Coronavirus Australia live news: Sydney cluster grows, borders tighten, Victoria issues travel alert
Travellers from parts of Sydney will be forced to take a Covid test and isolate; authorities add new exposure sites amid four positive cases.
- Under 60s can now get Pfizer jabs
- Jobless figures fall to pre-Covid levels
- Sydney cluster grows to 4
- Tasmania moves to close border
Welcome to live updates on Australia’s battle with the Covid-19 pandemic and political news from around the nation.
Australians under the age of 60 will now receive the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine after the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation reviewed the effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine on those aged 50 to 59.
Health authorities in NSW are on high alert, with four people now testing positive to Covid-19 in Sydney. It’s prompted Tasmania to become the first to close its borders to anyone who visited a ‘high-risk’ site in Sydney, but other states are adopting a more cautious approach. And Melburnians are likely to remain locked out of Queensland ahead of school holidays with the hotspot status of the Victorian capital to potentially remain into next week.
Nick Jensen 11pm:Sutton travelled to Canberra despite restrictions
Victoria’s chief health officer, Brett Sutton, travelled to Canberra to attend an awards event with medical colleagues on Wednesday night, despite strict restrictions on gatherings and travel imposed on millions of Melburnians.
Liberal health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier said the travel — which was within the rules — was nevertheless unacceptable.
“We can’t have visitors, we can’t have people coming to our own homes, and yet the chief health officer, who’s providing advice to the government, buzzes off to Canberra to a glitzy award night,” Ms Crozier told Nine News.
The Victorian Health Department told Nine News that Professor Sutton had travelled for work purposes, which is within the state’s Covid-19 rules.
Nick Jensen10.15pm: Baulkham Hills man remains a positive case
A man from Sydney’s northwest is still being considered a positive Covid-19 case after a panel concluded it could not rule out the possibility of infection.
On Thursday morning, NSW Health reported a Baulkham Hills man in his 40s had become the state’s fourth local infection, but later suggested it was likely a false positive test.
“His test results showed low virus levels and he is not yet linked to any known cases. The man’s three household contacts have all returned negative results to date,” NSW Health said in a statement.
Health officials have also been advised of further venues visited by other confirmed cases, asking people who attended the following venue at the time listed to get tested and self-isolate until you receive further advice.
Sunday, June 13
● Northmead Bowling Club, 166 Windsor Road, Northmead, from 3.30pm to 10pm
Anyone who has attended either of the following venues at the times listed is considered a casual contact and must get tested and isolate until a negative result is received.
Tuesday, June 15
● The Health Emporium, 263-265 Bondi Road, Bondi, from 12.15pm to 12.45pm
Monday, June 14
● Lorna Jane, East Village Shopping Centre, 4 Defries Avenue, Zetland, from 11am to 1pm
âš ï¸PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT - FURTHER VENUESâš ï¸
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) June 17, 2021
NSW Health reported earlier today (Thursday) that a man in his 40s from Sydney’s north-western suburbs had tested positive for COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/pPU8dNOJSK
Adam Creighton9.30pm:Covid was made in a lab: experts
The chance that SARS-CoV-2 emerged naturally from animals in China is “one in a million” according to top scientists who say the world risks biological world war if controversial “gain of function” research into viruses is not shut down.
Dr Steven Quay and Professor Richard Muller said evidence that SARS-CoV-2 was engineered in the Wuhan Institute of Virology and leaked accidentally, killing around six million people globally, was now “overwhelming” and ignored mainly for career or political reasons.
Muller, 77, an astrophysicist from the University of California, Berkeley, said the pandemic had illustrated the next world war would be “biological, not nuclear”.
Paul Garvey 8.45pm: Foreign agents able to access Covid app data
Foreign government agencies have had the ability to access data collected via Western Australia’s and Queensland’s Covid check-in apps, according to the terms and conditions of the mandatory systems.
The decision by both states to use international tech giants Amazon and Microsoft to host the data appears to have opened the possibility for overseas law enforcement and other agencies to access the information, although it is unclear if any such access has been sought.
The legal frameworks underpinning the apps have been under scrutiny following revelations this week that WA Police had used the state’s SafeWA check-in app to assist with two serious criminal investigations, despite promises from the government that the compulsory app would only ever be used to assist in Covid contact tracing. The WA government on Tuesday introduced emergency legislation aimed at closing the loophole.
Nicholas Jensen8.30pm: Bondi man should have been vaccinated: minister
The Bondi man at the centre of Sydney’s Covid-19 outbreak — who transported international crew from the airport — “may have had the saliva test”, but should have been vaccinated because he was “involved in the quarantine system”, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard says.
While it hasn’t been mandatory for airport drivers to get vaccinated, “we’ll be reviewing that situation because of the current circumstances”, Mr Hazzard told ABC’s 7.30 program on Thursday night.
“The companies that engage these drivers — often as employees or subcontractors — have expressed concerns anyway to NSW Health and to police ... that they may not be able to get drivers to actually do the job if we actually force them to have the vaccine,” Mr Hazzard added.
The state recorded two new local cases of Covid-19 on Thursday: one detected in a woman in her 70s, who attended an exposure site in Vaucluse, and another in a Baulkham Hill’s man in his 40s.
Earlier today, however, Mr Hazzard told 2GB Radio that it was “extremely likely” that the man recorded a false positive result.
Asked whether the outbreak had revealed inherent weaknesses in the NSW system, Mr Hazzard said: “If NSW was not doing what we were doing, very few people would be getting back into this country.”
“Since our quarantine system started, we’ve taken over 190,000 people. That’s about ten times what WA’s taken, it’s more than three times what Queensland have taken. I think our system works extremely well.”
READ MORE: Sydney Theatre Company takes $18m hit
Tessa Akerman 8pm:Record spike in Victorian family violence
Family violence offences in Victoria have reached the highest level on record over the past year to end of March, making up one fifth of all recorded offences.
While the total number of offences fell 1.8 per cent to 532,271, as did the recorded offences rate per 100,000 Victorians to 7950.6, family violence-related offences soared 11.3 per cent to 112,432 offences, the highest figure since records began in 1993.
The Crime Statistics Agency ascribes the increase to a 18.4 per cent spike in breaches of family violence order, up to 53,285 offences, and a climb in the number of family violence-related common assaults, up 5.9 per cent to 16,264 offences.
The state’s rate of family incidents grew 8.3 per cent to 1389.1 per 100,000 with 92,999 incidents recorded.
The number of family incidents that resulted in at least one criminal offence increased 6.3% to 46,782 incidents in the last 12 months.
CSA Chief Statistician Fiona Dowsley said the number of family violence-related victim reports had continued to increase, while other types of victim reports decreased over the past 12 months.
“This increase in family violence-related victimisation has been seen for the last three years, reflecting more than pandemic-related impacts,” she said.
Deputy Commissioner Regional Operations Rick Nugent warned the actual scope of family violence in Victoria may be larger still with under-reporting in many areas and many communities.
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AFP7.15pm:Japan lifts emergency one month before Olympics
Japan’s government on Thursday approved lifting Tokyo’s virus emergency just over a month before the Olympics, but set new restrictions that could sharply limit fans at Games events.
The state of emergency in place in Tokyo began in late April and largely limits bar and restaurant opening hours and bans them from selling alcohol.
That measure will now end in the capital and eight other regions on Sunday, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced. It will stay in place in Okinawa.
“The number of infections nationwide has been declining since mid-May and the situation in terms of hospital beds is steadily improving,” he said.
“On the other hand, in some regions, there are signs that the fall in the number of infections is slowing,” Suga added.
In place of the emergency, the government will implement so-called “quasi-emergency” measures in Tokyo and six other areas until July 11.
The measures will slightly relax the rules on alcohol, allowing sales until 7pm, but still asks restaurants and bars to shut at 8pm.
Crucially, with just five weeks until the pandemic-postponed Games open, Tokyo is likely to maintain strict limits on the number of spectators allowed at large events.
The current state of emergency allows only 5000 people or 50 per cent of venue capacity, whichever is smaller.
And on Wednesday, the government approved an upper limit of 10,000 spectators for areas not under any restrictions.
Those rules are likely to guide Olympic organisers when they decide in the coming days how many domestic fans, if any, will be allowed to attend.
Overseas fans have already been banned from the Games for the first time, and organisers said they would wait to rule on domestic spectators until the emergency was lifted.
READ MORE:Selectors out of their depth with ludicrous Olympics policy
Rachel Baxendale6.30pm:Victoria issues new travel alert for Sydney
Victoria’s chief health officer has declared three Sydney local government areas orange zones on Thursday evening.
Brett Sutton’s decision means any traveller to Victoria who has visited the Sydney, Waverley or Woollahra local government areas since June 11 will be required to undertake a coronavirus test and isolate until they receive a negative result.
The Chief Health Officer is assessing the public health risks of community transmission within NSW and has initially designated the NSW Local Government Areas of City of Sydney, Waverley and Woollahra as orange zones under Victoria’s travel permit system. [1/6]
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) June 17, 2021
Nicholas Jensen6.15pm:NSW eases fears of Baulkham Hills Covid case
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard says it’s “extremely likely” that the Baulkham Hills man in his 40s - who tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday - recorded a false positive result.
This afternoon Mr Hazzard told 2GB that the man recorded “a very low viral detection and is extremely likely to be a false positive”, adding that contact tracers are doing all they can to pinpoint the source of the new infections.
Mr Hazzard said he is continuing to investigate how the Bondi man at the centre of the NSW outbreak was not vaccinated.
NSW Health is anticipating further locations to be added to the list of exposure sites.
Nicholas Jensen5.35pm:Too many eggs in the AstraZeneca basket: Butler
Opposition frontbencher Mark Butler has chided the federal government’s decision to offer AstraZeneca to people aged 50 to 59, saying the change in advice will only reinforce vaccine hesitancy and contribute to a rollout which is already lagging far behind schedule.
“We are four months in and only fewer than 3 per cent of the population are fully vaccinated,” Mr Butler told the ABC this afternoon.
“This will be another blow to the one job the Prime Minister had this year which was a speedy and effective vaccine rollout.”
Reiterating Labor’s claim that the government failed to secure more vaccine deals, Mr Butler said the AstraZeneca vaccine was meant to spearhead the rollout rather than act as a handbrake.
“It was the centrepiece of the government’s vaccine rollout strategy. We were saying last year they should do more deals and more quickly to ensure there was insurance against this very sort of thing.”
READ MORE: Clotting case surge sparks AZ vaccine rethink
Paige Taylor5.25pm:Reunited Biloela family pictured at Perth hospital
The reunited Murugappan family has been photographed inside Perth Children’s Hospital where youngest daughter Tharnicaa is being treated for pneumonia and a blood infection.
Tharnicaa, four, and her big sister Kopika, six, were the last children in Australia held in an immigration detention centre in the wake of a sustained wave of boat arrivals that resulted in hundreds of school-age children and babies living under guard in detention camps on the Australian mainland and on Christmas Island.
On Tuesday Immigration minister intervened in the family’s long-running legal battle to stay in Australia to allow the family to live in a house in Perth’s southeast while Tharnicaa recovers.
READ MORE:Biloela family reunited, future in balance
Nicholas Jensen5.00pm:Newest Sydney exposure site, more expected
NSW Health continues to expand its list of exposure sites this afternoon following the detection of two further cases of Covid-19 today.
Health officials are requesting anyone who attended the following venue during the relevant time to get tested and self-isolate until you receive further information.
Tuesday, June 15
Harris Farm, Shop B1, 51-57 Norton Street, Leichhardt – 9.50am to 10.05am
More exposure sites are expected to be listed later today, while officials rush to find the source of the infections.
âš ï¸PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT – ADDITIONAL VENUEâš ï¸ pic.twitter.com/FLTmG3bo2d
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) June 17, 2021
Paul Garvey4.30pm:WA pauses Pfizer rollout for 30 to 39-year-olds
Western Australia has confirmed that its rollout of the Pfizer vaccine to 30 to 39-year-olds will be paused following the changes to health advice.
WA premier Mark McGowan responded to the federal government’s change in advice concerning AstraZeneca for 50 to 59 year olds, saying that people within the age bracket will be eligible to receive a Pfizer jab from tomorrow.
Those 30 to 39-year-olds who had already booked their vaccination after WA expanded its vaccination program last week will still have their bookings honoured, although no new bookings for people in that cohort will be taken at this stage.
The change follows the news earlier on Thursday that 50-to-60-year-olds will now receive the Pfizer vaccine, rather than the AstraZeneca injection, amid concerns over blood clots.
Mr McGowan said those in the 50-to-60 age bracket who had already received their first AstraZeneca injection — which includes Mr McGowan himself — should receive their second dose.
“The clear health advice is that different vaccines should not be mixed,” Mr McGowan said.
Those in that age group who have booked in for but not received their first dose of AstraZeneca will be contacted to have their booking changed to a Pfizer injection.
Mr McGowan also said that health officials are continuing to monitor border restrictions, but indicated there would be no immediate changes.
“We are watching what is happening in NSW. If you have been to one of the exposure sites and come to Western Australia, you are currently required to quarantine and be tested.
“Obviously we will monitor that, if we need to put in place stronger measures in the coming days, we will. We will monitor and watch what is happening in NSW very, very closely.”
READ MORE:Clotting case sparks vaccine rethink
Rachel Baxendale4.10pm:‘Operational error’ saw infected nurse work at two hospitals
Victorian Covid-19 logistics chief Jeroen Weimar has blamed a hospital’s “operational error” for the fact a nurse worked across two hospitals while infected with coronavirus.
The nurse received a positive test result late on Tuesday after caring for three elderly Covid patients during shifts at the Epping Private hospital in Melbourne’s north on the 9th and 14th of June.
The patients were relocated to the hospital a fortnight ago after contracting the virus at the Arcare aged care facility in the western suburb of Maidstone.
On Thursday, Mr Weimar revealed the nurse also worked shifts on June 11 and 12 at the nearby Northern Hospital, where 22 staff have consequently been ordered to quarantine.
A further 25 patients and five staff at the Northern Hospital’s vaccination clinic have been ordered to isolate for a fortnight, after the nurse received her second jab there on Monday.
Conceding he was “exceptionally concerned” the nurse had worked across multiple hospitals while caring for the state’s only three hospitalised Covid patients, Mr Weimar said he had conducted a series of meetings on Wednesday night with the CEOs of the hospitals and other supporting agencies “to ensure we re-establish a far more rigorous regime in place to look after these patients”.
“I’m very concerned and disappointed that this has occurred, and I think the team at Epping Private recognise the severity of that, and are responding appropriately,” he said.
He said the Covid patients had been sent to Epping Private because it had been “earmarked” by the health department as being appropriate for aged care residents, with work done by the department’s infection prevention and control team, Worksafe and other agencies to mitigate transmission risks.
“This appears to be obviously an operational error being made at Epping private that allowed the roster to be run in a way, and the attestations for staff to be done in a certain way, that meant that we have a staff nurse working across two different sites,” Mr Weimar said.
“It shouldn’t have been allowed to happen.”
Genomic sequencing due back on Thursday afternoon is expected to confirm the nurse contracted the virus from one of the patients.
“I understand there were some complexities about the way the cases are being supported in Epping Private that led possibly to an (infection prevention and control) breach,” he said.
A tenth of the almost 1000 healthcare workers who contracted coronavirus during Victoria’s second wave were staff at the Northern Hospital.
The hospital had the third-highest number of infected staff of any hospital in the state, with 95 cases to the end of September, compared with 139 at the Royal Melbourne and 115 at St Vincent’s.
Contact tracers have identified nine primary close contacts for the nurse at the Epping Private hospital, all of whom are quarantining for 14 days.
A further 25 staff had been isolated as a precaution, 22 of whom had so far tested negative and been permitted to return to work.
“We will continue a daily testing program at Epping Private for the foreseeable future until we clear through this outbreak and until those patients have returned to Arcare,” Mr Weimar said.
The health department published a series of exposure sites linked to the nurse on Wednesday and Thursday, including a cinema at Crown Casino and the Barkly Square shopping centre in Brunswick in Melbourne’s inner north.
READ MORE:Delta strain on loose in Sydney
Nicholas Jensen3.50pm:Three of the Big Four banks’ smartphone apps down
Three of the Big Four bank’s smartphone apps have gone offline this afternoon following reports of widespread disruptions to internet connectivity across Australia.
Customers from ANZ, CBA and Westpac have reported problems in accessing their accounts this afternoon, with the website of the Reserve Bank of Australia, Allianz and Macquarie Bank and airline Virgin Australia also flagging connectivity problems.
Unable to access the usual app interface and banking options, customer display screens are reading: “Something’s not working. Please try again later”
READ the full story here.
Joseph Lam3.21pm:What side effects have been reported from vaccines?
Australians reported 2106 adverse events following immunisation of the Covid-19 vaccine during a seven-day period from June 7 to June 13.
In this week’s COVID-19 vaccine weekly safety report, the most reported suspected side effects are commonly experienced with vaccines generally. There have been twelve additional cases of blood clots with low blood platelets which have been assessed as TTS https://t.co/hC2gAG2M76pic.twitter.com/8AUJRZDeDx
— TGA Australia (@TGAgovau) June 17, 2021
Of those to report side effects, 12 Australians developed blood clots that are defined as confirmed or probable TTS likely linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine, according to the latest report from the Therapeutic Goods Administration
The TGA has recorded 29,436 reports of adverse effects following the 5,867,299 doses of the vaccine administered up until June 13. Of those AEFI reports, 20,418 came from those who received the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The most common AEFI include headaches, muscle pain and nausea. Injection site reactions and lethargy are also common for Pfizer recipients and chills and fever are common for those who receive AstraZeneca.
READ MORE: Record spike in Victorian family violence
Joseph Lam3.05pm:Pups put on trial to sniff out Covid
Can a dog detect Covid-19? That’s what Australian Border Force are out to find out, enlisting six pooches into a new trial to determine just how helpful man’s best friend can be in the fight against the virus.
The new trials follow on from a phase 1 trial conducted by the University of Adelaide and the ABF National Detector Dog Program Facility over a three-week period at Sydney International Terminal from March 15 to March 31.
All paws on deck! Today, six dogs – four from the Australian Border Force – have commenced trials at Adelaide Airport as part of ongoing research into the feasibility of using dogs to detect COVID-19. Read more https://t.co/X3uns1F64Spic.twitter.com/pYO2y4JFPV
— ABF (@AusBorderForce) June 17, 2021
Although the dogs won’t be able to sniff out the virus directly, they will be trained to detect VOCs present in sweat samples volunteered by people in isolation.
If successful, the program could provide an “efficient, reliable and complementary screening method”, said acting ABF Commander John Taylor.
“This project uses the expertise of the ABF’s Detector Dog Program, supported by domestic and international partners across the public and private sector, with broader expertise in human biosecurity, virology and health sciences,” he said.
“The ability of a dog to indicate a person is infectious even though they have not yet had a positive Polymerase Chain Reaction test will assist in earlier intervention in managing potential spread of the virus.”
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Adeshola Ore2.45pm: Albanese points to Coalition’s pandemic ‘failures’
Anthony Albanese has attempted to suspend standing orders in the lower house over what he says are the Morrison government’s failures in securing early access to multiple vaccines.
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation has today recommended that the AstraZeneca jab should now only be given to those aged 60 and above.
The Opposition Leader said the government had “two jobs to get right” – the vaccine rollout and hotel quarantine.
He urged the house to note that the Morrison government had “failed to secure early access to five or six vaccines.”
“Fewer than 3 per cent of Australians have been fully vaccinated,” he said.
“Despite announcing last August it was looking to establish mRNA manufacturing in Australia, the Morrison government has failed to establish mRNA vaccine manufacturing here.”
“The Morrison government has failed to run an effective public information campaign on vaccines in the face of constantly changing health advice and increased vaccine hesitancy.”
Deputy Labor leader Richard Marles said Scott Morrison had “bet the house on AstraZeneca and now this rollout is in complete disarray.”
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Joseph Lam2.32pm:Number of over 50s with clot syndrome rose
At least 60 Australians developed a rare syndrome after taking the AstraZeneca vaccine over the past two months which led to a decision which now recommends the vaccine only to those aged 60 years and over.
Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said authorities have recorded a rise in the number of Australians aged 50 to 59 who developed thrombosis and thrombocytopenia syndrome after taking the vaccine, a figure which almost mirrors the risk to those aged under 50.
Authorities estimate that 2.7 in every 100,000 Australians aged 50 to 59 will suffer from TTS. For under 50s, the number is 3.1.
Previously it was recorded that 1.9 Australians aged 50 to 59 would develop TTS however seven of 12 TTS cases reported in the past week have come from that age group.
The death rate for those who have developed TTS is three per cent, with two of the 60 cases in the past two months having died.
“A spectrum of severity of illness has been reported in Australia, from fatal cases and those with significant morbidity, to relatively milder cases. TTS appears to be more severe in younger people,” reads advice from the Federal Department of Health website.
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Adeshola Ore2.16pm:815,000 Aussies awaiting second AstraZeneca dose
Health Minister Greg Hunt says 815,000 Australians have had one dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine and are awaiting a second shot, after the nation’s immunisation panel recommended it should now only be given to those aged 60 and above.
Mr Hunt said the The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation advice had been “clear” that anyone who has had a first dose of AstraZeneca should proceed with their second dose unless there has been a significant adverse reaction.
“The reason why, as was explained by the Chief Medical Officer, is the global evidence is that there is a very, very low case level right around the world with regards to any adverse
reactions to a second dose of AstraZeneca,” he said.
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Joseph Lam 1.39pm: ‘Get second AstraZeneca dose if you’ve had first one’
The Chief Medical Officer has urged Australians over 50 who have already received an AstraZeneca jab to go ahead with their second dose.
On Thursday the age range for AstraZeneca changed from 50 years and older to 60 and over after dozens of Australians had a severe reaction to the vaccine.
“I can imagine that this news could cause concern,” Professor Paul Kelly said.
“Anyone who has had a first dose of AstraZeneca without problem should keep that booking for the second dose. We have not had a single case of this rare problem after a second dose,” he added.
It is understood that 12 Australians have suffered from the rare clotting effect over the past week, seven of which were aged between 50 to 59.
“We’re picking it up more commonly than other countries because we’re looking fully,” Professor Kelly said.
Professor Kelly confirmed 45 per cent of Australians who suffered from the effect are yet to leave hospital, some of whom are in intensive care and two of whom died.
Paul Garvey1.30pm:WA’s Pfizer rollout to younger age groups faces halt
Western Australia’s rollout of Pfizer vaccines to 30-to-40-year-olds could be halted as the state responds to the news that people between the ages of 50 and 60 will no longer receive the AstraZeneca vaccine.
WA last week became the first state to open up Pfizer vaccines to the 30-40-year-old bracket as part of an effort to accelerate slow levels of vaccination uptake. The change prompted a flurry of activity, with more than 100,000 appointments made since then.
But WA Premier Mark McGowan this morning said that the proposed change in eligibility criteria for the AstraZeneca vaccine – which has been linked to several cases of blood clots – was likely to spark an increase in vaccinations among the 50 to 60-year-old cohort and place pressure on the state’s ability to extend to program to those in their 30s.
“They are the decisions we will have to make,” Mr McGowan said when asked if the rollout to younger West Australians would have to be paused.
“If you have a big growth of usage in another age category, it may mean we have to take other decisions.”
He said the state would have to assess its ability to source the Pfizer vaccine from the commonwealth, noting that supplies were “quite limited”.
“We are currently doing a stocktake of all our supplies of Pfizer and how much we are expecting to come on board so we can work out what the exact rules will be going forward should the advice change today.”
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Joseph Lam 1.19pm: Under 60s can now receive Pfizer, Hunt confirms
Australians under the age of 60 will now receive the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine after the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation reviewed the effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine on those aged 50 to 59.
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt announced the changes early afternoon on Thursday after several months of the AstraZeneca vaccine being recommended to those aged 50 and over.
“We will move to open access immediately to 40 to 49-year-olds,” Mr Hunt said.
READ the full story here
Adeshola Ore12.56pm:Health Minister to elaborate on AstraZeneca advice
Josh Frydenberg says Health Minister Greg Hunt will have “more to say later” following reports that Australia’s immunisation panel has recommended the AstraZeneca vaccine should now only be given to those aged 60 and above.
The Treasurer said the vaccine rollout was continuing to gain pace and stressed more than 6 million doses had been administered.
“For that specific advice and the issue that you raised, he will have more to say later when he is in possession of that advice,” Mr Frydenberg told reporters in Canberra.
READ MORE:Woman develops rare disease after jab
Adeshola Ore12.49pm: Jobs figures show plan is working: Frydenberg
Josh Frydenberg says the economy’s return to pre-pandemic unemployment levels should give Australia’s confidence that the government’s jobs plan is working.
Unemployment has unexpectedly plunged to pre-Covid levels of 5.1 per cent in May from 5.5 per cent, after the number of employed Australians surged by 110,000.
“Today, there are more women in work than ever before. We have seen 987,000 jobs created since May of last year. And since the end of JobKeeper, at the end of March, 84,000 new jobs have been created,” the Treasurer said.
“You will remember our political opponents said the sky would fall at the end of JobKeeper. Well, 84,000 new jobs have been created since the end of JobKeeper. These job numbers follow other positive economic data that we’ve seen in recent weeks and recent months.”
READ MORE: Jobless rate plunges to pre-Covid level of 5.1pc
RICHARD FERGUSON 12.32pm:Super reform: one account for life
Australians will be “stapled” to one superannuation account through multiple jobs and major retirement funds will face regular performance tests after the Morrison government’s controversial tranche of super reforms passed the senate on Thursday.
After a deal with Pauline Hanson’s One Nation and Centre Alliance senator Stirling Griff, Superannuation Minister Jane Hume managed to get the three reform bills past the upper house and crunched debate to ensure it passed before the end of the sitting week.
Before the final vote, Senator Hume said in Canberra that the reforms would save Australians “$17.9 billion in fees and lost performance over the next 10 years.”
READ MORE:Beijing backs McGowan’s ‘constructive’ criticism of Morrison
Angelica Snowden11.50am:Vic energy emergency, 7000 homes without power
At least 7000 homes in Victoria are still without power following storms which caused enough “tree debris that would fill the MCG”.
Victoria’s acting Premier James Merlino made the comments in Olinda – one of the hardest hit suburbs in the state’s east – and announced emergency support of up to $1600 per household.
“I have never seen the extent of this damage before,” Mr Merlino said.
“This is very much unprecedented. It is tree carnage,” he said.
“There may be many thousands without power well into July.”
The state’s energy and environment minister Lily D’Ambrosio also announced a state of emergency had been declared after “significant cracks” had formed in the wall of the Yallourn power plant due to storm water.
“Urgent repairs need to be made to the mine,” Ms D’Ambrosio said.
“Water could breach at any moment,” she said.
The state of emergency will allow water to be quickly diverted and remediation works to start. The power station supplies energy to 20 per cent of Victoria.
Ms D’Ambrosio said two years worth of damage had been caused in two days after the weather ripped through Victoria last Wednesday night.
Emergency management commissioner Andrew Crisp said a request had been made for just five “logistical” officers from the Australian Defence Force to help with the clean up.
He said authorities did not want to ask for more assistance until they knew the full extent of the damage.
READ MORE: Falling tree impact ‘sounded like bomb’
Joseph Lam 11.45am: Limo driver infected with Delta virus strain
Preliminary testing has left NSW Health authorities scrambling to trace the source of a Delta Covid-19 strain in a Sydney man.
The man, a limousine driver in his 60s, was involved in transporting international flight crew from the airport.
NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant on Thursday confirmed her department were investigating its source.
“Last night, pathology confirmed that this gentleman has the Delta strain of the virus. And that this strain does not match anything that’s been uploaded in Australia at this time,” she said.
“But it does match perfectly a sequence that’s been uploaded from the US and so that fits with that plausible hypothesis.”
Dr Chant said the health department are working with a hypothesis that a flight crew who came into contact with the man could have become infectious prior to departing to Australia despite returning negative Covid-19 tests.
“Whilst we do test flight crew on the way in, there’s always a chance, as I indicated to you, that’s why one test at one point in time does not confirm your infectiousness and you may develop infection at any point before you depart Australia. That’s our working hypothesis,” she said.
“While infectious, the couple attended a number of venues in Vaucluse, Bondi Junction, Zetland, Redfern and North Sydney, including the 200 bus from Bondi Junction to North Sydney and returned on June 15.”
READ MORE:Minimum wage rises despite ‘risk to recovery’
Patrick Commins11.35am:Jobless figures fall to pre-Covid levels
Unemployment has unexpectedly plunged to pre-Covid levels of 5.1 per cent in May from 5.5 per cent, after the number of employed Australians surged by 110,000.
Full-time employment increased by 97,500, and part-time employment by 17,700, seasonally adjusted data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed.
The consensus forecast among bank economists had been for the key jobless measure to remain steady, and for only an additional 30,000 jobs to be created.
The participation rate increased by 0.3 percentage points to 66.2 per cent.
The underemployment rate – which measures those with jobs but who would like to work more – fell from 7.8 per cent to 7.4 per cent – its lowest level since 2014.
The latest labour force release is the second since the end of JobKeeper in March. The ABS has said the end of JobKeeper “did not have a discernible impact on employment” in April.
Surging demand for workers as the economy rebounds from the pandemic has driven record levels of job vacancies and triggered labour shortages in some industries, particularly those businesses which have lost foreign workers as a result of closed borders.
The Reserve Bank expects unemployment will drop to 5 per cent by the end of this year.
The May labour force survey was conducted before Melbourne’s fourth lockdown.
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Joseph Lam11.30am:You have obligations Hazzard tells limo driver
Pathology testing has confirmed a 60-year-old limousine driver who ferries passengers from Sydney airport has tested positive for the Delta Covid-19 strain.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard issued a strong reminder for anyone in a similar occupation as the driver, whose wife has also tested positive.
“I won’t be commenting specifically on that limousine driver or those investigations, but what I will remind all drivers who pick people up from the airport more broadly is that you have obligations,” he said.
“Your obligations are legal and they are to get saliva-tested every day and to make sure you wear appropriate PPE. If you don’t do that, you’re breaching the orders and the police will investigate you and, of course, there are possible consequences.”
Mr Hazzard added that while any fines given would be tough, catching the virus was worse.
“The worst consequences are, of course, that the virus can enter via what might otherwise be a complete non-compliance and just plain slackness about complying with what the health authorities have asked you to do.”
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Staff writers11.15am:AstraZeneca jabs now recommended for over 60s only
The AstraZeneca vaccine should now only be given to those aged 60 and above, the chief immunisation body has reportedly told the government.
Nine News and the ABC this morning reports that the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) made the recommendation, after a 52-year-old woman died from a brain clot last week.
READ the full story here
Joseph Lam11.06am: Sydney cluster grows to three positive cases
NSW has recorded two further Covid-19 cases in addition to two cases recorded in Sydney’s eastern suburbs late on Wednesday.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced on Thursday a 70-year-old woman who attended a Vaucluse cafe listed as an exposure site has tested positive for the virus.
“In addition to that additional case this morning, we have a gentleman in his 40s, who has tested positive in the Baulkham Hills area,” Ms Berejiklian said.
Ms Berejiklian noted the Baulkham Hills man could be a false positive.
“Health is still determining whether it’s a false positive or an old case as the viral load in his system was very low,” she said.
“On that basis, it could be a false positive or it could be an old case. And it is as yet unrelated to the eastern suburbs cluster.”
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PATRICK COMMINS 10.54am:All eyes on how to handle accelerating house prices
RBA boss Philip Lowe says the Council of Financial Regulators discussed what might be the “appropriate options to employ” should house prices accelerate and outstrip growth in incomes, saying such an outcome was “not in the country’s interests”, particularly in an environment of high debt.
Dr Lowe, answering questions at an event in Toowoomba this morning, said regulators were “not at the point” where they are “actively considering implementing any initiative, but we are doing the preparation of what we might do” should credit growth take off.
He said regulators were “looking at debt to income ratios, loan to value ratios and the type of restrictions we saw a few years ago”, which included limits on lending to investors and the pace of interest-only mortgages.
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Angelica Snowden10.32am:Dandenong residents face weeks without power
Residents in Melbourne’s Dandenong Ranges and surrounds who were hit by destructive storms last week have been dealt another blow.
At least 3000 people in some of the worst hit areas in the state’s east – including Ferny Creek, Kalorama, Mount Dandenong and Olinda and others – are likely to be without power for another three weeks.
The revised estimates to rebuild are 10 July 2021. This will affect 3k customers in:
— AusNet Services (@AusNetServices) June 16, 2021
Ferny Creek, Kalorama, Mount Dandenong, Olinda, Sassafras, Sherbrooke, The Basin, Tremont and Upwey. As we progress through repairs, the power will gradually come back on across the region. 2/3
Ausnet said initial repair estimates were wrong, and apologised.
“We are deeply sorry,” a statement read.
“We now understand the extent of the damage and scale of the recovery ahead.”
Acting Premier James Merlino will hold a press conference in one of the affected suburbs, Olinda, at 10.30am.
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Rachel Baxendale10.29am:NSW, Victoria to provide Covid updates at 11am
Victorian Covid-19 logistics chief Jeroen Weimar is due to address the media at 11am.
The press conference comes as the state recorded no new community-acquired cases in the 24 hours to Thursday, despite dozens of exposure sites being added to the health department’s list in the previous 48 hours.
Key areas of concern for health authorities remain an apartment complex in inner city Southbank where eight people from four households have tested positive for the virus, and the Epping private hospital, where a nurse contracted the virus while caring for elderly Covid-19 patients.
Gladys Berejiklian will also address the media at 11am in Sydney.
Lydia Lynch10.23am:Reconsider travel to Sydney, Queenslanders told
Queenslanders have been told to reconsider travel plans to Sydney ahead of school holidays next week.
New South Wales recorded its first local cases in more than a month on Wednesday, an airport worker and his household contact.
The border between the two states remains open, but Queensland Health authorities are closely monitoring case numbers, Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said.
“Since June 11 we have had 493 flights from Sydney arrive in Queensland, we have 72 expected to arrive today,” she said.
“Given the increasing number of exposure sites being published by New South Wales Health, the Chief Health Officer has also advised that any Queenslanders who plan on travelling to Sydney, should reconsider their travel.”
Anyone entering Queensland from Saturday will need to complete an online declaration before crossing into the state. Those living in border communities are exempt.
The new regime mirrors Victoria’s traffic light style border regime.
“Depending on the location that an individual is travelling from they will be issued with either a green or amber pass permitting them to travel to Queensland,” Ms D’Ath said.
A green pass means the person can travel freely in the state, an amber pass will allow a person who has visited a Covid exposure site to enter Queensland under quarantine conditions.
Declared hot spots will be “red zones” and no travel to Queensland will be permitted from those locations.
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Joseph Lam 10.15am:I expect testing rates to go through the roof: Berejiklian
Testing numbers are set to “go through the roof” after news broke of two NSW residents testing positive for Covid-19 says Gladys Berejiklian, according to reports in the Sydney Morning Herald.
The NSW Premier on Thursday called for residents to be extra vigilant.
“We can’t be complacent about it, we know that two can become 20 very quickly,” she said. “I expect the testing rates to go through the roof in eastern Sydney today.”
Ms Berejiklian added that while she is confident in NSW contact tracing systems, any room for error must be removed.
“Suffice to say we pride ourselves on having a very good system and if there are any holes in that system we need to plug them,” she said.
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Lydia Lynch 10.01am:Melburnians remain locked out of Queensland
Melbourne residents will stay locked out of Queensland for now as authorities warn of travelling to New South Wales.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk confirmed Greater Melbourne would remain a hotspot for another week and announced a new border regime.
“From 1am Saturday June 19, travellers arriving in Queensland will have to complete this online declaration that will make the job of contact tracing so much easier,” she said.
“Those living in border communities are exempt.”
Queensland Health authorities have published a list of NSW exposure sites and anyone who has been to those areas must immediately quarantine for 14 days.
“New cases appearing in the community in New South Wales and Victoria show why we can never let our guard down when it comes to the pandemic,” Ms Palaszczuk told Parliament.
“Queensland enjoys more freedom than most places in the world but the price of this freedom is eternal vigilance.”
Travel from NSW to Queensland is still allowed at this stage.
READ MORE: Religion bill set for second coming
Adeshola Ore9.50am: PM’s international border plan: watching Europe’s reopening
Scott Morrison says Australia will observe how greater travel freedom across Europe over the northern hemisphere’s summer impacts the rates of Covid-19, as the federal government plans the reopening of Australia’s international border.
Speaking to Sky News in Paris during his international tour, the Prime Minister said Australia would reopen in a gradual and safe way.
“We will see over the course of this summer in Europe, where a lot of people will be moving around under those new arrangements and we’ll be able to see what the impact of that is,” he said.
“Now, while hospitalisations in the UK were rising in this last week or so, I think the Prime Minister noted that, and that is an issue of great concern for them. If the virus is there, but the hospitalisations and the serious illness doesn’t occur and we see that on a sustained basis, well, that says that there is a potentially different pathway there. But the jury is not in on that yet.”
But he warned there were new Covid-19 variants that would continue to change the risk of the pandemic.
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Darren Cartwright9.34am:Borders tighten after Sydney’s two new cases
Tasmania has become the first to close its borders to anyone who visited a ‘high-risk’ site in Sydney as other state and territory leaders adopt a more cautious approach after two positive cases were detected.
NSW recorded two new cases on Wednesday, causing serious concern there may be more positive tests to come after one of those who tested positive visited major retail stores and a cinema.
The first positive case travelled to a number venues between June 11-15 including Myer and David Jones at Bondi Junction Westfield and also caught a movie at Event Cinemas.
While the rest of the country adopts a wait-and-see approach, Tasmania has not only conditionally closed its border but called on anyone who has visited a site since June 11 to isolate and get tested.
“Anyone who is planning on travelling to Tasmania who has been to any of these high-risk premises at the specified dates and times will not be permitted to enter the state,” Tasmania’s director of public health Mark Veitch said.
Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young was taking no chances and directed anyone who had been to an exposure site to “automatically” quarantine.
She called on anyone who has been to the sites to follow NSW Health advice and not travel.
“It’s important that anyone who has been to these venues in Sydney follow the advice of NSW Health, and not travel,” she said.
“You have been to any of these sites and are already in Queensland, you must immediately travel by private transport directly to your home or accommodation and quarantine.”
WA’s chief health officer Andrew Robertson introduced mandatory for 14 days quarantine from the date of exposure and a test on the 11th day after exposure.
“Any risk to WA remains very low but, again, the situation highlights the importance of remaining vigilant to prevent any spread of the virus or community transmission in this State,” he said.
The ACT also has a 14-day quarantine direction while South Australia requires also self-isolation. – NCA Newswire
READ MORE: Legal partners on rise as Covid recedes
Adeshola Ore9.05am:Nationals ‘not asked’ to back net zero by 2050
Resources Minister Keith Pitt says the Nationals have not been asked to support a net zero by 2050 target, as he vows that coal will be around for a long time.
It comes after Nationals Senate leader Bridget McKenzie this week urged the government not to go “sleepwalking” into an international agreement which favoured “rich industrialised nuclear-powered nations”, deepening divisions in the Coalition over climate change.
Mr Pitt told the ABC there was no commitment in the government to set a target date for carbon neutrality.
“We have not committed to net zero by 2050. That would require the agreement of the Nationals and that agreement has not been reached or sought,” he said.
“The question has not been asked. It would require agreement and that has not been reached … we haven’t had the discussion.”
The G7 leaders have renewed their commitment to net zero emissions by 2050, despite the Morrison government not committing to the target. Mr Morrison previously said he wanted net zero to be achieved “as soon as possible” and “preferably by 2050”.
READ MORE: Developing world must act on climate, Morrison says
Rachel Baxendale 8.52am:Victoria records a zero local virus case day
Victoria has recorded no new locally-acquired coronavirus cases in the 24 hours to Thursday, for only the third time since the first of the current outbreaks emerged on May 24.
Reported yesterday: 0 new local cases and 1 new case acquired overseas (currently in HQ).
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) June 16, 2021
- 15,610 vaccine doses were administered
- 25,635 test results were received
More later: https://t.co/0xmnS4N9DN#COVID19Vic#COVID19VicDatapic.twitter.com/68Mub9N46c
The “zero day” comes despite a relative increase in testing, and as restrictions are set to ease from midnight on Thursday.
It also follows five new cases recorded in the previous 24 hours, including four linked to an apartment complex in inner city Southbank where the virus was spreading for more than a fortnight before residents were ordered to get tested and quarantine.
Wednesday’s fifth new case was that of a nurse who had been treating aged care residents with coronavirus at the Epping private hospital in Melbourne’s north.
Dozens of exposure sites relating to the five cases were added to the health department’s list on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the most recent additions including a cinema and adjacent facilities at Crown Casino, as well as a range of sites in Melbourne’s northern suburbs and Myer’s flagship CBD store.
There were 25,635 tests processed on Wednesday, up from 17,538 tests on Tuesday and 23,679 the previous Wednesday, but well down on the June 2 record of 57,519.
The number of vaccination doses administered at state-run facilities remains significantly lower than last week after the health department paused bookings for first Pfizer shots to ensure supply for people awaiting their second.
There were 15,610 doses administered at state-run facilities on Wednesday, up slightly from 14,870 on Tuesday but well down on the 20,784 vaccinations given the previous Wednesday, let alone the June 3 record of 24,169.
READ MORE:Cruise line pulls pin on Australia
Eric Sylvers 8.37am:Europe welcomes American tourists back for summer
The European Union agreed to open the door to American tourists for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began, giving a boost to the continent’s crucial tourism industry and Americans’ summer travel options.
The EU Wednesday added the U.S. to the bloc’s “white list” of countries from where tourists can enter, according to diplomats. After the measure is rubber stamped at an EU meeting in Brussels on Friday, Americans will be free to visit the 27-nation bloc for the first time since March of last year. The EU last month said it intended to open up to Americans, but hadn’t set a date for when it would become official.
Some EU countries heavily dependent on tourism, including Italy and Greece, have already opened to Americans. Mediterranean countries would struggle to absorb another summer with few foreign tourists after last year’s costly lockdowns. Italy, Greece and France all suffered gross domestic product declines of more than 8 per cent in 2020. Spain’s economy shrank by 11 per cent.
With the US now on the white list, most restrictions will be removed across the region, though countries can add their own requirements for entry. Most countries are expected to require tourists show either proof of vaccination, a negative Covid-19 test or a document attesting they have recovered from the disease.
Japan, Australia, Israel and several other countries are already on the EU white list. Countries added this week with the U.S. include Serbia and Lebanon. – Dow Jones newswires
READ MORE:Hot spot status cans holidays in Queensland’s sun
Olivia Caisley8.25am: Senate shuts down Greens’ proposed Porter probe
Greens senator Larissa Waters has been blocked from introducing a bill for a parliamentary inquiry into whether Christian Porter is fit to remain in cabinet in a move she has described as being “virtually unprecedented”.
She was joined at Parliament House on Wednesday by Jo Dyer, a friend of a woman who accused the former attorney-general of raping her three decades ago, to lobby for support for a bill that would establish an independent inquiry into the allegations.
Mr Porter strongly denies the allegations and his accuser took her own life in June 2020.
The senator’s private bill was blocked from being introduced.
A division was called and the government won the vote 33 to 30 with help from the votes of One Nation and Jacqui Lambie. Labor and independent senator Rex Patrick voted with the Greens.
READ the full story here
Patrick Commins8.10am:Less than $20m for lockdown payments
The commonwealth has spent less than $20m on disaster payments to workers in Melbourne who lost income during the second week of the state’s latest lockdown, Services Australia data reveals.
As at Tuesday midnight – five days after the city’s lockdown ended – $19,684,000 had been paid to 42,784 Victorians through the temporary scheme, which Scott Morrison announced on June 3 as a way to assist Melburnians affected by severe social distancing restrictions.
There were 33,024 claims granted for $500 a week for losing 20 hours or more of work, and 9760 claims for $325 a week for losing fewer than 20 hours.
The deadline for final claims is July 2, however the pace of applications had slowed over the past week, a Services Australia spokeswoman said.
The formal lockdown – alongside the commonwealth designation of Melbourne as a “Covid hotspot” to make workers eligible for the federal support – ended on June 10 and was replaced with lighter restrictions, which will ease further from Friday.
READ the full story here
Paige Taylor7.38am:UK legal boost for Sri Lanka family
A British court’s rejection of Australian intelligence about Sri Lanka has given supporters of the Murugappan family hope that they will not be deported.
The Tamil family at the centre of a political storm over Australia’s hard line on boat arrivals was reunited in Perth on Tuesday, as Immigration minister Alex Hawke continues his review of their case.
On Wednesday, human rights lawyer Alison Battisson said it was highly relevant for Mr Hawke to consider that three judges of the UK Upper Tribunal had in May made strong criticisms of the information Australia has relied on when rejecting asylum seekers from Sri Lanka.
The tribunal decided not to use the 2019 report from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which claims Sri Lankans face a low risk of torture.
The judges wrote: “None of the sources are identified; there is no explanation as to how the information from these sources was obtained.”
Ms Battisson told The Australian she was not surprised by the finding of the British court, saying there had been concerns for some years about DFAT’s information on Sri Lanka being used when assessing asylum seekers, including Mr and Mrs Murugappan who were rejected in 2012 and 2016 respectively.
READ the full story here
Joseph Lam 7.05am:NSW Lib frontbencher praises Ita over ABC move
The decision to move some 300 ABC staff to Parramatta is a good chance for reporters to realise stories don’t just happen in Sydney’s CBD or eastern suburbs but also western Sydney, says Member for Parramatta Geoff Lee.
Speaking on 2GB on Thursday the NSW Liberal MP congratulated Ita Buttrose on the move which he says will bring reporters to the “geographic heart of Sydney which is actually Parramatta”.
“Stories just don’t just happen in Sydney CBD or the eastern suburbs, they’re happening right throughout greater western Sydney as well,” he said.
“I think it’ll help people understand there’s real people, real stories in Western Sydney and they’ll (be able) to get out and see it.”
“They got a small office at the moment and I see they need to focus on western Sydney.”
READ MORE: ABC staff head to Parramatta
Joseph Lam6.40am: Vic ski fields ‘victimised’ as state opens
Victorian ski field operators have claimed a new rule brought in to curb the spread of Covid-19 at the mountains is targeted and unfair.
As restrictions are further eased in Victoria on Friday, residents aged three and older looking to make use of the snow will be required to take a Covid test 72 hours before they leave.
The move shocked many in the industry including Falls Creek Chamber of Commerce president Lisa Logan who said Victorians are being treated “like children”.
“Literally before I even knew the news, people were cancelling their bookings,” she told the Herald Sun.
“We are absolutely being victimised by all of this when it’s not required for any other destination.
“The fact that Thredbo and Perisher (in NSW) have been able to operate is like rubbing salt in the wounds. They’re treating us like children.”
READ MORE: Cruise liner pulls pin on voyages down under
Geoff Chambers6.00am:PM fires warning shot over French subs
Scott Morrison has flagged a series of crucial “gates” in Naval Group’s $90bn future submarines program, after raising concerns about the contract directly with the company and French President Emmanuel Macron.
The Prime Minister has met with Naval Group and Mr Macron separately in France on Wednesday (AEST), where he raised Australia’s expectations over a series of key milestones and speeding-up timelines on the project.
After meeting with OECD secretary-general Mathias Cormann in Paris, Mr Morrison confirmed he had talked to Mr Macron about the contract.
“We’re coming up to some important gates in that contract and there have been issues we’ve had to address over particularly the last eight months,” Mr Morrison said.
“President Macron and I have a very open and a very transparent and very friendly relationship where we can speak candidly to each other about these issues. But what is most important is we understand the strategic imperative of our broader relationship, we obviously have a relationship as it presents with that contract.
“But it is far bigger than that. We both have a shared interest in the strategic security of the Indo-Pacific.”
READ the full story
Nicholas Jensen5.10am:New Sydney positive cases ‘a serious breach’: expert
Health authorities in NSW are on high alert as the state’s 43-day streak of zero locally acquired infections came to an end on Wednesday afternoon, with two people testing positive for Covid-19 near Bondi Junction.
The source of the infection has not been determined but the first man to test positive has worked as a driver for international aircrew, prompting new calls from epidemiologists for stricter quarantine controls.
He had a saliva test on Tuesday and the positive result was confirmed by a second PCR test on Wednesday. Contact tracers are now scrambling to identify his movements.
A household contact of the man has also tested positive.
“Urgent investigations into the source of the infection and contact tracing are under way, as is genome sequencing,” a NSW Health spokesperson said.
“Close contacts are being urgently contacted and asked to get tested and isolate.”
The aircrew driver, who is in his 60s and lives in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, attended Bondi Junction’s Westfield shopping centre, where he visited Myer and David Jones, as well as Sourdough Bakery on Friday June 11 and Saturday June 12. He also visited Belle Cafe, Washoku and Rocco’s in the nearby Vaucluse area and went to Myer and watched a screening of the Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard at Event Cinemas.
His household contact was in Vaucluse and Bondi, but in addition caught the 200 bus to North Sydney on Tuesday.
University of NSW epidemiologist Mary Louise McLaws was highly critical of infection control procedures following the latest infection, suggesting the new Bondi infection should be regarded as akin to a breach in hotel quarantine because the man potentially came into contact with international crews and passengers.
“This man should have been constantly tested with a rapid Antigen test at the airport because he was driving and transporting crews,” she said. “I find it perplexing that this hasn’t been happening to people who are transporting others in vehicles from airports.
“I think we should consider this infection as a serious breach … because he likely contracted the virus from someone who was infectious on the plane, and this is something that would not be happening if we had a proper system of rapid testing.”
Read the full story here.
Rachel Baxendale5am:Melbourne’s hotspot status cans Queensland holidays
Melburnians are likely to remain locked out of Queensland ahead of the beginning of the school holidays with the hotspot status of the Victorian capital to remain in place potentially into next week.
A Queensland Health spokesman on Wednesday night said “with Victoria announcing today they will continue to have some local restrictions in place, the hotspot will remain in place for Greater Melbourne.’’
It is understood the decision will be reviewed next week. In the meantime, only returning Queensland residents or Melburnians seeking entry for essential reasons will be granted entry to the state if they have been in Greater Melbourne in the past 14 days.
The Queensland government announcement came as the Victorian government indicated Melburnians hitting the ski slopes this winter would be required to test negative for coronavirus in the 72 hours before entering the state’s alpine resorts, under new safety measures being introduced by the Andrews government as Covid restrictions eased slightly.
Read the full story here.
Ewin Hannan4.45am:Minimum-wage rises despite ‘risks to recovery’
The Fair Work Commission has warned that more lockdowns and the pace of the vaccine rollout are risks to the economic recovery, as it awarded an $18.80-a-week minimum wage rise, but delayed the increase by up to four months for workers in Covid-impacted industries.
Business groups said the “premature and irresponsible” pay rise, more than double the amount supported by employers, would be a “huge burden on business’ when combined with the imminent 0.5 per cent increase in the superannuation guarantee.
The ACTU, which had called for a $26.38-a-week increase from July 1, criticised the decision to delay until November pay rises in a raft of industries, including aviation, fitness, hair and beauty, hospitality, restaurants and clubs.
The 2.5 per cent pay rise which will eventually flow through to 2.2 million low-paid and award-reliant workers by November will take the national minimum wage to $20.33 an hour, or $772.60 a week. Commission president Iain Ross said there was a “broad consensus in the submissions before us that the current performance of the economy has exceeded expectations and that the economic recovery was well underway”.
Read the full story here.
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