WATCH: NSW and Victorian premiers provide COVID-19 updates
You can watch Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews speak live at 11am here:
And NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian will also speak at 11am, you can stream her press conference live here:
Latest updates
'I want people to enjoy it': Sutton urges COVID-safe celebrations for AFL grand final
By Ashleigh McMillan
The Chief Health Officer has said he’s "confident" that Victorians won’t become complacent about COVID-19 as the state prepares for the AFL grand final this week.
Professor Brett Sutton said people becoming too lax was “a danger” to Victoria’s COVID-19 fight back, but said Victorians were “highly motivated” to get tested through the second wave.
The Cats will play the Tigers at the AFL grand final on Saturday night. Credit:Glenn Hunt
“I think it is a recognition that we will still have cases here, and that the testing is the way to identify and end all of those chains of transmission,” he said.
“(Testing) is super important for everyone, especially as kids return to childcare, as kids return to school, there will be more colds that are circulating … it is still really important to exclude the possibility of coronavirus in both people.”
Professor Sutton said that if people had grand final gatherings in defiance of restrictions, it would be a COVID risk.
“I want people to enjoy it, and it would be great if people could work out ways to do it in a way that they can have their beers at home or shout and scream with their immediate family or household members, but they may be linked up by Zoom or any other social media mechanism,” he said.
Melburnian who tested positive had coronavirus in July, could be false positive: Sutton
By Ashleigh McMillan
One person who was diagnosed with COVID-19 in Victoria yesterday already had the virus in July.
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said the infection could be the “tail end” of a very long, non-transmissible form of COVID-19, but health authorities would need to ensure it wasn’t a case of reinfection.
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton.Credit:Simon Schluter
“(Reinfections) have been extremely rare events,” he said.
“There are only a handful of cases reported around the world, so it seems to be exceptionally rare, but it does happen. We need to explore the possibility of it happening here.
“If there is nothing that indicates epidemiologically that this person has been exposed to a known case and if the following laboratory results really point to this just being the tail end of a really long infection, then that will come off as a false positive. But it’s early days.”
The three other cases reported on Monday morning were three people living together in one household, quarantining and linked to the Box Hill Cluster.
Berejiklian hopes for NZ travel, not optimistic for Queensland
By Mary Ward
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says she is hopeful her state's residents will be able to travel to New Zealand soon after the trans-Tasman bubble opened last week.
The Premier said she spoke to New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern before her state opened to Kiwi travellers on Friday, with Ms Ardern "enthusiastic" about the bubble arrangement.
"And I'll hope now that the people of New Zealand have spoken about her leadership that she will consider having reciprocal arrangements," Ms Berejiklian said, referencing the Ms Ardern's convincing win in her country's national election on the weekend.
Asked about the Queensland border, currently closed to her state, the Premier repeated her comments that Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk had set the bar too high for reopening.
Queensland will reopen its border with NSW if the state records no mystery cases – cases without a known source – for 28 days.
"I don't know anywhere on on the planet where you've got at least around 8 million people, with open borders, where you're going to be able to have zero cases of community transmission with all known sources for 28 days," she said.
The Premier said she hoped Ms Palaszczuk's position changed "in the next few weeks".
On the Victorian border, the Premier said she would be waiting to see how the state's case numbers go as restrictions are eased this week.
"If they demonstrate to us that they live up to the contact tracing capacity, they're able to demonstrate they're not going to have uncontrolled outbreaks whilst there is no restrictions, that will give us confidence to open the borders."
'Not a leader, he's just a Liberal': Andrews accuses Frydenberg of playing politics
By Ashleigh McMillan
The Victorian Premier has accused Treasurer Josh Frydenberg of "playing politics" after his criticisms of the state's eased restrictions.
Mr Frydenberg said the state government had a "callous indifference" to small business, after Premier Daniel Andrews announced retail stores and indoor dining for restaurants, cafes and pubs won't open until November 2.
The Treasurer said there were in effect half a million Victorians who are unemployed, which was “unacceptable” now that active case numbers across the state are at low levels.
In response to the Treasurer’s comments, Mr Andrews said: "It’s all about the politics with this bloke, isn’t it?"
“He’s not a leader, he’s just a Liberal. All he does is play politics everyday. I just don’t think it’s fair, I don’t think it’s right and I think Victorians are sick of it,” he told a press conference this morning.
Mr Andrews said he would consider releasing more of the public health advice that underpinned the state’s easing of restrictions on Sunday.
“But in terms of convincing the Commonwealth government, I would have thought I would not have to convince them that Victorians are Australians as well,” he said.
“So the notion that we will give these people a free pass to play politics because they are the national government providing support to parts of our nation: no. I said last week I will start calling this out, and I am.
“These are not easy decisions, they are decisions that have to be carefully weighed up and that is exactly what we have done.”
Berejiklian tells NSW to consider having Christmas lunch out
By Mary Ward
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says she is recommending people in her state consider eating their Christmas lunch out.
Under new eased restrictions coming into effect on Friday, restaurants will be able to accept group bookings of up to 30 people, despite only 20 people being allowed to gather in a home. Thirty people will be allowed to gather outside, for an event such as a picnic in a park.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian.Credit:Nick Moir
The Premier said she wanted to give hospitality venues confidence they should prepare for a bumper summer season, as well as allow for families to prepare for their summer celebrations, noting the safest place to gather in a bigger group is in a venue with a COVIDSafe plan.
"We also say that unfortunately during the summer period and leading up to Christmas, if you do have any symptoms, you are going to have to exclude yourself from any of those events," she added.
Despite announcing increased capacities for restaurant bookings and weddings, the Premier said her "no mingling" still applied: people must be seated at restaurants and the 20-person cap for wedding dance floors is still in place.
The Premier said she was still concerned about complacency in the community.
"I can sense too much relaxation – people are getting back into normal life," she said.
"Please know that, until the end of the pandemic, none of us can have a normal life. But what we can do is make sure that we maintain COVID safety and make sure that, within the rules, We have as good a time – as free a time – as possible."
NSW Health Minister 'a little confused' by Victorian reaction to trans-Tasman arrivals
By Mary Ward
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard says he is "a little confused" by Victoria's reaction to New Zealand arrivals coming into Melbourne from Sydney.
"The advice I had was that Victoria had actually accepted that arrangement," Mr Hazzard told reporters on Monday, noting Victoria's own health department website said New Zealanders were allowed to travel on from Sydney under the trans-Tasman bubble arrangement.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard.Credit:Steven Siewert
"From our point of view, NSW Health and Border Force have done everything that we were asked to do," he said.
"And the fact that NSW has always been the gateway to the rest of the world, and the gateway the rest of Australia is exactly what Victoria did know. So, hopefully Victoria can sort out their issues."
Despite his confusion, Mr Hazzard stressed NSW is always willing to support Victoria as it comes out of its second wave.
Sixty-five people have travelled to Victoria from New Zealand via travel bubble, Premier says
By Ashelgih McMillan
There are now 65 people who have travelled to Victoria after entering Australia from New Zealand via the trans-Tasman bubble.
Premier Daniel Andrews said 55 people from that group had now been doorknocked and taken through Victoria’s COVID-19 restrictions.
Victorian Premier Daniel AndrewsCredit:Getty
There are another 17 flights into Melbourne airport today which could potentially have travellers from New Zealand on them.
Mr Andrews reiterated he had declined the option to have Victoria as part of the travel bubble, but now that accepting travellers was the “only option we have got”, the state government’s advice on its website had been updated.
“I'm not gonna be quarantining people that came from a low virus community, and we just have to make the best of this,” Mr Andrews said.
“I spoke with my good friend [WA Premier] Mark McGowan yesterday, and just like us, they had absolutely no idea - like, absolutely no idea - until 25 people turned up, that 25 people could turn up or would turn up.
“We said no, we don't think we should be (in the bubble) at this time, however, it seems we are in it ... if people turn up today on any one of those 17 flights, we will provide them with advice and support and we will make sure that they comply with all the rules as they relate to Victorians.”
He said it was "unreasonable" to blame the Victorian government for travellers turning up in the state after he explicitly told Prime Minister they would not join the trans-Tasman bubble.
Restrictions easing in NSW after no new local cases
By Mary Ward
NSW recorded no new local coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, as the state announced it would be pressing on with easing restrictions after this was delayed last week.
Under the new restrictions, from this Friday:
- Thirty people can gather outdoors, up from 20
- Group bookings at restaurants can be as large as 30 people, up from 10. Hospitality venues can also host 30 people at a table.
Corporate functions can now be held for up to 300 people and this capacity level will be extended to weddings from December 1.
The four-square-metre rule for indoor venues and the two-square-metre rule for outdoor venues remain in place, Premier Gladys Berejiklian clarified.
The Premier said larger group bookings would hopefully help families with their Christmas and summer holiday plans.
"The health experts agree and have given us advice that it would actually be safer to go to a restaurant or a hotel or somewhere which is COVID-safe to have your Christmas lunch rather than indoors in a confined space," she said.
NSW recorded four new coronavirus cases in hotel quarantine, bringing the total number of cases in the state since the start of the pandemic to 4153.
Four new cases recorded in Victoria are under investigation
By Ashleigh McMillan
There are now 136 active cases of COVID-19 in Victoria, a reduction of just one case since yesterday.
All four cases announced today remain under investigation, with three of the positive cases in Hume and one in Moonee Valley. A man in his 90s died from COVID-19 on Sunday.
Twelve Victorians are in hospital with the virus, but none are in an intensive care unit. Eleven healthcare workers still have a case of COVID-19.
There were 10,793 test results received within the state on Sunday.
Most Viewed in National
https://news.google.com/__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?oc=5
2020-10-19 00:00:00Z
52781125950711
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Coronavirus updates LIVE: Victoria records four new COVID-19 cases as state's residents enjoy first day with eased restrictions; Australian death toll jumps to 905 - The Sydney Morning Herald"
Post a Comment