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McDonald's makes face masks compulsory at Melbourne outlets to reduce coronavirus risk
By Tom Cowie and Jack Patterson
McDonald's is making masks compulsory for staff to prevent the spread of COVID-19, as other major chains continue to operate with a policy of optional face coverings.
The fast-food giant adopted a new rule on Monday requiring all employees in the Melbourne metropolitan and Mitchell Shire areas to wear face masks. The change follows Premier Daniel Andrews asking Victorians in those areas to don masks when they cannot maintain a social distance of 1.5 metres.
Staff at McDonald's in Boronia wearing masks on Tuesday.Credit:Jason South
About 20,000 employees in more 190 restaurants will be required to wear masks. The restaurants are operating as takeaway, delivery and drive-through only stores under stage three lockdown restrictions that were reintroduced last week.
“We are providing employees with three-ply surgical masks, as to not affect the supply of N95 masks, used in hospitals," a spokesperson said.
Victoria 'working through their options' for further restrictions: Hunt
By Mary Ward
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has said the Victorian government is considering further restrictions in coronavirus hotspot areas, after the state recorded 270 cases yesterday.
"At this stage, they are working through their options," Mr Hunt told ABC News Breakfast this morning. "They haven't ruled anything out."
Asked if he thought the state was close to another stage of lockdown, Mr Hunt said he would be "cautious" in his answer.
Health Minister Greg Hunt.Credit:
"Our focus is to make sure we do get the numbers down," Mr Hunt said, noting the federal government would be providing 1000 ADF officials as well as some "senior leadership" for the Victorian contact-tracing team.
CEO of pharmaceuticals giant Merck says raising COVID-19 vaccine hopes 'a grave disservice'
By Carl O'Donnell
COVID-19 vaccines under development are not guaranteed to work and people who say to expect a vaccine before year-end are doing a "grave disservice to the public," says pharma giant Merck & Co's chief executive.
The potential vaccines may not have the qualities needed to be rapidly deployed in large numbers of people, Chief Executive Kenneth Frazier said in an interview with the Harvard Business Review published on Monday.
"If you're going to use a vaccine on billions of people, you better know what that vaccine does."
Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier.Credit:AP
A US official said on Monday that drugmakers partnered with the US government are on track to begin actively manufacturing a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the summer, Reuters reported.
The Trump administration aims to produce 300 million vaccine doses by the end of 2021 though its Operation Warp Speed Program.
Reuters
Every car with a NSW numberplate to be stopped at Queensland border
By Mary Ward
Every car with a NSW number plate will now be stopped by police at the Queensland border after the state banned residents from two Sydney local government areas from entering yesterday.
More than 30 people were turned around at the border yesterday, the majority because they lived in the local government areas of Campbelltown or Liverpool in Sydney's south-west, Queensland Chief Superintendent Mark Wheeler told Today this morning.
SMH NEWS: Commuters are stopped by police at a Queensland-NSW border checkpoint.Credit:Elise Derwin
An additional five people who flew into Coolangatta airport and resided within the two local government areas were placed on the next flight back to Sydney.
"As we get new changes in the Chief Health Officer's directions we adapt immediately in imposing the restrictions as required," Mr Wheeler said.
Regional NSW club bans visitors from Sydney, Victoria
By Mary Ward
Queensland may have instigated a ban on Victorians and people from two western Sydney local government areas, but it appears one regional NSW club has opted for even stricter biosecurity measures.
Bathurst RSL, in the NSW Central Tablelands, has announced they will not be accepting diners from Victoria, as well as Albury, Sydney, Greater Sydney and the Blue Mountains within NSW.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the RSL said the "difficult decision" was not intended to cause offence:
"We feel we have a responsibility to implement these measures to best protect our members and staff in these uncertain times," the post read.
Thousands of healthcare workers poised to help in Victoria's COVID-19 fight
By Melissa Cunningham
More than 14,000 doctors and other healthcare workers have signed up to relieve overstretched hospitals battling coronavirus outbreaks that have led to severe staffing shortages.
The surge workforce database includes thousands of doctors, nurses and allied health specialists recruited by the state government to move between hospitals.
Safer Care Victoria chief medical officer Professor Andrew Wilson.Credit:Joe Armao
At least 114 Victorian healthcare workers are infected with the virus, an increase of 12 in the past day.
The chief medical officer for state agency Safer Care Victoria, Professor Andrew Wilson, said: “They are ready to be deployed almost immediately."
There are currently a record number of people in hospital or intensive care units in Victoria because of coronavirus, with the state's Chief Health Officer warning that number will continue to rise.
Woolworths Bowral and Belfield pizza store close after coronavirus cases
By Mary Ward
A Woolworths store in Bowral, in the Southern Highlands south-west of Sydney, was closed overnight for cleaning after a staff member tested positive for coronavirus.
The staff member worked on Sunday but did not have symptoms. In a statement, the supermarket described the risk of transmission as "low".
"Any customers who shopped in our Bowral store on 12 July and feel unwell in the next two weeks should make contact with NSW Health," it added.
It comes after a staff member at Woolworths Balmain, in Sydney's inner west, tested positive earlier this month upon returning from Melbourne.
Meanwhile a pizza restaurant has shut in the south-west Sydney suburb of Belfield after a diner tested positive.
Mancini's Original Woodfired Pizza said in a statement on Facebook last night that they had been notified by NSW Health a diner at their restaurant had tested positive.
The man dined for an hour on the evening of Friday, July 10, and stayed within his group, Mancini's said they were told by authorities.
"We are choosing to close the doors for [three] days from tomorrow and have the restaurant professionally deep cleaned," they wrote on Facebook. "Our customers' health and safety is a priority for us, so we will close and clean for good measure."
Three US states record daily increases in COVID-19 deaths
Alabama, Florida and North Carolina reported record daily increases in COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday, a trio of grim milestones that follows the first nationwide increase in fatalities since mid-April as some U.S. states rushed to reopen.
The number of new cases reported daily began rising about six weeks ago, especially in southern and western states such as Arizona, Florida and Texas, which have been quick to lift restrictions that caused massive job losses but also helped control the spread of the virus.
Masks for all. The Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Florida opened its doors again at the weekend, despite a surging caseload in the state.Credit:Getty
New coronavirus cases rose in 46 of 50 U.S. states last week over the previous week, according to a Reuters analysis of data from The COVID Tracking Project. So far in July, 28 states have reported record daily increases in new cases.
With more than 3.3 million cases, the United States has one of the highest numbers of cases per capita in the world. With more than 135,000 deaths, the United States ranks seventh in fatalities per capita among the 20 countries with the most cases.
Reuters
Good morning and welcome to today's blog
Happy Wednesday and welcome to today's coronavirus updates blog. My name is Craig Butt and I will be keeping track of all the latest COVID-19 news today.
I'll be keeping the blog going for about the next eight hours (I have a slow cooker stew going that will be ready in about nine hours, so the timer is doubling as the counter for how long I'll be in the blogging chair). But given there have been a lot of coronavirus news in Australia lately I will then hand over to a colleague, who will keep the blog ticking over until early evening.
As always, if you have something to share, please send me an email or leave a comment in the blog.
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2020-07-14 21:40:00Z
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