Category Archives: Coronavirus outbreak

Coronavirus Australia live updates: Daniel Andrews’ office vandalised as pressure grows to lift lockdown

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Police investigating damage to premier’s electorate office overnight, mass testing taking place in Shepparton amid cluster, and health authorities issue warning about south-west Sydney cluster. Follow live

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    • The prime minister’s office has accidentally released its daily talking points to the media, again. This is allegedly an accident although it is a wonderful shortcut because sending the talking points gets reporters to report on the talking points, without the prime minister or others having to do any actual talking. True efficiency in government.

    Three bits may be of particular interest to readers of this blog.

    No one is saying it’s easy to get by without a job which is why the Morrison government is absolutely focused on helping unemployed Australians be work ready and creating jobs so working-age Australians have the opportunity to gain financial independence.

    A wild deer has been spotted in Sydney. Again.

    You may recall that last week two wild deer were spotted on the loose in Sydney’s inner suburbs, and police managed to capture one of them but not the other.

    Citybound motorists are warned to take extra care after a deer was seen in the Pyrmont area about 5.30am. Police are seeking specialist assistance from the RSPCA. Anyone who sees the deer is urged not to approach it and call police.

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    Amy Coney Barrett hearing: top Republican praises judge for being ‘unashamedly pro-life’ – live

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    Harris took up questioning Barrett on climate change.

    Harris: Do you think COVID-19 is infectious?

    That’s it from me today. My west coast colleague, Maanvi Singh, will take over the blog for the next few hours.

    Here’s where the day stands so far:

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    Covid could overwhelm NHS without more curbs, northern leaders told

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    Decision expected on whether to extend tier 3 rules to Greater Manchester and Lancashire

    Deaths from coronavirus will continue to rise for at least three weeks and the NHS risks being overwhelmed unless the strictest curbs are imposed on another 4 million people, leaders in northern England have been told.

    A decision on whether to extend tier 3 restrictions – closing pubs and restaurants and banning household mixing – to Greater Manchester and Lancashire is expected on Thursday.

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    Ministers plan pre-Christmas Covid lockdown for English universities

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    Exclusive: students would be told to remain on campus and all teaching done online

    Ministers want to place universities in England into lockdown for two weeks before Christmas, with students told to remain on campus and all teaching carried out online, the Guardian has learned.

    Under the government’s plan, which is in its early stages, universities would go into lockdown from 8 December until 22 December, when all students would be allowed to return to their home towns.

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    Berlin gives middle finger to anti-maskers in tourism agency ad

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    Agency says it chose message that suits city’s outlier character but some politicians are critical

    Berlin has eschewed polite public messaging on the coronavirus in favour of a more direct reminder of the rules by flipping the bird to people who won’t wear a mask.

    An ad placed in local papers by the German capital’s senate as part of a public information campaign shows an elderly woman presenting her outstretched middle finger to the camera, next to the words: “A finger-wag for all those without a mask: we stick to corona rules.”

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    Coronavirus: students to replace older teachers in Moscow

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    Trainees and graduates will teach in primary schools amid record infections in Russia

    Moscow is to draft university students into primary schools to replace older and vulnerable teachers, as Russia reports record numbers of coronavirus infections but resists a fresh lockdown.

    Sergei Sobyanin, the mayor of the Russian capital, announced on Wednesday that high schools would remain closed next week after an extended autumn holiday, with about half a million students moved to distance learning.

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    Iran at breaking point as it fights third wave of coronavirus

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    Trust in government of exhausted and impoverished country is diminishing as death toll continues to rise

    Iran, the crucible of coronavirus in the Middle East, smashed two grim records this week, reporting its largest number of deaths in a single 24 hours since the outbreak started in March, and the largest number of new infections.

    Iranian health officials openly admit Iran is deep into its third, and biggest, wave of the disease, and evidence suggests an exhausted and impoverished country is struggling to cope as trust in government diminishes, sanctions weaken the economy and hospitals report overcrowded intensive care units.

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    Coronavirus live news: France brings in 9pm curfew for Paris region and eight other cities

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    Public heath emergency declared in France; Italy sees 7,332 new cases; record new daily infections in Portugal, Switzerland, Iran and Russia

    The German chancellor Angela Merkel urged young people to do their part to halt the spread of the coronavirus after private parties were repeatedly blamed for localised outbreaks in German cities.

    “We must call especially on young people to do without a few parties now in order to have a good life tomorrow or the day after,” Merkel said at a news conference after agreeing additional measures against coronavirus with the heads of Germany’s 16 states.

    Ireland’s government moved three counties on its open border with Northern Ireland - Donegal, Monaghan and Cavan - to Level 4 of its five-step framework of Covid-19 constraints and banned almost all visits to homes across the country.

    Northern Ireland announced the strictest curbs seen in the UK since early summer on Wednesday in response to a rapid rise in cases that the Irish prime minister Micheal Martin described as “hugely worrying.”

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    ‘How many people’s hearts are broken?’ Biden slams Trump over Covid-19 death toll – video

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    Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has urged his supporters in the battleground state of Florida to vote out 'reckless' Donald Trump after taking aim at his response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Biden accused Trump of not taking the initial response to the coronavirus outbreak seriously, leading to the growing death toll across the United States. "How many empty chairs are around the dining room table tonight because of his negligence?" Biden asked. "How many people's hearts are broken?"

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    Keir Starmer urges PM to impose ‘circuit breaker’ lockdown on England

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    Labour leader says Boris Johnson must ‘follow the science’ as Covid death toll rises sharply

    Keir Starmer called on the government to “follow the science” and impose a national “circuit breaker” lockdown of at least two weeks as the death toll from Covid-19 soared to a four-month high.

    In a significant escalation, the Labour leader said Boris Johnson had “lost control of the virus” and must take urgent action to impose a near-total shutdown across England over October half-term.

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    Covid Crimestoppers hotline launches to catch business loan fraudsters

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    Public asked to leave anonymous tips about emergency loan and grant scheme fraud

    The UK government has launched a Covid fraud hotline, after being criticised for failing to act on warnings about risks linked to emergency business loans.

    The hotline, run by Crimestoppers, allows the public to leave anonymous tips about suspected fraud linked to the government’s emergency Covid-19 loan and grant schemes for UK businesses. That could include identity theft to obtain loans, false grant claims and the use of so-called mule bank accounts to cover the tracks of money launderers.

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    What has gone wrong with England’s Covid test-and-trace system?

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    It was supposed to be ‘world beating’ but experts say it is having only a ‘marginal impact’

    When the NHS test-and-trace system was launched in late May, Boris Johnson promised it would help “move the country forward”. We would be able to see our families, go to work and stop the economy crumbling.

    In the absence of a vaccine, the prime minister’s “world-beating” system would be worth every penny of the £10bn funding that Rishi Sunak announced in July. The chancellor said it would enable people to carry on normal lives.

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    UK’s test and trace ‘having marginal impact’: which countries got it right?

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    Scientists’ verdict on £12bn system has refocused attention on what is working elsewhere in cutting Covid-19 transmission rates

    The newly released assessment by the UK government’s scientific advisers that the £12bn test and trace programme “is having a marginal impact” in reducing Covid-19 transmission has refocused attention on how other countries are faring with their regimes.

    Since test-and-trace programmes were first mooted around the world at the outset of the pandemic – including monitoring via apps or hardware – they have been beset by issues of privacy and public support over both downloading and using apps and also with a wider willingness to abide by isolation measures.

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    Painful but effective? UK can look to Israel for example of short lockdown

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    Israel imposed ‘circuit breaker’-style lockdown at same time UK ministers ignored advice to do just that

    Days before UK ministers rejected advice to impose a shortened “circuit breaker” lockdown in late September, Israel made the opposite decision and enforced the unpopular and painful policy to stem the spiralling number of virus infections.

    The country of 9 million – less than 15% of the population of Britain – was shut down for a second time, with Israeli officials arguing it was essential to halt infections or risk overloading hospitals.

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    IMF estimates global Covid cost at $28tn in lost output

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    World economic outlook says 2020 impact is less than thought but there will be deep scars

    The International Monetary Fund has scaled back its estimate of the hit to the global economy from Covid-19 this year but warned that the final bill for the pandemic would total $28tn (£21.5tn) in lost output.

    Gita Gopinath, the IMF’s economic counsellor, described coronavirus as the worst crisis since the Great Depression, and said the pandemic would leave deep and enduring scars caused by job losses, weaker investment and children being deprived of education.

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    UK coronavirus live: Covid deaths in England and Wales quadrupled in a month, ONS figures show

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    Latest updates: minister says Covid restrictions require ‘difficult judgment’ of protecting lives while prioritising education and jobs

    The Department for Education’s latest school attendance statistics show an increase in the number of state schools in England partially closed because of Covid-19.

    More than one in five state secondaries reported being partially closed, meaning that classes or year groups were sent home or were isolating. Previously 82% were classed as “fully open” but last week the proportion fell to 79%.

    Attendance in fully open primary schools is now consistent with what we would have expected before coronavirus. Across all state schools, only a small minority of pupils are self-isolating and schools are providing remote education, in line with what pupils would be receiving in school.

    We will continue to work with schools to ensure all appropriate steps are taken to keep pupils and staff safe.

    A pilot scheme will be launched “shortly” in England which will involve relatives of care home residents being treated as key workers to enable safe visits, Helen Whately, the care minister, has said.

    Giving evidence to the joint science and health committee hearing on coronavirus, she said she wanted to enable visiting “but it must be safe”.

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    Amy Coney Barrett faces questions on legal record as nomination hearings continue – live

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    One other extraordinary dodge today: Barrett said that while she has “read things about climate change”, she does not have “firm views on it”.

    Amy Coney Barrett tells Sen. Kennedy: “I have read things about climate change. I would not say I have firm views on it.” pic.twitter.com/kG3cv8XN5Q

    The day was characterized by Barrett dodging questions on abortion, voting rights, the Affordable Care Act, and the presidential transfer of power.

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    Sage documents show how scientists felt sidelined by economic considerations

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    Timing of the release, just after the PM’s three-tier Covid plan, highlights experts’ disquiet

    The government’s Sage committee of scientific experts urged ministers to impose a circuit breaker lockdown on 21 September, documents have shown.

    What is unusual about these Sage documents?

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    Coronavirus live news: Russia reports record daily cases and deaths; Netherlands set for new restrictions

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    Russia sees 13,868 cases and 244 deaths in 24 hours; Netherlands to announce new measures Johnson & Johnson confirms pause in vaccine trial

    More than 2 million people who shielded during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic in the UK have been given new advice on what to do depending on the Covid alert level in their area.

    The government has said:

    Related: UK government issues new guidance for coronavirus shielders

    Germany must agree on nationwide rules to contain the spread of the coronavirus and prevent infections from getting out of control, the premier of Bavaria said on Tuesday.

    Reuters reports:

    Speaking ahead of a meeting between Chancellor Angela Merkel and the leaders of Germany’s 16 states on Wednesday, Markus Soeder said the next four weeks would be crucial for whether Germans could celebrate a relaxed Christmas.

    “We must now set the course jointly, otherwise there is a danger that it could get out of control,” he told a news conference following a meeting of Bavaria’s cabinet.

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    ‘They refused to act’: inside a chilling documentary on Trump’s bungled Covid-19 response

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    Totally Under Control recounts the early days of the pandemic in the US, revealing in clinical detail a disastrous federal response to a preventable crisis

    In May, as their city began to emerge from the paralyzing grip of coronavirus that killed over 33,000 residents, New York City-based film-makers Alex Gibney, Ophelia Harutyunyan and Suzanne Hillinger started retracing still-raw recent history on film. They tracked whistleblowers, and noted comparisons between the disastrous sprawl of coronavirus in the US and South Korea, which received their first positive coronavirus diagnoses on the same day: 20 January. Meetings were held by Zoom, interviews by remote camera draped by a shower curtain — a large, amorphous ghost, compliant with quickly adopted social distancing guidelines.

    Related: Totally Under Control review – shocking film on Trump's failure to handle Covid-19

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