Coronavirus Australia live news: New lockdowns, restrictions as Queensland outbreak worsens; Victoria records 182 cases, 13 deaths
Popular reality television show The Masked Singer has suspended production following several crew members testing positive for coronavirus.
- NSW Westfield shopping mall warning
- Victoria records 182 new cases 13 deaths
- New lockdowns, restrictions as Qld cluster grows
- Below 50 cases the goal for Victoria
- Northwest Syria record first virus death
Welcome to The Australian’s rolling coverage of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. With Victoria yesterday recording its lowest number of new daily coronavirus cases in weeks, the state’s chief health officer is aiming to further reductions to less than 50 ahead of the lifting of Stage 4 restrictions on September 13.
AFP 10.45pm: Iraq tops 200,000 cases
Iraq on Saturday registered nearly 4,000 cases of the novel coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases recorded by the country to over 200,000.
According to the Iraqi health ministry, 201,050 Iraqis have contracted the virus, including 6,353 who have died, while 143,393 are declared to have recovered since the pandemic began.
The daily increases have hovered around 4,000 for more than a week, but authorities have declined to reimpose a strict lockdown that was lifted earlier this summer.
An overnight curfew remains in place, most restaurants are closed for dine-in customers and land crossings are officially shut. But airports, supermarkets and take-out cafes are open, with varying degrees of social distancing or mask-wearing.
Many fear yet another spike in cases is imminent, as Shiite Muslims converge on the holy city of Karbala to commemorate the beginning of the mourning month of Muharram.
Muharram, which includes the memorial of the killing of the Prophet Mohammed’s grandson Hussein in 680 AD, is typically marked by mass funeral processions and self-flagellation.
It usually sees thousands of pilgrims cross the border from neighbouring Iran, which has suffered the largest mortality figure from COVID-19 infections in the Middle East, with more than 20,200 deaths officially registered.
Iraq’s hospitals have already been worn down by decades of conflict and poor investment, with shortages in medicines, hospital beds and even protective equipment for doctors.
Joseph Lam 8.45pm: Virus cluster on set shuts down The Masked Singer
Popular reality television show The Masked Singer has suspended production following several crew members testing positive for coronavirus.
Hosts, panellists, the masked singers and the entire production team are now in self-isolation after one dancer reported feeling ill on Friday. A test revealed that dancer and several close contacts tested positive, according to the Herald Sun.
In a statement, Network 10 has confirmed the immediate suspension of the show and that the network is working closely with health authorities.
“They are all being monitored closely and are in constant contact with medical authorities.”
— The Masked Singer Australia (@maskedsinger_au) August 22, 2020
Amos Aikman 7.05pm: Counting underway in poll fought on covid handling
The polls have closed in the Northern Territory where Labor is battling to retain power at an election fought significantly on its handling of the coronavirus crisis.
Territorians have been spared community spread of deadly COVID-19, and Chief Minister Michael Gunner has sought to capitalise on that in his pitch as a “safe pair of hands”, while his opponents have striven to make the election about the economy, crime and other bread-and-butter issues.
Labor went into Saturday’s ballot with 16 of 25 seats in the unicameral Legislative Assembly. It needs at least 13 seats to hold a majority.
The main opposition party, the Country Liberals, held two seats throughout the last term but contests this election with just a single incumbent after former leader Gary Higgins announced his retirement earlier this year.
CLP leader Lia Finocchiaro has attacked Labor for being afraid to campaign on its record.
Newcomer Territory Alliance had three incumbents when the election began (and briefly held opposition status) but has an unproven electoral track record.
Read the full story here.
AFP 5.45pm: Korea tightens restrictions after Seoul spike
South Korea has announced it will ramp up coronavirus restrictions across the country starting Sunday to try and control a growing outbreak.
The move came as South Korea — which had largely brought its earlier outbreak under control — reported 332 cases on Saturday, the highest daily figure since early March.
Virus curbs were tightened in the Seoul region last week but with more than 300 cases reported two days in a row, authorities expanded them to the rest of the country.
“We are at a very precarious stage where we could see the beginning of a nationwide second wave,” said health and welfare minister Park Neung-hoo at a press briefing.
Controlling the spread of the virus was the highest priority, he added. The expanded measures include restrictions on gatherings and activities including professional sports, which will be played behind closed doors again.
All beaches around the country will also be closed from midnight. South Korea has reported a total of 17,002 coronavirus infections with 309 deaths.
A majority of the new cases have come from the greater Seoul region — home to half of the country’s 51 million people.
Meanwhile the number of coronavirus infections in Germany surpassed 2,000 in the previous 24 hours, a high not seen since the end of April, authorities said on Saturday. The RKI health institute said it registered 2,034 new cases and seven more deaths, taking the total fatalities to 9,267 and cases to 232,082
Joe Kelly 5.10pm: Casuals ruling to cripple business, analysis shows
Businesses face “crippling” liabilities running from $18bn to $39.4bn if workers rostered on regular casual shifts are entitled to seek paid leave, according to a new government analysis lodged with the High Court.
Attorney-General Christian Porter has intervened in a critical High Court appeal after the full Federal Court in May ruled that casuals who worked regular shifts, and been paid a 25 per cent loading, were entitled to paid leave.
Informed by data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the analysis was conducted earlier this month by Thomas Hehir, the deputy secretary of the industrial relations group in the Attorney-General’s Department, and lodged with the High Court on behalf of Mr Porter.
The Federal Court ruling in May — in which it rejected a bid by labour hire firm WorkPac to have former employee Robert Rossato declared a casual and not entitled to paid leave — has ignited business and industry concerns the decision has overturned the accepted understanding of casual employment in Australia.
Read the full story here.
Emily Ritchie 4.30pm: CMO praises swift response to Queensland outbreak
Acting Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly has said “mistakes happen” when talking about the latest security guard who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 in NSW.
“Wearing personal protective equipment is not something that security guards are necessarily used to or potentially good at,” Professor Kelly said.
“It’s very easy to make a slip-up in relation to personal protective equipment, even for a well-trained health worker. While this is unfortunate, my understanding is there has been no further people that have been infected through that process.”
He said the latest outbreak in Queensland was also “concerning” but congratulated Queensland Health on a swift response.
Professor Kelly also said a significant amount of work had been done to make Parliament House in Canberra safe COVID-safe ahead of the upcoming sitting week.
He said mingling among parliamentarians would be kept at a minimum, and when MPs and their staff had to be in close quarters, they’ll be “strongly encouraged to wear masks”.
Professor Kelly reiterated the importance of Australia’s four pillar suppression strategy, and that the measures would need to continue across all states.
Noting that with the federal government’s current strategy Australia is “going to get outbreaks” over time, Professor Kelly noted that strong external borders to limit COVID-19 entering Australia, and testing, tracking and isolation measures needed to remain in place.
READ MORE: Return to the office ‘not worth the risk’
Anthony Piovesan 4.10pm: New outbreaks at two Melbourne hospitals
The Department of Health is investigating new coronavirus outbreaks at two Melbourne hospitals.
There are COVID-19 cases at Dandenong Hospital, and Cabrini Hospital in Malvern, but the DHHS could not confirm how many infections across the two sites in a detailed list of outbreaks released on Saturday afternoon.
A volatile outbreak at the Royal Melbourne Hospital Royal Park campus continues to grow with active cases soaring to 155.
It comes after the state recorded 182 new infections overnight, the second day in a row where Victoria has seen new daily COVID-19 cases below 200.
Chief medical officer Brett Sutton said he expected numbers to fall below 150 next week.
“It’s great to see two days in a row where cases are under 200,” he told reporters on Saturday morning.
“There’s a decrease in the number of people being hospitalised, in ICU and people ventilated so the overall trend is positive and next week if we carry on like this I expect to see numbers below 150.”
He said tests were being maintained above 20,000 per day but said Victorians needed to keep the numbers above that.
On whether the government has modelling out to mid-September showing sub-30 cases a day, Sutton said the government was not forecasting out that far yet.
There are 4293 active cases across the state, with 610 Victorians in hospital and 36 in intensive care.
AGED-CARE OUTBREAKS
- 209 cases at Epping Gardens Aged Care, Epping
- 193 cases at St Basil’s Homes for the Aged, Fawkner
- 158 cases at Estia Aged Care Facility, Ardeer
- 155 cases at BaptCare Wyndham Lodge Community, Werribee
- 133 cases at Kirkbrae Presbyterian Homes, Kilsyt
- 113 cases at Outlook Gardens Aged Care Facility, Dandenong North
- 113 cases at Cumberland Manor Aged Care Facility, Sunshine North
- 112 cases at Twin Parks Aged Care, Reservoir
- 110 cases at Estia Aged Care Facility, Heidelberg
- 107 cases at Japara Goonawarra Aged Care Facility, Sunbury
KEY OUTBREAKS WITH NEW CASES
- 155 cases at Royal Melbourne Hospital Royal Park campus
- 34 cases have been linked to AusFresh in Broadmeadows
READ MORE: A day in COVID ICU, where life hangs in the balance
Emily Ritchie 3.35pm: Mystery over how second guard caught virus
A security guard working at Sydney’s Marriott Hotel, one of the hotels where returned travellers are placed into quarantine, has been diagnosed with coronavirus but reported experiencing no symptoms.
NSW Health said they tested 700 people associated with the hotel after another security guard contracted the virus on August 17, and as a result just one person — the second security guard — has tested positive.
NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said the second guard worked at the Marriott on August 3, 5, 9, 10 and 11, and also worked at the Sheraton Grand on August 16.
“As a precaution ensuring that hotel (the Sheraton Grand) is aware and is identifying any contacts who may have been exposed to him at that time,” Dr Chant said.
The first and second security guards were on shift at the Marriott on the same day on August 3.
The second security guard and four of his close contacts are currently being managed in a NSW Health quarantine hotel facility.
Dr Chant said the latest security guard had a low amount of virus on his swab, meaning it will be difficult to ascertain when he was infectious and that his results would be subject to genomic testing to reveal if he may have acquired the strain from his colleague.
Dr Chant congratulated the lab staff on what she described as a “comprehensive testing exercise”.
NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Leanne McCusker said over 49,000 returned travellers had to date been part of the mandatory 14-day quarantine in hotels across Sydney.
The guard is the tenth NSW COVID-19 case reported on Saturday. His was not included in the nine new cases reported in the morning as it was notified after the official reporting period.
Of the nine other cases, one is linked to the Tangara School cluster and two other cases are household contacts linked to the Bankstown funeral outbreak.
READ MORE: Cash carrot to move AFL grand final
Lachlan Moffet Gray 3.15pm: Appetites up as Aussies get a taste for home living
Amid financial difficulties wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic, Australians have still managed to spend up big on food delivery, gambling and alcohol.
And physical lockdowns have been no barrier to spending by customers of some of the biggest ASX listed retailers, corporate results have revealed.
On one hand, discount retailer The Reject Shop reported a 3.4 per cent increase in sales to $820m, while its sales mix changed as consumers sought out the cheapest possible prices for their essentials.
Read the full story here.
Lane Sainty 3pm: Horror of life in hotel quarantine revealed
Jen, a nurse working in hotel quarantine, was shocked by how staff from the department of health responded when she told them, during a shift earlier this year, that a guest at the Parkroyal had reported suicidal thoughts.
“A person who worked for DHHS told me they had specifically called this guest in the room and told them that they needed to stop threatening suicide just so they can get a cigarette,” Jen said this week.
The message was basically “stop being so dramatic”, the nurse added.
She rang the patient to no avail and waited an agonising five minutes before calling back again. After a second call went unanswered, she donned a mask, goggles, gown and gloves and did a physical check, fortunately finding the person unharmed, but anxious and distressed.
The incident made Jen want to stop working in hotel quarantine. She did not return to the Parkroyal for a week. That was the worst thing that happened during her time in the program, she said, but it was far from isolated.
The struggles of patients and nurses working in the “shambolic” hotel quarantine system have been aired over the past week, as Melbourne’s inquiry into hotel quarantine kicked off. To put it politely, it seems Murphy’s Law applied. There were problems with the most fundamental aspects of the program, such as who was in charge, and there were problems with the daily operations: record-keeping, cleaning, personal protective equipment, food.
READ MORE: Young kids understand virus but are optimistic
Jamie Walker 2.30pm: Hard-hit communities brace for cuts
The withdrawal of COVID top-ups for the unemployed and other welfare recipients will strip the struggling Cairns economy of nearly $4m a week, exposing the impact of the government’s move to cut aid that has kept Australian households and businesses afloat during the pandemic.
An electorate by electorate analysis for The Weekend Australian of where the money goes shows that nine of the 14 most heavily supported Coalition seats are in Queensland, which delivered decisively for Scott Morrison at last year’s federal election and goes to the polls in 69 days to decide whether Labor Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is returned for a third term or the Liberal National Party gets its chance under Deb Frecklington.
This adds the electorally costly prospect of a voter backlash to the hot potato issues being juggled by the Prime Minister and Josh Frydenberg as they begin to turn off the tap of coronavirus funding.
Read the full story here.
Richard Ferguson 2pm: COVID-19 hotspots ‘might have to cover entire cities’
Any nationally defined coronavirus hotspot will have to consider covering entire cities, medical experts have warned.
As Scott Morrison and the national cabinet consider a nationally agreed definition of what a coronavirus epicentre looks like, the consistency of community transmission and the ability of the COVID-19 virus to spread rapidly outside a cornered zone could be key factors.
Some epidemiologists say the hotspot strategy is too focused on geography and does not reflect how quickly community transmission can spread.
University of Melbourne professor of epidemiology Tony Blakely said a “doughnut effect” in the growth of a hotspot meant the national cabinet would have to potentially block off entire cities, not just suburbs.
Read the full story here.
Anthony Piovesan 1.15pm: Victorians’ daft excuses for not wearing masks
A man who refused to wear a face mask because “his solicitor told him not to” was one of 161 people caught flouting lockdown laws across Victoria in the past 24 hours.
Victoria Police issued 161 fines, including 24 for failing to wear a face covering, 13 at vehicle checkpoints and 58 for curfew breaches.
In another shocking example of blatant rule-breaking, a man sprung without a mask at Flinders St station told police he had been at a friend’s house and was catching the train home to Epping. He also told officers he did “not believe in restrictions”.
A woman who had already been warned for breaching restrictions earlier this month was located at a bus terminal where she told police she had “visited a friend for their birthday”.
While officers were dumbfounded after they confronted a man walking in Abbotsford during curfew hours. He told officers: “I forgot why I was out”.
Victoria recorded 182 new infections overnight, but tragically of the 13 new deaths 10 were from aged-care.
A man in his 50s, a woman in her 70s, two men and three women in their 80s, three women in their 90s and one man in his 100s died, taking the state’s death toll to 398.
There are 610 Victorians in hospital and 36 in intensive care.
READ MORE: Hard-hit communities brace for cuts
Eli Greenblat 12.45pm: Rent row threatens more retail stress
Australian Retailers Association boss Paul Zahra is concerned shopping centre owner Scentre Group’s unilateral move to lock Mosaic Brands out of 129 of its stores over a rent dispute will ratchet up tensions between landlords and tenants ahead of the crucial Christmas period.
Mr Zahra, a former chief executive of up-market department store David Jones, also told The Australian recent ARA research showed around 60 per cent of its retailers are continuing to negotiate for some form of rental relief from landlords.
“The ARA is concerned about rising tensions between landlords and retail tenants in the current economic environment,” he said.
“While we can’t comment on these particular circumstances, any tenant lockouts send a worrying signal to the market and to other tenants who may be in protracted negotiations.”
Scentre Group, the landlord which owns local Westfield shopping centres, on Thursday locked Mosaic Brands, owner of the Noni B, Millers, Rivers, Katies, Crossroads and EziBuy brands, out of its stores amid a long-running rent dispute sparked by the COVID-19 shutdowns.
Read the full story here.
Emily Ritchie 12.15pm: Another hotel security guard tests positive in NSW
A security guard working at Sydney’s Marriott Hotel, one of the hotels where returned travellers are placed into quarantine, has contracted coronavirus.
The guard is the tenth NSW COVID-19 case reported on Saturday. His was not included the nine new cases reported in the morning as it was notified after the official reporting period.
NSW Health said it would be providing more information on the security guard later on Saturday.
READ MORE: Athlete’s death exposes sport’s dark secret
Emily Ritchie 11.55am: Where is Victoria’s Health Minister?
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has faced pointed questions about the disappearance of his Health Minister Jenny Mikakos from the state’s daily coronavirus press conferences.
The Premier was asked on Saturday why Ms Mikakos hadn’t fronted the media for days, having been one of the main figureheads for the state’s coronavirus response prior to that.
It was later clarified that the Health Minister fronted a press briefing last Sunday.
“I haven’t given a lot of thought about who will be appearing before you,” Mr Andrews said. “We’ll have the relevant people here, who are available. I wouldn’t read anything more into it. If that’s the story of the day. That’s determined by you not me. Jenny will be here at the appropriate time.”
On August 8, Ms Mikakos issued an apology via a series of late-night tweets, saying she was “deeply sorry” over mistakes made during the crisis, saying “the truth will set you free.”
She appeared at a press conference two days later, but would not elaborate on her Twitter apology.
The Andrews government also launched a new COVID-19 advertising campaign on Saturday featuring Kath & Kim’s Magda Szubanski, and insisted the actors were paid “a small fee”.
“They could choose to donate it to charity and I think most have moved that on,” Mr Andrews said.
“It was a very modest fee. It bears no relation to what their commercial rate might be. We are very grateful for them being part of it.”
READ MORE: Jenny Mikakos ‘deeply sorry’ in late-night Twitter apology
Emily Ritchie 11.25am: Man in his 50s among latest Victorian deaths
A man in his 50s is among the 13 people who have died from coronavirus in Victoria in the past 24 hours.
Ten of those new fatalities are linked to aged care outbreaks, taking the state’s COVID-19 death toll to 398
Premier Daniel Andrews said there were now 610 people being treated for the virus by Victorian Health, 36 in intensive care and 22 of those requiring ventilation.
Mr Andrews said 21,346 people had been tested in the 24 hours to Saturday morning and encouraged anyone with even the most mild symptoms to get tested.
“That’s very pleasing so many people coming forward and getting tested,” Mr Andrews said. “We want to keep the numbers up as high as we can just so we’ve got the most complete picture of how much virus is out there, where it’s presenting and how it’s presenting. Without that data, it does get very difficult for us to make decisions about what – exactly what place we’re at and what, if any, changes we can make and when. So it is very, very important if you have even the mildest of symptoms – please come forward and get tested.”
The state’s Chief Medical Officer Brett Sutton said the largest cluster was the Epping Gardens aged care outbreak with 209 cases and also confirmed there was a smaller outbreak at a psychiatric clinic in Richmond.
READ MORE: Hotspots may soon cover entire Australian cities
Emily Ritchie 11am: NSW records nine new cases in 24 hours
There have been nine new cases of COVID-19 in NSW recorded in the 24 hours to Saturday morning, with one linked to the Tangara School cluster and two other cases are household contacts linked to the Bankstown funeral outbreak.
NSW Health’s Dr Jeremy McAnulty said on Saturday four of the new cases were close contacts of a previously reported case whose source is still under investigation.
Two more of today’s new cases remain under investigation.
Dr McAnulty said a previously reported case had attended a Westfield shopping centre in Mt Druitt while infectious.
Anyone who attended that shopping mall on Wednesday August 12 from 12-12.30pm and Friday August 14 from 11am-12pm should monitor their health and get tested if symptoms develop.
Dr McAnulty said 30,810 tests had been undertaken in the 24-hours to 8pm Friday, a slight drop from the 32,580 tests carried out in the previous reporting period.
Nine new cases were diagnosed, bringing the total in NSW to 3,792. pic.twitter.com/h0aYyjMruk
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 22, 2020
Glenda Korporaal 10.20am: ‘Spend more on regions to lift economy’
Governments have been urged to boost spending on regional infrastructure, open up more regional areas and restrict COVID-19 shutdowns to more localised areas to help kick-start the economy.
In a roundtable hosted by the Business Council of Australia and The Australian, business leaders said investments in critical regional infrastructure could play a major difference in opening up regional economies.
The comments come as the Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe called on the states and territory leaders to lift their spending over the next two years by $40bn — or 2 per cent of GDP — to help create jobs and carry their share of the fiscal burden.
Read the full story here.
Emily Ritchie 9.40am: Victoria records 182 new cases, 13 deaths
Victoria has recorded another 182 cases of coronavirus in the 24 hours to Saturday morning and 13 more fatalities.
This is just three more cases than were recorded on Friday, which was 179, the first time the state’s daily number of cases dropped below 200 since early July.
The Victorian Chief Health Medical Officer is expected to provide more information at a press conference later this morning.
#Covid19VicData for August 22, 2020.
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) August 21, 2020
There have been 182 new cases of #coronavirus (#COVID19) detected in Victoria in the last 24 hours, and sadly 13 deaths. Our thoughts are with all of those affected.
More information will be available later today. pic.twitter.com/gIysNoDXji
Read the full story here.
Christine Kellett 9.20am: Aged Care Minister’s grilling ‘unfair’
Liberal MP Jason Falinksi has leaped to the defence of embattled Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck over his poor grasp of the details of the Covid crisis in aged care.
Labor has called for his sacking after Mr Colbeck was unable to tell a Senate inquiry on Friday how many people in aged care had died from coronavirus or even the number that had been infected.
“He’s doing a good job in difficult circumstances and that particular question by Katy (Gallger, Labor’s inquiry chair) who I have respect for, is particularly unfair,” Mr Falinksi told the ABC on Saturday.
“He’s a Minister dealing with a lot of issues, as are a lot of dedicated carers at aged care facility level and public participants in the public servants in the Department of Home Affairs. He was asked a specific number of aged care members who is have passed away, he wanted to get the number right so he wasn’t misleading the Senate inquiry.”
Labor MP Andrew Giles said the opposition was “not interested in blame” but the Minister had to take responsibility for his portfolio.
“I thought what we heard yesterday was quite shocking,” Mr Giles said.
“The Minister should know what is going on in his portfolio, particularly at a time like this and it wasn’t an obscure question he was asked, it was a very fundamental one. 258 Australians have lost their lives in aged care due to COVID and we should have had better answers.
“What is more concerning to me the ongoing failure to take responsibility. We saw an admission yesterday from the Prime Minister that there wasn’t a plan and that more needed to be done. We still aren’t seeing responsibility taken for lives of the Australians in aged care.”
READ MORE: Peter van Onselen — Labor must take a good hard look at itself
Sarah Elks 8.50am: Cargo ships off Queensland record new cases
Two cargo ships off the coast of north Queensland also have coronavirus outbreaks.
A ship off Mackay has had two cases, and those people will be flown to Brisbane.
Three people from a ship off Townsville are in the Townsville hospital, Queensland Health authorities have revealed.
It comes amid nine new cases recorded in the state overnight, triggering fresh aged-care and disability home lockdowns and restrictions to gatherings across all of Greater Brisbane and south east Queensland.
READ MORE: Is it time to set a use-by date on older workers in the pandemic?
Sarah Elks 8.30am: Queensland scrambles to contain worsening outbreak
Queensland’s Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young has issued a stark warning to residents of Brisbane and Ipswich: if you have symptoms of the flu, it’s likely to be COVID-19.
Queensland is grappling to contain an outbreak of coronavirus from the Brisbane Youth Detention Centre and spreading community transmission, recording nine new cases overnight.
Six of the cases are connected to the Wacol detention centre, and three are linked to ships off Townsville.
Dr Young said there were very few flu cases in the region, and now there was a coronavirus outbreak.
There are 15 active cases in Queensland, prompting new restrictions for greater Brisbane — a maximum of 10 people can gather in private homes and any venue without a COVID-safe plan. Outside those regions, the limit is 30.
Deputy Premier and Health Minister Steven Miles said it was likely there would be more cases over the weekend.
Currently, five youth justice workers have tested positive to COVID-19 and two of their related people also have coronavirus.
Department of Youth Justice director general Bob Gee said the young people in the detention centre were being well-cared for, and more test results were expected back soon.
He thanked the children for the behaviour they were showing in the centre.
Queensland Police Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski, the state’s disaster coordinator, said authorities had planned for “this very contingency,” to “contact trace, lockdown and isolate” people who needed to be.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she was bracing for more positive tests, particularly from workers in the detention centre.
Ms Palaszczuk said the new restrictions would not stop large gatherings at venues with COVID-Safe plans, such as pubs, restaurants and gyms.
Dr Young said health authorities were doing genomic sequencing to determine where this outbreak started.
“We’re exploring all possibilities at the moment,” she said.
“I think there’s a significant chance we will see more cases.”
She said it was very important for people to socially distance and get tested if they feel sick.
“I sincerely believe we’ll get on top of it … the message for this weekend is for everyone to just be ultra-cautious,” she said.
READ MORE: Inquirer — Lessons from the pandemic
Christine Kellett 8.20am: Queensland announces new lockdown amid outbreak
Nursing homes and disability accommodation will be locked down and gatherings in the Greater Brisbane area limited to just 10 people, after six new cases linked to an outbreak at a juvenile detention centre were detected overnight.
Seven people have now tested positive at the Brisbane Youth Detention Centre, including:
– A female staff member from Bundamba
– A male staff member from Marsden
– A man from Carindale, who worked at the centre and has also done work recently at a school in Springwood and at QBuild. His wife has also tested positive.
– A male staffer from North Ipswich, who also works in an as-yet unnamed disability accommodation service.
– A relative of the man who was in Ipswich Hospital
– A female worker who lives in Forest Lake
Effective immediately, gatherings outside of Greater Brisbane will be limited to 30.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said new fever clinics were being set up across south east Queensland and urged as many people as possible to come forward and be tested.
“We do suspect that there will be further cases linked to this cluster. I want to assure people that we have been planning for this,” the Premier said.
“The staff and the children are being well looked after at the centre, I don’t want anybody to worry about that.”
Queensland now has 15 active cases of coronavirus, after a total of nine new cases were detected overnight.
“This is a really important action that we need to take this weekend. I am confident we will get on top of it,” Queensland’s Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young has told a press conference.
The 10-person limit in Brisbane applies to all venues that do not have a Covid-safe plan.
READ MORE: Return to the office not worth the risk
Tessa Akerman 7.45am: Young kids understand virus, but are optimistic
Coronavirus may have stopped visits to the grandparents but it won’t deter Santa, young children believe, according to a new study which had three- to five-year-olds talking about COVID-19.
Members of the Front Project, an independent organisation advocating early childhood education, interviewed children in NSW and Victoria about their understanding of the virus and how they felt. One four-year-old drew it as a green blob in a circle with lines spreading outwards. “It’s deadly and everywhere. I had to stay inside,” they said.
An analysis of the study will be published later this month in journal Australian Educational Leader and author Danielle Cogley said the children showed a clear understanding of what a virus was and the importance of social distancing, and were also able to express what they were missing out on because of lockdowns.
Read the full story here.
Amos Aikman 7.15am: Political sentiment tested in pandemic poll
Voters will go to the polls in the Northern Territory today, where Labor is fighting to retain its majority at a highly uncertain election set to be the first major test of political sentiment during the deadly coronavirus pandemic.
In a normal political cycle, a party seeking a second term would campaign on its record in government and announce new policies and budgetary commitments.
But with about half of all potential ballots already cast through pre-polling, Chief Minister Michael Gunner used his final pitch to talk only about COVID-19.
He argued that had the two-member Country Liberal opposition been in charge of the crisis, it would have opened the Territory’s borders to Victoria, likely costing people their lives.
Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro rubbished Mr Gunner’s “disgusting” claims and accused him of “eroding a special bond of trust”.
“He has engineered the COVID response to ensure that Territorians have to cling to his every word,” she said.
“For him to then use that during an election campaign pandemic public information to save his skin is … disgusting.”
Read the full story here.
Jamie Walker 6.50am: Hard-hit regional communities brace for cuts
The withdrawal of COVID top-ups for the unemployed and other welfare recipients will strip the struggling Cairns economy of nearly $4m a week, exposing the impact of the government’s move to cut aid that has kept Australian households and businesses afloat during the pandemic.
An electorate by electorate analysis for The Weekend Australian of where the money goes shows that nine of the 14 most heavily supported Coalition seats are in Queensland, which delivered decisively for Scott Morrison at last year’s federal election and goes to the polls in 69 days to decide whether Labor Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is returned for a third term or the Liberal National Party gets its chance under Deb Frecklington.
This adds the electorally costly prospect of a voter backlash to the hot potato issues being juggled by the Prime Minister and Josh Frydenberg as they begin to turn off the tap of coronavirus funding.
Read the full story here.
Greg Brown 6.20am: Morrison draws line on states’ border closures
National cabinet has demanded a “clear medical and scientific definition” of what constitutes a hotspot as Scott Morrison pushes back against arbitrary border closures by the states.
While failing to strike a deal for national regulations on border closures, a key demand from business groups, the Prime Minister said the states and territories had agreed for a formal definition of a hotspot to be created by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee.
The move would provide transparency on whether border closures are based on health advice. “When you have restrictions that are being placed on people’s movement in the country based on what is and what is not a hotspot, there needs to be a clear medical and scientific definition of what that is,” Mr Morrison said.
“These decisions cannot be made on an arbitrary basis. I’m not suggesting they are. I’m just saying … we are going to ask once again … for us to get a clear definition.”
Read the full story here.
Rachel Baxendale 5.25am: Victoria aims for below 50 cases before September
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer says he hopes the state has daily case numbers below 50 by September 13, when stage-four restrictions are due to ease, and would be “very relaxed” if they have dropped to single figures.
Brett Sutton’s comments came as Victoria on Friday recorded its lowest daily increase in coronavirus cases since July 13, with 179, down from a peak of 725 on August 5.
Nine deaths in the 24 hours to Friday took the state’s death toll from the virus to 385 — all but 20 of which have occurred since July 4.
While Premier Daniel Andrews said it was too early to discuss lifting restrictions, Professor Sutton nominated daily case numbers of less than 50 as a goal by September 13.
“I’d love us to be below 50. I would be really gratified if it were in single figures, but I’m not convinced that it will be,” Professor Sutton said.
“I think it’s possible, but I think there are really significant challenges to get there.”
Read the full story here.
AFP 00.10am: Singapore opens borders to Brunei, New Zealand
Singapore will allow travellers from Brunei and New Zealand to visit starting in September, in a “small, cautious step” by the virus-hit aviation hub to restart air travel, officials said Friday.
The city-state closed its borders in March to tourists and short-term visitors and later implemented a partial lockdown as coronavirus outbreaks swept through dormitories housing hundreds of thousands of migrant workers.
Arrivals from Brunei and New Zealand will be subject to a virus test in lieu of a 14-day quarantine.
Transport minister Ong Ye Kung said the move aims to strike a balance between controlling the spread of the virus and reviving air travel, a key driver of the trade-and tourism-reliant economy.
“All in all, I think this is a small cautious step to start to reopen aviation and resuscitate Changi Airport,” he told reporters on Friday.
“Remember, as a small open economy, to survive we’ve got to keep our borders open. To earn a living, (we) gotta have connections with the world and to thrive and to prosper, we must be an aviation hub.”
Brunei and New Zealand were chosen as they are small countries and have controlled the virus very well, Ong said, adding the move was unilateral.
The quarantine period has also been cut from 14 to seven days for travellers from low-risk regions including Australia — excluding Victoria state — China, Taiwan, Vietnam and Malaysia.
Ong said last week Changi Airport used to move 1,000 aircraft a day but this number had fallen to 150.
READ MORE: Will Glasgow — China shakes off season of doom
AFP 00.05am: Northwest Syria records first coronavirus death
A rebel bastion in the Idlib region of northwest Syria has recorded its first death from the novel coronavirus, a health official said Friday.
The jihadist-dominated stronghold is home to some three million people, many living in close quarters in displacement camps after being forced to flee their homes during Syria’s nine-year-old war.
Emad Zahran, spokesperson for the health directorate in rebel-held areas of Idlib province, said the death of an 80-year-old displaced woman living in a camp in the town of Sarmada was recorded on Tuesday.
A million people have been suffering from drinking water being cut off 22 days ago,due to Turkey and its affiliated factions blocking the Alouk station in the countryside of Ras al-Ain in northern Syria
— Ivan Hassib (@Ivan_Hassib) August 21, 2020
In conjunction with the increase in the number of Coronavirus cases in Hasaka pic.twitter.com/3SVXZGFaRZ
“She suffered from severe renal insufficiency and high blood pressure,” he said. Authorities have carried out contact tracing, taken swab samples for testing and asked those concerned to self-isolate, Zahran told AFP.
Opposition health official Maram al-Sheikh late Thursday said the region had recorded 59 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and one death.
Aid groups have been preparing for months to prevent an outbreak in northwest Syria, where a fragile truce has stemmed a Russia-backed regime offensive against the rebel bastion of Idlib.
Syria’s government has officially announced 2,008 cases of COVID-19, including 82 deaths in areas it controls.
But doctors in Damascus say the real numbers are likely much higher, as the official count only reflects those tested.
In Syria’s northeast, the semi-autonomous Kurdish administration has announced 280 cases, including 17 deaths.
READ MORE: Scott Morrison draws line on border closures
AFP 00.00am: North English towns locked down
Tighter local COVID-19 lockdown rules will be imposed on three towns in northwest England to prevent a “second peak”, the health minister said on Friday.
The new restrictions for Oldham, Pendle and Blackburn mean residents will be stopped from socialising with anyone outside their household, weddings limited to 20 people or fewer, and public transport to be avoided from midnight Saturday.
Britain’s second-city of Birmingham, which is home to more than one million people, was made an “area of enhanced support”, because of concern about a spike in cases.
The new measures, agreed between local councils and central government, come on top of those already in place since July.
“To prevent a second peak and keep Covid-19 under control, we need robust, targeted intervention where we see a spike in cases,” said health secretary Matt Hancock in a statement.
Oldham, Pendle and Blackburn are close to Manchester, where targeted lockdown measures have already been introduced.
It is the latest in a series of local lockdowns introduced by the UK government, which started with restrictions around the central city of Leicester at the end of June.
Britain, which has been the hardest-hit European country by COVID-19 registering more than 41,000 deaths to date, has seen its number of confirmed cases creeping up in recent weeks.
Officials announced nearly 1,200 new cases on Thursday.
"Some degree of restriction was inevitable."
— SkyNews (@SkyNews) August 21, 2020
The leader of Oldham council says an economic lockdown in the town would have been "utterly disastrous" - and adds that the new social distancing measures there are "better than the alternative".
Latest: https://t.co/fzVXiOobbb pic.twitter.com/J1kqHnzkrw
It comes amid warnings by political leaders of a fresh wave of cases. On Thursday London imposed further quarantine restrictions on people arriving in the UK from Croatia, Austria and Trinidad and Tobago, following similar restrictions already in place for those who have been to France and Spain among other countries.
READ MORE: Jamie Walker — Hard hit communities brace for cuts
More Coverage
‘Stupid’: Howard lashes Bowen over nuclear as PM heckled on wind farms
Former prime minister John Howard has branded the Albanese government "stupid" for turning its back on nuclear energy, as he campaigns for the Liberal Party in the seat of Paterson in NSW.
ASX sets record close despite pullback; HMC confirms Healthscope talks
David Di Pilla-led HMC eyes Brookfield-owned hospitals operator. Cochlear falls on trimmed guidance. Dividend disappointment weighs on AMP. GFG Alliance puts NSW coal mine on the block in debt plan. Mirvac soars on return to profit.