Australia news LIVE NSW records fifth death as state records 98 new local COVID-19 cases Victoria lockdown extended as exposure sites pass 300
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Masked and dutifully keeping their distance, locals from Sydney’s pandemic hot zone of Hurlstone Park were eager to abide by a new set of restrictions on Monday.
The only problem was every resident in the suburb’s sleepy main street, where customers and shopkeepers are on a first-name basis, seemed to have a different version of what the rules were.
Simon Lakis of Kylon Eatery and Specialty Coffee in Hurlstone Park. Credit:Wolter Peeters
Simon Lakis, the owner of Kylon Eatery, said he initially thought he would have to close his cafe when tough new restrictions were announced for the local government area of Canterbury-Bankstown, because he lived in another unaffected part of Sydney.
He had begun ringing his employees telling them not to come to work when he was informed by a friend he could remain open.
“I was running around like a madman,†he recalled. “The government is doing everything they can ...[but] the messages weren’t clear.â€
Confusion and chaos have characterised the 72 hours since tougher restrictions were imposed on Canterbury-Bankstown, as well as Fairfield and Liverpool local government areas.
On Monday some residents were still under the belief they were ring-fenced inside the council area entirely, even though it has since emerged they can leave for exercise or essential shopping.
Many still thought that COVID-19 surveillance tests were required every three days for workers leaving the Canterbury-Bankstown LGA; but that rule only applies in neighbouring Fairfield.
Read the full story here.
For four days straight, TikTok comedian Jon-Bernard Kairouz correctly predicted the number of NSW cases the night before the Premier announced them at her 11am press conferences.
But his streak came to an end on Monday, when Gladys Berejiklian revealed there were 98 cases on Sunday â€" not 109 as Kairouz announced on Sunday night.
TikTok comedian Jon-Bernard Kairouz (left) inaccurately predicts Monday’s numbers.
Kairouz’ videos have been a welcome intervention for an exponentially growing list of followers across TikTok, Instagram and Twitter â€" whether that’s to learn the day’s new case numbers earlier than 11am, or just as a light distraction from the drudgery of lockdown life.
Since last week, when Kairouz made his second correct “prediction†in a row, he’s attracted media attention, plenty of new fans, and a few detractors, with numerous appearances on TV, radio and print.
But the government hasn’t looked so kindly on the comedian’s efforts to bring NSW the numbers.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard on Monday denied suggestions NSW Health had set up a “sting†to catch the insider thought to be leaking the numbers to Kairouz.
Read more here.
Victorian authorities have identified another five COVID-19 exposure sites, bringing the total in the state to 308. Four of the new exposure sites are in Fitzroy in Melbourne’s inner-north.
They are “tier 2″, meaning anyone who visited as a casual contact has to get tested and isolate until they return a negative result.
The fifth new site is in Mildura, where more than 40 staff at Mildura Base Public Hospital were sent into isolation after a positive case was treated at the emergency department on Saturday night.
That site is also tier 2. The new exposure sites identified are among 31 listed by authorities on Monday.
St Vincent’s Hospital flagged early on Monday that Courtyard 55 Cafe would be listed as an exposure site after a confirmed case visited its Fitzroy campus on Friday. The cafe is next to the main hospital building.
War veteran Ben Roberts-Smith’s defamation trial against The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald will resume next week to hear urgent evidence from four Afghan witnesses in Kabul, as the newspapers warned there was a risk of a Taliban-led terrorist attack in the capital city.
Sydney’s growing cluster of COVID-19 cases led Federal Court Justice Anthony Besanko to call a four-week halt last month to the trial, which had entered the fourth week of what is anticipated to be a run of up to 10 weeks.
Ben Roberts-Smith arrives at the Federal Court in June.Credit:Dominic Lorrimer
Justice Besanko had foreshadowed the trial might be able to resume on Monday, July 26, but the lockdown in Greater Sydney will not end until July 30 at the earliest.
On Monday, Justice Besanko said he would allow the trial to resume on July 26 for the limited purpose of hearing from the Afghan witnesses, who are living in a safe house in Kabul awaiting the call to give evidence.
New Zealand has extended the suspension of its travel bubble with Victoria, with the situation set to be reviewed again on Wednesday.
The country’s Ministry of Health announced last week its travel bubble with Victoria would be paused for at least four days, in light of Victoria’s developing COVID situation.
After reviewing the suspension on Monday, the ministry said, “a better understanding is still needed of the developing situation in Victoria, including the number and pattern of COVID-19 casesâ€.
“Victoria remains in lockdown and, with a growing number of people considered linked to the outbreak, Australian health authorities advise that further announcements for the state are expected tomorrow,†the ministry said in a statement.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said on Monday that the state’s lockdown will be extended past Wednesday as it continues to try to get ahead of its COVID-19 outbreak.
Major developers and peak building industry bodies have slammed the NSW government’s decision to put the brakes on construction work, labelling it an over-reach that will cost the economy billions of dollars and lead to substantial job losses.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced on Saturday that construction would be halted for two weeks, in a move to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Construction workers were forced to down tools from today. Credit:Rhett Wyman
However, industry groups have accused the government of blindsiding the building sector, warning that it will result in a trail of litigation that could take years to resolve. Industry representatives were sitting down with the NSW government on this afternoon to make their case for a staged reopening over the next fortnight.
Urban Taskforce boss Tom Forrest said the hasty decision, made without consultation, reeked of a government in panic.
“There is simply no evidence base to support the decision to close down the entire construction industry 100 per cent,†he said.
Earlier today, Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant admitted she had not given advice to shut down the sector.
Read more here.
Towns in north-west Victoria face a nervous wait to see whether they will record their first-ever COVID-19 infections as health authorities stepped up their response in Mildura after testing clinics in the area were overwhelmed today.
More than 40 staff at Mildura Base Public Hospital were sent into isolation after a positive case was treated at the emergency department on Saturday night.
Queues at the testing clinic in Mildura on Sunday afternoon.
One of Victoria’s new cases reported this morning was a household contact of the COVID-positive Mildura man. There are now more than 11 exposure sites in Mildura.
Nine News reported queues to get tested at clinics in Mildura stretched 1.5 kilometres on Monday morning, with some eager for a test getting turned away.
The state’s Chief Health Officer said on Monday evening that authorities had deployed new testing sites in the area, including at the Mildura Recreation Reserve. Nine News reported one of those sites was at capacity within 15 minutes on Monday.
The Chief Health Officer said an online community forum would be held in Mildura on Monday night, with presentations from Mildura’s Mayor Jason Modica, the Department of Health, and the local public health unit.
Read more here.
There is now one COVID-19 case in hospital in Victoria, up from zero yesterday, the state’s Chief Health Officer has confirmed.
This comes as Victorians are uncertain when the lockdown will end, after Premier Daniel Andrews said “we will not be ready†to open up on Wednesday.
There were 16 new cases announced today, including from an inner-city cafe, two CBD pubs and last week’s Wallabies match at AAMI Park.
Read more about Victoria’s COVID-19 situation here.
Western Australian health officials have confirmed the eight symptomatic crew members aboard a cargo ship docked in Fremantle have tested positive for COVID-19.
The six remaining seafarers will be tested later today.
The BBC California docked this morning after leaving Egypt last month and stopping at three ports in virus-stricken Indonesia on July 11. The crew members started showing signs of sickness from July 12.
Read more here.
Nagging fears that have underscored Kirribilli resident Alex Allen’s daily interactions for months were pushed aside by a sense of relief, and a little bit of hope, on Monday morning.
Leaving the new mass vaccination hub on Pitt Street in Sydney’s CBD, where he had joined a short queue to receive his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine shortly after 9am, Mr Allen said he felt “really relievedâ€.
People queuing for the new mass vaccination hub in Sydney’s CBD have their temperature checked on Monday morning. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer
“Simple things, like walking the dog and someone’s running past without a mask and you think, ‘Have they got it?’â€
Mr Allen was among dozens of people who lined up metres from Pitt Street Mall on the hub’s first day of operations, as NSW’s COVID-19 outbreak grew by 98 cases and lockdown restrictions tightened on Monday.
The clinic was one of two mass vaccination hubs to open in NSW on Monday, as the NSW government pushes towards vaccinating 200,000 people per week.
Read more here.
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