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Hobart braces for snap lockdown after quarantine escapee
By Michaela Whitbourn
The Tasmanian government is expected to hold a press conference at about 2.30pm AEDT, amid reports Hobart is headed for a snap three-day lockdown.
Health authorities in Tasmania yesterday identified 38 primary close contacts of a NSW man in Hobart who has tested positive to COVID-19.
Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein.Credit:Getty Images
The man, a traveller arriving in Tasmania from NSW via Melbourne, was sent to Hobart’s hotel quarantine system upon arrival in the state on Monday. He was found not to be in his room after a welfare check early on Tuesday and located at an address in Bridgewater in Hobart’s northern suburbs.
He subsequently tested positive to COVID-19.
“This individual is not being cooperative, and in fact has been very difficult to deal with,” Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein said yesterday.
It is not yet clear how the man escaped from hotel quarantine.
COVID-19 is ‘poisonous cherry on top’ of hospital system in crisis: AMA
By Michaela Whitbourn
The Australian Medical Association is warning of a “cycle of crisis” in the nation’s public hospitals, even without the pressures created by the coronavirus pandemic.
AMA Vice President Dr Chris Moy told ABC News 24 that the number of emergency department admissions are projected to double by 2030.
“All of this data [was] before COVID and the poisonous cherry is COVID on top and really will add another layer, which will really be like a brick coming down on a house cards, unfortunately,” Dr Moy said.
He said that at present about 4 per cent of people “can’t get the care they want because there [aren’t] the beds, doctors or nurses to provide the care”.
“That will go up to something like 14 per cent. Now, 14 per cent is about 1.4 million admissions per year, which is actually more than the amount elective surgery that’s done per year, so there is a one in six or one in seven chance you won’t get the care you need.
“Now, I think that just gives you an idea. That leads to people getting sicker, more pain, or potentially dying.”
Tourism industry welcomes NSW announcement on quarantine changes
By Michaela Whitbourn
The chief executive of the Tourism and Transport Forum, which represents the tourism, aviation and transport sectors, has welcomed the NSW government’s plan to scrap home and hotel quarantine for fully vaccinated international travellers arriving in the state from November 1.
Margy Osmond told ABC News 24 that “in the first instance this really is about visiting friends and family and reconnecting with the ones you love”.
Tourism and Transport Forum chief executive Margy Osmond.Credit:Nine
“Secondly, it is going to be very much about university students ... and then it will be a bit more about [tourists] ... and hopefully by that stage other states will have seen the light and we will have opened borders throughout the country”.
But she said “the devil is always in the detail” and “we have only had conversations with government about where this may go”.
“Critically it is all about testing before you get on the plane and when you get off the plane. Some of those details are still to get worked out which is why this gap [of two weeks] is quite sensible.”
It is not yet clear if travellers are required to undergo a COVID-19 test upon arrival in NSW.
Under the plan announced today, people who have received both doses of a coronavirus vaccine approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration will be required to take a COVID-19 test before boarding a flight and show proof of full vaccination. There will be no caps on fully vaccinated arrivals.
The government said in a press release that “further advice about testing requirements for arrivals will be provided in the coming days”.
Hotel quarantine will remain in place for the unvaccinated, and places will be capped at 210 people per week.
Dutton backs net zero emissions
By David Crowe
Defence Minister Peter Dutton has backed the need to endorse a climate target of net zero emissions by 2050, but says the Nationals must be given time in the coming days to decide whether they can accept the goal.
“From my perspective, I want net zero 2050, but I want to do it, particularly from a state perspective like mine, where we can have certainty for those communities,” Mr Dutton, the Liberal Party’s most senior Queensland cabinet minister, told Channel Nine earlier this morning.
Peter Dutton, the Liberal Party’s most senior Queensland cabinet minister, said he backs a target of net zero emissions by 2050.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
“That is what the Nats are fighting for and that is what the Coalition has always fought for, and it’s why we won those seats at the last election.
“We will get the balance right. I think we can arrive at an agreement and this will happen over the next few days, but I think it’s incredibly important that the Nats are allowed to have their party room [meeting], to discuss it, to air all of these issues.”
Mr Dutton accused Labor of sending mixed signals by saying one thing to voters in the cities and another to regional voters worried about the loss of coal exports, but he made it clear he was one of the voices in favour of net zero in federal cabinet.
“We want to see electric vehicles, we want to see renewables. We want to see industries that are sustainable, we don’t want to destroy jobs and our economy which is what Labor is promising to do at the moment,” he said.
Labor deputy leader Richard Marles said the Government had stalled on climate action for years and was now waiting on the Nationals to decide what its policy would be.
“We need to be thinking about the jobs that we are going to lose if we don’t take up the opportunity of really developing renewable energy,” Mr Marles said, in his weekly appearance on Nine with Mr Dutton.
“We need to be thinking about the warnings that have been given to us about how a global economy will penalise us if we don’t move down the path of zero net emissions by 2050, and what that means in terms of jobs right across the country.
“This shouldn’t be anywhere near as hard as it is. And it’s because the government’s party room is in complete disarray and, at the end of the day, that is a function of Scott Morrison’s utter inability to lead.”
‘Foolish’ to assume Victoria’s jab mandate will be over soon: Health Minister
By Cassandra Morgan
Health Minister Martin Foley says public health orders mandating vaccinations for the state’s authorised workers will be in place for a “substantial period of time, well into 2022”.
He said those who refused to get vaccinated because they anticipated the mandate would ease were taking a “huge and foolish risk”.
From today, Victoria’s essential workers – such as teachers and journalists – have to have at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine in order to attend work.
“If you think that the expiration of these current orders will see that obligation mysteriously vanished, it will be in place for a substantial period of time, well into 2022,” Mr Foley said at today’s coronavirus update.
“We have to deliver those booster shots. We have to continue to make sure that as we open up internationally, we have in place restrictions and safeguards ... that return us to the kind of lifestyle that we had, as close as possible [to] pre-pandemic, but it has to be done safely.
“And the key to that safety is being double dose vaccinated. And if you choose to place yourself outside of that system, then you have to be prepared to wear the consequences of your actions [are].”
Mr Foley reiterated there were fines in place for businesses that did not comply with the vaccination mandate for all authorised workers. It was largely up to employers to cite and appropriately manage their staff members’ proof of vaccinations.
The day’s headlines at a glance
By Michaela Whitbourn and Broede Carmody
Good afternoon and welcome to our live coverage of the day’s events. If you are just joining us now, here’s what you need to know:
- NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has departed from national cabinet’s reopening plan and announced that fully vaccinated international travellers will not have to complete hotel or home quarantine upon arrival in the state from November 1. The decision is likely to put him on a collision course with other state and territory leaders.
- Mr Perrottet said “we can’t control the quarantine requirements of other states” as he sought to lure international travellers to NSW. Under the plan, people who have received both doses of a coronavirus vaccine approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration will be required to take a COVID-19 test before boarding a flight and show proof of full vaccination. The government said in a press release that “further advice about testing requirements for arrivals will be provided in the coming days”. There will be no caps on fully vaccinated arrivals. Hotel quarantine will remain in place for the unvaccinated, and places will be capped at 210 people per week.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet (centre) on Friday.Credit:James Brickwood
- Radio 2GB reported this morning that Mr Perrottet did not consult Prime Minister Scott Morrison before announcing the quarantine changes. Mr Morrison had previously described home quarantine as a key plank in the national plan to reopen international borders and allow fully vaccinated Australians to travel overseas and return home without spending 14 days in hotel quarantine. A pilot home quarantine program in Greater Sydney, announced by the NSW and federal governments in September, reduced the home isolation period to seven days. Mr Perrottet said this morning that “we’ve had numerous discussions with the federal government and we want to open up” and, as well as welcoming Australians returning from overseas, “we’re going to get tourists back as quickly as possible”.
- NSW is poised to pass the 80 per cent double-dose vaccination target this weekend for people aged 16 and over, triggering a further relaxation of restrictions for the fully vaccinated. Restrictions on visitors to homes, outdoor gatherings, rules for hospitality venues and caps for weddings and funerals will all be eased from Monday for fully vaccinated people. But the Premier announced that travel between Greater Sydney and regional NSW would be put on hold until November 1. You can read more about the changes here.
The wreck of the Plutus lies in the crystal clear winter waters off Currarong on NSW South Coast. Travel between Greater Sydney and regional NSW has been pushed back until November 1.Credit:Nick Moir
- NSW recorded 399 new local cases of COVID-19 and four deaths. Today’s daily case number is down from yesterday’s 406 local cases. There are now 677 coronavirus patients in NSW hospitals, down from yesterday’s total of 711. Of the 677 people currently in hospital, 145 are in intensive care. Community transmission of the virus in some regions is continuing to rise, with 79 cases reported in the Hunter New-England area on Friday.
- The four people who died in the state were aged between their 50s and their 80s, including a fully vaccinated man in his 70s with underlying health conditions who died at Campbelltown Hospital, where he acquired his infection. This is the sixth death linked to an outbreak at the hospital. A fully vaccinated woman in her 80s who was a resident of the Allity Beechwood Aged Care Facility, where she acquired her infection, died at St George Hospital. This is eighth death linked to an outbreak at this facility. A man in his 50s, who was not vaccinated, died at St Vincent’s Hospital. A woman in her 80s who had received one dose of a coronavirus vaccine died at Liverpool Hospital.
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley.Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui
- Victoria has recorded 2179 new, locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and six deaths. Today’s total is down from yesterday’s national record of 2297 cases. The six people who died are as follows: three men in their 80s from the Brimbank, Darebin and Boroondara local government areas; two women in their 80s, one from Hume and one from Moreland; and a woman in her 50s from Moonee Valley. Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said there are 695 people in hospital with COVID-19 in Victoria. Of those, 157 are in intensive care, and 101 are on a ventilator.
Mildura’s lockdown has been extended by seven days. Mildura is a regional city in Victoria’s north west and lies on the banks of the Murray River, close to NSW. Another 34 cases were recorded in the region in the past 24 hours.
Fully vaccinated international travellers arriving in Melbourne from quarantine-free Sydney will be able to enter Melbourne before regional travel is permitted within the state.Credit:Louie Douvis
- Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said the state will push ahead with building its quarantine facility in Mickleham, in Melbourne’s northern fringe, even though NSW is preparing to scrap quarantine for fully vaccinated international travellers from November 1. The change of rules in NSW raises the prospect that returned international travellers will be able to enter Melbourne from Sydney in early November, before regional travel is permitted within Victoria. From 11.59pm on Tuesday, October 19, people from NSW “red zones” will have to test negative to COVID-19 no more than 72 hours prior to them entering Victoria. Once they are in the state, they must isolate, get tested again within 72 hours, and stay isolated until they receive a negative test result. People who are not fully vaccinated in NSW red zones will still have to quarantine for 14 days.
Canberra’s lockdown ended at 11.59pm last night.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
- Queensland has recorded its 11th consecutive day of zero local cases of coronavirus. However, local health authorities reported two cases from outside the state earlier today (although they are deemed to be low risk). One case was a flight crew member who was routinely tested while transiting through Brisbane Airport and tested positive after they had left. Another was a truck driver who came up from Victoria through Goondiwindi, in southern Queensland, before driving to Ipswich. The truck driver is now at Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane’s northern suburbs.
The ACT has recorded 35 new cases of COVID-19 and one death as Canberrans exited lockdown at 11.59pm last night. A seventh resident at the Calvary Haydon aged care facility, a woman in her 70s, has died after acquiring the virus at the home. Sixteen people are in hospital with the virus in the ACT and eight are in intensive care. While the strict lockdown has ended in the ACT, a number of restrictions are still in place. You can read more about those restrictions here. ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said “some people are back at work today but it will be a gradual return with more significant changes to occur towards the end of the month”.
Broede Carmody is signing off on the blog for today. I’m Michaela Whitbourn and I’ll keep you informed of the latest news throughout the afternoon and evening.
Bill Clinton in hospital
By Broede Carmody
Former US president Bill Clinton is in hospital with a suspected blood infection, according to media reports.
American broadcaster CNN says the 42nd president, who was in office from 1993 to 2001, has been in hospital since Tuesday, US time.
Former US president Bill Clinton is in hospital with a suspected blood infection. Credit:Getty
We’ll have more information when it comes to hand.
Victoria pushing ahead with quarantine facility despite NSW’s announcement
By Cassandra Morgan
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley says the state will push ahead with building its quarantine facility in Mickleham, in Melbourne’s northern fringe, even though NSW is preparing to scrap quarantine for fully vaccinated international travellers from November 1.
Speaking during Friday’s coronavirus update, Mr Foley shrugged off questions about NSW’s announcement, saying their quarantine system was between them and the Commonwealth government.
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley. Credit:Jason South
“In regards to the international border system, we’ve signed up to the process that the national cabinet has put in place,” Mr Foley said.
“If national cabinet takes a different view then we’ll be part of that process as well.”
Mr Foley noted that the change in NSW meant people could soon essentially fly from London to NSW, and then get into Victoria without quarantining for 14 days, if they are fully vaccinated.
“[International travellers] have to comply with the permit systems that apply in the Victorian circumstance.
“I’m sure other states will be facing exactly the same issue. But what NSW do is a matter for NSW, we’ll make sure that we put the interests of Victorians in the national context of what national cabinet’s approach to international borders is, and we’ll work through that, as we always do.”
ACT records 35 new cases of COVID-19, one death as lockdown ends
By Michaela Whitbourn
The ACT has recorded 35 new cases of COVID-19 and one death as Canberrans exited lockdown at 11.59pm last night.
A seventh resident at the Calvary Haydon aged care facility, a woman in her 70s, has died after acquiring the virus at the home.
Sixteen people are in hospital with the virus in the ACT and eight are in intensive care.
While the strict lockdown has ended in the ACT, a number of restrictions are still in place. Masks are still required indoors and outdoors unless eating or drinking.
Licensed venues, cafes and restauarants are allowed to serve one person per four square metres or 25 people — whichever is less — indoors.
That figure rises to 50 people or one person per four square metres — whichever is less — outdoors.
Five people are allowed to visit another household and 25 people can gather outdoors.
Significant restrictions are still in place on retail premises. Essential and non-essential retail businesses are allowed to have two people from the same household in-store at a time, provided they have made an appointment.
Non-essential retail is expected to continue using click and collect and click and delivery services.
A breakdown of Victoria’s new COVID-19 cases
By Cassandra Morgan
Victorian COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar has just provided a breakdown of the state’s 2179 new local cases.
This is what he had to say:
- In Melbourne’s northern suburbs, there are 585 cases;
- In the western suburbs, 669 cases;
- In the south-eastern suburbs, 616 cases;
- In the eastern suburbs, 100 cases;
- In regional Victoria, 193 cases: including 26 in Shepparton, 28 in Greater Geelong, 21 in Latrobe, 20 in Baw Baw and 34 in Mildura; and
- Another 16 cases.
Mr Weimar said 88 per cent of Victorians over the age of 16 have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 63 per cent are fully vaccinated.
For people aged 12 to 15 years old, seven out of 10 have had their first dose, according to Mr Weimar.
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2021-10-15 03:00:02Z
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