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| Coronavirus Australia live update: Victoria records 278 Covid cases and eight deaths as one death and 12 cases recorded in NSW | Coronavirus Australia live update: Victoria records 278 Covid cases and eight deaths as one death and 12 cases recorded in NSW |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| NSW authorities are concerned about a number of Covid-19 cases in the past six weeks where the source was unknown. Follow live | NSW authorities are concerned about a number of Covid-19 cases in the past six weeks where the source was unknown. Follow live |
| Greg Hunt is holding his ‘virtual press conference’ that didn’t come with any call-in details.There is a very official government backdrop though. Terrible lighting though. | |
| Back to Victoria for a moment – the deputy chief medical officer, Prof Allen Cheng, adds his voice to the chorus of “calm your farm” and act cautiously over the Russian claims of a vaccine. | |
| NSW police have fined someone for spitting on police officers: | |
| And to another Victorian leader: | |
| Melbourne lord mayor Sally Capp has said the council learned from the lockdown of the nine public housing towers in Melbourne that it is important to consult cultural leaders people for advice at the start in seeking to tackle outbreaks in residential towers. | |
| “I think that establishing those connections and networks early, and really relying on them in some cases, really stepping out of the way and playing a support role rather than the lead role was vital,” Capp told the Victorian parliament’s Covid-19 inquiry. | |
| “We have 84% of our population in the city of Melbourne living in high-rise of one form or another and so there have been learnings right across those scenarios.” | |
| Capp also said not one of the council’s employees has been stood down during lockdown because recreational and library staff were able to be redeployed as part of the state government’s Covid-support package to work in call centres, or cleaning the city. | |
| On to insurance: | |
| Insurers have launched a pair of test cases in the NSW Supreme Court in a bid to make sure they don’t have to pay out on business interruption policies due to the coronavirus pandemic. | |
| Companies take out business interruption insurance to protect themselves against events that force them to close their doors. | |
| But the insurance industry has long maintained that the policies don’t cover interruptions due to pandemics - they are “not insurable due to the magnitude of potential losses, and thechallenges of modelling the risk and ensuring coverage affordability”, the Insurance Council said. | |
| There is a lot at stake - on one side there are millions of businesses with this type of insurance out there, while on the other the insurance industry is under significant financial pressure after a horror year of drought, floods and bushfires. | |
| As an industry, profit in the 12 months to March was $1.5bn, a 57% fall from the $3.5bn recorded the previous year, the ICA said. | |
| The two cases off to the Supremes today have been before the Australian Financial Complaints Authority, which has not resolved them. | |
| The ICA will pay the costs of the court cases, which it will ask be heard as soon as possible. | |
| Insurers Hollard and HDI Global Specialty wrote the policies at the centre of the two cases. | |
| ICA chief executive Rob Holland: | |
| “The industry wishes to have the case heard as quickly as possible, given thechallenging times being experienced by the small business sector because ofCOVID-19, the past season of natural disasters and the recession. | |
| “Most insurers have never contemplated coverage for pandemics in their policies, anddid not price pandemic risks into premiums. They believe pandemic-relatedexclusions are appropriate, but wish to provide greater clarity through engaging asuperior court process.” | |
| What is the threshold for winding back the SA restrictions? | |
| Grant Stevens: | |
| South Australia’s premier, Steven Marshall, has announced tighter border controls with the Victorian border towns. | |
| This is going to have a massive impact on those communities who are already struggling being cut off from services. | |
| Police commissioner Grant Stevens: | |
| This is a new one: a “virtual press conference” with no call-in details, with vision to be provided on the minister’s social media page: | |
| That’s not a press conference. That’s a recorded press release. | |
| Does Daniel Andrews believe the working relationship he has with Scott Morrison is still as strong as it was at the beginning of the pandemic? | Does Daniel Andrews believe the working relationship he has with Scott Morrison is still as strong as it was at the beginning of the pandemic? |
| That answer is an absolute masterclass in politics. | That answer is an absolute masterclass in politics. |
| Daniel Andrews says he hasn’t spoken to the prime minister about Linda Reynold’s statement because he believes it would be a waste of time: | |
| He says he doesn’t see the point in clarifying anything on this with the prime minister: | He says he doesn’t see the point in clarifying anything on this with the prime minister: |
| Daniel Andrews is asked about the request for 850 ADF personnel, which was rescinded, a month after the Rydges hotel quarantine issues. | Daniel Andrews is asked about the request for 850 ADF personnel, which was rescinded, a month after the Rydges hotel quarantine issues. |
| There is a back and forth where he says he did not make the request. But he says he “doesn’t know” when he learned of the request. Asked multiple times if he was aware of the request, Andrews repeats: “I did not make the request.” | There is a back and forth where he says he did not make the request. But he says he “doesn’t know” when he learned of the request. Asked multiple times if he was aware of the request, Andrews repeats: “I did not make the request.” |
| On the difference in statements between Andrew Crisp and the defence minister, Daniel Andrews says: | On the difference in statements between Andrew Crisp and the defence minister, Daniel Andrews says: |
| Daniel Andrews speaks more about the aged care takeover of some homes, as well as the decisions being made there: | Daniel Andrews speaks more about the aged care takeover of some homes, as well as the decisions being made there: |
| Daniel Andrews did not come to play today. | Daniel Andrews did not come to play today. |
| Daniel Andrews then addresses reports claiming 100 ADF personnel were put on stand-by for the hotel quarantine program: | Daniel Andrews then addresses reports claiming 100 ADF personnel were put on stand-by for the hotel quarantine program: |
| The deputy chief medical officer says there is no mandate to remove residents who have tested positive for Covid-19 in aged care homes, because each case needs to be independently assessed. | The deputy chief medical officer says there is no mandate to remove residents who have tested positive for Covid-19 in aged care homes, because each case needs to be independently assessed. |
| They are isolated in their own rooms, when not transferred to a hospital. | They are isolated in their own rooms, when not transferred to a hospital. |
| But for some residents, moving them to an unfamiliar space would result in a worse outcome, he says, due to other risk factors – like dementia. | But for some residents, moving them to an unfamiliar space would result in a worse outcome, he says, due to other risk factors – like dementia. |
| Allen Cheng* says authorities are watching the regional Victorian cases very carefully: | Allen Cheng* says authorities are watching the regional Victorian cases very carefully: |
| *apologies for the autocorrect slip in this first post | *apologies for the autocorrect slip in this first post |
| Deputy chief health officer Allen Cheng is hosting the medical aspect of today’s press conference in Melbourne. | Deputy chief health officer Allen Cheng is hosting the medical aspect of today’s press conference in Melbourne. |
| He says we should start to see the effect of the lockdowns in the figures very soon. | He says we should start to see the effect of the lockdowns in the figures very soon. |
| The R-number is at 0.9 to 0.97 at last check, he says. | The R-number is at 0.9 to 0.97 at last check, he says. |