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Coronavirus Australia live update: Victoria premier Daniel Andrews to hold press conference on new Covid-19 cases – latest news Coronavirus Australia live update: Victoria premier Daniel Andrews to hold press conference on new Covid-19 cases – latest news
(30 minutes later)
State 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 updatesState 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 updates
We are standing by to hear from Victorian premier Daniel Andrews any minute now.
In the mean time, ABC24 has emus giving a live cross from a Queensland pub.
Before Scott Morrison spoke to the media in Queensland, Labor called on the prime minister to explain what steps he will take to deal with the aged care crisis in Victoria.Richard Marles, the deputy Labor leader, called for better communication with aged care facilities so they could implement programs such as not allowing people to work in two aged care facilities at once.
Marles said:
NSW Health has also issued a warning for passengers on the Jetstar flight JQ506 from Melbourne to Sydney on 25 July, after a passenger on the flight tested positive to Covid-19.
A woman in her 30s who was on the flight has tested positive to Covid-19 while in self-isolation. She’s the Victorian listed in the 14 new NSW cases recorded from yesterday.
Authorities are contacting those who were deemed to be close contacts, which is passengers in rows 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14.
NSW has recorded 14 new cases of coronavirus in the 24 hours to 8pm last night, including six new cases linked to the funeral cluster and four linked to the cluster at the Thai Rock restaurant at Wetherill Park.
The new cases also include a case associated with the Thai Rock restaurant at Potts Point in inner Sydney, and the previously reported case in a staff member of the Apollo restaurant in Potts Point.
One of the cases was a returned overseas traveller in hotel quarantine, and one was a Victorian in self-isolation.
There are now 75 cases associated with Thai Rock Wetherill Park, 56 cases associated with the Crossroads Hotel cluster, eight cases associated with Batemans Bay Soldiers Club, and 15 associated with the funerals.
There are three cases associated with Thai Rock Potts Point.
NSW health repeated its warnings around people who attended the Apollo restaurant in Potts Point and two Mount Pritchard hotels. Details here.
Morrison was asked a number of times if he feels the outbreak in Victoria has justified Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s decision not to open the border.
He doesn’t answer that part of the question, just saying that Palaszczuk has acted in “good faith” as a member of the national cabinet.
On her comments that she might reintroduce a hard border in Queensland if the outbreak moves north, Morrison said:
He added:
That’s a different response than Morrison has given on the border question in the past few months, but perhaps the size of the outbreak in Victoria and the fact that he’s talking to a Queensland audience have shifted things.
Asked what changed this morning to change his plans, Morrison said “the escalation of the workforce challenges necessitates me to return”.
Other than, presumably, more people testing positive, the only thing that has changed overnight in terms of the aged care workforce is the unexpected Fair Work Commission decision introducing paid pandemic leave for casual aged care workers.
Morrison said:
The federal and Victorian governments last week introduced changes preventing casual aged care workers from working across a number of different residential aged care homes in Melbourne, in an effort to slow the spread.
Morrison was asked why this change, limiting workers to one facility, wasn’t introduced back in March, given the risk to residential aged care was well known.
He said:
Morrison said he expected the aged care royal commission would investigate the management of the coronavirus outbreak.
Morrison said transferring aged care residents to public and private hospitals if they test positive to Covid-19 is “a very important part of the plan that is being implemented”.
Federal and state health authorities have repeatedly said those transfers will only occur on a case-by-case basis. Said Morrison:
There has been a bit of buck-passing between the aged care sector, unions, and the government over who has provided PPE, how much has been provided, how much training has been provided and whose responsibility it is when that training is not adhered to.
Morrison continued:
Morrison said he spoke to Victorian premier Daniel Andrews yesterday about bringing additional nursing resources into aged care facilities in Victoria, and that could involve staff coming in from other states.
Prime minister Scott Morrison is cutting short a trip to Queensland to deal with a “health crisis” in aged care in Victoria, due to the second-wave coronavirus outbreak in Melbourne.Prime minister Scott Morrison is cutting short a trip to Queensland to deal with a “health crisis” in aged care in Victoria, due to the second-wave coronavirus outbreak in Melbourne.
Morrison, speaking from a business in Mooloolaba in Queensland, said:Morrison, speaking from a business in Mooloolaba in Queensland, said:
Morrison said the standing down of many aged care workers, due to positive results or the isolation of close contacts, had caused a “very significant disruption to the provision of care in those facilities”.Morrison said the standing down of many aged care workers, due to positive results or the isolation of close contacts, had caused a “very significant disruption to the provision of care in those facilities”.
Police in Victoria have fined 23 people in greater Melbourne and the Mitchell shire in the past 24 hours.Police in Victoria have fined 23 people in greater Melbourne and the Mitchell shire in the past 24 hours.
Police have handed out 79 fines in the past 24 hours, including fining seven people who were holding a two-day day party in a short-term rental in the CBD and three people from different addresses who were in a car together and told police they were going to McDonald’s.Police have handed out 79 fines in the past 24 hours, including fining seven people who were holding a two-day day party in a short-term rental in the CBD and three people from different addresses who were in a car together and told police they were going to McDonald’s.
Victorian premier Daniel Andrews and health minister Jenny Mikakos will give the Victorian Covid-19 update at 11.30am.Victorian premier Daniel Andrews and health minister Jenny Mikakos will give the Victorian Covid-19 update at 11.30am.
The growing Covid-19 outbreak in aged care homes in Melbourne has rightly been the focus of national attention this week.The growing Covid-19 outbreak in aged care homes in Melbourne has rightly been the focus of national attention this week.
As of yesterday, there are 683 active coronavirus cases linked to 61 aged care services across Melbourne.As of yesterday, there are 683 active coronavirus cases linked to 61 aged care services across Melbourne.
Most of the deaths reported in the past week were also connected to aged care outbreaks. Thirty-eight people with Covid-19 have died in Victoria in the past week. That’s an effective doubling of the state’s health toll in a week – as of last Monday, 20 July, the pandemic-long death toll for Victoria was 39.Most of the deaths reported in the past week were also connected to aged care outbreaks. Thirty-eight people with Covid-19 have died in Victoria in the past week. That’s an effective doubling of the state’s health toll in a week – as of last Monday, 20 July, the pandemic-long death toll for Victoria was 39.
The aged care homes with the highest number of positive cases are:The aged care homes with the highest number of positive cases are:
St Basil’s Home for the Aged in Fawkner – 84 casesSt Basil’s Home for the Aged in Fawkner – 84 cases
Estia Aged Care Facility in Ardeer – 82 casesEstia Aged Care Facility in Ardeer – 82 cases
Epping Gardens Aged Care in Epping – 77 casesEpping Gardens Aged Care in Epping – 77 cases
Menarock Life Aged Care Facility in Essendon – 62 casesMenarock Life Aged Care Facility in Essendon – 62 cases
Glendale Aged Care Facility in Werribee – 53 casesGlendale Aged Care Facility in Werribee – 53 cases
Kirkbrae Presbyterian Homes in Kilsyth – 57 casesKirkbrae Presbyterian Homes in Kilsyth – 57 cases
Estia Aged Care Facility in Heidelberg – 50 casesEstia Aged Care Facility in Heidelberg – 50 cases
The president of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, Dr Harry Nespolon, has died of pancreatic cancer.
Nespolon was a former president of the AMA in NSW. The current president, Dr Danielle McMullen, said his “dedication to general practice and the RACGP has been remarkable”.
Federal health minister Greg Hunt said he worked closely with Nespolon over the past two years, and said his death was a “great loss”.
Before we get to the bad news of the day, I regret to inform you that a pub in outback Queensland has barred emus from entry because “they behave a bit badly”.
Chris Gimblett, the owner of the Yaraka Hotel, about 220km south of Longreach in central Queensland, told the ABC:
How rude.
This story also features an “emu expert” who says emus are a) basically just giant chooks and b) have killed before.
Seems like a good reason not to anger them by banning them from the pub.
We still haven’t heard a time for today’s coronavirus update from Victoria. They have been held at 11am, but usually I’d get an alert for that by now.
I can however tell you that the Western Australian premier, Mark McGowan, will announce the next stage of that state’s coronavirus recovery plan at 10am local time, or 12pm here. McGowan has been unveiling this plan like an advent calendar – at this rate we’ll have the full package by mid-August.
We’re also standing by to hear from the prime minister, Scott Morrison.
New Zealand is pausing its extradition treaty with Hong Kong, following similar moves by Australia and the United Kingdom this month.
From AAP:
Eight more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Victoria have tested positive to Covid-19, bringing the total number of cases in the Aboriginal community to 45 on Tuesday, up from 37 last week.
Jill Gallagher, the chief executive of the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, said more funding should be directed to frontline Aboriginal health services to help them respond.
The federal government committed $123m to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sector to help the Covid-19 response, but Gallagher said less than 40% of that funding was available to Aboriginal health services in metropolitan areas and major regional centres. Some 80% of Aboriginal people live in urban areas.
To date, no Aboriginal people in Victoria have died from the virus, and Gallagher called on people to be vigilant and “take every precaution to stay on top of this virus”.
Abattoir workers in Melbourne have downed tools over coronavirus fears this morning.
Workers at the JBS meat factory in Brooklyn, which has recorded 71 positive cases of Covid-19, ceased work on Tuesday morning until the company can assure them they will be safe, the United Workers Union said.
The union also claims some workers have been left without any income at all while isolating or had to draw on their annual leave, AAP reports.
Premier Daniel Andrews on Monday said people who are going to work sick are the “biggest driver” of the state’s second wave.
As always, you can follow our rolling global coronavirus coverage here.
Thirty-nine per cent of Australians expect tighter restrictions will be imposed in their local area due to the second wave of Covid-19, a poll conducted for Guardian Australia by Essential has found.
The survey of 1,058 people also found that a third of respondents thought the mandatory quarantine requirements for overseas travellers would remain in place for two years, up from 22% in the same survey question last month.
Just over a quarter of respondents (26%) said they feared a population-wide resistance to the virus would never be achieved.
But the outbreak in Victoria has not dented Daniel Andrews’ approval rating, which remains steady at 53%.
More details here:
South Australia will follow Queensland and NSW in introducing a restricted border bubble to allow cross-border residents from Victoria into the state.
From midnight tonight, people living along the South Australian–Victorian border will be able to apply for a cross-border permit to cross back and forth, but only if they live within 40km of the border.
Permits will also only be issued to people who need to cross the border for employment or education, providing or receiving care or support, or obtaining food, fuel, supplies or medical care.
A Victorian with a cross-border permit must not travel more than 40km into SA, and a South Australian with a cross border permit who travels more than 40km into Victoria will be required to quarantine for 14 days upon their return.
It’s not quite clear what that means for South Australians living in border communities like Renmark, where Mildura, about 140km away in Victoria, is the closest big town for hospital services and speciality shops.
In a statement, SA police said:
The full border directions and frequently asked questions are here.
The aged care regulator is investigating St Basil’s home for the aged in Fawkner, in Melbourne’s northern suburbs.
More from AAP: