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/2021/jul/27/australia-covid-live-lockdown-gladys-berejiklian-victoria-southaustralia-nsw-covid
The article has changed 27 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Australia Covid live update: Victoria and SA lockdowns expected to end; outbreak in Sydney unit block | Australia Covid live update: Victoria and SA lockdowns expected to end; outbreak in Sydney unit block |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Follow all the day’s news | Follow all the day’s news |
| In terms of what to expect from this Victorian lockdown announcement today, the Herald Sun is reporting that while stay at home orders and the 5km loop will be scraped, hospitality venues will be under strict patron caps and private gatherings in homes will still be banned. | |
| This has not been independently confirmed by Guardian Australia. | |
| The paper is reporting Victoria will enter “lockdown lite” from midnight tonight, with masks remaining mandatory both indoors and outdoors. | |
| Reportedly schools will return to face-to-face learning, retailers and gyms will be allowed to reopen and public gatherings of up to ten people will be allowed. | |
| However, restaurants, bars, cafes and pubs will be restricted to 1 person per 4 sqm, as well as “harsh patron caps which are still being finalised.” | |
| We should learn if the Herald Sun is on the money with their report around 11am-ish this morning when the premier steps up for this all-important press conference. | |
| Hmmm, Melbourne radio station 3AW is reporting that Victoria police have found the trio of Sydney removalists who allegedly spread the Delta variant to Victoria did not breach any health orders. | |
| I’ll follow up and bring you more of that as soon as I can. | |
| One of the federal government’s key vaccine deals has been hit with major delays, with 51 million doses of Novavax originally due to arrive in the second half of this year now not expected until 2022. | |
| Since initially touting Novavax as one of three secured deals that could immunise the entire population as a “primary” vaccine by the end of this year, the federal government has quietly edged away from the commitment as it focuses instead to securing more Pfizer vaccines. | |
| The ordered Novavax will now serve as part of the government’s booster strategy when supplies mostly come on stream in 2022, with only a small portion of the 51 million ordered now expected in the final quarter of this year. | |
| You can read the full report below: | |
| Ariarne Titmus uninstalled her social media apps before arriving at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. So when the Australian swimmer arrived for the press conference after winning the women’s 400m freestyle on Monday, she had not seen the entirety of her coach Dean Boxall’s wild celebration. But Titmus was unsurprised that Boxall was fast becoming an internet sensation. | Ariarne Titmus uninstalled her social media apps before arriving at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. So when the Australian swimmer arrived for the press conference after winning the women’s 400m freestyle on Monday, she had not seen the entirety of her coach Dean Boxall’s wild celebration. But Titmus was unsurprised that Boxall was fast becoming an internet sensation. |
| “That’s just the way Dean is,” she explained. “He’s very passionate about what he does – he really becomes quite animated.” | “That’s just the way Dean is,” she explained. “He’s very passionate about what he does – he really becomes quite animated.” |
| South African-born Boxall, in his mid-40s, has been a swim coach for more than two decades and currently leads Brisbane-based swim club St Peters Western. The club has a long pedigree of supporting top talent, with alumni including past Olympic stars Stephanie Rice and Leisel Jones. | South African-born Boxall, in his mid-40s, has been a swim coach for more than two decades and currently leads Brisbane-based swim club St Peters Western. The club has a long pedigree of supporting top talent, with alumni including past Olympic stars Stephanie Rice and Leisel Jones. |
| In recent years Boxall has developed a reputation as “one of swimming’s new rock star coaches”. He travelled to Tokyo with a squad of six Australian swimmers under his guidance; three have already won gold; Titmus on Monday, plus youngsters Meg Harris and Mollie O’Callaghan as part of the winning 4x100m relay team on Sunday. | In recent years Boxall has developed a reputation as “one of swimming’s new rock star coaches”. He travelled to Tokyo with a squad of six Australian swimmers under his guidance; three have already won gold; Titmus on Monday, plus youngsters Meg Harris and Mollie O’Callaghan as part of the winning 4x100m relay team on Sunday. |
| You can read the full story on Dean Boxall below: | You can read the full story on Dean Boxall below: |
| Now I don’t just talk the talk, people. After posting below about the importance of booking in a blood donating appointment, I went and booked my own for tonight. | Now I don’t just talk the talk, people. After posting below about the importance of booking in a blood donating appointment, I went and booked my own for tonight. |
| I’ve got to share that sweet sweet O-negative around! And, if you are able, you should too! | |
| (There’s a HEAP of restrictions, including having had a Covid-19 vaccine in the last seven days, as well as some pretty broad banns on men who have sex with men, so being eligible definitely isn’t a given.) | |
| You can book appointments on the Lifeblood website. | You can book appointments on the Lifeblood website. |
| Australia needs to double its blood donation effort for the rest of the year to ensure a healthy supply, the Red Cross says. | Australia needs to double its blood donation effort for the rest of the year to ensure a healthy supply, the Red Cross says. |
| Covid-19 restrictions, including lockdowns, have hit donor rates, and the Australian Red Cross’s Lifeblood division is appealing for people to come forward, reports AAP. | Covid-19 restrictions, including lockdowns, have hit donor rates, and the Australian Red Cross’s Lifeblood division is appealing for people to come forward, reports AAP. |
| Australia needs nearly 7,000 donations in the next fortnight and to double appointments through until Christmas, donor services director Cath Stone said. | Australia needs nearly 7,000 donations in the next fortnight and to double appointments through until Christmas, donor services director Cath Stone said. |
| Australians are still getting the blood supplies they need, but ongoing reluctance to donate could lead to shortages. | Australians are still getting the blood supplies they need, but ongoing reluctance to donate could lead to shortages. |
| The ongoing “failure” of Australia’s top legal officers to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14 years old has seen 499 under-13s sent to jail in the past year alone, according to a coalition of 47 justice and health organisations. | The ongoing “failure” of Australia’s top legal officers to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14 years old has seen 499 under-13s sent to jail in the past year alone, according to a coalition of 47 justice and health organisations. |
| The coalition – representing welfare, youth and legal advocates, including Anglicare and Acoss – says attorneys general have “failed” to take action, “despite being handed an expert report overwhelmingly recommending that all states and territories and the federal government change laws to keep children out of prison.” | The coalition – representing welfare, youth and legal advocates, including Anglicare and Acoss – says attorneys general have “failed” to take action, “despite being handed an expert report overwhelmingly recommending that all states and territories and the federal government change laws to keep children out of prison.” |
| In 2020, 499 children aged between 10 and 13 were imprisoned. At least 65% of them are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander children. 68% of all children in detention were on remand, meaning they were yet to be convicted of any crime. | In 2020, 499 children aged between 10 and 13 were imprisoned. At least 65% of them are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander children. 68% of all children in detention were on remand, meaning they were yet to be convicted of any crime. |
| “Every day that attorneys general refuse to act, they are condemning a generation of our children to a lifetime behind bars. Ten-year-old children who get trapped in the criminal justice system don’t come out,” the co-chair of Change the Record, Cheryl Axelby, said. | “Every day that attorneys general refuse to act, they are condemning a generation of our children to a lifetime behind bars. Ten-year-old children who get trapped in the criminal justice system don’t come out,” the co-chair of Change the Record, Cheryl Axelby, said. |
| You can read the full report below: | You can read the full report below: |
| I reached out to NSW police about this locked-down apartment in Sydney’s south-west. | I reached out to NSW police about this locked-down apartment in Sydney’s south-west. |
| This is what they had to say: | This is what they had to say: |
| Tens of thousands of Covid nasal test swabs are being put on planes and flown from hotspots in New South Wales to be processed in Brisbane and other cities, with labs in Sydney still “drowning” from record testing turnouts that have led to result wait times of up to 10 days. | Tens of thousands of Covid nasal test swabs are being put on planes and flown from hotspots in New South Wales to be processed in Brisbane and other cities, with labs in Sydney still “drowning” from record testing turnouts that have led to result wait times of up to 10 days. |
| As daily testing numbers hover around 100,000 in NSW, a backlog in processing swabs in Sydney continues to force people into isolation, with Guardian Australia aware of an essential worker abandoning their vaccine appointment as they awaited a negative result. | As daily testing numbers hover around 100,000 in NSW, a backlog in processing swabs in Sydney continues to force people into isolation, with Guardian Australia aware of an essential worker abandoning their vaccine appointment as they awaited a negative result. |
| Laverty Pathology, which runs drive-through Covid testing clinics, including one in Fairfield at the heart of Sydney’s outbreak, last week acknowledged a “huge surge” in testing had pushed turnaround times to 72 hours, however there have been reports of some Laverty patients waiting more than four days for a result. | Laverty Pathology, which runs drive-through Covid testing clinics, including one in Fairfield at the heart of Sydney’s outbreak, last week acknowledged a “huge surge” in testing had pushed turnaround times to 72 hours, however there have been reports of some Laverty patients waiting more than four days for a result. |
| You can read the full report below: | You can read the full report below: |
| Various media outlets are reporting this morning that NSW police are out guarding an apartment block in Devitt Street, Blacktown whose residents have been placed in isolation overnight. | Various media outlets are reporting this morning that NSW police are out guarding an apartment block in Devitt Street, Blacktown whose residents have been placed in isolation overnight. |
| It’s understood health officials discovered several cases inside the building were linked, with fears a super-spreading event may have occurred. | It’s understood health officials discovered several cases inside the building were linked, with fears a super-spreading event may have occurred. |
| The Daily Telegraph is reporting that all residents have been tested overnight. NSW Health pathology teams, clad in full PPE, are on site. | The Daily Telegraph is reporting that all residents have been tested overnight. NSW Health pathology teams, clad in full PPE, are on site. |
| I’ll bring you more details as soon as I can. | I’ll bring you more details as soon as I can. |
| Opposition front bencher Chris Bowen is out and about this morning. He is actually spruiking his new book about ALP history. | |
| But I’m more interested in what he has to say about the greater Sydney outbreak, given his electorate of McMahon is smack bang in the middle of the hard-hit south-western suburbs, including parts of the Fairfield LGA. | But I’m more interested in what he has to say about the greater Sydney outbreak, given his electorate of McMahon is smack bang in the middle of the hard-hit south-western suburbs, including parts of the Fairfield LGA. |
| Bowen was asked on ABC News Breakfast if he believes tighter lockdown restrictions are needed to curb the spread of the Delta variant in the area. | Bowen was asked on ABC News Breakfast if he believes tighter lockdown restrictions are needed to curb the spread of the Delta variant in the area. |
| This is interesting, as a central pillar of the state government rhetoric around the south-west outbreak has been that lockdown laws are sufficient, but people simply aren’t complying with the social distancing laws to a sufficient degree. | This is interesting, as a central pillar of the state government rhetoric around the south-west outbreak has been that lockdown laws are sufficient, but people simply aren’t complying with the social distancing laws to a sufficient degree. |
| Hello and welcome to Tuesday! (Oh my, it’s only Tuesday.) | Hello and welcome to Tuesday! (Oh my, it’s only Tuesday.) |
| Unfortunately, there is some tragic news to start the day. | Unfortunately, there is some tragic news to start the day. |
| The death toll from this latest Delta wave of coronavirus has reached double digits, with NSW Health reporting two more deaths from Covid-related illness. | The death toll from this latest Delta wave of coronavirus has reached double digits, with NSW Health reporting two more deaths from Covid-related illness. |
| They confirmed a woman in her 80s had died at her home in Pendle Hill in Sydney’s west on Monday afternoon, while a man, also in his 80s, died at Campbelltown hospital. | They confirmed a woman in her 80s had died at her home in Pendle Hill in Sydney’s west on Monday afternoon, while a man, also in his 80s, died at Campbelltown hospital. |
| Those reading the blog from Melbourne today are no doubt on edge, as they wait to hear if lockdown will lift at midnight tonight. It’s expected that the strictest social distancing laws will be lifted, but the state’s pathway out of lockdown will be cautious and incremental. | Those reading the blog from Melbourne today are no doubt on edge, as they wait to hear if lockdown will lift at midnight tonight. It’s expected that the strictest social distancing laws will be lifted, but the state’s pathway out of lockdown will be cautious and incremental. |
| Premier Daniel Andrews has already flagged masks will likely remain compulsory in some settings, while health minister Martin Foley told reporters on Monday “nothing has yet been finalised”. | Premier Daniel Andrews has already flagged masks will likely remain compulsory in some settings, while health minister Martin Foley told reporters on Monday “nothing has yet been finalised”. |
| He said the state was “on the right track” but authorities wanted to base their decision on the most up-to-date and accurate data. | He said the state was “on the right track” but authorities wanted to base their decision on the most up-to-date and accurate data. |
| They usually hold their Covid press conferences around 11-11.30am. | They usually hold their Covid press conferences around 11-11.30am. |
| Speaking of easing restrictions, South Australian premier Steven Marshall says the state’s week-long lockdown will end at one minute past midnight on Wednesday morning, provided there are no further “unlinked” coronavirus cases. | Speaking of easing restrictions, South Australian premier Steven Marshall says the state’s week-long lockdown will end at one minute past midnight on Wednesday morning, provided there are no further “unlinked” coronavirus cases. |
| Masks will still be required in high-risk settings, such as aged care centres, in medical services and on public transport. All food and drink consumption must be while seated, and dancing and singing remain banned. Family gatherings will be limited to 10 people, although weddings and funerals can have up to 50. | Masks will still be required in high-risk settings, such as aged care centres, in medical services and on public transport. All food and drink consumption must be while seated, and dancing and singing remain banned. Family gatherings will be limited to 10 people, although weddings and funerals can have up to 50. |
| OK, with that, why don’t we jump into the day! | OK, with that, why don’t we jump into the day! |
| If there is something you reckon I’ve missed or think should be in the blog but isn’t, shoot me a message on Twitter @MatildaBoseley. | If there is something you reckon I’ve missed or think should be in the blog but isn’t, shoot me a message on Twitter @MatildaBoseley. |