Key posts
Melbourne to reach six-month lockdown milestone next week
By David Estcourt
Melbourne will have spent six months, or 185 days, under lockdown when the state is released from restrictions next week.
Quiet Melbourne roads on Tuesday morning. Credit:Jason South
In some areas of Melbourne, like Brimbank in the city’s west and northwest and Wyndham in Melbourne’s outer southwest, Victorians have been subjected to even longer hard lockdowns.
The state is in the middle of its fifth lockdown since the COVID-19 pandemic began and has been forced to shut down more than any other state in the past year.
NSW will ‘do more’ to protect regions, Deputy Premier says
By Broede Carmody
NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro was speaking on ABC News Breakfast earlier about the seven-day lockdown in Orange and the surrounding areas of regional NSW.
He was asked whether the NSW state government will consider a “ring of steel” to protect the regions, similar to what was introduced around the edges of Melbourne during last year’s long lockdown. The policy resulted in barriers at major roads and police checkpoints.
NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro.Credit:James Brickwood
Mr Barilaro said NSW wouldn’t be introducing a “ring of steel” but people in the regions could expect the state to introduce some additional protections.
“We already have a number of orders in place,” he said.
“There is permission to leave Sydney [if you’re an essential worker] but you must be tested every seven days. For those essential workers within [western Sydney hotspots], you have to be tested every three days. But we need to do more to stop travel from Sydney to the regions.
“We have to allow a level of workers to leave [Sydney] as part of supporting the rest of the state. But if we have to do more. We will do more.”
We’ll bring you any policy changes as soon as they’re announced.
‘We can’t live with this virus yet’: Emergency physician
By Broede Carmody
Emergency physician and former Australian Medical Association President Dr Stephen Parnis was speaking on the Today show earlier this morning.
“We can’t live with the virus yet,” he said when asked whether Australia should open up like the United Kingdom.
“It’s spread so fast. Public health authorities in it at least three, now four states are fighting trench warfare against this. We can’t live with it now, but we will live with it some time in 2022, I think.”
Emergency doctor Stephen Parnis. Credit:Eddie Jim
Dr Parnis said at least 80 per cent of Australian adults would need to be vaccinated in order for governments to move away from lockdowns. He cited that figure on the basis that vaccines are, while very effective, not perfect.
He added that the country needs to start thinking about vaccinating children in the long term.
“We cannot forget our kids. The paediatric population can’t go unprotected forever.”
New tier-2 exposure sites for Melbourne overnight
By David Estcourt
Four new exposure sites were added for Richmond, in Melbourne’s inner east, overnight.
Victorian health authorities have say the venues of concern are all tier 2 and linked to a cafe and retail outlet.
Quiet streets during Melbourne’s latest lockdown.Credit:Penny Stephens
Status Quo PopUp, a specialty cafe and pop-up shop, is considered a tier-2 exposure site on July 14, 15, 16 and 17 from 8.00am to 3.00pm.
There are currently 352 exposure sites in Victoria.
For the full list, visit the Victorian Health Department’s official website.
Former boxer Anthony Mundine fined again for breaching COVID-19 rules
By Daniella White
High-profile former boxer Anthony Mundine has been fined for a second time for breaching COVID-19 health orders.
Mundine allegedly entered a Kingsgrove store, in south-west Sydney, without wearing a face mask about 2.20pm on Tuesday.
Former boxer Anthony Mundine. Credit:Getty Images
NSW Police said when asked to wear a face mask by an employee of the store, the 46-year-old allegedly stated he was exempt, before he refused to scan the QR code to register his contact details.
Police were informed about the incident later that night and attended a home in South Hurstville where they spoke to Mundine.
He was issued with a fine for not complying with the current health orders.
Mundine was previously fined $1000 for travelling from metropolitan Sydney to Ballina without a reasonable excuse on July 7.
Qld Senator holds firm on anti-lockdown stance
By Broede Carmody
Federal Resources Minister Matt Canavan has held firm on his view that Australia should have no more lockdowns but has refused to provide a number of cases that would be acceptable in the community should states with COVID-19 infections open back up.
“We’re going to have to live with COVID,” the Queensland LNP Senator said on the Today show just moments ago.
“There’s enormous cost being done to small businesses, to people’s marriages, kids’ education and I just worry we’re not measuring those costs or factoring in those.”
Senator Matt Canavan. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer
Queensland is on edge today after it was revealed a fully-vaccinated woman in her 20s was infectious in the community after returning to the Sunshine State from Melbourne.
Today host Karl Stefanovic told Mr Canavan that in the United Kingdom, there are as many as 50,000 cases of coronavirus every day and 100 deaths on average.
“How many of those are you prepared to live with as a politician to get on with life?” Stefanovic asked.
Here’s what Mr Canavan had to say in response:
“I’m not going to be able to put a number on it Karl. I prefer to have no deaths. That’s what I prefer to have. There’s two certainties in life, death and taxes, and we will have to deal with those. The key thing is to reduce those to as low a level as possible. A key part of that is getting the vaccination rolled out.
“Of course, if we lock down ... there are people who go through the worst circumstances in that environment, too. There’s no option here that doesn’t lead to bad outcomes for people.”
Hardware store, dry cleaners among latest NSW exposure sites
By Broede Carmody
In case you missed it, NSW Health listed more than 10 new exposure sites late last night.
Among the venues of concern are a dry cleaners in Sydney’s north-eastern suburbs and a hardware store in the inner west. An iconic pub in regional NSW has also been listed as an exposure site.
However, the silver lining is that the majority of the new exposure sites are essential retail outlets such as supermarkets and petrol stations.
Anyone who visited the following venues during the times listed is considered a close contact of a coronavirus case and must immediately get tested and isolate for 14 days regardless of the result:
- MW Toolbox in St Peters, in Sydney’s inner west, on Wednesday, July 14 from 2.15pm to 3.30pm;
- Lawrence Dry Cleaners in Belrose in Sydney’s north-east on Wednesday, July 14, between 10.30am and 11am; and
- The Hoey Moey pub in Coffs Harbour on Thursday, July 15 between 3.55pm and 4.20pm.
For a full list of venues and times visit the NSW Health website.
‘I don’t want more cases from Sydney’: Andrews tightens border rules
By Michael Fowler, Aisha Dow and Melissa Cunningham
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has questioned New South Wales’ containment of its coronavirus outbreak, labelling it a “second wave” as he escalated restrictions so Victorians north of the border cannot return home from Wednesday.
The hard block on entries from red zones, including all of NSW and the ACT, will last for at least two weeks and rehashes the rigid border policy that had not been adopted since the new year period, when thousands of Victorians found themselves stranded interstate.
Premier Daniel Andrews reintroduced the no-entry border policy used over the New Year’s period.Credit:Eddie Jim
Under the new rules, the only people allowed into Victoria are authorised workers and those who get approval for a compassionate exemption.
One in 10 infected people in NSW caught COVID at work
By Lucy Carroll and Harriet Alexander
The number of mystery cases in NSW has ballooned to levels not seen since the peak of the state’s March 2020 lockdown with figures showing almost one in 10 COVID-19 cases in the latest outbreak have been transmitted at work.
NSW health authorities have confirmed that 123 people have caught the virus through their workplace since the first case reported in June, with about 30 per cent going on to transmit the disease outside their household, including in healthcare and aged care facilities.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Tuesday.Credit:Janie Barrett
It comes as the virus spreads out of Greater Sydney, with Orange local government area in the state’s Central West plunged into a week-long lockdown from midnight on Tuesday after a case was identified in a factory worker following a case in a truck driver who travelled to the region.
Read the full story here.
This morning’s headlines at a glance
By Broede Carmody
Good morning and thanks for your company. It’s Wednesday, July 21. I’m Broede Carmody.
It’s set to be another busy day today, with three states across the country experiencing lockdowns (that’s more than 14 million people told to stay at home). And all eyes are on Queensland’s case numbers after a 20-year-old was found to have been infectious in the community after visiting a Melbourne exposure site.
Here’s everything you need to know:
- Residents of Orange and surrounding areas of regional NSW have been plunged into a 7-day lockdown after an infectious delivery driver visited the state’s Central Tablelands region. There were 78 new, locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in NSW yesterday. Of those cases, 21 were infectious in the community. There are currently 95 coronavirus patients in NSW hospitals. Twenty-seven are in intensive care.
- From today, Victorians attempting to return home from red zones will be barred from entering the state. The tougher travel rules are part of Premier Daniel Andrews’ bid to contain the number of new infections (however, there will be exemptions on compassionate grounds). Meanwhile, Mildura – in Victoria’s north-west – has been labelled a hotspot. This means residents can access Commonwealth assistance. There were nine new cases of COVID-19 reported in Victoria yesterday. Lockdown has been extended until Tuesday night.
- In Adelaide, residents are waking up to the first day of their state’s 7-day lockdown. There were two new cases in the state yesterday. There’s just five reasons for South Australians to leave their home: shopping for essential items, healthcare, outdoor exercise, essential work or caring for a loved one.
- It’s decision day for the Brisbane Olympics bid. We’re set to find out if Australia will host the 2032 Games around 5pm AEST. It comes after Queensland recorded one new coronavirus case yesterday: a fully-vaccinated woman in her 20s who returned to the Sunshine State after visiting a Melbourne exposure site. Authorities say she was infectious in the community for a couple of days.
- And in international news, the world’s richest man – Jeff Bezos – has blasted off into space on a private rocket. It comes just nine days after another billionaire, Richard Branson, travelled into space from New Mexico in what many say is the first step towards recreational space flights.
Most Viewed in National
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMirgFodHRwczovL3d3dy5zbWguY29tLmF1L25hdGlvbmFsL2F1c3RyYWxpYS1uZXdzLWxpdmUtdmljdG9yaWEtbG9ja2Rvd24tZXh0ZW5kZWQtYnktYS13ZWVrLW5zdy1jb3ZpZC1jYXNlcy1jb250aW51ZS10by1ncm93LXNhLWJlZ2lucy1maXJzdC1kYXktb2YtbG9ja2Rvd24tMjAyMTA3MjAtcDU4YmRpLmh0bWzSAa4BaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAuc21oLmNvbS5hdS9uYXRpb25hbC9hdXN0cmFsaWEtbmV3cy1saXZlLXZpY3RvcmlhLWxvY2tkb3duLWV4dGVuZGVkLWJ5LWEtd2Vlay1uc3ctY292aWQtY2FzZXMtY29udGludWUtdG8tZ3Jvdy1zYS1iZWdpbnMtZmlyc3QtZGF5LW9mLWxvY2tkb3duLTIwMjEwNzIwLXA1OGJkaS5odG1s?oc=5
2021-07-20 22:04:58Z
52781742669148
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Australia news LIVE: Victoria lockdown extended by a week; NSW COVID cases continue to grow; SA begins first day of lockdown - The Sydney Morning Herald"
Post a Comment