read the full story here.
Jess Malcolm3:45pm:Details of NSW statewide lockdown revealed
NSW Health authorities have confirmed the statewide lockdown will be enforced from 5pm tonight and will remain in place for one week.
Following advice from the chief health officer Kerry Chant, residents in regional NSW will only be able to leave their home for five main reasons.
These reasons are shopping for essential goods, medical reasons, providing care, essential work and exercise.
No visitors are allowed from outside their household including family and friends.
All hospitality venues will close, including pubs, restaurants and cafes except for takeaway.
Service stations, banks, post officers, laundromats and dry cleaners will be permitted to remain open.
All schools will close and people will be required to work from home where possible.
Masks will also now be mandatory for all people working outdoors, school staff, outdoor markets and in places where it is impossible to socially distance.
âš ï¸ STAY-AT-HOME ORDERS FOR REGIONAL NSW FROM 5PM TODAY âš ï¸
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 14, 2021
To protect the people of NSW from the evolving COVID-19 outbreak, new restrictions will be introduced for all of regional NSW, effective from 5pm tonight until 12.01am Sunday 22 August 2021. pic.twitter.com/Y68KKV0wVf
For weddings and funerals, there will be a one day “grace period”, allowing these events to go ahead until midnight on Sunday evening.
From Monday, weddings and funerals will be capped at 10 people.
The new order will replace any existing orders, and will be effective until 12.01 on Sunday August 22.
READ MORE: What NSW-wide shutdown means
Jess Malcolm3.30pm: SA revokes Broken Hill cross-border bubble
South Australian Health authorities have revoked its cross-border travel corridor with NSW, forbidding any travellers from that corridor from entering the state.
It comes after fragments of Covid-19 were detected in sewage surveillance of the Broken Hill local government area.
Only people who are fleeing domestic violence situations or essential travellers will be allowed in, and must quarantine for 14 days.
Cross Border Travel Direction Update: NSW Cross Border corridor is revoked, and therefore travellers New South Wales Cross Border corridor are prohibited from entering SA unless Essential Travellers and people escaping domestic violence. Full details https://t.co/maCDWlReKSpic.twitter.com/UCqxTBQWFo
— South Australia Police (@SAPoliceNews) August 14, 2021
John Carroll 3.15pm:How much longer can we live like this?
Round each turn on the Covid road – and the number of turns ever multiplies like a cancer – the view ahead glistens with hope. The hope is of predictability, of a timetable, of a plan that can be trusted to work – in short, confidence about the end of uncertainty. The need for order is primary among humans. With pandemic, as with war, minds can easily become obsessed with the fantasy, fed by anxiety, of an end in sight. When there is no end in sight, recurring panic attacks may follow.
Australia has just plunged into a new phase of formless free-floating panic – at the sheer uncertainty that faces us. It may be glimpsed in the faces of state and federal political leaders, and in their tone. The fear is starting to grow that there may be no end in sight. And who knows what levels of unease, and worse, are rising behind closed suburban doors across the eastern states, with the streets ominously empty once again.
Read the full story here.
Jess Malcolm2.30pm:NSW to go into statewide lockdown
NSW will be plunged into a statewide lockdown from 5pm today in a bid to clamp down on the virus spreading further into the regions.
The Australian understands the lockdown will last for seven days and apply to all regional areas across the state.
NSW Health is expected to release further information this afternoon.
NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro has confirmed that stay-at-home orders will be introduced across regional NSW from 5pm tonight.
“Reasonable excuses to leave your home include shopping for essentials, medical care, caregiving, outdoor exercise with a member of your household or one other person, and work, if you cannot work from home,” he wrote.
“Schooling will be conducted from home.”
The announcement comes after a spike in Covid-19 cases were detected in Western NSW, with Dubbo recording 26 new cases on Saturday.
A press conference is not expected to be held on the decision but NSW Health will issue more information shortly.
READ MORE: Where most NSW cases spreading
Jess Malcolm2.00pm:NSW Labor urges more support for regions
NSW Opposition Leader Chris Minns has urged the Berejiklian government to extend the test and isolation payments to regional NSW.
In a statement posted to his Twitter, Mr Minns said the payment was a small price to keep the entire state safe.
“Seven weeks into lockdown … A record 466 cases, with 378 in hospital, and sadly, 4 deaths,” he wrote.
“NSW Labor supports the new health orders and enforcement measures.
“We need a test and iso payment that applies across NSW.
“We need small biz support out the door now.”
Seven weeks into lockdown…
— Chris Minns (@MinnsChris) August 14, 2021
A record 466 cases, with 378 in hospital, and sadly, 4 deaths.
NSW Labor supports the new health orders and enforcement measures.
We need a test and iso payment that applies across NSW.
We need small biz support out the door now. #nswpol#auspoI
READ MORE:Autistic kids ‘were Delta sitting ducks’
Jess Malcolm1.45pm:New Dubbo gym exposed in Delta outbreak
NSW Health is urgently tracing all contacts of a positive case who visited a regional gym whilst infectious with Covid-19.
Anyone who visited Fitness Focus (gymnastics area) in Dubbo on Monday, August 9 between 3.53pm to 5.05pm is now considered a close contact and must isolate for 14 days since they were there.
NSW Health has also been notified of several new casual contact exposure sites which have been listed on its website. People who visited these venues are being asked to get tested, even if they have had a test in recent days.
They must also get a test on day five from the date of exposure, and wear a mask around others until receiving a negative result.
Protect yourself from COVID-19!
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 14, 2021
🩹 Get vaccinated
ðŸ Stay home
😷 Wear a mask
🤒 Get tested
â†”ï¸ Physically distance in public
🧼 Practice good hygiene
📱 Check in and out when you visit a venue
Let’s do this, NSW ✊ pic.twitter.com/WrYgvndqdX
Jess Malcolm1.25pm:PM pleads with Sydneysiders as outbreak balloons
Scott Morrison has pleaded with Sydney residents to obey public health restrictions, as the outbreak ballooned by 466 cases and a raft of new rules were enforced.
In an interview on NovaFM radio station on Saturday morning, the Prime Minister asked people to stay home and to only go out for essential reasons.
“We’ve got to beat this thing and we’re getting as many vaccines in there as we can,” he said.
“We’ve already put almost an additional 400,000 in there to fight this but the best way to fight it is to not move it around, particularly on a weekend” he said.
“Unless you absolutely have to be somewhere else to work or you’re an emergency work or you’re putting jabs in arms or you’re indeed going to get a vaccinated today or to get tested.
“Please stay at home, you know, watch the telly, read a book, cook a curry.”
Mr Morrison also said that one in four eligible Australians had now had one dose of the vaccine.
“The day we had on Thursday was equal to the fourth best day that the UK had over their entire vaccination program. So we are hitting the marks we need to hit to get it done. We’ve just got to pull together.”
READ MORE:Cluster hospital’s infection control under scrutiny
Anton Hilsson1.00pm:Brother of NSW Treasurer fights jab policy
The NSW Treasurer’s younger brother has rebelled against his sibling by co-signing a Young Liberal motion to oppose the state government’s mandatory vaccination policy for hotspot workers.
Jean Claude Perrottet, 24, seconded a motion at the youth wing’s Thursday meeting to oppose “calls for the introduction of mandatory or coerced vaccination”.
It was a rebuke of the position backed by his older brother and state Treasurer Dominic Perrottet to require that tradies from Sydney coronavirus hotspots get vaccinated before returning to work.
A youth wing source said the younger Perrottet, the secretary of the NSW Young Liberals, advocated strongly for the motion, which also included calls to oppose so-called “vaccine passports”.
Read the full story here.
Jess Malcolm12.30pm:ACT outbreak linked to Sydney
ACT Health authorities have confirmed its outbreak is linked to several cases in greater Sydney.
“I am comfortable that this case is linked to greater Sydney and it has not come out from somewhere else, or out of its own, which is really good,” chief health officer Kerryn Coleman said.
However, the source of the 14-year-old schoolchild is still under investigation.
“We are still investigating that and we have no further updates as the genomic sequencing is still being conducted.”
ACT authorities are working to expand testing facilities including in Kambah and Gold Creek.
READ MORE:Fake Covid text sparks worksite chaos
Jess Malcolm11.55am:ACT records one new case, cluster at seven
The ACT has recorded one new locally acquired case of Covid-19, bringing the total cluster to seven.
The new case was a close contact of a previously recorded case and was in isolation whilst infectious.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr said there were over 4500 tests conducted yesterday, with over 3200 done at the government site.
“It is encouraging that so many people have come forward for testing and we are aware that there were significant delays yesterday,” he said.
“It was a significant day of testing, however, that gives us a great deal of surveillance in terms of the spread of the virus across the message.”
Mr Barr has urged people to check the exposure site list every day to help identify linked and future exposure risks, and asked all Canberrans to stay home.
READ MORE:New rules: what you can and can’t do in Sydney now
Jess Malcolm11.50am:Premier pleads with residents to follow the rules
Gladys Berejiklian has pleaded with NSW residents to follow the rules amid a “diabolical” threat posed by the Delta strain which has seen it seep further into more suburbs and regions.
She has urged all people to get vaccinated, and apologised for any delays with booking.
“We are going to make more mistakes, of course we are, we will frustrate people, but it’s a journey we take together, and I feel it every day and I want to assure people of that, I feel what we are imposing on our citizens, and I feel the fear, just like everybody else,” she said.
“We all have loved ones, people whose businesses are on the brink, who are really wanting that support, so we are working day and night, and when I say that, please know that every member of my team and every agency is working its guts out to support the community at this time.”
READ MORE: Autistic students were ‘Delta sitting ducks’
Jess Malcolm11.40am: ‘The vaccine is our major weapon’: Berejiklian
Gladys Berejiklian said vaccination rates in Fairfield and Canterbury Bankstown areas have now pushed to 40 per cent with first doses.
The NSW Premier said these higher vaccination rates have helped case numbers in those areas to stabilise.
She also said the state was on track to achieving 70 per cent double doses by the end of October, and 80 per cent by November.
“The vaccine is our major weapon against Delta,” she said. “We are winning the war when it comes to vaccines and Delta. People who are vaccinated are staying out of hospital, they are staying safer and healthier.
Ms Berejiklian refused to reveal whether fully vaccinated people will have more freedoms next month, but foreshadowed there might be low-risk categories allowing vaccinated people to interact.
Over 10,000 tradies and construction workers will be lining up to get their jab tomorrow including a large number of 16-18 year old workers who have been given priority access to Pfizer.
READ MORE:Fake Covid text sparks worksite chaos
Jess Malcolm11.30am:Rise in young people in ICU in NSW
There are now 378 patients with Covid-19 in hospitals with 64 in intensive care and 29 who are ventilated.
NSW Health’s Dr McAnulty said there has been a rise in young people in intensive care today, which now includes four people in their 20s, six in their 30s and seven in their 40s.
NSW Health authorities have also seen an increase in sewage detection in Broken Hill, Ballina and Brooklyn, urging all residents to come forward and get tested.
“Please come forward for testing,” Dr McAnulty said. “We know some people wait some days with symptoms before they get a test. It’s really important, assume it’s Covid until proven otherwise.”
READ MORE: Labor’s winning strategy? Back to the ‘burbs
Jess Malcolm11.17am:Berejiklian announces raft of new restrictions
Gladys Berejiklian has announced a raft of new restrictions in a bid to close loopholes and clamp down on the unfolding outbreak, after 466 new cases and four deaths were recorded in 24 hours.
The NSW Premier said a major police operation across hotspot areas will be deployed including riot squad, highway patrol and specialist command officers. There will also be 500 extra ADF officers deployed from Monday. Officers will be conducting random checkpoints at key roads and cracking down on public health restrictions.
“This is literally a war,” the Premier has told a press conference.
From Monday, additional fines of $5,000 will apply for on the spot quarantine breaches, lying on a permit or lying to a contact tracer. There will be $3,000 fines for people breaking the two-person exercise rule or travelling into regional NSW.
Across all of greater Sydney, the 10km radius rule will now drop down to 5km.
Authorities have also removed “recreation” from the public health rules, meaning police will be cracking down on people outside their homes who are not exercising.
Ms Berejiklian has also extended lockdown restrictions to the Armidale Regional local government area amid growing concerns for Covid-19 spreading in Western NSW.
Stay-at-home restrictions will be enforced until Sunday August 22, after 26 new cases were recorded in Dubbo. The rules will be the same already in place across greater Sydney.
More to come …
Jess Malcolm11.05am:NSW records 466 cases, 60 infectious in community
NSW has recorded 466 new locally acquired cases, with at least 60 people infectious in the community.
There were four more deaths, including a female in her 40s, a male in his 80s, a man in his 70s and a woman in her 70s.
Gladys Berejiklian said she was “extremely concerned” about the unfolding situation.
There were over 130,000 tests conducted yesterday.
More to come
Jess Malcolm10.53pm:Victoria in a ‘precarious situation’: Foley
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said the state is in a “precarious” situation, after the state recorded 21 new cases with 10 in the community whilst infectious.
There are currently three people in hospital with Covid-19, with one case in ICU.
There were 33,675 tests conducted yesterday. Mr Foley said testing rates must increase to 40,000 per day to help authorities to trace any unlinked cases.
Victorians are being urged to get vaccinated as soon as possible, with public health authorities expanding drive-in centres in the Wyndham and Hume Whittlesea area.
“Victorians are getting informed,” he said. “They are rolling up their sleeves and they are getting vaccinated in increasing numbers. And we want to see more of that. We want a million jabs in these coming five weeks.”
There are currently 163 active cases in the state.
Of today’s new cases, 15 are linked to the Glenroy West Primary School outbreak, including 10 cases across three households, two students and a staff member. There was also a household contact of an existing student case and a Laverton student who rode a bus with a previously reported case.
There were three new cases linked to the Al-Taqwa College, including a student, a staff member and a household contact of a known case.
Two new cases were identified linked to the Newport outbreak, including two household contacts who attended the Newport v West Footscray football game.
There was one final case in a household contact of a previously reported case linked to the Caroline Springs Square Shopping centre.
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said officials were worried about a growing number of unlinked cases right across Melbourne.
“What we have seen as a result of these growing numbers of people every day is that we have multiple outbreaks with multiple exposure sites right across Melbourne,” he said.
“Whilst we have genomic links, we still don’t have a source of infections for a number of these positive cases.”
READ MORE:Dire fears for region with no known cases
Jess Malcolm10.04am:Queensland records six new local cases
Queensland has recorded six new local cases of Covid, all of them isolating during their infectious period.
All are linked to the Indooroopilly cluster, which now involves 143 cases.
Queensland Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said more than 22,000 people had come forward for testing in 24 hours, as she thanked the more than 8,000 Queenslanders who were adhering to home quarantine orders.
“We are still seeing those positive cases turning up late in their 14-day cycle, which reinforces why it’s so important that anyone who is ever a close contact and required to go into home quarantine must stay home for the entire period and undertake those tests,” Ms D’Ath said.
She also encouraged people to come forward to get vaccinated, announcing there are now 980 community pharmacies open for vaccination.
“We know this is a really important step for us to be able to open up our economy and stay safe and again, the message to everybody – please come out and get tested if you have any symptoms whatsoever,” she said.
Of today’s new cases, one is a one-year-old sibling of a child who is in hospital.
A further five cases have been detected in adults linked to the Brisbane Boys’ Grammar School and Ironside State School.
There was one further case recorded in hotel quarantine in a four-year-old child from Cambodia.
Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said today’s cases show how dangerous Delta is for people of all ages.
“I think what this shows us is that we are dealing with a new strain of this virus that’s far more contagious than we saw last year and we do know now with the Delta strain that we see it spreads through children more and children are being impacted by this virus more than we were seeing last year,” she said.
READ MORE:Covid shot in the dark: the great vaccination question
Jess Malcolm9.40am:New ACT exposure sites added to list
ACT Health has added several new exposure sites including a popular cafe, a chemist and a St Vincents de Paul shop, as its residents wake up to its second full day of lockdown.
Several new exposure sites have been added in Fyshwick, Kingston, Gungahlin, Griffith, Cook, Mitchell and Nicholls.
The sites come as health authorities race to trace close contacts of six confirmed cases, including the source of infection for a student of Gold Creek High School who attended school whilst infectious. The school has been shut down and closed for deep cleaning.
We will be updating the ACT COVID-19 website with exposure locations regularly, please continue to check for new locations or updated times.
— ACT Health (@ACTHealth) August 13, 2021
Check the exposure locations here: https://t.co/WtSIVve3dN
All residents are being asked to check the exposure site list regularly, and follow public health advice including completing a declaration form, getting tested and quarantine if exposed.
READ MORE:Paul Kelly — The motley crew that could bring the PM undone
Emily Cosenza9.22am:NSW exposure sites continue to grow
As Sydney’s Delta outbreak continues to grow, so too does the list of exposure sites.
A Priceline, Aldi supermarket and Snap Fitness gym are few of the ballooning locations of concerns.
Anyone who has been to the following sites during the allocated days and times must immediately get tested and isolate until receiving further advice from NSW Health:
- Merrylands: Trims Fresh Merrylands along McFarlane Street on Friday, August 6 from 11:05am to 11:15am
- St Marys: Aldi at 410-422 Great Western Highway on Sunday, August 8 from 2:30pm to 6:30pm; Monday, August 9 from 7am to 1pm; and Tuesday, August 10 from 6am to 3pm
- Seven Hills: Garrad‘s Pest Control Supply along St James Place on Sunday, August 8 from 8am to 5pm; Monday, August 9 from 8am to 5pm; and Tuesday, August 10 from 8am to 5pm
- Jesmond: R-Harn Thai Eatery at 14 Blue Gum Road on Monday, August 9 from 5:35pm to 6pm
Anyone who has been to one of the following locations is considered a close contact and must get tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result.
- Jesmond: Priceline along Blue Gum Road on Wednesday, August 4 from 12:50pm to 12:55pm
- Dubbo: Bawrunga Medical Services along Brisbane Street on Wednesday, August 4 from 4:45pm to 5:45pm
- Strathfield: Sydney Haejanggook Restaurant at 30 The Boulevarde on Sunday, August 8 from 7:30am to 10pm; and Monday, August 9 from 7:30am to 10pm
- Ultimo: Building D, Tafe Ultimo along Harris Street on Monday, August 9 from 4:30am to 12:30pm; and Tuesday, August 10 from 4:30am to 12:30pm
- Dubbo: Snap Fitness, Gymnastic Area at 113 Darling St on Tuesday, August 10 from 4:30pm to 5:30pm
- Dubbo: Dubbo Sportsworld at 163 Sheraton Road on Tuesday, August 10 from 4:45pm to 6pm
- Dubbo: Blues Meats at 91 Tamworth Street on Wednesday, August 11 from 1:20pm to 1:30pm
- Dubbo: United Petrol Station at 195 Cobra Street on Thursday, August 12 from 12:20pm to 12:40pm
READ MORE: Race to vaccinate on Covid’s new frontline
John Ferguson8.56am:Notice something different about Daniel Andrews?
The Daily Dan is dead.
The North Face jacket is at the bottom of the Victorian Premier’s washing basket.
Long gone is the sharply rising death toll that left its black stain on 2020.
In its place is the new Dan Andrews, with a tailored, mid-length Collins St winter coat plus a fetching bomber jacket, just a few public appearances a week and a series of carefully targeted lines that are part of an intriguing political resurrection.
While Gladys Berejiklian is battling a worrying, statewide breakout, Dan is back on the front foot.
As a couple of protesters interrupted Andrews at a press conference this week, he turned to the cameras and offered something for the haters. “People are entitled to their views. That is fine. But whether you support me and my team or not, we will do everything we can, every hour of the day, to keep you safe,” he said.
In other words, you don’t have to like him to vote for him.
Perhaps he might also be a head kicker, but he is the people’s head kicker.
Read the full Inside Story here.
Christine Kellett8.30am:Victoria records 21 new local cases
Victoria has recorded 21 new local cases of Covid, with 10 of them out in the community during their infectious period.
There are now 163 active cases in the state.
More than 33,000 tests were conducted and 29,490 vaccine doses administered in the past 24 hours.
Reported yesterday: 21 new local cases and 0 new cases acquired overseas.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) August 13, 2021
- 29,490 vaccine doses were administered
- 33,675 test results were received
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl1hf3W#COVID19Vic#COVID19VicData [1/2] pic.twitter.com/kqTEULCT4M
Natasha Robinson7.20am:Liverpool Hospital’s Covid safety protocols scrutinised
The Sydney hospital at the centre of a growing cluster of Covid-19 cases and deaths has had three unconnected infection breaches, including one that occurred after management rejected advice pleas to test a patient from a hotspot zone before an operation.
Seven patients from Liverpool Hospital in Sydney’s southwest have died, and dozens of staff and patients have contracted the virus, since the first case almost four weeks ago.
Operating theatre staff at the hospital were placed at risk on July 14 when a patient from the Fairfield local government area – then the epicentre of Sydney’s Delta outbreak – was taken into theatre without operating staff knowing a Covid-19 swab had been taken pre-operatively, which turned out to be positive.
Staff learned of the woman’s positive status during her caesarean section operation, and none was wearing a N95 mask. Two days later, an anaesthetist who had worked across Liverpool and Campbelltown Hospitals tested positive for Covid-19.
And in late July, a nurse who had only received one dose of a vaccine brought the virus into Liverpool Hospital’s geriatric ward, where it spread to at least six other staff members and ultimately 29 elderly patients, seven of whom have now died.
At the time, the hospital had no policy to require doctors and nurses to wear fit-tested N95 masks or regularly test healthcare workers for Covid-19.
Read the full story here.
Will Glasgow7am:Wuhan lab door slammed shut on Covid inquiry
China is refusing to allow international scientists access to a laboratory in Wuhan in a hardball attempt to shape the terms of the World Health Organisation’s investigation into the origins of the coronavirus.
Peter Ben Embarek, the Danish head of a WHO-led team that travelled to China earlier this year, said investigators needed more information about the research facility in Wuhan.
The WHO added further pressure on Beijing after Professor Ben Embarek’s comments were broadcast. “Searching for the origins of any novel pathogen is a difficult process, which is based on science, and takes collaboration, dedication and time,” the WHO said in a statement.
In order to address the ‘lab hypothesis’ it is important to have access to all data and consider scientific best practice.”
Speaking in Beijing, Vice-Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu on Friday said China would not allow the WHO’s proposed second phase of investigation to go ahead because it was “political”.
“This is negotiation and diplomacy,” saidDominic Dwyer, the Australian member of the expert team that conducted the first stage of investigation. “The Chinese do feel the laboratory leak is highly unlikely. They are not keen for people to come and investigate in the absence of any evidence – and that’s the diplomacy part.”
Read the full story here.
Daniel Sankey6.25am:Virus traces found in Broken Hill sewage
The western NSW town of Broken Hill is on high alert after traces of Covid-19 were found at the community’s sewage treatment plant.
“This is of particular concern, as there are no known cases in Broken Hill,” NSW’s Department of Health said in a statement.
“Everyone in the area is urged to monitor for the onset of symptoms, and if they appear, to immediately be tested and isolate until a negative result is received.”
New Greater Sydney exposure sites named late last night included an Aldi supermarket at St Marys and Building D at TAFE Ultimo. New exposure sites have also been declared in Dubbo. A full list can be found at the NSW Health Covid-19 case locations website.
âš ï¸PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT – NEW VENUES OF CONCERNâš ï¸
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 13, 2021
NSW Health has been notified of new venues of concern associated with confirmed cases of COVID-19, as well as a sewage detection. pic.twitter.com/lAaUIRSp2T
READ MORE: Western Sydney suburb ‘locked down like Kazakhstan’
Yoni Bashan5.45am:Berejiklian says no to tighter NSW lockdown
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has blocked harsher lockdown restrictions recommended by police, baulking at limiting outdoor exercise to a 5km radius to prevent high numbers of people at Sydney beaches.
But the NSW government’s crisis cabinet on Friday agreed to strengthen existing measures, including closing a loophole that allowed Sydneysiders to travel between places of residence.
There will also be a new $320 payment for people living in the worst affected areas who must isolate after a Covid-19 test, similar to Victoria’s $450 allowance available to all residents.
With a record 390 infections reported in NSW on Friday, other premiers have flagged concerns the Berejiklian government has abandoned attempts to eradicate the coronavirus.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she was “very concerned” about the number of new infections.
“I think we would need to hear very clearly from NSW what their clear plan is for containment,” she said. “It’s absolutely imperative that NSW contains this virus.”
Western Australia will also add new requirements on NSW travellers eligible to go to the state, mandating proof of at least one vaccination against Covid-19.
Victoria recorded 15 new cases; Queensland had seven.
But Scott Morrisondescribed Friday’s national cabinet meeting as “positive and collegiate”.
“I would certainly hope they would not be seeking to ease restrictions that could give rise to that [more cases of infection],” the Prime Minister said.
“The lockdown is lifted when the lockdown works.”
Read the full story, by Yoni Bashan and Geoff Chambers, here.
Daniel Sankey5.30am:Infected person at Melbourne apartment block for 11 days
An apartment block in Richmond has been declared a Tier 2 exposure site after confirmation a person infected with Covid-19 spent 11 days there.
Anyone who visited 32 Bosisto Street between August 2 and August 13 has been ordered to be tested for Covid-19 and isolate until a negative result has been received.
The Herald Sun has reported that some people would be considered Tier 1 contacts and would be contacted directly by the Victorian health department.
A string of new exposure sites revealed late last night included public transport routes, cafes, a petrol station and the Coles supermarket at Chadstone Shopping Centre.
Checked exposure sites lately? More have been published online at https://t.co/xojLvnrdjApic.twitter.com/juTiAsQv5B
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) August 13, 2021
READ MORE: Tom Dusevic — Delta lockdowns giving consumers the blues
Adeshola Ore5.15am:Covid outbreak at ACT school still a mystery
ACT health authorities are scrambling to identify the source of one mystery Covid-19 case – a 14-year-old school student in the territory’s new outbreak.
The student who attends Gold Creek school in the north of the ACT was infectious for three days at the site. He was one of two new cases reported on Friday.
His infection forced hundreds of staff, students and visitors at the school into quarantine, all of them considered close contacts.
On Friday, ACT residents woke to their first day in lockdown in more than a year. The territory has now recorded six cases of the virus, with four connected to the man in his 20s who sparked the snap lockdown.
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said it was “entirely unimportant” how the man first caught the virus, adding “we will address those sorts of issues later”.
“It will do absolutely nothing to address the situation we face today which is about identifying close contacts, testing people we need to get tested and advising of exposure sites,” he said.
Health authorities are still investigating whether the man was in breach of a public health order.
Mr Barr warned only Territorians identified as close contacts and those with symptoms should come forward after ACT testing clinics were overwhelmed on Thursday, with long wait times.
He said he was “embarrassed” by the behaviour of Territorians who fled for the NSW south coast to avoid the snap lockdown.
READ MORE: Australia gripped by virus ‘third wave’
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