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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2020/sep/21/coronavirus-australia-live-updates-nsw-taxi-contact-tracing-health-victoria-daniel-andrews-hotel-quarantine-business-economy-budget-josh-frydenberg

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Coronavirus Australia live update: Victoria premier Daniel Andrews addresses press conference as NSW authorities chase taxi contacts Coronavirus Australia live update: NRL proposes 25% staff cut as NSW reports four new cases
(32 minutes later)
NSW conducts major contact-tracing exercise after a driver worked while potentially infectious as Covid testing rates drop across AustraliaNSW conducts major contact-tracing exercise after a driver worked while potentially infectious as Covid testing rates drop across Australia
Here is the latest on how many people have accessed the early access super scheme.
Victoria Police have also released their latest fine information:
In the last 24 hours, Victorian police:
Issued a total of 177 fines to individuals for breaching the Chief Health Officer directions, including:
13 for failing to wear a face covering when leaving home for one of the four approved reasons
6 at vehicle checkpoints
45 for curfew breaches
15,714 vehicles checked at the vehicle checkpoints
Conducted 1,174 spot checks on people at homes, businesses and public places across the state (total of 450,361 spot checks conducted since 21 March).
Please find below examples from the last 24 hours of breaches:
A male was fined after being stopped at the checkpoint near Bacchus Marsh. He had travelled from Coburg, stating he wanted to go to a specific grocery store in the area.
A male driver was intercepted at a vehicle checkpoint at Rosebud. He had travelled from Cranbourne, and stated he was in the area to get petrol.
Police intercepted a male driver a vehicle checkpoint near Frankston. He had travelled from Doncaster, stating that there aren’t any nice parks in his area and he wanted to go to one because of the nice weather.
Police attended an apartment in the city and found six people present, with only three being residents of the apartment. They were all issued with a fine.
Two males were fined after they were located in a ride share service car in Melton just before 4am on Sunday. One male was from Deer Park while the other was from Tarneit. They stated they were going to visit family.
The NRL is proposing a “painful but necessary” 25% cut to its workforce in a reorganisation of its business in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Staff were advised on Monday of the planned changes, which will be implemented to ensure a sustainable long-term future for the game, according to the league.
NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said the strategy moving forward is “to stabilise, renovate and grow”. As part of that, Abdo said the league would consider new ways to make its products “more entertaining and dynamic for our fans”, while looking at expansion into new markets and how to grow the game internationally.
“We will lose some very good people during this process,” said Abdo. “Talented people with a genuine love and passion for our game who have all contributed in some way. This is painful but necessary process to ensure we survive. I have genuine empathy for all employees affected and we will listen to their feedback. Our game must remain strong for future generations. We all want to leave the game in a stronger position than we first joined the sport.”
The NRL will consult with employees over the coming week about the restructure proposals.
Here is the official update from NSW Health on those cases:
Four new cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed in the 24 hours to 8pm last night, bringing the total number of cases in NSW to 4,015. There have been no new COVID-related deaths, and the overall number in NSW remains at 55.
There were 7,765 tests reported in the 24-hour reporting period, compared with 13,635 in the previous 24 hours. While it is not unusual for testing numbers to drop off over the weekend, NSW Health would like to see testing levels above 20,000 as achieved last week, particularly in South Western Sydney, and ahead of school holidays.
While the number of locally acquired cases recorded in the past 24 hours continues to be low, the virus is likely still circulating and it is imperative anyone displaying mild symptoms get tested immediately and not delay their test.
Of the four new cases to 8pm last night:
Three are returned overseas travellers in hotel quarantine
One is locally acquired and linked to a known case or cluster
The new locally acquired case is a household contact of a previously reported case linked to Concord Hospital. This person had been identified as a close contact and was in isolation. Investigations and contact tracing are continuing.
A case reported yesterday drove a taxi for a number of days while potentially infectious. People who caught a taxi on September 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 in the following suburbs must monitor for symptoms and if any develop immediately get tested: Moorebank, Bankstown, Chipping Norton, Liverpool, Lidcombe, Warwick Farm and Milperra.
NSW Health has identified passengers who booked the taxi in this period directly. These passengers are treated as close contacts and must get tested and isolate for a full 14 days since they were in the taxi even if the test is negative. They must get tested again if any symptoms develop. NSW Health is seeking to identify passengers who caught the Silver Service taxi on the following times and locations. These passengers should call the NSW Health Call Centre on 9391 9000 for further advice.
Trip 8/9/2020: Pickup Liverpool TAFE college, Bigge Street Liverpool 13:03 – Drop off Hoxton Park Road Cartwright 13:14
Trip 8/9/2020: Pickup Liverpool TAFE college, Bigge Street Liverpool 14:01 – Drop off Glenwari St Sadlier 14:11
Trip 9/9/2020: Pickup Liverpool TAFE college, Bigge Street Liverpool 08:08 – Drop off Moorebank Shopping centre, Stockton Ave Moorebank 8:15
Trip 10/9/2020: Pickup Liverpool 14:38 – Drop off Graham Ave Casula 14:44
Trip 10/9/2020: Pickup Haddenham St Chipping Norton 19:15 – Drop off George St Burwood 19:48
Trip 14/9/20: Pickup Riverside Road Chipping Norton 15:50 – Drop off The Mill Hotel, Beaconsfield St Milperra 16:04
Trip 15/9/2020: Pickup Riverside Road Chipping Norton 08:31 – Drop off Birnie Ave Lidcombe 9:11
Trip 15/9/2020: Pickup Milperra 10:14 – Drop off Riverside Rd Chipping Norton 10:25
Trip 15/9/2020: Pickup Birnie Ave Lidcombe 15:22 – Drop off Riverside Rd Chipping Norton 16:07
Gladys Berejiklian is also worried about testing rates:
NSW has reported four new cases, but three are in hotel quarantine.
The fourth is from a known cluster and was isolating
And that is where the Daniel Andrews press conference ends.
So should there be free movement, along the borders with regional Victoria?
Andrews:
Those chats have not started happening yet.
Should NSW open its border to regional Victoria?
Daniel Andrews:
How concerned is Daniel Andrews about opening up before the AFL grand final public holiday?
Andrews:
Why are gyms still closed when NSW has not had any links to infections from a gym?
Daniel Andrews:
So it’s just – we got to be careful not to be drawing too much from what might seem a perfectly logical comparison, but the epidemiology of it, the science behind it, the narrative behind the numbers, doesn’t actually support that comparison being made.
Q: What is the science behind it? There’s been no transmission in any gym in Victoria.
Andrews:
There is no timeline on the national (ish) tracing system as yet.
On that, Daniel Andrews says:On that, Daniel Andrews says:
Q: In terms of tracing apps, where will they feed their information into that system?Q: In terms of tracing apps, where will they feed their information into that system?
Andrews:Andrews:
Just as with the regional model, they will be live and be a service point or touch point of the central system that we are building. So they become a branch office of the centre. In real-time, their data will be visible and actionable by everybody else who is in that loop. Just as with the regional model, they will be live and be a service point or touch point of the central system that we are building. So they become a branch office of the centre. In real time, their data will be visible and actionable by everybody else who is in that loop.
Q: Everyone across the country?Q: Everyone across the country?
Andrews:
The trip Victorian health authorities took to Sydney to study NSW’s tracing system will be kept secret, under national cabinet rules.
Q: On aged care, have you landed on a policy position about visits by family and friends in stage four.
Daniel Andrews:
I have to be honest, and I preface this by saying I am very uncomfortable with the fines and penalties we have seen emerge across Australia during the pandemic (it’s the eastern European in me) but I am quite confused by the argument some of the personal liberties or death people are taking - asking for more people to be fined, to make up for how unfair it is that some people have been fined.
Not the first time I have been confused during all of this, won’t be the last.
Moving on.
So will that same attitude be applied to school holiday families?
Daniel Andrews:
Will families with kids on school holidays receive the same allowances as families in Hallam who were not fined for breaking social distancing rules.
(Andrew Bolt has been particularly Andrew Bolt about this, this morning. You can guess the line he has taken. I’m not going to be repeating it, because I like to spend as little time as possible thinking of Andrew Bolt, despite the amount of time Andrew Bolt dedicates to thinking on people and issues who have offended his very privileged existence.)
Back to Andrews:
Q: Restaurant owners in the regions say the couple of day’s notice they were given when restrictions were lifted there wasn’t enough to get their businesses back up and running as quickly as possible.
Daniel Andrews:
Q: On rewards, do you need to give people a bit of a reward to ensure you maintain compliance?
Daniel Andrews:
Q: On that point would you open up testing to people who are not showing symptoms, potentially from hotspot suburbs, industries, just so you get a better picture of what is really going on?
Daniel Andrews:
Will the date for opening up be brought forward?
Daniel Andrews:
Will Daniel Andrews announce further steps on Sunday than what is slated in the roadmap?
Andrews:Andrews: