A summary of the major developments in the coronavirus outbreak across Australia
Good evening, here are the latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic in Australia. This is Josh Taylor and it’s Friday 3 July.
Continue reading...Category Archives: Victoria
Coronavirus Australia update: Melbourne’s hotspot suburbs in lockdown as Victoria struggles to contain outbreak – live news
Residents of 10 postcodes in Melbourne’s north and west have been ordered to stay home from midnight tonight. Follow live
- Inside Melbourne’s hotspot suburbs
- Everything we know about Victoria’s clusters
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Scott Morrison was asked about Annastacia Palaszczuk’s comments about singling out Queensland on the Nine network this morning:
Well, I haven’t. There’s an election in Queensland, so I’m not surprised that the political rhetoric is amping up. Look, we’re keeping all of the country together to focus on this. I made similar comments about the changes in borders in South Australia yesterday. So, look, I think you can file that under a Queensland election.
Anthony Albanese was asked about Annastacia Palaszczuk’s comments yesterday, after she hit back on the border criticism (which included Scott Morrison) and said:
Well, look, I don’t believe that it’s appropriate, and I haven’t sought to politicise a response to the medical issues with regard to borders.
I’m not surprised that Annastacia Palaszczuk, who has shown tremendous leadership in Queensland, is frustrated at the comments of the Prime Minister given he has said time and time again it’s up to the states what happens.
Melbourne hotspot lockdowns announced as Victoria battles coronavirus outbreaks
Residents of 10 postcodes ordered to stay at home from midnight on Wednesday
Ten Victorian postcodes will be back in lockdown from midnight on Wednesday and international flights coming into Melbourne will be diverted elsewhere, as the state struggles to get on top of Covid-19 outbreaks and community transmission.
On Tuesday the premier, Daniel Andrews, said a number of Victoria’s cases through late May and early June had been linked through genomic testing to an infection control breach in the hotel quarantine program, prompting him to call for a judicial inquiry.
Continue reading...Victoria’s coronavirus spike: what’s causing it, and is anyone to blame?
We ask health experts whether what we’re seeing in Melbourne is a ‘second wave’, and why it’s happening there
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- Coronavirus Australia maps and cases: live numbers and statistics
Victoria is experiencing a concerning rise in Covid-19 cases, with 75 new cases announced on Monday which were identified over the preceding 24 hours, one of the largest overnight jumps for the state since the pandemic began. For almost two weeks, the state has seen a double-digit rise in cases every day.
Many are now trying to identify a source of blame for the spread. According to the Australian, overly prohibitive lockdown laws implemented by the Victorian government early on in the pandemic were seen by the public as excessive given the low number of cases at the time. The report suggested this led some people to relax, and to question government warnings that they needed to keep socially distancing.
Continue reading...Coronavirus Victoria: everything we know about Melbourne’s Covid-19 clusters
The city is on a 10-day suburban testing blitz after premier Daniel Andrews revealed hotspots were largely caused by extended families
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- Can you travel to and from Melbourne suburbs with coronavirus outbreaks?
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Melbourne has embarked on a 10-day testing blitz, aiming to test at least 50% of people in 10 suburbs.
This is due to problematic rates of community transmission of coronavirus in these areas, as well as persistent outbreaks and clusters.
Continue reading...Coronavirus live news: US cases pass 2.5m as Australia considers new lockdown in Melbourne
Cases approach 10m; new Covid-19 clusters across world spark fear of second wave; UK NHS will take four years to recover. Follow the latest updates
- Australia considers new lockdown in Melbourne
- Victoria nurse tests positive as state reports jump of 41 cases
- US cases pass 2.5m
- US one-day case high as states delay reopening
- See all our coronavirus coverage
The UK needs to maintain “constant vigilance” as it eases out of lockdown, a former government chief scientific adviser has warned.
When outbreaks occur they typically occur in clusters and we’re seeing certain work environments, for example, food processing factories, as being fairly common places for those clusters to rise.
The common denominator is really being indoors, being crowded, being there for prolonged periods of time, noisy environments where people are coughing and shouting, and so there’s more droplet transmission.
The total number of people to die from Covid-19 in Russia has increased by 104 to 9,073, according to the country’s coronavirus response centre.
Russia on Sunday also reported 6,791 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 634,437.
Continue reading...Australia Covid-19 active cases and hotspots map: coronavirus stats, numbers and state by state data update
Guardian Australia brings together all the latest on active and daily new Covid-19 cases, as well as maps, statistics, live data and state by state graphs from NSW, Vic, Queensland, SA, WA, Tasmania, ACT and NT to get a broad picture of the Australian outbreak and track the impact of government response
- Coronavirus world map
- Coronavirus cases and deaths over time: how countries compare around the world
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Due to the difference in reporting times between states, territories and the federal government, it can be difficult to get a current picture of how many confirmed cases of coronavirus there are in Australia.
Here, we’ve brought together all the figures in one place, along with comparisons with other countries.
Continue reading...Coronavirus Australia update: NT blocks people from Covid hotspots and Virgin Australia bidder Cyrus Capital pulls out – live news
State’s chief minister says people from areas with spikes in cases will be quarantined at their own cost; Bain Capital remains only bidder for embattled airline. Follow live
- NT issues strict restrictions amid Victoria Covid spike
- Cyrus withdraws Virgin Australia offer
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Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath spoke to media earlier, urging residents to comply with quarantine orders.
Although we are so fortunate in Queensland to have so few active cases, the fact is, as of today, we have almost 3,000 people in people on quarantine orders. About 880 of that people are in hotels but over 2,000 are quarantining in their homes.
It is absolutely critical that those people remain at home for the 14 days that they are quarantining, that they are not allowing people into their homes and they are not leaving their homes for any reason other than to be tested for Covid.
In response to a twelve-year-old student at Camden High School in NSW testing positive to Covid-19, the state’s health department has set up an additional Covid pop-up testing clinic at Camden Hospital.
The clinic will have walk-in testing with no bookings required and the clinic will be open over the next three days between 10am and 4pm.
Continue reading...Victoria’s coronavirus spike: is this a second wave, and what’s causing the clusters?
The state took swift action to contain Covid-19 but it is the site of 83% of Australia’s new cases. We examine why
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- Coronavirus Australia maps and cases: live numbers and statistics
While Victoria took swift action to contain the spread of Covid-19, the state is experiencing a concerning increase in virus cases. This is despite restrictions such as school closures and limits on the numbers of people in venues continuing longer than most other jurisdictions.
In the past week, 116 of Australia’s new cases – 83% of them – were reported in Victoria. It has also placed pressure on testing in some of the most affected council areas including Hume, Brimbank, Moreland, Darebin, Cardinia and Casey. Almost one in five Victorians live across these areas. For almost one week, new cases in double digits have been reported in the state, with the department of health on Monday announcing 16 new cases overnight.
Continue reading...Australia coronavirus news: Victorians warned to avoid Melbourne hotspots amid fears of second wave – live updates
Authorities ‘strongly discourage’ travel to and from six council areas that are home to most of the country’s new coronavirus cases. Follow live
- High risk of second wave as workplaces reopen, reports says
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Victoria has officially announced its new ministry.
Queensland has reported zero coronavirus cases overnight.
Victoria to extend state of emergency for four more weeks after spike in Covid-19 cases
Queensland declares southern state a ‘hotspot’ while South Australia reconsiders decision to reopen its border
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The Victorian government has announced it will extend its state of emergency for at least four more weeks and ramp up its police enforcement of lockdown rules after a spike in Covid-19 cases.
The surge has also prompted neighbouring South Australia to reconsider its decision to reopen its border, while Queensland has declared all of greater Melbourne a Covid-19 hotspot.
Continue reading...Australia’s Covid-19 restrictions and coronavirus lockdown rules explained: how far can I travel, and can I have people over?
How far can you drive and what are the travel restrictions in NSW, Queensland and Victoria? How many people can you have over at your house in Tasmania, ACT, SA, WA or NT? Untangle Australia’s Covid-19 laws and guidelines with our guide
- Stage 3 coronavirus restrictions: Australia to allow more than 100 indoors from July
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Australians have been slowly emerging from Covid-19 lockdowns since the federal government announced a three-stage plan in May to ease restrictions across the country.
It is up to each state and territory to decide when and how far they will relax restrictions.
Continue reading...Australia coronavirus update: major cyber attack under way as Victoria records 12 new Covid-19 cases – live news
A sophisticated state-based actor is targeting all levels of government and companies in a range of sectors, PM reveals. Follow live
- ‘Australian organisations are currently being targeted by a sophisticated state-based cyber actor’, says PM
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Also, the Five Eyes finance ministers met. Given what their operatives do, a meeting seems superfluous, but ok.
Today Australia hosted a call with the Finance Ministers of the “Five Eyes” nations – Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States.
It was the first of what will be regular calls among the countries to discuss the economic issues associated with COVID-19.
I guess when you don’t have the Global Times, you have to be a little more overt in your silent diplomacy.
Coronavirus Australia update: Northern Territory to reopen borders in July as Victoria records 18 new Covid-19 cases – question time live
Michael Gunner declared the NT Covid-free and will prepare to allow domestic travel; person who attended Melbourne Black Lives Matter protest among new Vic cases. Follow live
- NT borders to reopen on 17 July
- Victoria’s cases rise for a second day
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- Coronavirus Australia maps and cases: live numbers and statistics
That leads to this exchange:
Tony Smith: The Prime Minister will resume his seat. The Prime Minister will resume his seat. The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. The Prime Minister needs to withdraw that imputation.
Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison:
My question is to the Prime Minister. Under this Prime Minister, Australia has entered its first recession in three decades. Australia now has an effective unemployment rate of 11.3%. How many unemployed Australians don’t have a job because the Prime Minister deliberately excluded them from JobKeeper?
No-one in this country is unemployed because of the Government’s responses.
People are unemployed in this country, people have been reduced to zero hours which is the same thing, people have been hit by the coronavirus pandemic!
Coronavirus Australia update: PM apologises for ‘no slavery’ comments as Queensland sticks with 10 July border open date – politics live
Qld deputy premier and health minister says situation will be reviewed at the end of June ‘as we’ve said consistently’. Follow live
- Scott Morrison says he ‘regrets’ comments but doesn’t want to get into ‘history wars’
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Speaking of awkward, Angus Taylor just took a dixer.
So that is a bit awkward, then.
Coronavirus Australia update: NSW reports zero community transmission as Queensland border challenge hits snag – politics live
Three new cases of Covid-19 reported were all from overseas travellers and are in quarantine; Queensland high court calls requests from lawyers to access border closure documents ‘a fishing expedition’. Follow live updates
- Queensland high court refuses application for border closure documents
- No reported community transmission in NSW
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Pat Dodson has spoken in the Senate on the issue of Indigenous deaths in custody:
Thirty years ago, the royal commission that I was part of made recommendations to the parliament - 339 recommendations.
That Commission had been set up by the government. And at that time, there were 99 deaths that we were concerned about in this nation to effect a national Royal Commission never got over 400 deaths since that Royal Commission, and we have 30 years that have passed that have not addressed the underlying issues that give rise to people being taken into custody and consequently die in custody.
Tony Burke’s answer to that same question:
Her politics feeds on outrage. It effectively – for all the talk of proud nationalism, that party has imported an American style of politics here.
I don’t want that style of politics here. I don’t particularly want to join the outrage, because that in fact elevates what she said. I would simply refer to it in the way that I guess One Nation wouldn’t want it referred to – that is importing foreign politics into Australia. We should be better than that. And most of us are.
Continue reading...William Callaghan, autistic teenager missing for two nights in Victoria, found alive
14-year-old, who has non-verbal autism, found near summit of Mount Disappointment on third day of searching
A teenager with non-verbal autism who was missing in the Victorian bush for two freezing nights has been found alive.
Related: William Callaghan: 300 people search Mount Disappointment for boy missing on coldest night of year
Continue reading...Coronavirus Australia live updates: NSW, Victoria, Qld and WA provide update on Covid-19 cases – latest news
Mathias Cormann to appear before Senate committee seeking answers on the government’s botched wage subsidy projections. Follow the latest live
- Government to extend small business tax incentive
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Mutual obligations for welfare recipients return today.
There are now about 1.6m people receiving the unemployment benefit jobseeker.
Mutual obligations return today & will be gradually phased in.
We are in Phase 1 meaning there are no financial penalties for not meeting activity requirements.
We don't have a timeline of each "phase" but I will keep following up with the Minister for more clarity.
The NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian was giving a press conference just now. She was pressed on comments from her police minister, David Elliott, who said yesterday that police would not approve future permit protests that did not comply for the health guidelines.
Does she agree with Elliott?
Continue reading...Black Lives Matter protests: Sydney rally given green light as court ruling overturned
Thousands gather in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane to protest against Indigenous deaths in custody
The Sydney “Stop All Black Deaths in Custody” rally has been declared an authorised public assembly after a late decision by the court of appeal as thousands of protesters rallied in cities and towns across Australia to march against Indigenous deaths in custody and the killing of unarmed US man George Floyd.
The decision came minutes before the rally’s scheduled start at 3pm outside Town Hall on Saturday.
Continue reading...Coronavirus Australia: judge refuses authorisation for Black Lives Matter protest in Sydney tomorrow – as it happened
Planned protests at a time of social distancing draw criticism, including from Scott Morrison, as Melbourne school student tests positive. This blog is now closed
- NSW to allow NRL crowds in stands
- NSW police could arrest protesters in groups over 500
- ‘Shocking’: Lancet retracts paper that halted hydroxychloroquine trials
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Thanks for staying with us. We’re going to leave for the today.
Before that, here are today’s main developments.
Speaking outside court, assistant commissioner Michael Willing has warned there will be a “significant” police presence at Saturday’s rally.
“Police will be out in numbers to enforce that decision,” Willing said.
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