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NZ maps road out of lockdown
The New Zealand government has released a road map to reduce lockdown restrictions in Auckland.
The three-step plan was announced by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday, as Auckland entered its eighth week of lockdown, and the government struggles to eliminate the Delta strain of COVID-19.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has released a roadmap out of lockdownCredit:Getty
“These changes are unlikely to contribute to uncontrolled growth in the outbreak, but we will monitor the situation very carefully to give us confidence as we move,” Ardern said.
Auckland will move to the “first step” from 11:59pm on Tuesday when outdoor “catch-ups” will be allowed in groups of 10 from two households. Recreation around the city, such as going to the beach, can resume.
In step two, public facilities such as libraries, pools, zoos and shops can reopen. Cafés and food courts can offer takeaway services.
In step three, hospitality venues, hairdressers and other “close contact businesses” will open with a 50-person limit. Indoor gatherings will be permitted.
The country recorded 29 new cases on Monday, all in Auckland except for one in Waikato.
Victoria hit with hail, damaging winds on the way
By Ashleigh McMillan
Victoria is being hit with a spring soaking this afternoon, with hail reported across Melbourne’s inner and eastern suburbs and damaging winds on the way for elevated and coastal areas of the state.
The Bureau of Meteorology has already received reports of “significant” hail, particularly in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, with some hailstones as large as 1cm in diameter.
According to BOM senior forecaster Christie Johnson, the hail came ahead of a much larger front, which will bring more showers to Melbourne later tonight.
She said the unstable air ahead of the main rain band meant there were already “showers and thunderstorms popping up across the state”.
“We’ve got a cold front moving into state, and these showers and storms are just ahead of the front which is going to reach the city tonight,” Ms Johnson said.
“There will be a lot of wind around. These storms can bring wind gusts - they likely won’t reach the ‘damaging winds’ threshold - but in general these gusts can be in the 70km/h to 80km/h range.”
A severe weather warning for damaging winds has been issued for people in parts of Central, East Gippsland, South West, North East, West and South Gippsland and Wimmera forecast districts.
Watch live: WA Health Minister provides a COVID-19 update
Western Australia Health Minister Roger Cook is providing a COVID-19 update. You can watch it live below.
Today’s headlines so far
Good afternoon, thanks for sticking with us. I’m Daniella White and I’ll be taking over the blog to take you through the rest of the day’s news.
If you’re just tuning in, here’s what’s made headlines so far today:
Sydneysiders enjoy long weekend sunshine, asked to ‘take care’
Sydneysiders are making the most of the Labour Day public holiday in the sunshine, as the city prepares for lockdown restrictions to ease next Monday.
Photographers Peter Rae and James Brickwood have captured the crowds at Coogee Beach in the eastern suburbs and North Curl Curl Beach on the northern beaches respectively.
The Bureau of Meteorology forecast a sunny end to the long weekend in Sydney and a maximum temperature of 28 degrees.
Crowds on Coogee Beach in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.Credit:Peter Rae
The Murray family enjoying the surf at North Curl Curl Beach on the Labour Day public holiday. Credit:James Brickwood
Earlier, NSW Health’s Dr Jeremy McAnulty reminded residents the number of fully vaccinated adults who can gather outdoors together remains at five, and also urged people to “please take care of each other”.
In greater Sydney, exercise and outdoor recreation is limited to a five-kilometre radius from home or within your local government area. The travel limit will be scrapped from October 11, allowing many more people to make the most of the beaches leading into summer.
Victoria adds aged care clinic, regional gyms to exposure site list
By Cassandra Morgan
A ward at a specialist aged care clinic in Melbourne’s south east has been added as a tier-1 or close contact exposure site over a five-day period to Sunday.
Ward 5S of the Kingston Centre at Cheltenham has been listed as a venue of concern owing to an exposure from September 29 to 11.59pm on Sunday evening.
The facility is operated by Monash Health and provides specialist health care and support services to older people.
Meanwhile two gyms at Shepparton in regional Victoria have been listed as tier-1 or close contact exposure sites.
Shepparton’s MFS 24/7 Gym was this morning listed as a tier-1 site between 4.30pm and 5.45pm from Monday, September 27 through to Wednesday, September 29.
This afternoon, another four time periods were identified as tier-1 at the gym:
- Sunday, September 26 between 3.30pm and 4.45pm;
- Tuesday, September 28 between 4pm and 5.15pm;
- Wednesday, September 29 between 11.40am and 1.15pm;
- Thursday, September 30 between 11.30am and 1.15pm.
Shepparton’s F45 Training gym was also added as a tier-1 exposure site for a three-hour exposure (5am to 8.15am) last Monday.
Thrive Bulk Wholefoods at Eltham in Melbourne’s north east has also been identified as a tier-2 site.
A full list of Victorian exposure sites can be found here.
Hunt backs PM on hospital funding, denies recognition of Sinovac was political
By Mary Ward
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has defended the money given to hospitals as sufficient, as states and territories prepare for an upswing in COVID-19 cases when restrictions ease and borders reopen later this year.
Last week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison rejected state and territory calls for more hospital funding, saying the pandemic should “not be used as an excuse for shakedown politics”.
“We already provide 50:50 funding for additional COVID expenditure in hospitals; we’ve provided $6.3 billion as part of their COVID hospital funding split,” Mr Hunt said, noting that agreement was ongoing.
Mr Hunt was also asked about the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s decision to recognise the Chinese Sinovac vaccine in returned overseas travellers.
The recognition, which has also been extended to AstraZeneca’s Indian Covidshield vaccine, means people entering Australia who have received the Chinese vaccine will be able to complete a seven-day home quarantine on arrival rather than 14 days in a hotel.
It does not mean the vaccine is approved for use in Australia.
Asked why the vaccine, which has a lower efficacy against symptomatic infection than vaccines available in Australia, had been recognised, Mr Hunt denied it was a political move to encourage people from China, including international students, to come to Australia.
“This was a without fear or favour assessment by the TGA ... their medical advice was clear and unequivocal,” he said.
Mandatory vaccinations ‘a matter for the states’: Hunt
By Mary Ward
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt says his government’s position on mandatory vaccinations has not changed, although he would not criticise recent policies introduced in NSW and Victoria requiring hundreds of thousands of people to be vaccinated in order to continue to work.
“We have maintained a position that our approach is of voluntary participation, but we have already said it is a matter for states and territories,” he said.
“It is important that people have sufficient time and access to be able to make sure they’re vaccinated, so we want to make sure that there are no critical workforce shortages, wherever that is done.”
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said the government’s approach to vaccinations is one of voluntary participation. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer
Last week, Victoria expanded vaccination mandates to take in about 1.2 million authorised workers.
In NSW, the shot is mandatory for health staff, and a number of workers from hotspots in Sydney’s west were required to have one dose of the vaccine to return to their jobs.
Vaccinations have also been mandatory in the aged care sector, which is overseen by the federal government, since mid-September.
Mr Hunt said 99.4 per cent of aged care staff were now at least partially vaccinated.
“Every Australian has to assume that at some point they’ll be exposed to COVID, so the best reason to be vaccinated is to save your life,” he added.
Follow Australia’s progress via our COVID-19 vaccine tracker here.
How are your post-lockdown nerves?
By Sophie Aubrey
We’re hearing there are a lot of different responses to restrictions easing.
While there is a lot of excitement, there is also some angst.
Sarah Berry, the lifestyle health editor at The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, is keen to talk to people who are feeling some anxiety and fear about reopening, or even feel ambivalent, perhaps after finding a good rhythm to life in lockdown.
Get in touch via the tip box below, or email: sarah.berry@smh.com.au
Victorian Education Minister confident ‘vast majority’ of teachers will be vaccinated
By Cassandra Morgan
Victorian Education Minister James Merlino says he has great confidence that the vast majority of teachers in the state will get vaccinated against COVID-19 in line with the mandate.
Teachers and other school staff in Victoria have to receive a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by October 18, and a second dose by November 29 to continue working unless they have an exemption.
During today’s coronavirus update, Mr Merlino said authorities had conducted a survey, which so far had 40,000 respondents - about 98 per cent of whom said they were vaccinated.
“I’ve got great confidence that the vast, vast majority of teachers and staff will get vaccinated in adherence to the requirements set down by the public health direction,” Mr Merlino said.
“This is a critical intervention, and teachers and staff know it. They are there to protect themselves, and to protect the kids in [their schools].
“There will be a small minority of course in every, in every single sector ... who do not want to get vaccinated, and if that’s the case in schools, they will not be attending school.”
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2021-10-04 04:17:23Z
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