VCE students are returning to school across Victoria, including in the locked-down areas of metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire.
Follow today's events as they unfold.
Live updates
By Dannielle Maguire
Casula gym closes after 10th pub case confirmed
A 10th person linked to the Crossroads Hotel in Sydney's south west has tested positive to coronavirus.
The 10th case is a gym member at nearby Planet Fitness in Casula, prompting the gym to close to undergo a deep clean.
NSW Health says that new case will be included in today's update.
More than a thousand people have been directed to self-isolate and get tested, with a line already forming at testing site in Casula.
ABC reporter Lily Mayers was at the hotel this morning:
"The whole community is going to be on high alert. At least 600 people were here on 3rd July alone.
"You can imagine how many need to go into a two-week isolation.
"We know that there are no links to Victorian cases, however there has been no original detected and the pub has been closed and its car park operating as a COVID-19 testing clinic.
We have seen at least 30 cars waiting for the testing clinic to open. We expect it will open at 10:00am.
Here's a shot of cars lining up for a drive-though testing site:
By Dannielle Maguire
West Gippsland hospital worker tests positive
West Gippsland Hospital in Warragul is carrying out contact tracing after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19.
The staff member is in isolation and has not worked since July 4 after calling in sick.
All hospital employees who came into contact with the staff member will be tested and have to isolate for 14 days.
West Gippsland Healthcare Chief Executive Dan Weeks says the hospital has made changes to visitation to prevent the spread of the virus.
By Dannielle Maguire
Victorian health workers testing positive
Professor Kidd was asked about the number of health workers who have tested positive to the virus.
Eight healthcare workers at The Alfred Hospital have now tested positive to COVID-19, in what is the second outbreak at the hospital since the pandemic began.
Here's what Professor Kidd had to say:
Well, clearly the virus is incredibly contagious and transfers very quickly from person to person.
"Many of the healthcare worker cases or the cases linked to healthcare settings appear to have been transmitted through community transmission so within households and outside of the healthcare settings.
"But it is essential that anyone who works in healthcare settings, if they have symptoms, no matter how mild stays at home and does not go to work and and to get tested.
"Obviously doing the very best that they can and we support our healthcare workers in Victoria who are providing essential services to the people there, but as I say, this is a highly infectious virus.
"Everybody needs to be doing their part."
By Dannielle Maguire
More cases linked to Sydney pub
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Micheal Kidd said the number of cases linked to the Crossroads Hotel in Casula had risen overnight when he appeared on ABC News Breakfast this morning.
But we're going to have to wait until the NSW Government gives its coronavirus update later this morning to know how much the number has risen by.
Here's what Professor Kidd had to say about the hotel outbreak this morning:
"Clearly the outbreak is causing a lot of concern and the numbers of people linked to that outbreak, I believe, has increased overnight.
"[It's] very important that people adhere to the public health messages.
"Anyone who attended that hotel between 3rd and 10th July is being advised to isolate at home for 14 days and to arrange to get tested.
"It is very important that anyone who was connected with that hotel does lockdown.
"Part of the concern is that this hotel is used by freight drivers who are transporting essential supplies across the country.
"So this is a really important issue for everyone across the country."
By Dannielle Maguire
What protections are teachers getting?
There have been concerns for teachers going back to face-to-face learning.
Victoria's shadow Education Minister Cindy McLeish says she has been contacted by several teachers who are concerned about a lack of PPE:
"Teachers at specialist schools particularly have been quite concerned that they don't have the right protective equipment.
"It's so important that all the teachers have masks available for them to use.
"The Government needs to make sure that schools have appropriate levels of protective equipment."
Federal Educational Minister Dan Tehan was asked about the level of protection was being provided for teachers when he appeared on ABC News Breakfast this morning. Here's what he said:
"Teachers are being provided with the protections that have been recommended by our medical health experts, and that's the advice that we continue to take.
"We listen to our medical experts.
"They've said, right through this pandemic, that it's safe for schools to be open with the right protocols put in place."
By Dannielle Maguire
Have they got the balance right?
Year 11 and 12 students, year 10 students doing VCE subjects and children at specialist schools will go back to school for face-to-face learning today.
This time around, teachers be working out of their schools to deliver remote learning.
Given about 60 per cent of teachers have their own school-aged children who will need to go to school while their parents work, Mr Tehan was asked if Government had the balance right.
Here's what he had to say:
"We continue to consult right throughout this pandemic, whether it be with the childcare sector or through Education Council with all state and territories, when it comes to schools. And we will continue to do that.
"We want to make sure that we continue to provide the support that we need, so we get that continuity of education for our children through this pandemic."
By Dannielle Maguire
Lockdown parents told to ask for help
Federal Educational Minister Dan Tehan says parents in the Victorian lockdown zones to ask their childcare providers about what help they might be able to qualify for.
Mr Tehan appeared on ABC News Breakfast this morning when he was asked about parents in the new lockdown zone struggling to afford childcare payments.
Here’s what he said:
“Sadly we've seen parents lose hours of work, and in some cases they've lost work.
"But our system copes with that.
"It manages that, because if you get a reduction in hours, obviously the amount of out-of-pocket expenses that you pay comes down.
"And for those parents in real financial hardship, we have the additional childcare subsidy.
"So, I would say to all parents who have lost work or who have seen reduced hours, please get in touch with your provider to see what assistance is there for you."
By Dannielle Maguire
Good morning starshines
Welcome back to the ABC coronavirus blog!
After the first weekend of the Greater Melbourne and Mitchell Shire lockdown, there's still a lot of questions about how things are going to work.
Some of the big issues to already pop up today are childcare and remote learning, but there's also going to be plenty happening as the day unfolds.
We're going to bring you all the updates, get to as many of your questions as we can and hopefully make you smile every now and then.
Let's do it!
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2020-07-12 22:16:00Z
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