Australia news LIVE Victoria enters sixth lockdown as states COVID-19 cases grow NSW Queensland cases continue to grow
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For many people from NSW’s Hunter and Newcastle regions, it has always been a question of when, not if, Sydney’s Delta outbreak would make it to their suburbs.
Almost one year since the area last had a COVID-19 case, eight local government areas were plunged into lockdown on Thursday night after several new cases, including five students, were recorded.
Louise Christenson with daughters Meg Christenson and Anna Maguire at the Worn out Wares shop in Singleton. Credit:Nick Moir
Singleton woman Louise Christenson, who owns the shop Worn out Wares, said anxiety levels in the town on the banks of the Hunter River were high.
“Everyone in town is really nervous and people have gone into a panic mode,†she said.
More on this story here.
In case you missed it, protesters stormed into the Melbourne CBD last night calling for the resignation of Premier Daniel Andrews and “freedom†just hours after Victoria’s snap lockdown was announced.
Hundreds of people gathered on Flinders Street from 7pm and marched around the city, mostly maskless and some armed with flares.
Police made fifteen arrests and used pepper spray to quell some aggravated protesters who were chanting “no lockdownâ€. Sixteen fines were given for exceeding public gathering limits, failing to wear masks and being outside a 5km bubble.
Two people were arrested for stating false names and breaching bail, nine were arrested before their identity could be confirmed to issue fines and four are expected to be charged on summons for breaching bail and activating a flare.
Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius said some of the protesters are known to Victoria Police for previously instigating so-called freedom rallies.
“Four of the offenders who were arrested or fined are known to police as protest organisers. They have been dealt with previously and it is expected will be presented to court on appropriate charges, such as incitement,†he said.
“Police are outraged that a small minority of people continue to engage in deliberate breaches of the CHO [Chief Health Officer] directions.â€
One sergeant was pushed to the ground and allegedly kicked by a protester, causing minor injuries. The assault, the use of flares and the vandalisation of a police car has sparked criminal investigations.
“Police will continue to review video footage to identify as many protesters as we can, in order to hold offenders to account, as has been the case for previous protests,†Assistant Commissioner Cornelius added.
University of NSW and strategic health policy adviser Bill Bowtell was speaking on the Today show earlier this morning.
He was asked about Victoria’s sixth lockdown and whether it was necessary.
University of NSW and strategic health policy adviser Bill Bowtell.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
Here’s what he had to say:
“Well, hard an fast is the only option we have. [Victoria] moved very rapidly yesterday to go back into lockdown. Which is the only way to go. Even the Prime Minister now accepts that. So we have Victoria and Queensland, both moving rapidly to get ahead of the virus, to clobber it before it gets out and around and makes matters worse.
“There ought to have been a ring of steel around Sydney so that we had a barricade between Sydney and the regions.â€
Yesterday, NSW recorded its highest number of cases so far in the pandemic with 262 new infections. There were also five deaths.
Stay tuned for today’s coronavirus numbers. Victoria’s figures usually drop around 8am, Queensland’s around 10am and NSW’s around 11am.
A medical centre and KFC have been added as close contact COVID-19 venues in Sydney’s west and south-west, while a new testing clinic will open on the weekend for freight drivers to be tested for COVID-19.
NSW Health last night issued alerts for:
Anyone who attended the above venues within the relevant times is considered a close contact and must get tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result.
New casual contact case locations have been added across Greater Sydney and can be checked on the NSW Government website by suburb here.
Of the 262 new local cases announced yesterday, 104 were from South Western Sydney Local Health District and 84 from Western Sydney LHD.
NSW Regional Transport and Roads Minister Paul Toole.Credit:Rhett Wyman
Regional Transport and Roads Minister Paul Toole has announced a 24-hour COVID-19 testing site will open from 7am on Saturday at 250 Victoria Street, Wetherill Park for heavy vehicle drivers.
“We know that heavy vehicles are not able to easily access the large majority of the current community testing locations, and these pop-up sites make it easier for our truckies to get tested and get back on the road,†Mr Toole said in a statement.
“With increased mandatory testing requirements in place for freight workers across multiple jurisdictions, we have seen unprecedented demand on our freight testing sites, so opening Sydney’s first site tomorrow will be very welcome news.â€
The new location adds to five freight-friendly testing sites across NSW in Taree, Narrabarba, Forbes, Narrandera and Tarcutta.
In case you missed it, Victorian health authorities listed three new exposure sites late last night: two Virgin Australia flights as well as one of the terminals at Melbourne Airport.
Anyone who travelled as a passenger on the following Virgin flights is must immediately get tested and quarantine for 14 days from the date of exposure, regardless of the result:
Melbourne Airport’s Terminal 3 is also listed as a tier-3 exposure site for Monday, August 2 between 8.35am and 11.05am.
This means people who spent time in the terminal during the relevant exposure window must monitor for symptoms and, if symptoms develop, immediately isolate and get tested until a negative result is returned.
For the full list of Victorian exposure sites, visit the Department of Health website.
More than two-thirds of new COVID-19 cases in Sydney in 24 hours were in people aged under 40, increasing concerns about the long-term health impact of the Delta strain as it spilled into the regions, forcing more lockdowns.
NSW recorded its highest number of cases so far in the pandemic yesterday, with 262 new infections â€" 67 per cent of those in under 40s â€" as well as five deaths. The NSW government is bracing for more fatalities.
Gladys Berejiklian says the vaccine rollout is critical to how any society lives with the delta strain. Credit:James Brickwood
A beach party in Lake Macquarie attended by a teenager from western Sydney was responsible for the virus making its way into Newcastle, resulting in the lower and upper Hunter going into a snap week-long lockdown.
More on NSW’s current situation here.
Every time Victoria snaps back into lockdown, public health physician Nathan Grills notices the same trend when he works his Saturday shift in a Melbourne emergency department.
“There’ll be a whole lot less sporting injuries, then you get a rebound in mental health disorders, domestic violence incidences and eating disorders. They trend up after a few days of lockdown,†he says.
“I think it shows there’s an underlying baseline of stress and exhaustion over the last 18 months. As soon as you turn the tap on and provide more stress and uncertainty, it pushes more people over the edge.â€
Read the full story here.
The federal government has banned Australians who normally live in other countries from returning home without needing government permission in a move branded as “barbaric.â€
Until now, residents of other countries who are Australian are allowed to leave the country without applying for an exemption, but are regularly questioned at the border and required to prove that they live abroad as part of the international border bans brought in at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Health Minister Greg Hunt tabled the amendment, which cannot be disallowed.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
But yesterday the government quietly changed the rule, effective from August 11, claiming it was a loophole.
Now, according to the government’s explanatory statement tabled in Parliament, a person will have to demonstrate to the Australian Border Force Commissioner a “compelling reason for needing to leave Australian territoryâ€.
More on this story here.
Good morning and thanks for your company.
It’s Friday, August 6. I’m Broede Carmody and I’ll be anchoring our live coverage for the first half of the day. If you’re waking up in lockdown this morning, I hope you’re doing OK.
Here’s everything you need to know before we get started:
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