This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2020/aug/13/coronavirus-australia-latest-updates-nsw-community-transmission-curve-victoria-daniel-andrews-south-australia-borders-aged-care-live-news
The article has changed 23 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 12 | Version 13 |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| The aged care royal commission is hearing from the counsel assisting the commissioner, Peter Rozen, again. | |
| He is not holding back and says the sector “is not properly prepared now” for the pandemic, and that the federal government document aged care minister Richard Colbeck has been referring to “is a plan, it’s just not an aged care plan”. | |
| Counterpoint – it actually speaks to lockdown restrictions being lifted and businesses opening back up but, once again, you do you, employment minister. | |
| Michaelia Cash on today’s job figures: | |
| Perhaps minister Cash should stick to having curries for the country. | |
| Always grim reading: | |
| For those living on the South Australian/Victorian border, here are the new border crossing details: | For those living on the South Australian/Victorian border, here are the new border crossing details: |
| With a direction coming into effect on Friday, the essential traveller category cross-border community member will be suspended from 21 August. This means further restrictions will apply to people wishing to enter South Australia from Victoria. | |
| Special dispensation will be given to farmers with properties that span the border, and students completing years 11 and 12. | Special dispensation will be given to farmers with properties that span the border, and students completing years 11 and 12. |
| If a person currently has that status they can reapply to be an essential traveller if they fit into another category. A seven-day transition period will apply to allow new applications to be made. | |
| Persons wishing to enter South Australia from Victoria may reapply under another category: | |
| national and state security and governance | |
| emergency services (SA Health approved) | |
| freight and transport | |
| urgent medical, dental, health (SA Health approved) | |
| compassionate grounds (SA Health approved) | |
| specialist workers in essential sectors (includes primary industries and agriculture). | |
| If you do not meet those criteria you will no longer be able to enter South Australia from Victoria. South Australians are strongly advised not travel to Victoria. | |
| (And I do not find South Australian news “trivial”. I was born in Mount Gambier and still have family there. But I am not able to be across each and every court case and border charge.) | |
| That last post is a good reminder of the additional impacts of the pandemic – while Australia won’t be running out of food any time soon, the agricultural industry has already sounded the alarm over its labour force. | That last post is a good reminder of the additional impacts of the pandemic – while Australia won’t be running out of food any time soon, the agricultural industry has already sounded the alarm over its labour force. |
| You’ll start seeing the effects of that in the produce aisles (and some of it is happening already). | You’ll start seeing the effects of that in the produce aisles (and some of it is happening already). |
| The industry department has just put out this release: | |
| To be fair, Greg Hunt is taking questions. | To be fair, Greg Hunt is taking questions. |
| Holding press conferences if you are a Victorian is a difficult process at the moment, given the self-quarantine aspect of their ability to attend parliament. | Holding press conferences if you are a Victorian is a difficult process at the moment, given the self-quarantine aspect of their ability to attend parliament. |
| But there should be others who can step up here ... like maybe the prime minister? | But there should be others who can step up here ... like maybe the prime minister? |
| Greg Hunt is holding his “virtual press conference” that didn’t come with any call-in details. | Greg Hunt is holding his “virtual press conference” that didn’t come with any call-in details. |
| There is a very official government backdrop. Terrible lighting though. | There is a very official government backdrop. 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. | 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: | NSW police have fined someone for spitting on police officers: |
| And to another Victorian leader: | 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. | 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. | “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.” | “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. | 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: | 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. | 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. | 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 the challenges of modelling the risk and ensuring coverage affordability”, the Insurance Council of Australia said. | 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 the challenges of modelling the risk and ensuring coverage affordability”, the Insurance Council of Australia 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. | 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. | 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 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. | 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. | Insurers Hollard and HDI Global Specialty wrote the policies at the centre of the two cases. |
| ICA chief executive Rob Holland: | ICA chief executive Rob Holland: |
| “The industry wishes to have the case heard as quickly as possible, given the challenging times being experienced by the small business sector because of Covid-19, the past season of natural disasters and the recession. | “The industry wishes to have the case heard as quickly as possible, given the challenging times being experienced by the small business sector because of Covid-19, the past season of natural disasters and the recession. |
| “Most insurers have never contemplated coverage for pandemics in their policies, and did not price pandemic risks into premiums. They believe pandemic-related exclusions are appropriate, but wish to provide greater clarity through engaging a superior court process.” | “Most insurers have never contemplated coverage for pandemics in their policies, and did not price pandemic risks into premiums. They believe pandemic-related exclusions are appropriate, but wish to provide greater clarity through engaging a superior court process.” |
| What is the threshold for winding back the SA restrictions? | What is the threshold for winding back the SA restrictions? |
| Grant Stevens: | Grant Stevens: |
| South Australia’s premier, Steven Marshall, has announced tighter border controls with the Victorian border towns. | 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. | This is going to have a massive impact on those communities who are already struggling being cut off from services. |
| Police commissioner Grant Stevens: | 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: | 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. | That’s not a press conference. That’s a recorded press release. |