Summary
- The global death toll from coronavirus is more than 251,000 people. There have been 3.5 million confirmed cases and more than 1.1 million people have recovered, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally
- The Australian death toll stands at 97 after another death at Newmarch House in Sydney's west on Tuesday
- Scott Morrison has written to G20 leaders to ramp up his calls for an independent review into the origins of the coronavirus
- The COVIDSafe app has now been downloaded nearly 5 million times. Next week, legislation protecting the data it collects will be debated in Parliament
- Almost one million jobs have disappeared from Australia since the advent of tough social distancing measures aimed at stopping the spread of the coronavirus, data has revealed
Treasurer plays down calls to extend JobSeeker
Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has played down calls for increases to welfare payments made during the coronavirus crisis to be paid for longer than originally pitched.
"Our goal is to get those people off unemployment benefits and into a job," Mr Frydenberg said on ABC News Breakfast this morning, after being asked if he was comfortable with the JobSeeker payment – formerly called Newstart – dropping back to $40 a day in September.
The Treasurer said the government had been "very consistent" in its position in relation to stimulus payments.
"Namely, they're temporary, they're targeted, they're proportionate to the challenge, but they're also using existing tax and transfer systems."
Roughly 4.7 million Australians are due to begin receiving JobKeeper payments via their employers this week, Mr Frydenberg revealed yesterday.
The figure is short of the six million workers the program was budgeted for. Of the 4.7 million, 40 per cent are sole traders and 40 per cent are employed by companies.
The Treasurer would not comment on reports in the West Australian this morning that he had received AFP protection following threats.
"They're matters the Federal Police handle and I will leave any comments to them and the Minister for Home Affairs," he said.
British science adviser on coronavirus steps down after lockdown breach
Epidemiologist Neil Ferguson, a professor at Imperial College in London, said he was standing down from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies which plays a key role in shaping government policy.
The Telegraph said he had been visited by a 38-year old woman on two occasions. This would breach rules which say citizens must only leave their homes to shop for food, for exercise or medical needs, or if they cannot work from home.
Professor Neil Ferguson, British epidemiologist and professor of mathematical biology at the Imperial College London.Credit:Marshaj2020/Commons
Australian plasma-derived potential COVID treatment enters production
A plasma-derived potential treatment for people with COVID-19 will begin production in Melbourne, federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has announced this morning.
The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age's Patrick Hatch reported last month that Australian-listed biotechnology giant CSL Behring would work with some of its biggest rivals in the blood plasma business to try to develop a potential treatment for patients suffering complications from COVID-19.
The product, COVID-19 Immunoglobulin, could be used to treat people who are seriously ill with complications caused by the virus, particularly those who are progressing towards needing a ventilator, Mr Hunt said in a statement.
It will be developed using plasma donations made in Australia by people who have recovered from COVID-19, in partnership with Australian Red Cross Lifeblood.
Roughly 800 plasma donations will be needed to make enough of the product for a clinical trial of 50 to 100 seriously ill people.
Australia now has a reproduction rate above one: What does that mean?
But, with a big outbreak at an abattoir in Melbourne's east, that is, of course, not happening. The graph below shows how cases have spiked in the state.
Although it's caused the numbers to shift, Victorian health experts actually think the detection of "silent" infections associated with the abattoir show the virus is under control, with testing and contact tracing identifying cases that would have otherwise gone unnoticed in the community.
As the federal government looks to announce eased restrictions at the end of this week, it will be interesting to see how much of a role that reproduction rate will play in affecting their decision.
Infection outside of New York rising as US opens up
Take the New York's progress against the coronavirus out of the equation and the numbers show the rest of the US is moving in the wrong direction, with the infection rate rising even as states move to lift their lockdowns, an Associated Press analysis found on Tuesday.
The New York metropolitan area, consisting of about 20 million people across about two dozen counties, including the city's northern suburbs, Long Island and northern New Jersey, has been the hardest-hit corner of the country, accounting for at least one-third of the nation's 70,000 deaths.
Using social distancing practices, moviegoers wait in line at the concession stand at the Stars and Stripes Drive-In Theatre that reopened in New Braunfels, Texas.Credit:AP
When the still locked-down metropolitan area is included, new infections in the US appear to be declining, according to the AP analysis. It found that the five-day rolling average for new cases has decreased from 9.4 per 100,000 people on April 9 to 8.6 on Monday.
But taking the New York metropolitan area out of the analysis changes the story. Without it, the rate of new cases in the US increased over the same period from 6 per 100,000 people to 7.5.
Today's front page
Good morning, this is Mary Ward taking over the blog. Here is the front page of today's Sydney Morning Herald.
We will be bringing you live coverage throughout the day and into the evening. The Ruby Princess inquiry will continue today, and we are also expecting to hear more about the NSW Health investigation into infection control at Newmarch House. Stay with us.
Global case tally nears 3.6 million
Good morning, if you are just joining us, here are the main developments overnight:
And that's it from me, I'm handing over to Mary Ward who will take you through the day's developments.
Airbnb laying off 1900 employees due to travel decline
Airbnb is laying off 25 per cent of its workforce as it confronts a steep decline in global travel due to the new coronavirus.
In a letter to employees, CEO Brian Chesky said the company is letting 1900 of its 7500 workers go and cutting businesses that don't directly support home- sharing, like its investments in hotels and movie production.
Airbnb chief Brian Chesky.Credit:Bloomberg
"We are collectively living through the most harrowing crisis of our lifetime," Chesky wrote. He said Airbnb expects its revenue to drop by more than half this year.
Chesky said departing employees will receive at least 14 weeks of their base pay. US employees will continue to receive health care coverage for a year; in other countries, employees will keep their health coverage through the end of this year.
Chesky said travel will eventually return, but will look different. Airbnb expects travellers will want options that are closer to home and more affordable, for example. The company is scaling back its investments in luxury properties as a result.
Airbnb also recently announced a new cleaning protocol that it's asking hosts to adhere to in order to make travellers feel more secure.
AP
Airline and holiday refunds: What are your rights?
Many Australians are desperately trying to get thousands of dollars back for flights and holidays cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A lot of them are going to need that money in the coming months. as unemployment doubles and whole industries remain closed.
It’s a legal shemozzle with no real winners. The horror stories are everywhere and there are no silver bullets. Only the most patient and persistent consumers appear to get good results. If that’s you, and you are up for the fight, here are some of the steps you can take to escalate your complaint.
Three people charged in killing of Michigan security guard
A security guard in Flint, Michigan was shot last week after telling a customer her child had to wear a face mask to enter the store, prosecutors said Monday.
The argument began when the security guard, Calvin Munerlyn, 43, told Sharmel Lashe Teague, 45, that customers needed to wear face masks in the store, Genesee County prosecutor David Leyton said at a news conference Monday.
People mourn outside the Family Dollar store in Flint, Michigan.Credit:The Flint Journal/AP
She yelled at him, spit on him and drove off, Leyton said. About 20 minutes later, her car returned to the store, and her husband, Larry Edward Teague, 44, and son Ramonyea Travon Bishop, 23, stepped out and confronted Munerlyn, according to investigators who spoke to witnesses in the store and reviewed surveillance video. Bishop pulled out a gun and shot Munerlyn, Leyton said.
Leyton said Munerlyn was doing his job, protecting others and enforcing a statewide executive order. In Michigan, people are required to wear face coverings in grocery stores. Stores can refuse service to anyone who is not wearing a mask.
"We simply can't devolve into an 'us versus them' mentality," he said. "We need to make a commitment as a community to do the things necessary to allow us to stay healthy and turn a page on this crisis together. Not for ourselves but for Calvin Munerlyn, who lost his life needlessly and senselessly."
The shooting is the latest blow in an ensuing battle between government mandates that encourage or require face masks in public spaces to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus and people who resist the guidelines due to inconvenience or concerns of overreach by officials.
Sharmel Teague has been charged with murder.Credit:Prosecutor's Office/AP
A day after the Flint shooting, police arrested a man in a nearby city who allegedly wiped his nose on a Dollar Tree employee's sleeve after she told him he had to wear a mask to shop, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Michigan State Police are searching for the two men who they believe killed Munerlyn. Police arrested Sharmel Teague. The three family members are charged with first-degree premeditated murder and gun counts.
More than 150 friends and family members of Munerlyn, known by many as "Big Duper," gathered Sunday at the scene where he was shot, holding candles.
At sunset, they released balloons that were blue, black and red - Munerlyn's favourite colours - into the sky to the clamour of car horns.
A GoFundMe for the family has raised more than $195,000, far exceeding its goal.
His wife, Latryna Sims Munerlyn, told The Washington Post that he was well known and beloved. "He was so awesome that I'm just honoured to have lived my life with him for the past 20 years," Sims Munerlyn said.
The Washington Post
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2020-05-05 21:17:00Z
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