Speaking on Insiders yesterday shadow health minister Chris Bowen said Australians had to prepare for more cases given what had happened in Victoria over the weekend.
“We have been aware for a long time that a second wave is a distinct possibility if we are not very cautious,” he told host David Speers.
Some state premiers are showing uneasiness after Victoria was forced to reimpose some COVID-19 restrictions and delay planned ones for three weeks after recording double-digit increases in cases for five days in a row.
RELATED: New restrictions in place from today
RELATED: Virus suburbs officials want you to avoid
Victoria confirmed another 19 cases yesterday making a total of 160 new cases in the past week, up from 35 the previous week.
The only other cases reported on Sunday were five in NSW and one in Western Australia, all returned travellers in hotel quarantine.
More than half of the new Victorian cases since the end of April have come from family members spreading it to their relatives.
The latest figures have led to the Victorian government deciding to extend the state of emergency until July 19. Some states, including Queensland, have indicated they could retain their tough stance against interstate travel as a result.
– AAP
RELATED: What virus spike means for Aussie borders
Live Updates
Queensland looks no closer to loosening its tough border restrictions.
The state has declared metropolitan Melbourne a hotspot, and anyone coming from those areas would need to quarantine for two weeks if they entered the state.
Queensland stopped non-essential interstate travel in late March and is expected to end that on July 10.
“The last thing we want to do is lift the borders, have lots of people come here for school holidays, spread coronavirus in our state, and then force us to go backwards on restrictions,” Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles told reporters yesterday.
“Clearly what’s happening in Victoria will be a matter we will need to take into account in those considerations.”
-AAP
Deputy chief medical officer Dr Nick Coatsworth has said said this weekend's spike in Victorian cases should be a "timely reminder" about the importance of avoiding close personal contact.
People in other states should continue to avoid hugging, handshaking and kissing friends and family.
“Well that’s certainly my personal view, these are the sort of things that have to stay the same,” Dr Coatsworth said when asked if Australians could resume handshaking and hugging.
“There are various things that help us transmit the virus and very close contact is one of them.”
Dr Coatsworth conceded it was “a hard thing to remember” not to hug or shake hands, but was more important than other measures like face masks.
“You’ve got to catch yourself out now when you see your friends and family who you haven’t seen for a long time, but these things are nonetheless important and are arguably far more important then say wearing masks,” he said.
Speaking on Insiders yesterday shadow health minister Chris Bowen said it was unfair to criticise state leaders who had taken a more cautious approach to loosening lockdown restrictions, especially given what had happened in Victoria over the weekend.
“We have been aware for a long time that a second wave is a distinct possibility if we are not very cautious,” he told host David Speers.
Mr Bowen said it was important to remember we still had “a long way to go yet” before we could declare the coronavirus pandemic over.
“Until this virus is defeated everywhere, it’s not defeated anywhere,” he said.
“We have to remember, six months ago, one person in the world had this virus, and since then, it has wreaked havoc across the planet. And until we have this under control completely, it is not under control at all.
“So hence, we all want to see the economy opened up. We all want to see borders open. We all want to see it being back to normal. But it would be irresponsible to do it too quickly.”
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiiwFodHRwczovL3d3dy5uZXdzLmNvbS5hdS9uYXRpb25hbC9jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1saXZlLXVwZGF0ZXMtc2Vjb25kLXdhdmUtYS1kaXN0aW5jdC1wb3NzaWJpbGl0eS9saXZlLWNvdmVyYWdlLzNkYzJiMDUzYzlhZTA4NWIwYWY3NzVkODVkNGE4NGU20gGPAWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm5ld3MuY29tLmF1L25hdGlvbmFsL2Nvcm9uYXZpcnVzLWxpdmUtdXBkYXRlcy1zZWNvbmQtd2F2ZS1hLWRpc3RpbmN0LXBvc3NpYmlsaXR5L2xpdmUtY292ZXJhZ2UvM2RjMmIwNTNjOWFlMDg1YjBhZjc3NWQ4NWQ0YTg0ZTYvYW1w?oc=5
2020-06-21 14:42:18Z
52780867904937
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Coronavirus live updates: Second wave a 'distinct possibility' - NEWS.com.au"
Post a Comment