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‘Let’s just see’ what states do once Australia reaches vaccination target, PM says
By Broede Carmody
Sunrise co-host David Koch has asked the Prime Minister whether he can guarantee that all Australians will be able to have Christmas with their family and friends this year if they live interstate.
Here’s what Scott Morrison had to say in response:
“I believe we will be able to be in that position if we have those marks of 70 per cent and 80 per cent because there is no reason why you shouldn’t be [open].
“It’s not a deal with me, it’s a deal with the Australian people who are keeping up their end of the bargain. And they expect the political leaders [of the states and territories] to keep their end of the bargain.
“The Commonwealth doesn’t have control over public health orders, that’s true, we’ve known that since the start of the pandemic. [Former PM] John Howard made the point himself, that the powers of the states were not as well-known in previous times because we didn’t have pandemics running like we do now.
“I think people are [now] very alive to the very important powers that states and territories have. But that also means they have great responsibilities.
“Those responsibilities are to support the health and the economic wellbeing of their states, which I absolutely believe they are committed to. And that’s why I believe we will get this done.”
Some premiers, such as WA leader Mark McGowan, have suggested they might keep border restrictions in place even after a high number of people are vaccinated.
Trust the Doherty Institute’s modelling: PM
By Broede Carmody
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is speaking on Seven’s breakfast show Sunrise.
He is being asked for his view on what the Doherty Institute director has said about it being safe to reopen even with large numbers of daily COVID-19 cases, as long as 70 to 80 per cent of Australians are vaccinated.
“These are the leading experts here,” Mr Morrison said.
“We are not just reopening because we want to. We know that at that [70 to 80 per cent vaccination] level ... we can reopen safely at that point and we can move forward.
“Once you get above those rates, it does more harm than good to have lockdowns. Both economically and more broadly on people’s mental health and other physical health issues that come from those type of restrictions.
“That’s the advice, that’s the basis for the plan, we’ve all signed up to it, we’ll need to get on with it.”
Melbourne supermarket, secondary school among Victoria’s latest exposure sites
By Cassandra Morgan
In case you missed it last night, Victorian health authorities have identified 18 new tier-1 exposure sites across the state.
Woolworths Millers Junction at Altona North, in Melbourne’s south west, has been declared a tier-1 site over three days:
- Between 2pm and 11pm on Wednesday, August 18;
- Between 11.30am and 9pm on Thursday, August 19; and
- Between 7am and 3.50pm on Friday, August 20.
In Victoria, tier 1 means anyone who attended that site during the specified timeframes has to immediately get tested for COVID-19 and quarantine for 14 days, regardless of whether they receive a negative test result.
The declaration of the Altona North supermarket as a close contact exposure site comes after authorities on Monday urged young men in the area to get tested for COVID-19.
Several of the other fresh tier-1 sites are in Shepparton, a regional city in Victoria’s north, where active cases swelled to 36 on Monday. The close contact locations include an Aldi, Woolworths, hairdresser and Notre Dame College.
A secondary boys’ college in Broadmeadows, in Melbourne’s north – Sirius College’s Meadow Fair Campus – was declared a close contact exposure site across two days: Monday, August 16 and Thursday, August 19 between 8.45am and 4.10pm.
Yarra Trams route 12 from St Kilda, in Melbourne’s inner south, to East Melbourne and vice versa, has also been declared a tier-1 exposure site.
A full list of Victorian exposure sites can be found here.
Youngest prioritised in NSW’s staggered return to school next term
By Jordan Baker, Tom Rabe and Alexandra Smith
Students in kindergarten to year two as well as year 11 will be the first to return to school in term four as part of a staged reopening once NSW’s vaccination rates hit 70 per cent.
The second stage of the staggered return in October, which was confirmed by multiple sources who are not authorised to speak to the media, is also likely to involve year 6 ahead of their transition to high school.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says she hopes to outline plans for schools later this week.Credit:Dominic Lorrimer
Health and education officials will meet on Tuesday to discuss the strategy, which is expected to go to crisis cabinet on Wednesday, when plans for easing some restrictions, probably to involve hairdressers, are also decided.
More on NSW’s plans here.
Mystery cases, infections among children dim Victoria’s lockdown exit hopes
By Paul Sakkal and Melissa Cunningham
A fourfold rise in mystery COVID-19 cases in the past week and hundreds of infected children are dimming any prospect of Victorian restrictions being eased on schedule early next month as Premier Daniel Andrews rules out a NSW-style plan to vaccinate the state’s way out of lockdown.
In the past seven days, almost 70 Victorians have been infected without knowing how they picked up the virus, up from 17 the previous week. Some of these cases were linked after further investigation, but epidemiologists believe the quantity of cases not immediately able to be connected is a sign of an uncontrolled outbreak.
An Andrews government source, speaking anonymously so as to make predictions, said it was highly probable the lockdown would extend beyond September 2 because the number of mystery cases and cases not in isolation were both rising.
Read the full story here.
Reopening still safe with hundreds of daily COVID cases, Doherty Institute boss says
By Michael Koziol
The director of the Doherty Institute, whose modelling underlies the national plan to reopen Australia, says reopening with large numbers of daily COVID-19 cases will still be safe once the country reaches its target of 70 to 80 per cent of the adult population vaccinated.
After days of debate between state premiers, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and epidemiologists over the suitability of those targets given the size of the Delta outbreak in NSW, Professor Sharon Lewin confirmed the number of cases did not materially alter the Institute’s modelling on which the plan was based.
Doherty Institute director Sharon Lewin.
“The really big important issue about moving from phase A to phase B is that we’re moving out of an environment of zero-COVID,” she told the ABC TV’s The Drum on Monday evening.
“Zero-COVID is no longer the goal once you have 70 to 80 per cent of people vaccinated. Whether you start at 30 cases or 800 cases you can still open up safely.”
Read more about the modelling, and subsequent debate, here.
This morning’s headlines at a glance
By Broede Carmody
Good morning and thanks for your company.
It’s Tuesday, August 24. I’m Broede Carmody and I’ll be anchoring this morning’s live coverage.
Here’s everything you need to know before we get started.
- NSW is set to hit Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s first target of 6 million vaccines today. The milestone is a week earlier than expected because a record 738,000 number of people were vaccinated in NSW last week, according to the Premier. Once the vaccination rate hits 70 per cent, the state’s youngest students – as well as year 11 – will be the first to return to school in term four. There were 818 new cases of COVID-19 in NSW yesterday.
- Victoria’s lockdown doesn’t appear on track to end by the start of next month. The state recorded 71 new coronavirus infections yesterday, including 22 mystery cases. There are more than 600 exposure sites. Authorities are particularly concerned about a rise in mystery cases and infections among children. As a result, it’s looking less and less likely that the AFL grand final will be played in Melbourne.
- The ACT recorded 16 new, locally acquired cases of coronavirus yesterday. The latest exposure sites include a Coles, chemist and Aldi.
- And the director of the Doherty Institute, whose modelling underpins Australia’s national reopening plan, insists easing coronavirus restrictions (even with large numbers of daily COVID-19 cases) will be safe once the country reaches its 70 to 80 per cent vaccination target. Prime Minister Scott Morrison is due to front breakfast radio and television this morning about this very topic.
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2021-08-23 21:42:55Z
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