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Coronavirus updates LIVE: QLD border to close to Greater Sydney residents as state's Premier declares COVID-19 hotspot; Victorian aged care crisis continues - The Sydney Morning Herald

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Watch live: Press conference with NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian or Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk

I hope you like press conferences, because there are two to choose from starting at 11am.

There's a press conference with NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian:

Or there is a press conference with Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk:

Depending on your settings, both press conferences might start playing at once. To choose the one you want to watch, click 'don't play' on the other one or pause it if it starts to play automatically.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews will be holding his daily press conference at 11.45am. I will post the video feed in the blog closer to the time.

A press conference with Prime Minister Scott Morrison is currently underway (see the 10.24am post)

Latest updates

Victoria will see deaths every day as community transmission drives aged care outbreak: Murphy

Secretary of the Department of Health Brendan Murphy has stressed the high number of cases in Victorian aged care facilities are "not the fault" of facilities, expressing sadness that the state will see "deaths every day".

"In this evolving global pandemic with nearly 17 million reported cases and multiples of that unreported almost certainly, one of the key lessons is that where you have sustained significant community transmission, there are tragedies in aged care," Professor Murphy said.

"Aged care cannot be completely protected from sustained community transmission as we have seen in Victoria over recent weeks.

"Despite all the preparation, the infection control planning, the deployment of PPE, the pandemic and infection control plans that every facility has created, restrictions on visitors, staff screenings, all of those cannot protect against what the Prime Minister said was the inadvertent bringing into the facility of this virus," he said.

The former Chief Medical Officer said the mortality rate of coronavirus in the elderly was the greatest concern for the federal health department, saying the department's "hearts go out to the families" of residents who have lost, and will lose, their lives.

"This is one of the reasons why you have heard the Victorian Premier and the Chief Health Officer there talk to those younger and fitter people who aren't sick you are spreading this virus in the community," he said. "That is the consequence of not doing the right thing if that is happening."

Queensland border closure won't hurt us, NSW Premier says

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has classed 31 local government areas in Sydney as coronavirus hotspots and has closed her state's border to people from Greater Sydney.

Responding to that announcement, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said that it would hurt Queensland much more than it would hurt the people of NSW.

“The only challenge for NSW is limited freedom of movement for our residents,” she said.

“The economic consequences in Queensland or South Australia will hurt much more than it hurts NSW, we are in the strongest position in the nation, which we want to maintain obviously.“

"It's always finding that right balance, so making sure that the virus is in check, but also providing sufficient freedoms for our residents.”

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New pool of nurses, nursing students to be created to support aged care

Secretary of the federal Department of Health Brendan Murphy has outlined some of the measures his department is taking to manage coronavirus outbreaks in Victorian aged care facilities.

Of the department's biggest concern is the Epping Gardens facility, which Professor Murphy said should be brought into a stable position in the next 24 hours.

"We are in the process of decanting a substantial number of those residents, up to 45 out of that facility," he explained.

"We are putting in some very senior workforce to cope with the loss of the many senior staff in that facility who unfortunately had to quarantine."

Professor Murphy said 64 residents from St Basil's aged care home in Fawkner, in Melbourne's north, have been moved to hospitals, with 32 remaining in the facility which has now been declared stable.

There are 11 other facilities which are being looked at closely by the federal government, with some residents being transferred to hospitals.

Professor Murphy said there was now an agreement that priority will be given to meeting the staffing needs of aged care facilities with public hospital staff at this time.

"We're looking at trying to bring in more from interstate, additional nurses and trying to recruit new personal care workers from nursing students and other sources," he said.

"But at the moment, the only staff that are available when there are mass quarantines of staff are the hospital workforce."

All of Greater Sydney named a coronavirus hotspot by Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk

Greater Sydney will become a COVID-19 hotspot from 1am on Saturday, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has confirmed.

The decision will add 31 new local government areas to the list, which already includes three in that state in response to outbreaks.

It comes after two new cases have been detected in Queensland among two young women who returned from Melbourne via Sydney.

“We have done this to ensure that we give notice to Queenslanders that might want to return home,” she said.

“We are in extraordinary times at the moment and we have to do everything we can.”

Ms Palaszczuk said that because of the “negligence” of the two 19-year-olds, from Logan and Acacia Ridge in Brisbane’s south, the response will now “inconvenience” many people.

“I’m absolutely furious that this has happened, that these two people have gone to Victoria, have come back, and have given to authorities misleading information,” she said.

“The next 24 to 48 hours is very crucial here in Queensland.”

Ms Palaszczuk urged anyone identified to have been contacts of the two new cases when more details were released to follow the advice of health authorities and anyone else feeling sick to seek a test.

Queensland will close borders to people from Greater Sydney

Queensland will close its border to people from Greater Sydney, the state's premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced.

You can watch her 11am press conference live in the post pinned to the top of this blog.

19 new cases in NSW as clusters grow

There were 19 new cases confirmed in NSW on Wednesday morning, Deputy Chief Health Officer Dr Jeremy McAnulty said.

Cases have been linked to the Thai Rock Wetherill Park cluster, the western Sydney funerals cluster, and to The Apollo and Thai Rock restaurant which are both in Potts Point.

As more businesses become places of transmission or spots where people with COVID-19 had been, Dr McAnulty said people should regularly check NSW Health information online.

“We're urging people to really check the website on a regular basis to look into those areas where they have been [connected] to restaurants, clubs and so on, to make sure they're aware of the latest advice,” he said.

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Australian Medical Assistance teams to arrive in Victoria tomorrow to help with aged care outbreaks

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has welcomed Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews' decision to suspend category two elective surgery and thanked local hospitals for working so quickly with the federal government.

"That is already making a very big impact," he said.

The first of the Australian Medical Assistance teams (AUSMAT) flagged by Health Minister Hunt yesterday will arrive in Victoria tomorrow. He is expecting five teams of seven will be deployed soon, Mr Morrison said.

"They act as a first responder, if you like, into places that are going through a critical response need and to stabilise the situation and to provide not just the medical and clinical support, but leadership," he said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison

Prime Minister Scott MorrisonCredit:Peter Braig

Mr Morrison said Victorians have "seen some very distressing and concerning situations arise in a handful of" the 430 aged care facilities in their state.

He flagged St Basil's at Fawkner and Epping Gardens as two of 13 facilities which the federal government has been keeping a close eye on, describing St Basil's as in a "stable position". The current priority is bringing Epping Gardens to the same state.

All Epping Gardens families will be contacted today through Services Australia, the Prime Minister said.

"The most vulnerable in our community have always been our highest concern when it comes to managing the health issues associated with this pandemic," he said.

Mr Morrison added that the transmission in aged care facilities has been largely transmission through carers, repeating the messages presented by Mr Hunt that the outbreaks are caused by community transmission rates.

"It has principally come through the infection of staff, more broadly in the community, many cases completely unaware of that infection and by the time they became aware of that infection, then obviously they'd been in those facilities," he said. "And that is true in many workplaces around Victoria."

Watch live: Press conference with NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian or Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk

I hope you like press conferences, because there are two to choose from starting at 11am.

There's a press conference with NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian:

Or there is a press conference with Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk:

Depending on your settings, both press conferences might start playing at once. To choose the one you want to watch, click 'don't play' on the other one or pause it if it starts to play automatically.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews will be holding his daily press conference at 11.45am. I will post the video feed in the blog closer to the time.

A press conference with Prime Minister Scott Morrison is currently underway (see the 10.24am post)

Queensland police to investigate two new Queensland cases who crossed border into the state

Queensland Police Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski has said an investigation will be launched into how the two new Queensland cases were able to cross the border and enter the community when they should have been in quarantine.

He told reporters that initial investigations suggested there may have been incorrect information given on their border declaration passes.

“We want to work out what’s actually happened here, not only in terms of what any individual may have done but also how the system has operated,” he said.

Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young described the actions of the pair as “reckless”.

“I’m very disappointed,” she said.

Dr Young urged anyone in Brisbane’s south with symptoms or a history of symptoms to get tested and “tell the truth” to both contact tracers and on border declarations.

A clinic will be established at the Parkland Christian College where one of the women worked as a cleaner, with a further extensive response across southern suburbs including Logan and Acacia Ridge.

A more detailed list of locations and venues the women visited will be released later today, Dr Young said.

Regional train service staff member tests positive for COVID-19 in Victoria

A staff member of Victoria's regional train operator V/Line has tested positive to COVID-19.

Two services were cancelled on Tuesday night while a building used by drivers before operating trains was deep cleaned.

"The staff member had no contact with V/Line passengers while potentially infectious at work," a spokesperson said.

A V/Line staffer has tested positive for coronavirus

A V/Line staffer has tested positive for coronavirusCredit:Eddie Jim

"We have taken immediate steps based on Department of Health and Human Services advice to identify close contacts and ensure any potentially infected areas are clean and safe for customers and staff."

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2020-07-29 01:29:00Z
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