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/world/live/2020/oct/25/coronavirus-live-news-cases-surge-in-europe-restrictions-victoria-uk-italy-greece-austria
The article has changed 43 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Previous version
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
Next version
Version 1 | Version 2 |
---|---|
Coronavirus live news: cases surge in Europe; Melbourne delays easing of restrictions | |
(32 minutes later) | |
France, Italy, Austria and Greece report record increases in Covid-19 cases; Melbourne cluster grows. Follow the latest updates live | France, Italy, Austria and Greece report record increases in Covid-19 cases; Melbourne cluster grows. Follow the latest updates live |
New South Wales has recorded no new locally-acquired cases for the third consecutive day. | |
It recorded seven cases in hotel quarantine. Some 12,465 tests were conducted in the past 24-hours. | |
Andrews was asked what he would do if this outbreak had occurred after pubs and retail stores were reopened. Would Melbourne be locked down again? Isn’t dealing with outbreaks just the way it’s going to be? | |
Andrews initially didn’t respond, saying he was doing “exactly what we intend to do”. Then he said he would “not necessarily” put the state back into lockdown if an outbreak like this occurred after the state had opened up. | |
Reporter: So what is the lowest point possible? | |
Andrews: | |
While the Victorian government has been holding its press conference, the former health minister Jenny Mikakos, who resigned last month following the premier’s appearance before the hotel quarantine inquiry and later hit back at premier Daniel Andrews and suggested she had been made a scapegoat, has tweeted that she thinks the easing of restrictions should go ahead. | |
Mikakos said that with the target of less than five cases per day met, and six of the seven new cases connected to known outbreaks, “the set reopening is gradual & safe so any delay is unnecessary”. | |
The chief health officer, Prof Brett Sutton, said Mikakos was “entitled to that opinion”. | |
Andrews refused to comment on it, becoming short with reporters. He said: | |
One reporter said Andrews had promised that he would announce an easing of restrictions today every day for the past week, except for yesterday. “You dangled a carrot at Victorians and today it feels like you have produced a stick,” one reporter said. | |
Andrews said he rejected that characterisation. | |
Ducking to the UK for a moment, PA has this report: Officials on the UK government’s Covid-19 taskforce are understood to be examining the case for reducing the current fortnight period of isolation to between 10 days and a week. | |
There were said to be concerns that the prospect of a lengthy period indoors if they are contacted by Test and Trace is deterring people from co-operating. | |
The Telegraph quoted a No 10 source as saying: “Compliance is not as high as we would like and self-isolation is key if we are going to beat the virus.” | |
Last week Test and Trace hit a record low with just 59.6% of the contacts of people who tested positive for the disease being successfully contacted and told to self-isolate. | |
Senior Tory backbencher Sir Bernard Jenkin launched a scathing attack on the performance of the system, saying public consent and co-operation was “breaking down”. | |
Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, he said there was a “vacuum of leadership” at the top of the organisation and called for a change that was “visible and decisive” with a senior military figure being put in charge like they did with the foot and mouth crisis. | |
In response, the Department of Health and Social Care acknowledged there were areas where the service needed to improve, but said people should be “talking it up, not down”, and the leadership had built “the largest diagnostic industry the UK has ever seen”. | |
Weimar rejected the suggestion, made by Australian federal health minister Greg Hunt this morning, that the decision to delay the easing of restrictions was a sign of no confidence in the testing and tracing system, which he manages. | |
Weimar said: | |
Asked if he recommended the delay to government, Weimar said: | |
Weimar said there were five public health teams targeting the close contacts of known cases and of the East Preston Islamic College and Croxton specialist school communities. Those teams are knocking on the doors of known contacts and encouraging them to get a test. People who refuse to get a test have been ordered to quarantine for longer. | |
Weimar said public health teams contacted 250 close contacts yesterday to get those door-to-door tests, and have a list of 60 people to contact today. | |
There are now 20 households that are quarantined in alternative accomodation, the rest are quarantined at home. | |
Weimar said he needed several thousand people in the northern suburbs of Melbourne to get a Covid-19 test today. | |
Victoria’s commander of testing and community engagement, Jeroen Weimar, says almost 2,500 tests were conducted in the northern suburbs of Melbourne yesterday. He said there had been a “strong community response”. | Victoria’s commander of testing and community engagement, Jeroen Weimar, says almost 2,500 tests were conducted in the northern suburbs of Melbourne yesterday. He said there had been a “strong community response”. |
Testing numbers are up 60% on last week, and he urged anyone in the northern suburbs with any symptoms, and anyone connected with the two schools even without symptoms, to get tested. | Testing numbers are up 60% on last week, and he urged anyone in the northern suburbs with any symptoms, and anyone connected with the two schools even without symptoms, to get tested. |
He added: | He added: |
Weimar said they had set up a special testing station at Croxton Specialist school, in partnership with the Royal Children’s Hospital specialist paediatric team, to help test its 120 students. | Weimar said they had set up a special testing station at Croxton Specialist school, in partnership with the Royal Children’s Hospital specialist paediatric team, to help test its 120 students. |
Andrews did announce some changes for regional Victoria, which is already several steps ahead of Melbourne in terms of easing of restrictions. | Andrews did announce some changes for regional Victoria, which is already several steps ahead of Melbourne in terms of easing of restrictions. |
From 11.59pm on Tuesday: | From 11.59pm on Tuesday: |
Gyms in regional Victoria will be open to a maximum of 20 people, with space rules applying. | Gyms in regional Victoria will be open to a maximum of 20 people, with space rules applying. |
A maximum of 20 people, again with spacing rules, will be allowed to attend a religious service with one faith leader. | A maximum of 20 people, again with spacing rules, will be allowed to attend a religious service with one faith leader. |
Outdoor funerals will be allowed to have 50 attendees. | Outdoor funerals will be allowed to have 50 attendees. |
Indoor non-contact community sport for people under the age of 18 will be allowed. | Indoor non-contact community sport for people under the age of 18 will be allowed. |
Indoor swimming pools will be open for all ages, to a maximum of 20 people. | Indoor swimming pools will be open for all ages, to a maximum of 20 people. |
Greater Shepparton, which had a coronavirus outbreak earlier this month, will be brought back in line with the rest of regional Victoria from midnight tonight. | Greater Shepparton, which had a coronavirus outbreak earlier this month, will be brought back in line with the rest of regional Victoria from midnight tonight. |
Daniel Andrews said they had found “linkages” and “chains of transmission” between new cases in the northern suburbs. | Daniel Andrews said they had found “linkages” and “chains of transmission” between new cases in the northern suburbs. |
He also said hundreds who were under self-isolation orders have now been allowed to leave their home after testing negative. | He also said hundreds who were under self-isolation orders have now been allowed to leave their home after testing negative. |
He added: | He added: |