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Coronavirus Australia live update: Victoria records 25th Covid-19 death after 270 new cases reported
Coronavirus Australia live update: two Covid-19 deaths in Victoria after 270 new cases reported
(32 minutes later)
South Australia to keep border closed to NSW as Queensland introduces quarantine rule for parts of Sydney. Follow live
South Australia to keep border closed to NSW as Queensland introduces quarantine rule for parts of Sydney. Follow live
A moment ago I told you a man in his 80s had died in Victoria. Now we hear another person, a woman in her 80’s, has died in hospital. That brings Victoria’s death toll from the virus to 26 and Australia’s national toll to 110.
So many Simpsons jokes to be made here...
Speaking on the ABC just now, former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull says there is “merit” in the idea of Australia pursuing an eradication strategy over suppression for the virus.
The Nationals senator Matt Canavan admits the government’s Covidsafe app hasn’t worked “as advertised”.
For the first time since the pandemic began the New South Wales police have shutdown a venue in Jindabyne, in the state’s Snowy Mountains, for breaches of public health rules.
Some numbers from Victoria released just now:
NSW Police announced this afternoon that the pub following “serious concerns and breaches of public health and safety during the Covid-19 pandemic”.
752 cases may indicate community transmission.
“Between Tuesday 5 May 2020 and Saturday 11 July 2020, police issued a premises in Jindabyne with three formal and several informal warnings relating to intoxication levels and public health and safety issues, including large groups of people failing to social distance,” NSW Police said in a statement.
1,803 cases are currently active in Victoria.
At about 7.30pm on Saturday officers attended the premises and forced closure of the venue. It was closed for a 72-hour period and has since been spoken to by police regarding their COVID-19 safety plan.
85 cases of coronavirus are in hospital, including 26 in intensive care.
Earlier today police issued the venue with a $5000 fine.
2,395 people have recovered from the virus.
Of the total cases, 3,799 cases are from metropolitan Melbourne, while 298 are from regional Victoria.
Total cases include 2,213 men and 2,001 women.
More than 1,170,300 tests have been processed.
Cases currently linked to public housing in North Melbourne, Flemington and Carlton:
242 cases are residents of various public housing towers in North Melbourne and Flemington. Investigations are continuing into how these cases are linked.
32 cases are residents of various public housing towers in Carlton.
A moment ago I told you a man in his 80s had died in Victoria. Now we hear another person, a woman in her 80s, has died in hospital. That brings Victoria’s death toll from the virus to 26 and Australia’s national toll to 110.
Speaking on the ABC just now, the former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull says there is “merit” in the idea of Australia pursuing an eradication strategy over suppression for the virus.
For the first time since the pandemic began the New South Wales police have shut down a venue in Jindabyne, in the state’s Snowy Mountains, for breaches of public health rules.
NSW police announced this afternoon the closure of a pub following “serious concerns and breaches of public health and safety during the Covid-19 pandemic”.
“Between Tuesday 5 May 2020 and Saturday 11 July 2020, police issued a premises in Jindabyne with three formal and several informal warnings relating to intoxication levels and public health and safety issues, including large groups of people failing to social distance,” NSW police said in a statement.
At about 7.30pm on Saturday officers attended the premises and forced the closure of the venue. It was closed for a 72-hour period and has since been spoken to by police regarding its Covid-19 safety plan.
Earlier today police issued the venue with a $5,000 fine.
A man in his 80s from Victoria has died in hospital from Covid-19. He is the 25th death in the state, and the 109th across Australia since the beginning of the pandemic.
A man in his 80s from Victoria has died in hospital from Covid-19. He is the 25th death in the state, and the 109th across Australia since the beginning of the pandemic.
The federal education minister, Dan Tehan, says the government will “continue to monitor” whether students in Victoria between prep and year 10 who could find themselves again learning from home for an extended period could suffer compared to students in the other states.
The federal education minister, Dan Tehan, says the government will “continue to monitor” whether students in Victoria between prep and year 10 who could find themselves again learning from home for an extended period could suffer compared to students in the other states.
Dr Kirsty Short, a virologist at the University of Queensland, is speaking to the ABC. Short’s department is the main group working on a vaccine for Covid-19 in Australia. She says she feels “optimistic” they will have “something” at the start of 2021.
Dr Kirsty Short, a virologist at the University of Queensland, is speaking to the ABC. Short’s department is the main group working on a vaccine for Covid-19 in Australia. She says she feels “optimistic” they will have “something” at the start of 2021.
Here’s our afternoon update of the situation in Victoria, by my colleague Melissa Davey.
Here’s our afternoon update of the situation in Victoria, by my colleague Melissa Davey.
Kidd is asked about the usefulness of the government’s Covidsafe app. He says state and territory health departments say it is “useful”.
In a follow-up he’s asked about its use in multicultural communities.
Kidd is asked whether the 19 August date for the end of the lockdown in Melbourne is realistic given the current rate of community transmission in the city;
Kidd says health officials “remain very concerned about the outbreaks that we are seeing in residential aged care facilities in Melbourne”.
“We recommend that all staff working in residential aged care facilities or providing home care support inVictoria in the areas under restriction where community transmission is occurring must be wearing a surgical mask when at work,” he says.
That measure was announced by federal health minister Greg Hunt yesterday.
Kidd says he expected the current contingent of more than 400 ADF personnel to remain in Victoria for at least the duration of Melbourne’s stage 3 restrictions. They are currently set to conclude on 19 August.
There have now been:
10,251 Covid-19 cases in Australia.
108 deaths.
294 cases in the past 24 hours.
More than 90 hospitalisations, including 85 in Victoria.
44,500 tests carried out in the past 24 hours including 22,000 in Victoria.
The deputy chief medical officer, Michael Kidd, is speaking in Canberra now. He tells us that in the past seven days only 4% of cases in Australia have been overseas acquired, which is, obviously quite a marked change from a fortnight ago.
Melbourne Theatre Company have just announced that it’s postponing its big-budget feelgood show for the year, the Simon Phillips-directed production of Shakespeare’s As You Like it, which was due to open in September.
MTC artistic director Brett Sheehy said in a statement today that the company was “devastated”.
“This production was the beacon at the end of the tunnel for us – a marvellous, uplifting show to mark our return to stage,” he said.
“Until recently we were optimistic about our return in September, but with the worsening situation in Melbourne there was no other option for us. The health and wellbeing of our community is paramount and we could not proceed with confidence that rehearsals or performances of As You Like It could be realised safely for our actors, creatives, staff and audiences.”
The company had held off on confirming that the show would be put on ice, with executive director Virginia Lovett telling Guardian Australia last week that the company was “working through the impact of the lockdown on our plans for the rest of the year”.
“This situation is ever changing and a serious challenge for MTC, our artists and the entire sector. It is uncharted territory,” she said.
Nine of MTC’s 12 shows this year have been affected by the coronavirus shutdowns, which the company said had meant the loss of 157 jobs for actors, creatives, makers and crew.
“This additional cancellation means the company is facing an $11m box-office shortfall along with prolonged hardship for our staff and artists,” said Lovett today.
“What we’re experiencing in the arts sector is shattering.”
The company is calling for an extension of the jobkeeper subsidy to assist organisations through Lockdown 2.0.
As You Like It will be rescheduled for 2021.
Good afternoon! Thanks as always to my colleague Calla Wahlquist for her work today. Important to note, however, that she is not the boss of me and I will touch as many large and vicious birds as I want to.
The New South Wales opposition leader, Jodi McKay, is being helpful by criticising the premier, Gladys Berejiklian, for not declaring south-west Sydney a “hotspot” for the virus after the Crossroads Hotel cluster rose to 28 cases today.
“The premier won’t declare South West Sydney a hotspot – but with a growing cluster of 28 and today’s new cases all from the region, the Berejiklian government must pull out all stops,” she said.
“There is a Covid-19 hotspot forming in South West Sydney. The government must respond accordingly. Right now its response is woefully inadequate.
“Today, cars have been bumper to bumper for 1km around the Crossroads Hotel. We’ve got long waits in Prestons and long waits in Picton. These testing sites are overrun and woefully under-resourced. It’s the Berejiklian government’s job to fix this and ensure thousands of people get tested without delay.”
I’m going to hand over to Michael McGowan to take you through the rest of the afternoon.
Take care, don’t pat any large birds, and I’ll see you in the morning.
The Menarock Life aged care facility in Essendon is in Maribyrnong, the electorate of Labor frontbencher Bill Shorten.
He told reporters in Melbourne that he wants all residents moved out of the aged care home and into hospital.
