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Spain sets new post-lockdown record for daily coronavirus cases
Spain reported 3715 new coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said on Wednesday, marking a new daily record since the country came out of a strict lockdown in late June.
Madrid bore the brunt of the increase, logging 1535 new cases, followed by the Basque Country and Aragon regions with about 470 new infections each.
Fourteen people died across Spain in the same period, down from 21 the previous day. In the past seven days, 131 people have died from the virus, the ministry said.
Cumulative cases, which include antibody tests on patients who may have already recovered, rose to 370,867.
'We need everybody to dig deep': Melbourne Lord Mayor
By Lucy Rickard
Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp has told of a “cautious optimism” across the city as COVID-19 cases begin to drop.
“We feel that we're halfway through and there is cautious optimism but of course we need everybody to really dig deep into their reserves and keep that resolve,” she told Nine’s Today’s show this morning.
Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp.Credit:Arsineh Housipan
“Because we can start to see that finish line, we can start to feel hopeful that our businesses can open their doors again but only if we continue to see this good progress.”
Cr Capp said businesses across the CBD, in particular Docklands and Southbank have been significantly impacted with foot traffic down 87 per cent and many businesses would not survive.
“The need across our small businesses particularly is enormous and we need to keep responding,” she said.
“It is really devastating but, again, the best we can do is keep sticking together, keep asking everybody to support their local businesses and of course for levels of government to keep doing what they can to provide support.”
Cr Capp said she did not know how low the infection numbers needed to go before restrictions would be lifted.
“We just need to stay completely vigilant about adhering to the restrictions. When we do see good results it doesn't mean stop, it means keep going.
“We've got to feel confident that if we keep adhering to the restrictions we're going to be winners in a few weeks' time.”
Moving houses, farewell parties: Readers reveal border troubles
We mentioned earlier that NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro has travelled from the north to the south of his state to discuss border issues with residents.
Yesterday, we asked for readers of this blog to tell us about the issues they were facing as a result of the border restrictions on the east coast. While yesterday we highlighted a number of instances of people being separated from loved ones, many of you also detailed some more practical problems.
The border between NSW and Victoria has been closed for the first time in 100 years. Credit:Getty
"I recently purchased property on the Gold Coast and now I cannot move as I am unable to drive into the state," said Giovanna, who is running out of time to get out of her old place.
A reader who asked to remain anonymous said they were forced to miss a work friend's leaving lunch, due to it technically being held in another state.
"I live in Wodonga (VIC) and work in Albury (NSW) and travel through the border crossing every work day," they explained.
"Last week I had to miss out on a pub lunch for a work mate who was leaving, due to the conditions on my permit I can only work in NSW or run the risk of being fined."
We need to be there to grab vaccine as soon as we can: CSIRO health director
By Lucy Rickard
CSIRO health director Rob Grenfell spoke to Nine’s Today show a short time ago about the federal government’s decision to sign a letter of intent to manufacture 25 million doses of Oxford University’s COVID-19 vaccine.
Mr Grenfell said there were a number of reasons the government chose this vaccine.
“This was one of the first favourites out of the box when the studies started so the WHO and CEPI were the ones choosing which ones through their stable were well developed, and this one along with Moderna and Inovio have been the leaders at this stage with the way they've been proving their effectiveness,” he said.
“They may make it; if they make it that's fantastic but there are obviously hundreds of others that are moving through the research pipeline and that's a good thing.
“But what it means is, Oxford itself at this stage is in late-stage development and if it makes the step in to success we need to be there to actually grab it as soon as we can.”
Mr Grenfell stressed that the vaccines were still in phase three trials, “testing whether the vaccine works, how well it works and what the side effect profile is and then we step to making it for the general population”.
“What we haven't baulked on with the speed we have been doing these studies in is safety and quality, that's why it's taking this long and in fact this is not long.”
Business groups push to open international borders for economic boost
By Jennifer Duke
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is on a collision course with Australia's biggest business lobby groups over tough international border restrictions they say hamper economic recovery and could see more jobs lost and global corporate deals languish.
Mr Morrison asked state premiers this week for "urgent solutions" to the havoc caused by interstate restrictions, but on Wednesday he said his international border position was "uncontroversial".
Business groups want international borders to be eased.Credit:Bloomberg
However, Ai Group, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Business Council of Australia are warning business activity and jobs growth are constrained by closed borders stopping the majority of arrivals and departures during the coronavirus pandemic.
Coalition MPs are also supporting an increase in the cap on how many people can arrive from overseas, as well as a robust quarantine system for returning Australians.
Plays, musicals announce return to Sydney's stages
Audiences will have their temperature checked and be asked to mask up as Sydney's mainstage theatre makes a welcome comeback five months after COVID-19 forced it to shut its doors.
Belvoir St Theatre is to mount a five-week season of A Room of One's Own, an adaptation of Virginia Woolf's landmark feminist essay, from September 16, becoming the first of Sydney's major theatre companies to announce an imminent return to the stage, Linda Morris reports.
Actress Anita Hegh in rehearsal for A Room of One's Own at Belvoir.Credit:Brett Boardman
Sydney Theatre Company is also reviewing possibilities for the resumption of its truncated season.
Meanwhile, the city is set to be home to touring musicals once again. Pippin will begin the charged by reopening the Lyric in November and Frozen is still slated to come to the Capitol Theatre in December.
After its season at the State was postponed due to coronavirus restrictions, Come From Away will make its way to the Capitol in June 2021.
NSW Deputy Premier goes it alone to push for border reopening
NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro appears to be somewhat breaking ranks, pushing for a relaxation of restrictions on the NSW-Victoria border.
Mr Barilaro is in Albury today, where he will speak to the media at 10am. The state Nationals leader told the ABC he believes the restrictions are "cumbersome" for regional residents, and has been travelling from the Queensland border to the Victorian border this week to discuss issues with residents.
NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro is pushing for the relaxation of border restrictions.Credit:Kate Geraghty
"I want to make sure we put in place the ability for this community to function and function well without the onerous task of permits," he said, saying he believed it was time for the system to be reviewed.
In an appearance on Sky News last night, Mr Barilaro said he also supported the easing of restrictions at the Queensland border.
“Up north we have to try to expand the bubble and pressure Queensland to allow us to have more people be able to cross that border because it is impacting on housing, construction, of course education and health services,” he said.
Speaking yesterday, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she was aware Mr Barilaro was making the trip south, however she did not indicate any planned changes to policy.
The NSW government slightly loosened its border controls earlier this week by announcing a new permit for farmers who live on the NSW-Victorian border.
COVID-19 health alert for Brisbane cafe, Virgin flight to Sydney
By Toby Crockford
In case you missed it last night, a Japanese traveller has tested positive for COVID-19 in her home country, sparking a public health alert for a Brisbane cafe she visited and a Virgin Australia flight she took to Sydney.
The Queensland Health alert encompasses flight VA962 from Brisbane to Sydney on Monday, August 17, and anyone who dined at The Jam Pantry cafe in Greenslopes on Sunday, August 16.
Queensland Health & NSW Health are contacting people from flight VA962, who were in close contact with the case.
The alert was triggered when Japanese health authorities contacted Queensland Health to advise of the woman's positive test after returning to Japan.
"The woman arrived in Australia in mid-July and was in hotel quarantine in Sydney for two weeks prior to coming to Brisbane. While in quarantine, she returned two negative test results," said Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young. "Because she quarantined in Sydney and travelled straight to Brisbane from hotel quarantine, she could go about her normal life in Brisbane."
NRL wants NSW government to let 50,000 fans into grand final
By Michael Chammas
The NRL has opened discussions with the NSW government about easing COVID-19 restrictions to increase the crowd from 10,000 to 50,000 for this year's grand final at ANZ Stadium.
In what would provide a huge financial windfall for the sport and state, the NSW government, which has been supportive of the NRL's endeavours to keep the competition alive throughout the coronavirus pandemic, is considering the sport's request, pending the rate of infection in the next two months.
ANZ Stadium at full capacity for the 2019 grand final.Credit:NRL Photos
It comes as the NRL considers the potential of a virtual Dally M Medal ceremony at the end of the season, which would see players honoured via Zoom calls as part of Fox Sports' coverage of the annual awards night, given the biosecurity restrictions on players.
The NRL has come to terms with the likelihood of having a reduced capacity for its showpiece event, but the code has requested to have 50,000 fans inside ANZ Stadium for the decider on October 25, which could be an all-Sydney showdown given the success of Parramatta, Penrith and the Roosters in 2020.
More dead than Bombing of Darwin: Seniors demand action on aged care
The chief advocate of the National Seniors association, Ian Henschke, has said the national coronavirus response had "failed" the elderly in aged care facilities.
Speaking to Ben Fordham on 2GB this morning, Mr Henschke said, two years on from the announcement of a royal commission into aged care, little had been done to restore faith in the system.
"You have people dying in their tens of thousands overseas in aged care, and that was back in February, and it is only now that we are talking about having a national response and you haven't audited every facility," he said, adding that more people had died in aged care facilities from coronavirus this year than in the Bombing of Darwin.
"There are a quarter of a million people living in aged care in this country, and if that was a quarter of a million kids in schools we would probably be behaving a bit differently."
He added that he believed the buck stopped with the federal government.
“We’re at war with the virus, we need to have someone in charge at the top that can actually fix it.”
There have been 276 deaths from coronavirus in aged care, of which 245 have occurred in Victoria.
National cabinet is due to discuss the aged care response in its meeting tomorrow.
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2020-08-19 22:11:00Z
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