Summary
- Camden High School in Sydney's south-west will be closed today after a year 7 student tested positive for COVID-19.
- A testing blitz has begun in a handful of Melbourne suburbs that have been identified as community transmission hotspots for coronavirus, but some people in these areas are refusing to be tested.
- A total of 37 new coronavirus cases have been confirmed nationwide: 30 in Victoria, six in NSW and one in Queensland.
- A member of the Australian Defence Force who was stationed in Papua New Guinea has tested positive for COVID-19 upon his return to Queensland.
- From July 17, travellers to the Northern Territory will have to quarantine at their own expense before being able to enter the area, NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner has said.
Almost one-third of returned travellers in hotel quarantine refusing COVID-19 tests
By Aisha Dow
Almost one-third of people living in Victoria’s quarantine hotels are refusing testing, the state's Deputy Chief Health Officer has revealed.
In response to a question this morning, Deputy Chief Health Officer Annaliese van Diemen said about 30 per cent of returned international travellers were not agreeing to the tests.
This likely means a number of coronavirus cases are missing from official Victorian and national tallies.
“At the moment, there is not a requirement that they must undertake testing,” Dr van Diemen said.
“Everyone is offered testing on multiple occasions throughout their stay.”
Of the 30 new cases detected in Victoria, five are in hotel quarantine.
Latest updates
That's all for the blog today
That's all for the blog for today - thanks for logging on. We will be running a coronavirus updates blog tomorrow as well, so tune in from 8am for all the latest COVID-19 news.
Here is a summary of the main updates on the blog today, to save you from having to scroll through eight hours of material:
- Nationwide a total of 37 new coronavirus cases have been confirmed: 30 in Victoria, six in NSW and one in Queensland.
- Those who tested positive for coronavirus in Victoria since overnight included a healthcare worker at a youth mental health clinic, a Coles warehouse worker, two children at two separate childcare centres and a McDonald's worker.
- Camden High School in Sydney's south-west was closed today after a year 7 student tested positive for COVID-19.
- A member of the Australian Defence Force who was stationed in Papua New Guinea has tested positive for COVID-19 upon his return to Queensland.
- A testing blitz has begun in a handful of Melbourne suburbs that have been identified as community transmission hotspots for coronavirus, but some people in these areas are refusing to be tested.
- About a third of overseas travellers in hotel quarantine in Victoria refused to be tested for coronavirus, the state's Deputy Chief Medical Officer has said.
- The Victorian government has refused to explain how Australian Defence Force members would be used in the state's COVID-19 response, hours after a last-minute backflip on plans to call in 850 defence officers.
- Anyone from a coronavirus hotspot who travels to the Northern Territory once borders are expected to reopen on July 17 will be quarantined at their own expense before being allowed in.
- And, finally, Coles and Woolworths have imposed purchasing limits on toilet paper nationwide amid renewed panic buying behaviour from some shoppers.
Have a great weekend.
Where are active coronavirus cases in Melbourne?
Victorian health department data shows there are currently 183 active cases statewide.
This map shows how many cases there are in each local government area in the Greater Melbourne area:
The overwhelming majority of these are in the Greater Melbourne area, with just three people currently infected in rural/regional municipalities (one Campaspe, one in Swan Hill and one in Latrobe).
However, there are also 15 known cases for which the typical area of residence is not yet known, which do not show up on the map.
The Hume municipality in Melbourne's north has the most active cases with 25, which is an increase of eight since yesterday.
There are 19 active cases in Brimbank (one fewer than yesterday), 17 in Casey (six more than yesterday) and 14 in Moreland (five more than yesterday).
These four municipalities are among the six local government areas identified as being community transmission hotspots for coronavirus at the start of this week.
The other two areas were Cardinia (where active case numbers have remained stable since Monday) and Darebin (where active cases numbers have been declining and where there are currently two active cases).
Yesterday the names of 10 suburbs that were community transmission hotspots were released by Premier Daniel Andrews, and a testing blitz has got underway today in some of them so health authorities can better understand the localised virus spread.
Victorian government scant on details on how Defence Force members would be used in COVID-19 response
By Michael Fowler
The Victorian government has refused to explain how Australian Defence Force members would be used in the state's COVID-19 response, hours after a last-minute backflip on plans to call in 850 defence officers.
Senior government minister Jacinta Allan told reporters on Friday that some ADF personnel were already helping the Victorian response, but was unable to specify how many, or how many more would be called in, amid reports Daniel Andrews' government downsized its request from 850 members to 200.
Senior government minister Jacinta Allan speaking to reporters on Friday morning.Credit:Justin McManus
ADF members will focus solely on transportation of returned travellers to Victoria's quarantine hotels and on moving COVID-19 test samples interstate, rather than assisting in hotels.
Ms Allan said Victoria Police protective services officers would instead be called into hotels, but refused to say what their responsibilities would be and whether they would replace private security contractors, after several security guards contracted coronavirus in the Rydges on Swanston and Stamford Plaza hotels.
Opposition Leader Michael O'Brien labelled the government's handling "chaos" and criticised Mr Andrews for an "absolute failure of leadership".
Have your holiday bookings been cancelled? Let us know.
School holidays start in Victoria today but some Melburnians might be forced to stay at home, even if they don't live in a coronavirus hotspot.
We're hearing news from families who have been told they're not welcome to holiday in coronavirus-free areas.
Have you had your holidays cancelled? The Age is looking for anyone who has been faced with a last-minute change of plans due to coronavirus.
Watch live: Coronavirus update from ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith
A press conference with ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith is about to get underway.
You can watch it below:
A coronavirus update with WA Premier Mark McGowan is also underway at the moment, which you can watch in the post below. (I had to be extra careful I didn't get the two live feeds muddled up.)
Watch live: Coronavirus update from WA premier Mark McGowan
A press conference with WA premier Mark McGowan is set to start shortly.
You can watch it live below:
Travellers to be tested upon entry and exit to quarantine, small business restrictions eased
By Fleta Page
People entering Australia will be tested for COVID-19 upon entry and exit from their 14-day quarantine, the Chief Medical Officer says, while national cabinet has agreed to allow states and territories to double the number of people allowed in small premises.
Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy said despite outbreaks in Victoria, the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee is "very, very comfortable with the way things are going".
Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy and Prime Minister Scott Morrison. No prizes for guessing the team they will be supporting at the 2023 Women's Soccer World Cup.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
Professor Murphy reiterated the importance of 14 days' quarantine for people arriving from overseas, noting that risk "is still very high" and "the country risk profile is changing all the time".
"We are going to start testing people on entry to quarantine and testing people before they leave quarantine to see whether a testing regime might help in the future," he said.
Thousands of thermometers sent out throughout Victoria to slow coronavirus spread
By Nicole Precel
Thousands of infrared thermometers are being distributed across Victoria to slow the spread of coronavirus as travellers get set for school holidays.
About 4,800 thermometers are being sent out and coronavirus testing clinics are being established at popular sites on the Great Ocean Road, the High Country and in the Alps including Lorne, Apollo Bay, Falls Creek, Mount Hotham and Mount Buller.
Accommodation providers are encouraged to take temperatures of guests on check-in and to contact guests 24 hours before arrival to ask them to complete a self-assessment for COVID-19 symptoms before they leave.
The weather bureau's thermometers show that the current temperature at Mount Buller is -1 degrees. Credit:Getty
Victorians are allowed to travel within the state but must stay home and get tested if they have even mild symptoms of coronavirus.
If that's not possible, guests booked in to stay in a room with people not from their household should find alternative self-contained accommodation.
Minister for Health Jenny Mikakos said the last thing she wanted was for the virus to spread throughout the state during the school holidays.
"So the most important message for Victorians right now is that if you are unwell at all, you should stay at home,” she said.
Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy on his brush with fame
Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy has become something of a familiar face on news broadcasts over the past few months given all the airtime that has been dominated by the health response to the coronavirus pandemic.
At a press conference with Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the pair joked about how his sudden prominence on TV screens lately means Professor Murphy has been asked 'How did you get out of the TV?' when spotted by young children in public.
Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy addresses the media during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra on FridayCredit:Alex Ellinghausen
In an interview with the ABC this morning, he also joked about how his grandchildren had become accustomed to seeing him on television and that they were recording his media appearances.
This profile piece on Professor Murphy, in an interview with reporter Dana McCauley to mark his final week in the role of Chief Medical Officer before he moves to a new position in the health department, alludes to his sudden brush with fame, and how he resorted to wearing dark glasses and a baseball cap to remain anonymous while on a Saturday walk around Lake Burley Griffin with his wife.
Watch: Press conference with Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick
A press conference with Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick is set to start at 1.45pm.
You can watch it below:
Friday afternoon seems like a popular time for press conferences - there is currently a press conference underway with Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy being livestreamed in the blog post directly underneath this one.
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2020-06-26 06:27:00Z
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