Latest updates
Another Geelong school closes after case in student
Another Geelong school has closed after a case was recorded in a student.
Clonard College will be closed today, parents were informed in an email last night.
Despite not being within the stage three restriction zone, it is the fourth Geelong-area school to close in the past week due to a coronavirus case in the community. Yesterday, a dozen Victorian schools were closed for deep cleaning after being connected to cases.
Clonard College will recommence remote learning on Wednesday.
Albanese welcomes two-tiered JobKeeper, criticises 'dole bludger' argument
By Paul Sakkal
Opposition leader Anthony Albanese says the government acted too late to ensure some part-time and casual workers were not earning more than their regular income while on JobKeeper, and criticised the government for using the “dole bludger argument” to limit the permanent increase in the unemployment benefit.
Mr Albanese said Labor would closely examine the government’s changes to JobKeeper and JobSeeker, which will continue into next year at reduced rates.
Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese says the government acted too late to ensure some part-time and casual workers were not earning more than their regular income while on JobKeeper.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
He said he was pleased the government had “woken up” to what he argued was the wasteful payment of the full $1500-per-fortnight amount to individuals who would have earned less in their job.
“If a Labor government had wasted the billions that have been wasted here in additional income to people, more than they earned before, then [the Coalition] would have been crying from the rafters,” he said.
The Labor leader said Prime Minister Scott Morrison was wrong in his suggestion the $1,100-per-fortnight JobSeeker payment was creating a disincentive to work.
Mr Albanese claimed there were 13 unemployed people for every available job, and said “huge numbers” of people were applying to fill vacancies.
“This is not time for the government to essentially run out the dole bludger argument. The fact is the jobs aren’t there,” he said.
Mr Albanese reiterated his party's support for a permanent rise in the unemployment rate but declined to detail he much he would like to see the rate rise.
NSW teachers are allowed to wear masks: Education Minister
With NSW school students returning to the classroom today, Education Minister Sarah Mitchell has said teachers are welcome to wear masks to work.
"We are certainly not requiring students or teachers to wear a mask, that's not the health advice, but if it gives parents or teachers comfort to wear a mask, that won't be a problem either," she told Ben Fordham on 2GB this morning.
NSW Health recommends people wear masks in situations where they are unable to maintain social distancing. It is a different story in Victoria, where people aged 12 and over in Melbourne and Mitchell Shire will be required to wear a mask from Thursday, including the year 11 and 12 students attending school on campus.
Ms Mitchell's comments are interesting because we have heard reports of some principals directing teachers to not wear masks in NSW schools. Do you know more? Contact us below:
Mask demand crashes websites, creates shortage of elastic
By Liam Mannix and Dana McCauley
An Australian manufacturer of medical masks says it is operating around-the-clock to fulfil its contract to boost the Commonwealth stockpile and has no capacity to meet increased demand from the Victorian public.
Shepparton-based Med-Con, which has been making up to 3 million mostly medical masks per week for the federal government, "physically cannot make any more masks" to meet rising demand in its home state, company general manager Steve Csiszar said.
Leading denim brand Nobody Denim has converted its jeans factory to manufacture facial masks and surgical-grade gowns during the COVID-19 outbreak.Credit:Chris Hopkins
Australia’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Nick Coatsworth, said on Monday the government's stockpile of masks would be distributed for medical use and more than 6 million were due to be sent to Victoria, mostly for use in aged care.
The Victorian government’s mandatory mask declaration on Sunday has created an unprecedented surge in demand for face masks that has crashed websites, backlogged deliveries and even created a shortage of elastic.
Regional NSW stores close after case visit
Several stores in the NSW South Coast town of Mogo have closed after they were informed by NSW Health that a positive case connected to the Batemans Bay outbreak attended.
The Middle of Mogo, a gift shop, posted the following message on its Facebook page yesterday:
"The Middle of Mogo, Courtyard Cafe, Mogo Fudge and Lots of Lollies Mogo will remain closed until further notice. We have been informed by NSW Health that a member of the public who has since tested positive to Covid-19 attended our Cafe on Tuesday 14th July between 1.00-1.30pm."
There are now eight cases connected to Batemans Bay Soldiers Club, with NSW Health directing anyone who attended on July 13, 15, 16 or 17 to immediately be tested for COVID-19 and self-isolate for 14 days, regardless of symptoms.
Mandatory masks wouldn't have stopped NSW cases: Berejiklian
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has said she is not focusing on making masks mandatory because the bulk of the state's recent transmission has occurred at restaurants and pubs where wearing a mask would be impractical.
"What we have to do first and foremost is take the health advice, and what health and myself are most concerned about is what people are doing when they enter hospitality venues," she told Ben Fordham on 2GB this morning, adding that "you can't wear a mask when you're having a meal".
NSW Health recommends masks are worn only in situations where social distancing is made difficult. The Premier said they were "a matter of personal choice".
With new restrictions on venues – such as a 10-person cap on group bookings – coming into effect in NSW on Friday, the Premier said further rules were not off the table.
"If we need to do more we will, and I say that not as a threat but just as a statement of fact because our job is to keep the community safe, to keep jobs going and to keep the economy going"
She added that, even though there are no lockdowns on areas with known outbreaks, she would encourage residents who know the virus is circulating in their area to consider having a quiet weekend.
"I would ask everybody, particularly people in areas that have had outbreaks, to consider what you are doing."
Further JobKeeper and JobSeeker plans to be released today: Cormann
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has said further details of the future of the JobKeeper and JobSeeker payments will be released later today.
"All the specifics will be announced by the Prime Minister and Treasurer later today," Mr Cormann told Sunrise this morning.
"We will be providing six months of further support both through JobKeeper and the enhanced JobSeeker arrangements. We will be reducing the payments in order to phase them out, in order to wean businesses off this support."
Mr Cormann said he believed the payment scheme had been "very effective" – noting the country's unemployment rate did not reach the 10 per cent predicted for the month of June.
He said the ongoing arrangements for the payments beyond March would be a "matter for the budget", with an economic update due to be delivered on Thursday.
As reported this morning, the JobKeeper and JobSeeker payments will be extended to the end of March, however there will be a fresh eligibility test for the JobKeeper payment and both payments are expected to be reduced.
Record number of daily cases in India
India reported more than 40,000 new cases of the coronavirus on Monday, a record high for the country which has the world's third-highest number of cases.
The 40,425 new cases raised India's total to 1.1 million, including 27,497 deaths.
The ministry said late on Sunday that India's coronavirus fatality rate — currently at 2.49 per cent — is "progressively falling" due to an effective containment strategy and aggressive testing.
A country of 1.4 billion people, India has been conducting nearly 10,000 tests per million people. More than 300,000 samples are being tested every day now, compared to just a few hundred in March, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research.
With a surge in infections in the past few weeks, local governments in India have been ordering focused lockdowns in high-risk areas.
Oxford coronavirus vaccine triggers strong immune response, trial shows
By Bevan Shields
British scientists have made a breakthrough in the race to find a coronavirus vaccine, with the first round of human trials showing the shot is safe and induces the strong immune response needed to fend off infection.
The results are highly significant because the University of Oxford vaccine, known as ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, is considered one of the leading candidates in the global race to bring the devastating pandemic to an end.
Blood samples from coronavirus vaccine trials are handled inside the University of Oxford's Jenner Institute.
Professor Adrian Hill, the director of the university's Jenner Institute, said "it's possible" some people could be given the vaccine as soon as December this year.
But that assessment is based on an assumption that future testing phases produce good results and that regulatory approvals are swiftly granted. The first people to receive the vaccine in December would be those in at-risk categories.
Pop-up clinic at western Sydney Maronite church for rest of week
A pop-up coronavirus testing clinic will open in the carpark of a western Sydney Maronite church, after NSW Health directed parishioners to self-isolate and get tested immediately.
There are now three cases linked to Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Cathedral at Harris Park, after a person who attended four services last week tested positive on the weekend. The person had been a diner at Thai Rock restaurant within the Stocklands at Wetherill Park.
Our Lady of Lebanon Cathedral at Harris Park.Credit:Cole Bennetts
Yesterday, it was confirmed that two additional parishioners had tested positive.
Parishioners who attended the church at the following times are directed to self-isolate immediately and seek testing.
- 5.30pm mass on Wednesday 15 July
- 6pm mass on Thursday 16 July
- A 1:30pm funeral and 6pm mass on Friday 17 July
The pop-up testing clinic will be open from 9am to 4.30pm from Tuesday to Friday this week.
Most Viewed in National
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMivgFodHRwczovL3d3dy5zbWguY29tLmF1L25hdGlvbmFsL2Nvcm9uYXZpcnVzLXVwZGF0ZXMtbGl2ZS1uc3ctb24taGlnaC1hbGVydC1hcy1jb3ZpZC0xOS1jbHVzdGVycy1ncm93LXZpY3RvcmlhLWNhc2Utc3VyZ2UtY29udGludWVzLWFzLWF1c3RyYWxpYW4tZGVhdGgtdG9sbC1zdGFuZHMtYXQtMTIzLTIwMjAwNzIwLXA1NWRxdy5odG1s0gEA?oc=5
2020-07-20 22:23:00Z
52780937562713
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Coronavirus updates LIVE: NSW on high alert as COVID-19 clusters grow; Victoria case surge continues as Australian death toll stands at 123 - The Sydney Morning Herald"
Post a Comment