Coronavirus Australia live news: NSW to extend lockdown by four weeks after 172 new virus cases
The NSW government will implement a “singles’ bubble” allowing residents of Greater Sydney to meet indoors, even if they are not intimate partners.
- Berejiklian ‘never asked states for vaccine’
- No evidence to charge removalists
- Victorian records 10 virus cases
- NSW cabinet split over restrictions
- Hospitality fears ‘lockdown-lite’ future
Welcome to live coverage of Australia’s battle with the Covid-19 pandemic.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has for the second time said that Gladys Berejiklian never asked national cabinet for vaccines allocated to other states and territories. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has said she was hoping to make an announcement about changed lockdown rules as early as Wednesday morning. It comes as her state recorded 172 local cases of Covid-19, at least 60 of which were infectious while in the community; Victoria’s restrictions ease.
Amanda Hodge11pm: Desperate Aussie expats eye a ‘boatpeople’ return
For decades, the ocean trip from Indonesia to Australia has been largely the preserve of the desperate and stateless, but with no other way out of a country in the grips of a deadly Covid-19 surge, a group of Australians is now contemplating the “boatpeople” route home.
Lombok-based tourism operator Brendan Nuir has fielded dozens of inquiries from Australian expatriates willing to pay $3500 a person for a 67-hour trip from Kupang in West Timor to Darwin in his 22m traditional Indonesian Phinisi transport vessel, Embaku, since posting a flyer on Australian expat chat groups this week.
The 36-year-old former West Australian goldminer decided to gauge interest in the trip after putting his name down for private charter flights to Australia along with hundreds of others, only to watch the price of one-way tickets treble to $10,600 a person amid a bidding war for planes among charter companies.
David Penberthy 10.15pm: We must live with virus: tycoon
South Australia’s most successful businessman has launched a withering attack on the state’s lockdown strategy and a lack of leadership across politics nationwide to chart a path out of the pandemic.
Despite strong public support in SA for the seven-day lockdown which finished at midnight on Tuesday, Peregrine Corporation executive director Sam Shahin urged the state and nation to have a more thoughtful conversation about the impact of the closures and the fact they may occur again.
He said he was yet to see any political leader in Australia who had properly explained how we could move beyond using the blunt instrument of lockdowns to combat the threat of outbreaks.
He urged Australia to look to moves by Singapore to stop running daily case counts and press conferences, and to treat Covid not as a pandemic but an endemic disease similar to influenza, HIV and malaria.
“One could argue that our political leaders have erred on almost every front in managing the pandemic,” Mr Shahin said.
“The pandemic has rushed our political leaders into the ‘today’, the tactics of survival. They lost the opportunity to establish the objectives first and to lead our nation through a global crisis with the minimum damage possible to our nation.
Richard Ferguson9.30pm:National cabinet ‘not fit for purpose’
Advocates of federation reform say national cabinet is unable to survive the Covid-19 crisis or handle Australia’s future policy challenges, arguing it is an emergency body not bound by collective responsibility and crippled by a growing hostility between its members.
The warning was sounded as Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and West Australian Premier Mark McGowan ramped up their attacks on the Sydney lockdown and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s push to have more Pfizer redirected to help stem the unfolding crisis in her state.
The collapse of national cabinet’s solidarity comes as former COAG reform council chair Paul McClintock and former WA Liberal premier Colin Barnett warned there was no body capable of running the federation or securing major policy reforms.
Jess Malcolm8.45pm: ‘Stance on testing coloured by profit’
Private pathology giants have been accused of cartel-like behaviour in refusing to endorse alternatives to PCR Covid testing, unwilling to forgo huge profits in Medicare rebates since the start of the pandemic.
Private pathologists remain vehemently opposed to endorsing any alternatives to PCR testing, which generate a $100 Medicare rebate per test. Rapid antigen tests range from $10 to $15 per test but are not covered by Medicare.
In NSW, PCR tests have cost the taxpayer more than $500m since the start of the pandemic. But many medical specialists believe much cheaper rapid antigen tests should be urgently rolled out for schools, aged-care facilities, manufacturing workers, border staff and hospital workers.
Specialist emergency physician Ian Norton said it was inappropriate that pathology groups would have influence over any public health decision in favour of rapid antigen testing, and has called for an independent group to be appointed to review their use and benefits.
Dr Norton is a former head of the World Health Organisation’s emergency medical team who helped advise the commonwealth on the management of the Howard Springs quarantine facility.
Joseph Lam8pm:Tests ordered for 60 police officers
About 60 police officers from southwest Sydney have been sent to get a Covid-19 test and will go into an immediate 14-day isolation after coming into contact with a positive case.
It’s understood that officers from Campsie Area Command and Campbelltown Area Command will go into isolation after being tasked with handling an incident at a venue of concern.
NSW Police said a number of staff from the South West Metropolitan Region have been identified as potential contacts with a Covid-19 positive case.
“All affected police employees have been directed to get tested and undertake 14-days isolation in compliance with the Public Health Order,” a statement read.
“NSW Health is currently making further assessments about the level of exposure for officers from other affected commands, who may have undertaken taskings at a venue of concern in South West Sydney.”
“All measures are being taken to ensure strict health and workplace safety guidelines are followed. Deep cleaning has occurred at all affected police premises.”
Police said its workforce remained highly mobile and able to attend current arrangements as needed.
AFP7.50pm:70pc of EU adults have at least one jab
About 70 per cent of EU adults have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen says.
Overall, 57 per cent of over-18s are now fully vaccinated across the 27 nations, she said in a statement on Tuesday.
“These figures put Europe among the world leaders,” Ms von der Leyen said. “But we need to keep up the effort.”
The European Commission president sounded a warning over the “very dangerous” Delta variant of the virus that has increasingly taken hold on the continent and seen infection rates begin to tick up again.
“I therefore call on everyone — who has the opportunity — to be vaccinated. For their own health and to protect others,” she said.
The European Commission — which has been in charge of securing vaccinations for the bloc — had earlier set the target of getting 70 per cent of adults fully vaccinated by the end of summer.
Von der Leyen said on July 10 that the EU had delivered enough vaccines to reach that level.
The inoculation drive in the bloc has picked up speed dramatically after a bumpy start due to supply shortfalls that saw it lag behind pacesetters like the United States, Britain and Israel.
Robyn Ironside 7.20pm: Outbreaks ground cheap flights plan
The federal government’s half-price airfare initiative designed to kickstart domestic air travel has run into strife as close to 10,000 flights have been cancelled in the past six weeks.
About 800,000 airfares were subsidised by the government as part of a $1.2bn aviation support package announced in March, including on flights from capital cities to tourism hotspots such as the Gold and Sunshine Coasts, the Whitsundays, Broome, Uluru and Launceston.
They were intended for travel for the period from mid-April to the end of September, which has so far been beset by Covid-related disruption.
Yoni Bashan 6.40pm: NSW to extend lockdown for four weeks
The NSW government will announce a four-week lockdown extension across Greater Sydney from Friday.
The decision was taken during a crisis cabinet meeting held on Tuesday, during which a number of critical decisions were agreed upon in relation to schooling and construction work.
The Australian earlier revealed the crisis cabinet had also agreed to a ‘singles bubble’ to allow residents of Sydney to interact with friends and companions, with further details to be announced.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian is also expected to announce that construction work will recommence on Saturday, but tradespeople from local government areas with high levels of COVID transmission will not be permitted to participate.
Graham Richardson6.20pm: Vietnam war protesters would condemn these clowns
When NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller declares he will come down hard on those clowns who think gathering in numbers is a clever idea in the time of Covid-19, even those who used to march in the 1970s will condemn those prepared to march now.
As a fervent participant in those moratorium marches, I will be among the first to castigate this bunch of dopes. The moratorium marches were not reckless ventures endangering public health, they were simple expressions of democratic freedom.
Yoni Bashan5.40pm: ‘Singles’ bubble’ for NSW
The NSW government will implement a “singles’ bubble” allowing residents of Greater Sydney to meet indoors, even if they are not intimate partners.
The decision was made during another lengthy session of the state’s crisis cabinet on Tuesday afternoon. Several other critical decisions relating to construction and schooling are also understood to have been agreed upon.
Formal announcements are expected to be provided on Wednesday.
Multiple officials confirmed that a “singles bubble” had been signed off as a means of countering the mental health effects of a longer-term lockdown of Greater Sydney.
The Australian has previously revealed that Treasurer Dominic Perrottet requested modelling from the NSW Treasury for a lockdown that would extend until September 17.
Digital Minister Victor Dominello is understood to have been a key sponsor of the singles bubble in the crisis cabinet and had been pushing for its implementation over the past two weeks. He has been contacted for comment.
MORE TO COME
Matthew Denholm 5.30pm: Tasmania to reopen to SA from midnight
Tasmania will reopen its borders to South Australia from midnight on Tuesday, but Victorians will remain banned until at least Thursday.
Director of Public Health Mark Veitch said SA would no longer be designated as a high-risk area.
“This means that from midnight tonight people in home or hotel quarantine in Tasmania because they were recently in South Australia will be able to leave quarantine, as long as they have not been at a high-risk area in another state or listed high-risk premises in the past 14 days,” Dr Veitch said on Tuesday.
“It also means that from tomorrow people will be once again able to enter Tasmania from SA, provided they have not been at high-risk premises in SA or high-risk premises or areas elsewhere in Australia in the past 14 days.”
A decision on reopening borders to Victorian arrivals would be made on Thursday.
Joseph Lam 4.50pm:NT makes all NSW a hotspot
The Northern Territory has declared all of NSW a hotspot, requiring anyone entering from the state to go into a mandatory 14-day quarantine at the Alice Springs or Howard Springs facilities.
The new rules, which come into effect from 5pm (5.30pm AEDT), were announced on Tuesday afternoon.
“The hotspot declaration follows on from continuing high case numbers in New South Wales as the Covid-19 outbreak continues to evolve and spread,” a statement from NT Health said.
“The Covid-19 Delta variant has proven to be highly infectious, increasing the risk of community spread to the Northern Territory and other parts of Australia.”
Anyone who has entered the Northern Territory before 5pm on July 27 will not be subject to quarantine measures.
Lydia Lynch 4.30pm:Infectious Sydney fugitive fined $10,000
A NSW man who fled Sydney’s lockdown and drove to Queensland while infectious with COVID-19 has been fined almost $10,000.
The Qantas flight attendant who helped him sneak into Queensland has been handed a $4,135 fine.
Police have accused the 26-year-old man of flying from Sydney to Ballina to meet up with the 37-year-old flight attendant, who then drove him across the Queensland border on July 14.
Once in Queensland, the man visited three shops at Westfield Chermside, in Brisbane’s north, where “he used untrue information to check-in”.
“After being placed into hotel quarantine in Brisbane, the man allegedly opened the door to his room and verbally abused staff while not wearing a mask, a police spokesman said.
“It is alleged after warnings, and with full knowledge of his positive COVID-19 Delta strain diagnosis, he continued to open his door while not wearing a face mask.”
The pair, both infected with the Delta variant, have been fined for breaching public health orders.
While no infections have been linked back to the woman, Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said it was too early to relax.
Masks remain mandatory in southeast Queensland.
Remy Varga3.50pm:Andrews: Gladys never asked states for vaccine
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has for the second time said that Gladys Berejiklian never asked national cabinet for vaccines allocated to other states and territories, despite his NSW counterpart publicly saying she would do so.
Mr Andrews said instead Ms Berejiklian asked for vaccines allocated to GPs across NSW to be redistributed to state run hubs in southwest Sydney.
“Like essentially there was a request to vaccinate all of Sydney really, that’s how you have to look at it,” he said.
Mr Andrews said he had requested modelling on the outbreak from the NSW government and said the virus had likely spread further than southwest Sydney.
He then said there was not enough vaccine to curb transmission of the current virus but reiterated that Ms Berejiklian had not asked him for Victoria’s share of the vaccine at national cabinet last Friday.
“What was put to national cabinet was every GP appointment in NSW be cancelled and all of that vaccine be redirected to western Sydney and the Prime Minister said no.
“And I support him saying no.”
Ms Berejiklian on Friday publicly called for other states and territories to reallocate their vaccine to NSW as Sydney suffered under a worsening Delta outbreak.
On Sunday Mr Andrews made similar comments when asked about a vaccine booking system.
Joseph Lam3.30pm:Health workers in iso after WA hospital breach
Two West Australian healthcare workers have been forced into a mandatory 14-day quarantine after a breach occurred at a hospital in Perth.
The two workers came into contact with some of the three “critically ill” crew members from the Darya Krishna cargo ship after they were transferred to the Fiona Stanley Hospital for treatment.
A breach occurred at Fiona Stanley Hospital when critically crew members were transferred to hospital - 2 health care workers are now in quarantine #covidhttps://t.co/Q3n2nBFVSs
— Natalie Forrest (@nat_forrest) July 27, 2021
The contact occurred because of an apparent “mechanical fault” in the hospital lifts, said WA Health Minister Roger Cook
“This is very disappointing and I am not going to make excuses, it is simply not good enough,” he said
Anton Nilsson 2.32pm:Sydney lockdown decision ‘tomorrow’
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said on Tuesday she was hoping to make an announcement about changed lockdown rules as early as Wednesday morning.
Greater Sydney has been in lockdown since June 26 because of a coronavirus outbreak that continues to spiral out of control.
The current end date is set for Saturday but NSW is widely expected to continue to have some form of lockdown rules in place after that.
“I know it’s really difficult not to speculate, but … I’m hoping to make those announcements as early as tomorrow, to give people plenty of notice,” Ms Berejiklian said.
Her comments came as the state recorded its biggest spike in new local cases of Covid-19 since the outbreak began in mid-June.
NSW recorded two new deaths and 172 new locally acquired cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday, Ms Berejiklian said.
Concerningly, 60 were active in the community while infectious.
Ms Berejiklian has repeatedly said the lockdown would not be lifted until the number of people infectious in the community gets close to zero.
Even though that daily number has remained far from zero and is unlikely to get there before Saturday, Ms Berejiklian refused to speculate on whether the lockdown would still be in place after that day.
“I would much rather have a definite position, rather than speculate,” she said.
“We’ve put in the hard yards of five weeks and we don’t want to waste all that great work we’ve done by opening too soon.”
While the lockdown would be unlikely to lift completely on Saturday, Ms Berejiklian indicated some rules could ease.
“What the NSW government is now considering, based on the health advice, is what the best settings are for us moving forward, given we know where the disease in particular is transmitted in terms of locations, geographies and other matters,” she said.
There has been speculation that some areas on the city’s outskirts such as the Central Coast and Shellharbour could have restrictions eased, and that construction would be allowed to resume as of next week. – NCA Newswire
Rachel Baxendale 1.50pm:Victoria adds new exposure sites as lockdown ends
Victoria’s health department has listed nine new coronavirus exposure sites in Melbourne’s CBD and inner southeast on Tuesday afternoon, ending two and a half days without a new listing.
The new listings come just as the state is set to be released from lockdown at midnight, and follow three days during which all new Victorian locally-acquired cases were in isolation for the duration of their infectious period.
It is not yet clear whether they relate to a new case, or whether the movements or infectiousness of an existing case have been reviewed.
The sites all relate to Thursday July 15 – ahead of Victoria’s 12-day lockdown being imposed at 11.59pm that day.
They include the T&G Building in Collins St in the Melbourne CBD, a nearby Sushi Hub on Swanston St, the Humming Puppy yoga studio in Prahran, Woolworths and The Source Bulk Foods in Balaclava, cafes in Balaclava and Albert Park, a train between Balaclava and Flinders St, and the Emerald Hotel in South Melbourne.
More details are available on the health department website.
READ MORE: Steel demand means boom times for BlueScope
Anton Nilsson 1.32pm: Protesters spoil path to green zone for city’s outskirts
Areas on the outskirts of greater Sydney could exit lockdown ahead of suburbs that have been harder-hit by coronavirus.
However fears of virus exposure at last weekend’s protest march in Sydney could impact the plans and push back the date for the establishment of potential “green zones”.
The government has indicated to MPs in electorates on the fringes of the lockdown zone, where there has been virtually no spread of the virus, that restrictions there are being considered on a “day-to-day basis”.
This means they could be lifted ahead of other areas.
Central Coast MP Adam Crouch wrote on Facebook: “ I spoke to the Premier yesterday and she will end the Central Coast’s lockdown as soon as it is safe to do so.”
However he said the fact five local cases had recently been discovered in the area would prevent the rules from being eased for now.
A further complication for the area is the risk of transmission from last Saturday’s protest march in central Sydney.
About 150 people from the Central Coast went to the march and then back home, potentially compromising that area, Mr Crouch wrote in the Facebook post.
“I am disappointed to report this morning that the Central Coast’s lockdown cannot be ended,” Mr Crouch wrote.
“This is due to the unbelievable selfishness of approximately 150 local residents that attended the ‘anti lockdown’ protest in Sydney on Saturday.
“This is also due to the 5 new local cases announced last weekend. Unfortunately the health risk is just too high.”
The northern beaches is another area where restrictions could be eased ahead of schedule.
“I’m hopeful that any easings of restrictions that are being considered would include Manly and the Northern Beaches,” Manly MP James Griffin told NCA NewsWire.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said on Tuesday she was hoping to make an announcement about changed lockdown rules as early as Wednesday morning.
Other MPs in areas with little or no virus spread have also advocated for creating “green zones” where restrictions could be eased before the outbreak is over.
Potential green zones could see schoolchildren return to physical classes, some retail stores open, and some construction come back, especially if the labourers live in the same area where they work.
Kiama MP Gareth Ward, who represent a south coast electorate where many need to travel into the lockdown zone for work, said the rules there should be reconsidered.
“For the government to impose restrictions, there needs to be good reason,” he said. – NCA Newswire
READ MORE: Why UK cases have suddenly fallen
Ellie Dudley1.16pm: Concern as outbreak hits patients in geriatric ward
NSW health authorities are scrambling to identify contacts of staff and patients as an outbreak takes hold in Liverpool hospital.
Three staff members and eight patients at the southwestern Sydney hospital have returned positive Covid-19 tests, after an employee worked while infectious.
“Two nurses and a student nurse who worked at Liverpool (geriatric and vascular wards) have tested positive,” NSW Health’s Jeremy McAnulty told Tuesday’s press conference.
“Eight patients have tested positive to COVID-19 and are in isolation and (we’re trying) to identify other contacts.”
He added that contract tracing is underway.
READ MORE: Melbourne, Sydney CBD retail vacancies surge
Ellie Dudley1.08pm: NSW Central west regions out of lockdown at midnight
The regional LGAs of Orange, Blayney and Cabonne in Sydney’s central-west will come out of lockdown as scheduled at midnight on Tuesday.
There have not been any new cases of Covid-19 in the communities since the case identified on July 20.
The three councils will operate under the same restrictions as the rest of regional NSW from Wednesday.
“NSW Health thanks people in these local communities for their cooperation and patience during the stay-at-home restrictions for the past week,” a statement from the health department read.
“For more information on testing clinics and restrictions in regional NSW, please visit the NSW government website.”
John Ferguson12.56pm:Vic liberty no endorsement of snap lockdowns
The Victorian Delta solution may well be the best outcome Australia’s two major cities can expect for many months.
This is not to ignore or understate the economic and social pain caused by lockdowns and border restrictions but to acknowledge the realities.
Try to keep open for as long as possible and risk a Sydney-style wave that becomes both deadly, protracted and unmanageable.
Tighten quickly and the pain can be counted in days and weeks rather than months.
Victoria failed this early shutdown test in 2020 but has now adopted a template that seems workable and in a global context a significant achievement.
Still, it seems incredible that Victorian Premier Dan Andrews couldn’t find the time to call Gladys Berejiklian about significant border changes in southern NSW.
“I’ve been too busy to pick up the phone today,” Andrews postured.
This is, of course, nonsense and underpins the extent to which there is no national consensus on the virus.
NSW deserved that phone call.
READ John Ferguson’s full analysis here
Ellie Dudley12.30pm: HSC exams will go ahead, Berejiklian says
Premier Gladys Berejiklian has assured NSW HSC students that their final year exams will go ahead, but may be under Covid-Safe conditions.
“The New South Wales education departments are doing outstanding work in making sure that we have good plans in place to support our HSC students,” she told reporters on Tuesday.
“Can I please assure year 12 students and their families that we will be making announcements imminently about making sure they all know what they can look forward to, and also to know that all of them will be receiving an HSC, based on their hard work.”
Ms Berejiklian said she would “positively” provide a more concrete update in “the next few days.”
READ MORE: Unis say push on with the HSC
Angelica Snowden12.15pm:Victoria must have zero Covid strategy: Sutton
Victoria must pursue a Covid zero strategy while vaccination rates are low, the state’s chief health officer Brett Sutton says.
“We have to be at a zero Covid state in Victoria with the vaccination levels we have,” Professor Sutton said.
“If we are not and we try and get back to the way of life that we want and appreciate, we would see tens of thousands of cases, hundreds of thousands of cases.”.
As vaccination levels increase, authorities could start to consider international lessons – for example, from Israel, which has fully vaccinated 58 per cent of its population.
“The lessons from Israel and other places are pertinent. They have seen cases go from dozens to a couple of thousand per day but… they still have daily deaths in single figures or thereabouts,” he said.
“There is great protection from hospitalisation and dying, and vaccination should be done for that reason and that reason alone even if you cannot drive transmission down as much as you would like.”
Victoria's contact tracersðŸ‘👠via Brett Sutton: "We've tracked every link for every case. It hasn't happened in an outbreak this size in Aust. We know where every transmission occurred, every exposure site & we've identified primary & secondary contacts & all are in quarantine."
— Rohan Smith (@Ro_Smith) July 27, 2021
Remy Varga12.10pm:Victorian businesses to reopen tomorrow
Businesses and venues will be allowed to reopen with density limits of 1 person per 4sqm following the lifting of Victorian Covid-19 restrictions.
This includes hairdressers, beauty parlours, live music venues, dance classes and physical recreation facilities, including gyms.
The density limit will also apply to restaurants and bars, which will be allowed to serve a maximum of 100 people.
A maximum of 50 people will be allowed at weddings and funerals.
Ellie Dudley 12.00pm SA records zero cases as freedom looms
South Australia has recorded no new cases of Covid-19, as the state remains on track to come out of lockdown at midnight.
Some restrictions will remain in place for at least a week for residents when the lockdown is lifted, but Premier Steven Marshall thanked South Australians for their compliance.
“We’re not going straight back to where we were, and I’ve been messaging this for quite some time. We don’t want a relapse, we only want to do this once,” he said.
A density requirement of one person per four square metres will apply and food and beverages may only be consumed while seated.
Restrictions on dancing and singing will continue for the next seven days, and masks will be required in all high-risk settings including personal care services, transport and health care.
Household gatherings and private activities will be limited to 10 people maximum per household, including members of the household.
Weddings and funerals can host up to 50 people and otherwise are bound by the overall density arrangements with the particular venue.
Gyms may reopen but it is a density of one person per eight square metres.
READ MORE: Penberthy – Marshall riding high in a state of freedom
Ellie Dudley11.42am:Dead woman caught Covid at family gathering
A woman in her 80s who died from Covid-19 in her home in Pendle Hill contracted the virus at an illegal family gathering, NSW Health’s Jeremy McAnulty has confirmed.
At least 28 people who were among a gathering of 50 grieving a family death in Sydney’s west have contracted Covid-19.
The woman was one of two Covid-related deaths confirmed by NSW Health on Monday.
The second was a man who died at Campbelltown Hospital on Monday morning.
Remy Varga 11.39am:Andrews tells Sydney how to contain virus
Victorian premier Daniel Andrews says harsher restrictions including a curfew should be introduced in Sydney.
Mr Andrews said the extreme measure along with a raft of other restrictions defeated the second wave in Melbourne, which was separated from the regions by a ring of steel.
“Like a curfew for instance, like all manner of things... it all as a package worked gere and I see no reason why you wouldn’t be considering those things in other settings,” he said.
Mr Andrews said he was not lecturing Sydney nor being proud and boastful.
Ellie Dudley 11.35am:Hazzard renews calls for other states to help NSW
Health minister Brad Hazzard has again called on other states and territories to pitch in to assist NSW with their latest outbreak.
Mr Hazzard recalled NSW health authorities sent workers into Melbourne to help with their second wave last year.
“Working together is exactly what we should do,” he said.
“When Victoria had some challenges we sent down quite a large number of frontline health staff.”
Mr Hazzard said NSW would “work together with whoever is offering us assistance.”
Mr Hazzard again called on the federal government for more doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
His plea came after he requested assistance from other states and territories to divert some of their doses of the vaccine to NSW to assist with the fast-spreading outbreak.
“We need more Pfizer,” Mr Hazzard said.
“We are entirely dependent on the fed govt supply of the vaccine. We know for a fact we will not have enough Pfizer in the next few weeks to do what we want to do so in our hubs
“We would have liked some help from our state colleagues, but that hasn’t happened.”
Ms Berejiklian says she has been told by the federal government NSW will be “awash” with the Pfizer vaccine in October, but has continued to urge Sydneysiders to accept the AstraZeneca jab.
“Vaccination is the key to our freedom moving forward,” the NSW Premier said.
“By the end of October we will be awash with vaccines... (in the meantime) we are encouraging everyone to come forward and get the AstraZeneca vaccine where they can.”
Ellie Dudley 11.28am: Anti-lockdown protesters urged to get tested
NSW Health’s Jeremy McAnulty has again urged anyone at Saturday’s anti-lockdown protest to come forward for immediate testing.
Up to 5000 people fronted the Sydney CBD over the weekend to rally against NSW’s current Covid-19 restrictions.
“We would urge anyone at that protest for the sake of themselves, their family and the community at large... to come forward for testing,’ Dr McAnulty told reporters.
“Covid is a serious disease, deaths occur in young people...No matter what you think, Covid is a serious disease.”
Ellie Dudley11.25am: Epicentre shifts to western Sydney
Gladys Berejiklian has confirmed the epicentre of Sydney’s outbreak has shifted from southwest to western Sydney.
“We’re now seeing the virus become more prevalent in western Sydney than southwestern Sydney,” the NSW Premier told reporters.
“Of course we want to ask the south western community to stay vigilant, in particular, I want to call out to the Fairfield local government area who have shown a positive result in declining number of cases.”
“But now we’ve seen adjoining councils in Western Sydney increase the number of cases they have and we ask for populations in the Canterbury-Bankstown area in the Liverpool area in the Cumberland community... to make sure they are vigilant in coming forward for testing.”
Ms Berejiklian hinted that tighter restrictions could apply to western Sydney due to the peak in cases across the region.
Asked whether she would consider a targeted lockdown approach, she said an announcement could be made as early as Wednesday.
“I think what’s important to note is that it’s been a good time for the health experts to give us good data on how the virus is transmitting and in which way,” she said.
“And consistently we’ve seen critical workplaces and also households be the main generators of the virus transmitting and they’re the issues we need to focus in on. But it’s also clear for us that we need to intensify our strategy to ensure that the population comes forward to get vaccinated.
So these are all things that we will be considering when we announced what life beyond July 31 looks like. And I just asked people I know it’s really difficult not to speculate, but please wait to make those announcements I’m hoping to make those announcements as early as tomorrow, to give people plenty of notice.”
Ellie Dudley11.17am: ‘Positive changes’: Berejiklian says message getting through
Gladys Berejiklian has rejected the suggestion she should use harsher language to keep Sydneysiders at home, saying there have been “positive changes” in the behaviour of residents.
NSW clocked a record 172 cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday, 61 of which were infectious in the community.
Despite the fast-growing outbreak, the NSW Premier said the current messaging and restrictions were working.
“We are seeing some positive changes in behaviour between household movements but more needs to be done,” she said.
“The message is starting to get through that if you risk your own health that’s one thing, but to take it home to your parents, your siblings is something you can’t imagine.”
Remy Varga11.14am: NSW border communities axed from bubble
Four NSW border communities will be removed from Victoria’s border bubble regime, which Daniel Andrews said was due to lax lockdown restrictions in Sydney.
From midnight tonight, the municipalities of Wagga Wagga, Hay, Murrumbidgee and Lockhart will no longer be exempt from having a travel permit.
“I take no pleasure in having to essentially lock out those four communities from Victoria,” Mr Andews said.
“But there’s a refusal to lock people in Sydney into Sydney, so therefore I have no choice but to make these changes.”
Mr Andrews says there’s growing evidence Delta strain is bleeding out of Sydney, renewing calls for the NSW capital to be locked in a ring of steel.
Mr Andrews said the NSW government needed to understand it was making decisions for the entire country, not just the state.
He said he hadn’t had time to call Gladys Berejiklian prior to making the announcement on the border bubble changes.
“We will make the tough calls, whether they offend others or not, to keep Victorians safe,” he said.
chief health officer Brett Sutton says the “domestic border” with NSW needed to be as secure as possible against further transmission from Sydney.
He said the Wagga Wagga, Hay, Murrumbidgee and Lockhart regions stretched more into NSW and were thus in a “high risk zone”.
“Enforcing that domestic border is not an easy task, we are tied to together,” Professor Sutton said.
“There are still lots of people who need to move across for essential and accepted reasons.”
READ MORE: Victorian lockdown to lift, new restrictions revealed
Ellie Dudley11.04am:NSW records 172 new cases, 60 infectious
NSW has recorded 172 local cases of Covid-19, at least 60 of which were infectious while in the community.
Some 85 of the new cases have been linked to clusters, while 87 remain under investigation.
A total of 84,468 tests were conducted in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
There are currently 171 Covid-19 patients in hospitals across NSW, including 46 in intensive care.
Some 19 of them require ventilators.
NSW Health’s Jeremy McAnulty said there had been “an outbreak of cases” in Liverpool hospital, where two nurses and a student nurse have tested positive for the virus.
Eight patients have also been infected.
“Contact tracing of staff is underway,” Dr McAnulty said.
Remy VArga 10.58am: Andrews lifts lockdown restrictions
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has confirmed lockdown will lift at midnight but severe restrictions will remain on individuals and businesses.
Visitors will be barred from visiting homes for at least another two weeks, which Mr Andrews said was due to the high risk of transmission.
Thanks to every single Victorian who has done the right thing, we're able to lift the lockdown from 11:59pm tonight. pic.twitter.com/YRxzdRGms3
— Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) July 27, 2021
“We understand that will be challenging for people who have not seen family and friends for a couple of weeks now... but we know that’s where transmission occurs,” he said on Monday.
Schools will reopen for all year levels and Victorians can leave their homes for any reason.
Masks indoors and outdoors will remain and there will be no crowds at large sporting and artistic events.
Office occupancy will lift to 25 per cent but Mr Andrews said people are still encouraged to work from home.
Rachel Baxendale10.55am:Andrews statement backs up removalist call
Victoria’s health department has sent individual journalists at Daniel Andrews’ press conference a statement regarding their investigation into the Sydney removalists who sparked the state’s current outbreak, three minutes before the Premier is due to take to his feet.
The statement confirms that aside from a minor $200 face mask breach for which one Removalist has been fined, the Sydney men did not breach Victorian laws.
The confirmation comes despite COVID-19 logistics chief Jeroen Weimar repeatedly stating that the removalists would have the “book thrown” at them.
“The Department of Health has completed its investigation into the case of the removalists who entered Victoria on July 8,” the a departmental spokeswoman said.
“Under the Stay Safe Directions, it is permitted to remove a face covering whilst undertaking strenuous work and a fine has been given to an individual for not wearing a mask in an indoor public setting when they were not performing that work.
“The Department of Health and Victoria Police have found no evidence the individuals committed any other offences.”
The removalists entered Victoria with a valid Specified Worker (Low Workplace Interaction) permit, designed for commercial freight workers.
Since the removalists’ journey, chief health officer Brett Sutton has introduced the following exclusions to the permit:
-removalists and delivery drivers who have been in a Red Zone in the
last 14 days
-and freight workers who can’t unload their cargo in a COVIDSafe
manner, such as those entering residential properties.
Ellie Dudley10.24am: NSW finally delivers message in Arabic, Vietnamese
Five weeks into NSW’s latest Covid-19 outbreak, the state government has announced they will provide live translating of daily press conferences into Vietnamese and Arabic.
The two languages, prominently spoken in southwest and western Sydney, are the first two off the bat for the government’s pilot program.
Assyrian and Mandarin will be offered shortly.
NSW Multiculturalism Minister Natalie Ward said the initiative is the first in Australia to deliver live interpretation of daily public health messages in languages other than English.
“This pilot program will ensure Arabic and Vietnamese speakers can translate vital public health information, at the same time as it is being delivered.”
The program will be offered in partnership with SBS, and will be accessible via the SBS Arabic24 and Vietnamese Facebook pages.
READ MORE: High-vax nations face lockdown relapses
Ellie Dudley 10.13am: NSW didn’t ask Tassie for extra vaccines
New South Wales did not request vaccine jabs from Tasmania, the southern state’s health secretary has confirmed.
The Berejiklian government has requested doses from other states, including Victoria, to help curb the spread of the highly-infectious Delta variant spreading through NSW.
But Kathrine Morgan-Wicks, Tasmania’s health secretary, told ABC radio they had not received the same request due to their low supply.
“Certainly though Tasmania doesn’t have much vaccine to share ... as soon as we’re getting it we’re trying to get it into arms in the community,” she said.
READ MORE: Sixth day of drop in virus cases has UK scientists puzzled
Lydia Lynch9.58am:Queensland records no cases despite infectious traveller
No new Covid cases have been detected in Queensland on Tuesday.
Authorities now believe a man who was confirmed with the virus on Monday was infected during his hotel quarantine stay.
The man was fully vaccinated in China and tested positive after leaving quarantine.
Chief health officer Jeannette Young said the man was infected by another returned traveller from South Africa.
He returned negative swabs on his quarantine exit tests, leaving on July 12. He then developed symptoms on July 15.
“It took a while for his infection to declare itself,” Dr Young said.
She said it was “unlikely” he has spread the virus to others during his brief period in the community.
READ MORE: Recession talk is premature, Frydenberg says
Ellie Dudley9.53am:Premiers line up to deliver Covid updates
NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian is scheduled to address the media at 11am AEST on Tuesday, to give the state’s latest Covid-19 update.
She will speak longside health minister Brad Hazzard, NSW Health’s Jeremy McAnulty and NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys.
NSW recorded 145 new cases of Covid-19 on Monday, 51 of which were infectious in the community.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, Health Minister Martin Foley, chief health officer Brett Sutton and Covid-19 logistics chief Jeroen Weimar are due to address the media at 10:45am.
The press conference comes as Victorians are set to be released at midnight from 12 days in the state’s fifth lockdown.
South Australia’s Premier Steven Marshall will provide a Covid-19 update at 11am local time (11.30 AEST).
Mr Marshall on Monday announced the state’s seven day lockdown would be lifted on time at midnight Tuesday, after only one local case was recorded.
Queensland officials are speaking now, after one local case of Covid-19 was detected in a returned traveller from China who tested positive after completing the mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine. – With Rachel Baxendale
READ MORE:Gottliebsen — New strategy needed as NSW Covid cases rise
Jack Paynter 9.45am: Push for $10m in vaccination cash prizes
A radical idea involving a $10m lottery has been proposed to try to fix Australia’s slow Covid-19 vaccine rollout.
Under the plan, proposed by Grattan Institute health program director Stephen Duckett, every Australian vaccinated would be eligible to win 10 weekly prizes valued at $1m each.
“People should be rewarded for being vaccinated and it encourages them to speed up their vaccination appointments,” Dr Duckett told 3AW.
“One million dollars is a lot of money and it would really reward us all. You don’t have to do anything except what you should be doing anyway – getting vaccinated.
“We just really need to get some excitement into it, to actually tug at our heartstrings and say you need to be stepping up.
“We want something really big to capture everyone’s attention.”
Dr Duckett said the weekly $1m lottery couldn’t start until November when everybody had had a chance to be vaccinated.
But he said once you were in the draw, you would be eligible for all of the 10 prizes.
“We can’t unleash demand when you don’t have enough supply,” Dr Duckett said.
“By October, we should have plenty of supply so that everybody who wants a vaccine should be able to get a vaccine.
“We really need to be speeding up the vaccination, (but) we can’t do it until we’ve got the doses.”
Just 16.29 per cent of Australians aged 16 and older are fully vaccinated with both doses, with 38 per cent having received their first dose. – NCA Newswire
READ MORE:Rising infections split crisis cabinet
Angelica Snowden9.21am:No evidence of removalists offending: police
Three removalists from Sydney who sparked Melbourne’s fifth lockdown have escaped police punishment for their part in spreading the delta variant of Covid-19 to Victoria.
CCTV footage showed the men from NSW arriving in two white vans at the Ariele Apartments in Maribyrnong, a suburb in Melbourne’s northwest, to deliver furniture on July 8.
They failed to wear face masks or socially distance while on the job and infected a man in his 60s who lived in the Ariele apartment complex. This man attended the MCG to watch Geelong play Carlton on July 10, where the virus spread.
Victoria Police revealed they would not charge the men after the state’s department of health completed their investigation.
“The investigation findings have been provided to Victoria Police for noting and to consider whether any further investigation is required in relation to other legislation,” a police spokeswoman said.
“Victoria Police has undertaken an assessment of the material provided and determined there is no evidence of other offending,” she said.
READ the full story here
Rachel Baxendale9.10am:Victoria records 10 new cases, all in quarantine
Victoria has recorded 10 new locally acquired cases in the 24 hours to Tuesday, as the Andrews government prepares to announce an easing of the state’s fifth lockdown from midnight.
The state’s health department says all 10 cases have been linked to the current outbreaks, and all were in isolation throughout their infectious period.
The state’s health department says all 10 cases have been linked to the current outbreaks, and all were in isolation throughout their infectious period.
Tuesday’s 10 cases follow 11 cases on each of Monday and Sunday who had similarly been in isolation throughout their infectious period.
There were 12 locally acquired cases on Saturday, 14 on Friday, a peak of 26 on Thursday, and 22 cases last Wednesday.
The latest cases bring the total number of community acquired cases since two incursions from NSW emerged just over a fortnight ago to 190.
There are currently 198 active cases, including 11 active cases acquired overseas.
Several of those infected during the current outbreaks have recovered, and more are expected to do so in coming days.
Reported yesterday: 10 new local cases and no new cases acquired overseas.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) July 26, 2021
- 15,677 vaccine doses were administered
- 24,340 test results were received
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl1hf3W#COVID19Vic#COVID19VicData [1/2] pic.twitter.com/fBytxd8pL1
The latest cases come after 24,340 tests were processed on Monday, down from 25,404 on Sunday, 32,385 on Saturday, and well down from last Tuesday’s Victorian record of 59,355, and last Monday’s 49,454.
READ MORE: Widen rollout for whole nation, AMA urges
Ellie Dudley8.41am:Another vaccine blow as delivery deal pushed back
One of Australia’s key vaccine deals has hit major delays, with the delivery of Novavax doses pushed back from the second half of 2021 to next year.
Novavax has not yet been approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, but Scott Morrison highlightedthe fact that 51 million doses of the vaccine were on the way on Sunday.
“There is, of course, the 51 million of Novavax, which is also pre-ordered, as well,” the Prime Minister told a press conference.
But the orders of Novavax will now only serve a role in the federal government’s booster strategy when the bulk of doses arrive in 2022.
A spokesperson for the federal department of health told Guardian Australia on Monday the timeline for approval would “ultimately depend on when the complete data package is provided by Novavax to enable the required regulatory processes”.
Health Secretary Brendan Murphy told the Senate Select Committee on Covid-19 on Friday the government’s rollout strategy was not dependent on Novavax.
“We don’t have full registration yet and we don’t have a clear production timeline,’’he said. “Our current plan is not dependent on having Novavax for our primary vaccination course this year, but they are still committing that they will give us some doses in the fourth quarter.
“If they come, that will be valuable and could help accelerate. But our plan is not dependent on having Novavax this year.”
READ MORE: Reluctant Swedes paid $30 to get jab
Max Maddison8.32am: Disaster payments may need to be increased: Canavan
Nationals senator Matt Canavan says Covid disaster payments may ultimately have to be increased if lockdowns are extended, but rejects calls to bring back JobKeeper payments
Josh Frydenberg has come under mounting pressure to return the successful wage subsidy payments, but the Queensland senator said the program didn’t reflect our current reality, but left the door ajar for payments to rise to $750.
“The original JobKeeper program was rushed out very quickly, and had very broad criteria, which didn’t see it go to a lot of businesses so we know ultimately didn’t really need it. Some of them have paid it back,” Senator Canavan told Sky News on Tuesday morning.
“But I don’t think we want to repeat that now when we’ve got a trillion dollars in debt. I think we’ll have to increase support, but I don’t think that a scheme based on the same JobKeeper program is the right one.”
READ MORE: Indecisive state LNP has ‘lost its values’
Max Maddison8.18am: ‘Time will tell if recession is on way’
Opposition finance spokeswoman Katy Gallagher says “time will tell” if the country falls into another recession, but asserts people are already doing it tough.
Recent economic modelling by consultancy firm Ernst and Young cost recent lockdowns at $2.8 billion per week, with 1.6 million people losing their jobs. While the Treasury conceded Australia was destined to record a negative quarter in September but predicted a bounce back after.
Senator Gallagher said she couldn’t predict the future, but attributed the “massive cost” to the failure of the Morrison government’s vaccination rollout and hotel quarantine system.
“This is real, it’s happening to people in Sydney, Melbourne, South Australia’s has been through it. Millions of Australians who’ve been affected, there is a price to pay, whether that translates into a negative quarter down the track,” senator Gallagher told ABC’s Radio National on Tuesday morning.
“Time will tell, but the reality now is what’s happening for people today and tomorrow. And in Sydney, what’s going to happen over the next month for them and their incomes and their families.”
READ MORE: Ex-Howard ally leads new Senate push
Ellie Dudley 8.12am: Queensland on alert as new exposure venues listed
A series of new exposure sites in Queensland have been released in association with the new case that was detected on Monday in a returned traveller from China.
The man, aged in his 40s, had completed his two week hotel quarantine and was fully vaccinated.
Anyone who attended the following venues at the times listed is classified as a close contact and should get tested and isolate for 14 days regardless of the result.
Hakataya Ramen – FF-1, Pacific Fair Shopping Centre, 2/32 Hooker Blvd Broadbeach Waters, July 24, 2.10pm to 2.40pm
Hero Sushi – Pacific Fair Shopping Centre, 2/32 Hooker Blvd Broadbeach Waters, July 24, 2.25pm to 2.45pm
Pacific Fair Shopping Centre - Male Toilets – Ground Floor adjacent to Fresh Food Precinct, 2/32 Hooker Blvd Broadbeach Waters, July 24, 2.30pm to 2.45pm
Those who visited the sites below at the stipulated times is considered a casual contact, and should be tested and isolate until a negative result is received.
Black Swan Coffee - Shop B8 Q Super Centre Cnr Markeri and Bermuda Streets Mermaid Waters, July 23, 1.10pm to 1.35pm
Woolworths - Banyo Retail Centre, 279 Tufnell Road Banyo, July 23 1.15pm to 2.15pm
Pacific Fresh Fruit market – Pacific Fair Shopping Centre, 2/32 Hooker Blvd Broadbeach Waters, July 24, 2.35pm to 3pm
READ MORE: Mall owners at front line of Covid hit
Ellie Dudley 7.46am:My electorate is complying with health rules: Bowen
Opposition Climate Change and Energy spokesman Chris Bowen has viciously defended his electorate of McMahon in Sydney’s southwest, claiming people who live there have been “complying with restrictions.”
NSW recorded 145 cases on Monday, 72 of which were in the southwest Sydney health district.
Some 32 were from the Western Sydney Local Health District and 23 were from the Sydney Local Health District.
“I simply make this point, the people of Fairfield and Liverpool and Canterbury-Bankstown have been complying with the restrictions,” Mr Bowen told ABC Breakfast.
I can take you through the streets of the CBD of my electorate, you could fire a gun and not hurt anyone, that’s how quiet it is.”
Mr Bowen added that people are responding “in huge numbers” to the vaccination push for the area.
NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant on Monday said she saw vaccination as “part of a complementary strategy to a really tight lockdown” and encouraged people, particularly in southwest Sydney where vaccinations are now available at selected pharmacies, to come forward.
READ MORE: Margin Call — Richlisters flee from lockdowns
Evin Priest7.31am:Whole building locked down after positive cases
Residents of an apartment building at Blacktown in Sydney’s west have been locked indoors after multiple people tested positive for Covid-19.
NSW Health is aware of the development and NSW Police confirmed it to NCA NewsWire early on Monday morning.
“NSW Police Force are providing support to NSW Health who are responding to several Covid-19 cases in an apartment block at Blacktown.
“NSW Police were asked to be on site in case assistance was required.”
A police van was seen parked outside the building overnight while residents were not allowed to leave.
NSW Health has been contacted for comment.
More than 100 residents were affected by the lockdown, with everyone tested overnight, Nine reports.
Pathology units are reportedly processing tests on site and police are set to guard the block for the next two weeks.
On Sunday, Blacktown was listed by NSW Health as one of the five problematic LGAs.
All workers are banned from leaving the Blacktown LGA unless they are an essential worker. – NCA Newswire
READ MORE:Small businesses confused, left out
Ellie Dudley7.24am:Essential workers ‘must be vaccinated now’
The Chair of Epidemic Preparedness Jane Halton has called on the Berejiklian government to prioritise the vaccinations of essential workers.
Ms Halton said while the “good news” was that Sydney’s outbreak hadn’t seen exponential growth, the health authorities need to introduce imminent measures to see the numbers go down.
“We need to vaccinate workers who are at risk of contracting the disease,” she told Channel 9’s Today.
“We need to have priority sites. People who work in supermarkets, transport food, people who have to do the essential maintenance job because a plumbing piece of equipment has broken, whatever it might be.
“Get those people vaccinated and get them vaccinated now.”
Ms Halton praised the Victorian government for the handling of the latest outbreak, saying she was “confident” restrictions would ease on Wednesday.
READ MORE: Conflicting messages leave men in iso limbo
Ellie Dudley6.45am:NSW contact tracers ‘never had a chance’
Vice-president of the Australian Medical Association, Chris Moy, has claimed the NSW contact tracers “never had a chance” in containing the highly-contagious Delta variant of Covid-19.
On Monday, NSW recorded 145 new infections of the virus, 51 of which were infectious in the community.
“This is really unfortunate,” Dr Moy told Channel 9’s Today.
“Where it is at the moment is because of the delays in trying to lockdown this Delta variant which is really quite different to anything we have seen before.”
“The contact tracers never had a chance.”
Dr Moy said NSW had done a good job in holding the number of infections in the community at a consistent rate, but it would be difficult to see them going down with current restrictions and without high levels of vaccination.
“People are still having to go out for essential work and essential services,” he said. “At the moment the whole plan, unfortunately, is a tricky one.”
Dr Moy called on Australians in other states to “get over” the resentment they may feel towards NSW.
“We have to back them in … in terms of morale support and vaccines,” he said.
READ MORE: September target to lift Sydney lockdown
Ellie Dudley6.30am:Thousands to be caught in shopping mall case
Thousands of Sydneysiders will wake up today to discover they have been locked into a two-week quarantine period, after NSW Health announced anyone who had visited a shopping mall in the city’s southwest at any time in a ten-day period has been classified as a close contact.
Anyone who attended the Campsie Centre Shopping Mall from Wednesday July 14 to Saturday July 24 at any time must be tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result.
Those who visited the following venues at the stipulated times have also been classified as a close contact, and have the same instructions.
■ Campsie: Campsie Growers Market, 14-28 Amy Street, Thursday July 22 from 6am to 6pm, Friday July 23 from 6am to 4pm;
■ Campsie: The World of Fruit, 224 Beamish St, Monday July 19 from 3pm to 4pm, Tuesday July 20 from 11am to 12pm, Thursday July 22 from 7am to 7pm, Friday July 23 from 7am to 7pm;
■ Campsie: Man Hing Chinese Takeaway, Campsie Centre, 14-28 Amy Street, Friday July 16 from 11am to 2pm, Saturday July 17 from 11am to 2pm, Sunday July 18 from 11am to 2pm, Monday July 19 from 11am to 2pm, Tuesday July 20 from 11am to 2pm
■ Enfield: Produce Pet and Garden Supplies, 56 Coronation Parade, Saturday July 17 from 11.35am to 11.50am; and
■ Merrylands: Triple 333 Medical Centre, 333 Merrylands Road, Sunday July 18 (all day).
âš ï¸PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT – VENUES OF CONCERNâš ï¸
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) July 26, 2021
NSW Health has been notified of a number of new and updated venues of concern associated with confirmed cases of COVID 19. pic.twitter.com/HYsgLoq4t7
Those who attended any of the following venues at the time listed are classified as casual contacts, and should get tested immediately and isolate until a negative result is received:
■ Bankstown: Lobster Tail Fish Market, Bankstown Central, North Terrace, Wednesday July 21 from 5am to 6pm;
■ Bankstown: Bankstown Lebanese Fruit and Mixed business, 212 South Terrace, Thursday July 22 from 10am to 10.15am;
■ Prospect: Woolworths, 360 Flushcombe Rd, Saturday July 24 from 1pm to 1.20pm, Saturday July 24 from 5.30pm to 5.35pm;
■ Fairfield Heights: Woolworths, 186 The Boulevard Fairfield Heights, Sunday July 18 from 11.45am to 12.30pm;
■ Parramatta: Centrelink, 2-12 Macquarie St, Tuesday July 20 from 12.10pm to 12.45pm;
■ Guilford: Aldi, 280/290 Woodville Rd, Saturday July 24 from 1.30pm to 2pm;
■ Mascot: T2 Domestic Airport, Keith Smith Ave, Wednesday July 14 from 9.45am to 10.30am;
■ Wetherill Park: Chemistworks, 561 Polding Street, Monday July 12 from 3.30pm to 4pm, Monday July 12 from 4.20pm to 4.45pm, Tuesday July 20 from 2pm to 2.20pm;
■ Auburn: Auburn Central Shopping Centre, 57-59 Queen St, Saturday July 17 from 2.25pm to 4.05pm, Saturday July 17 from 2.55pm to 3.40pm;
■ Kogarah: Fardoulis Sweet and Nuts, 129 Princes Hwy, Wednesday July 21 from 12pm to 5.45pm, Thursday July 22 from 12pm to 5.45pm, Friday July 23 from 12pm to 5.45pm;
■ Bankstown: Sairays Grocery Store, Shop 2/83-99 North Terrace, Sunday July 18 from 6.50pm to 7pm, Monday July 19 from 3pm to 3.10pm; and
■ Sydney: Chinese Ginseng and Herbs, 75 Ultimo Rd, Saturday July 17 from 4pm to 4.30pm.
READ MORE: Peter van Onselen — Sydneysiders have every reason to be frustrated
Rachel Baxendale5am:Victorian lockdown to end on Tuesday night
Victoria’s lockdown is set to lift from midnight on Tuesday, with schools, retail, hairdressers, beauticians and even gyms set to reopen.
The 5km travel limit will also be scrapped.
As was the case after the last lockdown, 25 per cent of office workers or up to 10 people — whichever is larger — will be permitted to return to the workplace, and outdoor gatherings of up to 10 will be allowed.
Hospitality may be granted an upper limit of up to 100 patrons — up from 50 when the state reopened after last month’s lockdown — although a final decision on this measure will not be made until Tuesday morning and a density limit of one person per 4 sqm will apply.
The Australian understands masks will remain compulsory inside and outside, with mask rules likely to continue until a substantial proportion of the population has been vaccinated.
The immediate reopening of gyms is likely to be welcomed by the struggling industry, which stayed shut for an extra week following the last lockdown.
However, the density quotient is likely to remain a challenge for many businesses.
Senior Andrews government ministers and health officials met on Monday night to map out the easing of restrictions, with the final details including the hospitality caps set to be agreed to on Tuesday morning, ahead of a press conference.
READ MORE: South Australia slowly out of lockdown, ‘no rush or relapse’
Yoni Bashan4.45am:Rising infections split NSW government’s crisis cabinet
The NSW government is divided over how to tackle stubbornly high numbers of Covid-19 infections, with crisis talks canvassing the tightening of restrictions in some parts of Sydney and easing them in other locations.
With Victoria and South Australia preparing to exit lockdown on at 11.59pm on Tuesday, the Berejiklian government’s crisis cabinet is considering a range of options to stymie the spread of Covid-19 cases through Sydney but also boost economic activity.
Despite the stay-at-home restrictions in place for weeks, there were 145 new cases recorded on Tuesday, including at least 76 who were in public for part of the period they were infectious.
The near-five-hour NSW crisis cabinet meeting on Monday was presented with economic modelling commissioned by Treasurer Dominic Perrottet that forecast significant job losses if restrictions were to remain in place into August and September.
However, some crisis cabinet members want tougher restrictions to be applied to Sydney’s southwestern suburbs – the four local government areas where the majority of cases are being detected – in order to bring down infections and ease restrictions in other sections of the state.
Read the full story here.
Angelica Snowden4.30am:Hospitality fears a Victorian ‘lockdown-lite’ future
Victoria’s pubs, restaurants and events companies say they face ruin because of expected ongoing caps on customer numbers as the state slowly exits its fifth lockdown.
The state is likely to emerge from lockdown at midnight on Tuesday, after recording 11 new cases of Covid-19 on Monday, all of which have been linked to current outbreaks and are in people quarantined throughout their infectious period.
Stringent rules on density limits are expected to remain.
Victoria’s pubs, restaurants and events companies say they face ruin because of expected ongoing caps on customer numbers as the state slowly exits its fifth lockdown.
Pickett and Co owner and restaurateur Scott Pickett said if contact tracing was effective and no mystery infections were identified, rules on hospitality should be eased significantly. “Operating under restrictions is extremely difficult and it’s the fifth time we have had to deal with this,” he said.
Read the full story, by Angelica Snowden and Rachel Baxendale, here.
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