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Coronavirus Australia live: fears over scale of Victoria's aged care outbreak – latest updates Coronavirus Australia live: fears over scale of Victoria's aged care outbreak – latest updates
(32 minutes later)
State government announces paid pandemic leave scheme after casual staff linked to 683 active Covid-19 cases in nursing homes, while in Sydney three more venues are closed. Follow liveState government announces paid pandemic leave scheme after casual staff linked to 683 active Covid-19 cases in nursing homes, while in Sydney three more venues are closed. Follow live
I wanted to give you a little bit more detail about that $150m announcement on accomodation for people sleeping rough in Melbourne. South Australian residents will be barred from returning to their home state from midnight tonight, unless exceptional circumstances apply. Premier Steven Marshall told the ABC this morning that the tighter border restrictions were in place to protect SA residents.
As. mentioned, the funding will extend the current hotel accomodation scheme for 2,000 rough sleepers, which started when the pandemic began in March, until April 2021. Again, in Victoria homeless people were asked to contribute to the cost of that accomodation, while in other states they were not. Victoria has now recorded more new cases in one day – 532 – than SA had recorded in total since 1 January, which is 447.
In the mean time, the Victorian government said it will arrange to lease 1,100 properties from the private rental market to provide a “permanent home for people once they leave emergency accomodation”. Marshall said there “could be some minor exceptions for compassionate reasons” but that he had given “plenty of notice” that the border was closing. He would not say when the border restrictions might lift.
The SA border is open to Tasmania, Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland, and “soft” with the ACT and NSW, which means people are allowed in with a 14-day quarantine.
Prime minister, Scott Morrison, will speak to the media about 10am today.
(There’s a media call then a walk through a business before the doorstop, so don’t hold me to that time.)
In other health news, Labor is warning that people living in regional and remote areas could face barriers to having heart disease diagnosed, under a change to the Medicare Benefits Scheme which means that GPs will not be access the medicare rebate to carry out a basic heart test.
From 1 August, GPs will not be able to access the $19 rebate for interpreting an electrocardiography (ECG) test. Instead, the rebate will only be available to specialists and cardiologists.
Labor’s health spokesman, Chris Bowen, wrote to health minister Greg Hunt last week asking him to “reconsider the changes as a matter of urgency”. In a letter published by the ABC, he says the change could increase out-of-pocket costs for people or require GPs to refer patients to a specialist to have their results interpreted – both of which, he said, could particularly impact patients in rural and regional areas, where rates of heart disease are particularly high.
Asked on ABC News Breakfast this morning if he will reconsider the change, Hunt said:
So, no.
NSW Health late yesterday issued a number of warnings around restaurants in Sydney’s inner suburbs, and out in the south west.
Everyone who attended the Apollo restaurant at Potts Point from Thursday, 23 July, to Saturday, 25 July, has been asked to immediately self-quarantine for 14-days and get a Covid-19 test if they have symptoms.
A staff member at the restaurant has tested positive to Covid-19.
Anyone who lives around the Potts Point area, or has visited it in the past 14 days, has also been told to get a Covid-19 test if they experience any possible symptoms, which includes respiratory symptoms, however mild, or a headache, however mild.
Everyone who attended or worked at the Mounties hotel in Mount Pritchard between midnight and 3am on Thursday, 23 July, between 11am to 3pm then 8pm to midnight on Friday, 24 July, and between midnight and 3am on Saturday, 25 July, has been asked to immediately self-quarantine for 14-days and get a test if they have any symptoms.
Everyone who attended the bistro of Pritchard’s Hotel in Mount Pritchard between 7pm and 7.45pm on Thursday, 23 July, has also been advised to monitor themselves for symptoms and get tested should any develop.
A full list of testing clinics in NSW, including local pop-up clinics, can be found here.
I wanted to give you a little bit more detail about that $150m announcement on accommodation for people sleeping rough in Melbourne.
As mentioned, the funding will extend the current hotel accommodation scheme for 2,000 rough sleepers, which started when the pandemic began in March, until April 2021. Again, in Victoria homeless people were asked to contribute to the cost of that accommodation, while in other states they were not.
In the meantime, the Victorian government said it will arrange to lease 1,100 properties from the private rental market to provide a “permanent home for people once they leave emergency accommodation”.
At the same time, the first 1,000 new social housing units promised by the Andrews government several years ago are coming online now, and homeless people will also be moved into those units.At the same time, the first 1,000 new social housing units promised by the Andrews government several years ago are coming online now, and homeless people will also be moved into those units.
Each person moved into a home will be given a tailored support package, including mental health support, drug and alcohol support, and family violence support, and the government said it will provide support to help people “sustain a tenancy” including helping with a bond and initial rent payments. Each person moved into a home will be given a tailored support package, including mental health support, drug and alcohol support, and family violence support, and the government said it would provide support to help people “sustain a tenancy” including helping with a bond and initial rent payments.
The foreign minister, Marise Payne, and defence minister, Linda Reynolds, are in Washington DC today ahead of an Australian-US ministerial consultations (Ausmin) meeting, which will take place on Tuesday (or tomorrow US time). The foreign minister, Marise Payne, and the defence minister, Linda Reynolds, are in Washington DC today ahead of an Australian-US ministerial consultations (Ausmin) meeting, which will take place on Tuesday (or tomorrow US time).
Payne told the ABC’s AM program that it was important these talks still take place in person. Payne told the ABC’s AM program that it was important these talks still took place in person.
She said that was particularly the case for this meeting, given the global challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic and the “strategic challenges” posed by China. That was particularly the case for this meeting, given the global challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic and the “strategic challenges” posed by China, she said.
Payne said there were “a large range of issues for us to discuss,” with aa focus on “further cooperation between our two countries on health security”. Payne said there were “a large range of issues for us to discuss”, with a focus on “further cooperation between our two countries on health security”.
She said they were following Covid-19 safety procedures in all meetings and would quarantine for 14-days upon their return to Australia. She said they were following Covid-19 safety procedures in all meetings and would quarantine for 14 days upon their return to Australia.
Good morning,Good morning,
Aged care workers will be able to access paid pandemic leave from tomorrow, in an effort to ensure people do not come to work with mild Covid-19 symptoms. It follows a landmark decision by the full bench of the Fair Work Commission on Monday, which added the two-week leave paid leave entitlement for people working in residential aged care under the Aged Care Award, the Nurses Award and the Health Professionals Award. Aged care workers will be able to access paid pandemic leave from tomorrow, in an effort to ensure that people do not come to work with mild Covid-19 symptoms. It follows a landmark decision by the full bench of the Fair Work Commission on Monday, which added the two-week leave paid leave entitlement for people working in residential aged care under the aged care award, the nurses award and the health professionals award.
The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, has repeatedly said that the spread of Covid-19 in Melbourne is largely due to people going to work while sick or symptomatic. Australia recorded a record high number of cases yesterday, thanks to a huge 532 cases reported in Victoria. As of yesterday there were 683 active Covid-19 cases linked to aged care, including staff and residents. The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, has repeatedly said that the spread of Covid-19 in Melbourne is largely due to people going to work while sick or symptomatic. Australia recorded a record high number of cases yesterday, thanks to a huge 532 cases reported in Victoria. As of yesterday there were 683 active cases linked to aged care, including staff and residents.
Meanwhile, homeless people in Victoria will be able to stay in a hotel and off the streets until April 2021. More than 2,000 people sleeping rough in Melbourne were moved into hotels when the pandemic was declared in March, to reduce the risk of Covid-19 spreading among those vulnerable communities. This morning, they announced $150m in funding to extend that package until April next year while moving people across into long-term low-cost private rentals. Meanwhile, homeless people in Victoria will be able to stay in a hotel and off the streets until April. More than 2,000 people sleeping rough in Melbourne were moved into hotels when the pandemic was declared in March, to reduce the risk of Covid-19 spreading among those vulnerable communities. This morning, $150m in funding was announced to extend that package while moving people into long-term low-cost private rentals.
Andrews said:Andrews said:
In March, we reported that homeless people in Melbourne had been asked to make “significant co-payments” to their hotel accomodation – we’re not sure if that will continue. In March we reported that homeless people in Melbourne had been asked to make “significant co-payments” to their hotel accommodation – we’re not sure if that will continue.
In other news today, authorities in NSW have urged people not to attend the Black Lives Matter rally in Sydney today, after organisers lost an appeal yesterday to allow the march to go ahead. Organisers have said they will ensure people comply with Covid-19 restrictions in NSW, and wear face-masks and socially distance. In other news today, authorities in NSW have urged people not to attend the Black Lives Matter rally in Sydney today, after organisers lost an appeal yesterday to allow the march to go ahead. Organisers have said they will ensure people comply with Covid-19 restrictions in NSW, and wear face masks and socially distance.
Let’s crack on. You can follow me on twitter @callapilla and email me at calla.wahlquist@theguardian.com Let’s crack on. You can follow me on Twitter @callapilla and email me at calla.wahlquist@theguardian.com.