Coronavirus Australia live updates: South Australia virus cluster grows - NEWS.com.au

The find means the last unlinked case of COVID-19 in NSW was October 24, past the 28-day requirement Qld imposed in order to relax its hard border restriction.

Earlier NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian slammed her counterpart’s border stance as the state recorded 15 days without any locally-acquired COVID cases.

Meanwhile, South Australian Premier Steven Marshall said Australia is not “out of the woods yet” as a coronavirus cluster in his state grew overnight.

The state emerged from a three-day lockdown yesterday. Residents were ordered to stay at home and exercise in public places was banned.

Mr Marshall said 8689 people were tested yesterday and there was only one new case picked up. However, chief health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier said that if there was any community transmission from the state’s Parafield cluster we would see it this week.

There are now now 27 cases linked to the cluster and one person – a man in his 30s – is in hospital in a stable condition.

The new case was a member of the extended family group that is associated with the cluster. She has been in quarantine since early last week.

Despite claiming SA had “avoided a second wave”, Mr Marshall said he was still “very concerned” about the state’s cluster and added that “we are not out of the woods” yet.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has eased COVID-19 restrictions today and the border with NSW has opened.

Rules around mask wearing have been loosened and private gatherings have increased from two visitors per household to 15 while up to 50 people are allowed to gather outside.

Victorian residents are allowed to ditch their mask when they venture outside so long as social distancing is possible, but they are still required to wear them indoors and in crowded settings including on public transport.

NSW has also eased some restrictions on outdoor gatherings.

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A South Australian MP has hit out at the state's recent lockdown, labelling it an "overreaction".

Liberal backbencher Nick McBride said businesses had been hung out to dry and the government should not have "taken the word of one person" to lockdown the state.

A case from the Woodville Pizza Bar that misled contact tracers sparked the six-day lockdown which was then reduced to three after authorities found out they had been lied to.

"They've overreacted to one person (and) they did not do a thorough investigation … to get clarity about what's gone on there," Mr McBride told the ABC.

"To lock down the state and to put the state into more pain — it is just a total negative.

"It just beggars belief. All these people making these decisions and locking down our state do not suffer one day of lost wages, no loss of income."

He said the tough lockdown had turned out to be a mistake with businesses "absolutely broken and bruised" by the process.

As the border battle between Queensland and NSW continues, it looks like New South Wales has met the requirements the sunshine state set them.

Queensland wanted NSW to go 28 days without an unlinked case.

Today NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant revealed investigations found a link between 13 cases in Liverpool with the Moss Vale cluster.

"Therefore, that cluster is no longer unlinked," she said.

"The last unlinked case of COVID-19 in NSW was a person who reported illness on the 24th of October and was associated with the Hoxton Park cluster."

But the problem with the latest find is that Queensland stipulated cases must be linked within 48 hours, and it's been weeks since the first case in Moss Vale.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has again urged Annastacia Palaszczuk to reconsider her tough border restriction on Greater Sydney.

"Unfortunately some state premiers are making up the advice as we go," she said.

"There is absolutely nowhere I have read … that you must identify a source of a case within 48 hours.

"So again I just ask other premiers to consider some compassion because I know when I'm visiting communities and people come up to me and burst into tears when they think about the fact that they can't visit their relatives."

Annastacia Palaszczuk’s controversial border restrictions with parts of NSW has been vehemently defended by Anthony Albanese.

It comes as Queensland records three new cases, which were all acquired overseas and detected in hotel quarantine.

The Labor leader flew from Sydney to Melbourne on Monday after the hard borders between the two states opened at midnight.
“No one wants to see restrictions in place, but restrictions have made Queenslanders safe,” he said.

“I want to be able to travel and I want Australians to want to travel and I know Annastacia Palaszczuk does do.

“One of the things that I won’t do, and you’ve seen Labor oppositions not do, is not make partisan political comments.”

– Jade Gailberger, NCA NewsWire

It didn't seem too long ago that Victoria was clocking up hundreds of new cases a day, now there is just one active case in the entire state.

Authorities have confirmed that single case is a person in the Greater Dandenong local government area.

Mr Marshall is speaking now, and he says his state has beaten a second wave.

He said this time last week he was preparing lockdown measures and expecting to deal with over 100 cases a day.

Yesterday, he said 8000 people were tested in SA and there was only one new case picked up.

The case was a member of the extended family group that is associated with the Parafield cluster. She has been in quarantine since early last week.

However, Mr Marshall said he was still "very concerned" about the state's cluster and added that "we are not out of the woods" yet.

Chief health officer Nicola Spurrier said that if there was any community transmission from the cluster we would see it this week.

South Australia Premier Steven Marshall will be speaking in about 15 minutes to give an update on the state's recent outbreak.

The state emerged from a three-day lockdown yesterday. Residents were ordered to stay at home and exercise in public places was banned.

Mr Marshall said this morning the situation now appeared "very manageable".

A raft of new restriction-easing measures have been revealed and NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard has let it slip that there will be more announced on Wednesday – specifically relating to hospitality.

He said that as of today, the following will be allowed;

– Up to 500 people at outdoor religious services
– Up to 30 singers outdoors
– Audience or congregation at a church can sing, so long as they are wearing a mask
– Up to 3000 people can attend a concert

Ms Berejiklian added that restriction changes for hospitality will be announced this week if there are no major changes.

She also said that from today, all hospitality businesses in NSW are required to have QR code check in.

Gladys Berejiklian is speaking in Sydney.

She says the border removal with Victoria went "extremely successfully" overnight.

"I never want to be in a position again where we have to shut down our borders and certainly New South Wales, trying to work hard to not only have a lockdown again but not shut down our borders," she said.

"In a pandemic, you can't predict what is going to happen around the corner.

"What I will say is that New South Wales is resilient, we have an outstanding system and outstanding police force and our plan is to not go backwards in a COVID-safe way so please, please, keep following the instructions because it is really important for us not to be complacent to make sure we continue to live in a COVID-safe Way."

Five cases were reported in returned overseas travellers in hotel quarantine.

He's speaking with the Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas, to reveal a $5 million "secure work pilot scheme" providing sick and carers leave for casual and insecure workers.

Employees will be eligible for up to five days once they’ve presented a medical certificate.