What we learned today, Friday 8 January
This is where we’ll leave the blog for today. Here is the main news on a fairly newsy day:
- Brisbane is entering a three-day lockdown after a cleaner at a quarantine hotel tested positive to a more infectious variant of Covid-19 on Thursday.
- National cabinet agreed on a tranche of new measures to control the spread of Covid-19 from quarantine to the community, including mandatory tests for people travelling to Australia from overseas.
- There will also be a cut in the number of people allowed to return to Australia, with numbers in New South Wales, Western Australia and Queensland reduced until 15 February.
- NSW recorded four new locally-acquired cases, with no other community-acquired cases detected in Australia.
Thanks for reading along. Take a look at our global live blog to keep up with the latest news from around the world:
Updated
Victoria’s Covid-19 response commander, Jeroen Weimar, is on radio station 3AW talking about those in Queensland who want to come/return to Victoria. They should do it soon, unless they’re in Brisbane, he reckons.
NOW | Victoria's COVID-19 Response Commander Jeroen Weimar's advice to Victorians in Queensland.
— 3AW Melbourne (@3AW693) January 8, 2021
"If you are in greater Brisbane, stay there.
"At this point, there is no closure of other parts of Queensland. "My advice would be start making plans to come home."
Updated
WA fire and emergency services incident controller Sven Andersen is giving an update on bushfires north of Perth from the town of Gingin.
He says they have been downgraded to a “watch and act” warning, meaning firefighters are confident it is under control.
It could have been far worse, he said, with the fire pulled up within a kilometre of a housing estate.
But Andersen says today will still be a big test, and conditions could be difficult tomorrow, with firefighters expected to be working at the fire for the next five days.
“It’s a credit to them all. It’s hard work really so we are doing our best to make sure that they are hydrated and fed and that we are looking after their welfare.”
During the Victorian lockdown, I think we all had suspicions about non-mask wearers who appeared to be lingering over a beer/water/coffee just a little too long ... they’re not standing for it at the SCG, apparently.
Tales of the pandemic: cricket edition.
— Adam Peacock (@adampeacock3) January 8, 2021
A spectator has been booted from the SCG for not drinking enough.
Police officer said either drink more or leave your mask on for longer.
Spectator remained between the two worlds, escorted out!
Updated
The Victorian government has added another exemption to its list of reasons why people can apply to return to the state from NSW.
People can apply for an exemption if they “haven’t been in a part of NSW since it was classed as a red or hot zone”. This means those who were in NSW but not in any of the areas linked to Covid-19 clusters (so basically not the northern beaches, or parts of western Sydney and the central coast) can apply for an exemption on that basis.
Again, as mentioned earlier this week, there is a difference between an exemption (for people who are in NSW since the border has closed) and a permit (for those who wish to transit through NSW from Queensland or the ACT).
The details are here.
The Victorian government is saying that those who are in the Covid-19 hotspots around Brisbane should stay there for the next three days (and that nobody in Victoria should be travelling to them) but it is not formally introducing any restrictions at this time.
If you’re a Victorian who’s been in a hotspot area, stay there, @VicGovDHHS says pic.twitter.com/Cwvw6ybdXP
— Sumeyya Ilanbey (@sumeyyailanbey) January 8, 2021
And sorry to bring that mood back down again, but people.
Brisbane, there is no need to panic buy today. Police are responding to traffic congestion and crowd issues around shops across the South East. Please be considerate of others, social distance and wear a mask in public. pic.twitter.com/0nr8ITZnea
— Queensland Police (@QldPolice) January 8, 2021
It is Friday afternoon and it has been a mighty heavy week so you should read this from Brigid Delaney to lighten your mood a little.
The Sydney Festival has assured Guardian Australia it is adhering to social distancing rules, despite a number of patrons attending last night’s production of Force Majeure’s The Last Season at the Carriageworks in Eveleigh commenting about what appeared to be an almost capacity crowd.
Complete strangers were seated next to each other with less than half a metre between them, and although masks are mandatory for everyone over 12, because patrons are allowed to take their drinks into the theatre, many went unmasked for the duration of the performance as they watched and sipped.
All festival patrons are seated in line with current NSW Public Health regulations, a festival spokesperson told the Guardian.
“The current regulations allow patrons to be seated alongside each other [but] patrons may not move between seats unless directed by an usher,” he said.
The venue adhered to the current 75% capacity rule he added.
Updated
Also this on the scores of people fleeing Brisbane ahead of the 6pm lockdown (could just be commuters getting out early too, I guess?).
Bumper to bumper conditions on the Gateway Motorway northbound this afternoon as commuters leave #Brisbane early this afternoon. Please remain patient and drive to conditions. #RACQTrafficAdvice pic.twitter.com/3AyT31zzZm
— RACQ (@RACQOfficial) January 8, 2021
Updated
It appears there’s quite the exodus from Brisbane towards the Sunshine Coast, only hours before that lockdown comes into effect.
We're seeing peak hour-like conditions between Brisbane and the #SunshineCoast. There's heavy congestion on the Bruce Highway as commuters leave #Brisbane early ahead of lockdown. Please pack your patience and drive to conditions in the wet weather also! #RACQTrafficAdvice pic.twitter.com/sb7ZHl97qm
— RACQ (@RACQOfficial) January 8, 2021
The ACT has just announced restrictions on people in Brisbane coming to the territory. From 3pm today, those from the greater Brisbane area won’t be allowed to return to the ACT (you can apply for an exemption if you need to get back). There are some other restrictions or measures in place for people who have already returned. All the details here.
Chief minister Andrew Barr said the measures were being taken to support the measures taken by the Queensland government.
He also spoke about Covid-19 fragments being found in the Ulladulla wastewater plant, on the NSW south coast. That region is incredibly popular with holidaymakers from the ACT, so Barr is just making sure people are aware that they should get tested if they notice any symptoms.
Updated
Mandatory masks in airports 'common sense', Australian Airports Association says
Making face masks mandatory in airports is a “common sense” decision, the Australian Airports Association (AAA) reckon.
Interestingly, the association surveyed 500 Australians between 14-18 December and found:
- 83% would wear a face mask travelling domestically.
- 71% would be more confident to fly domestically if face masks were mandatory.
- 89% would support mandatory face masks in international airport terminals.
- 82% were willing to undergo a rapid Covid test before travelling internationally.
All these measures were announced after the national cabinet meeting today.
AAA chief executive James Goodwin says any protocol which improves safety and increases public confidence is a good thing.
All travellers should arrive at the airport prepared with their own mask,” Goodwin said.
“It is important the government works cooperatively with the aviation sector to develop these new regulations and assist with the implementation.
“Airports have been and will continue to assist governments and the nation during the pandemic despite significant drops in revenue.
“We want passengers travelling through airports to feel safe. Wearing a mask for the traveller’s own safety and the safety of others, should become second nature.
“It is also important that aviation workers are prioritised in the initial roll out of Australia’s vaccination program given their exposure to potentially infected international travellers.”
Updated
Prime minister Scott Morrison said earlier today that the state and territory leaders at the national cabinet meeting were largely in complete agreement about the stricter measures that have been implemented.
NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian (who has been on leave this week but was expected to take part in the meeting) is certainly a fan of the cut in international arrivals.
Strongly support the reduction in the number of returning overseas travellers to Sydney in the next little while until we understand new strains of COVID.
— Gladys Berejiklian (@GladysB) January 8, 2021
Updated
Queensland Health have also just released more details about Covid-19 fragments found at wastewater treatment plants in South Brisbane, Townsville, Hervey Bay and Maryborough.
The samples were collected from the plants this week, but may not mean there are new cases in those locations.
Here’s part of that statement:
Fragments of Covid-19 have been detected in sewerage at four more sites in Queensland.
It comes as the state records nine new Covid-19 cases today, all of which were acquired overseas and detected while in hotel quarantine.
Queensland chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said viral fragments of SARS-CoV-2 had been detected at wastewater treatment plants at Gibson Island (South Brisbane), Cleveland Bay (Townsville) and Pulgul (Hervey Bay) and Maryborough.
“This does not mean we have new cases of Covid-19 in these communities, but we are treating these detections with absolute caution,” Dr Young said.
“A positive sewage result means that someone who has been infected was shedding the virus. Infected people can shed viral fragments and that shedding can happen for several weeks after the person is no longer infectious.”
The samples were collected from the wastewater treatment plants this week.
Updated
Here is a story on that Brisbane lockdown. It looks as if there has been some predictably wild scenes at supermarkets.
Updated
The decision to halve international arrivals to NSW, Western Australia and Queensland will mean a reduction of 2,500 places a week, or a total of 12,500 in the five weeks to 15 February when the measure expires.
I’ve just got an updated figure from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade that 38,000 Australians are currently registered with the department as being overseas and wanting to return to Australia.
Updated
We have a little more of the nitty gritty on how the WA border closure to Queensland will work, after a press statement just lobbed from the office of premier Mark McGowan.
I’m just going to include the chunk of the statement which specifically relates how it will work:
Following the WA Chief Health Officer’s latest health advice, Queensland will transition from a ‘very low risk’ State to a ‘medium risk’ State under WA’s controlled interstate border regime, from 12.01am tomorrow (January 9, 2021).
Anyone who has arrived into Western Australia today (January 8, 2021) from Queensland will be tested on arrival at the airport and will be required to self-quarantine immediately for 14 days, and be tested again on day 11.
Effective immediately, anyone who has arrived from Queensland since January 2 or was in Queensland from January 2 and has since arrived in WA will be required to do the following: self-quarantine in a suitable premise until you have spent 14 days in WA; present for an initial Covid-19 test by Tuesday, January 12; present for a Covid-19 test if any symptoms develop during quarantine; present for a Covid-19 test on day 11 after arrival in WA (if still in WA).
Anyone who has arrived from Queensland since January 2 will be contacted by WA Police with these instructions, as a result of the G2G Pass declaration system in place in WA.
For anyone who has come into contact with someone who recently arrived from Queensland, they do not need to self-quarantine and only need to be tested for COVID-19 if symptoms develop.
Travel from Queensland will no longer be permitted, unless you are an exempt traveller. This also applies to anyone who may have been in Queensland since January 2 and has not completed 14 days in a lower risk State or Territory. The exemption list is limited to: certain senior Government officials; certain active military personnel; a member of the Commonwealth Parliament; a person carrying out functions under a law of the Commonwealth; a person responsible for transport freight or logistics; and anyone who is given approval by State Emergency Coordinator or an authorised officer.
The final category includes compassionate reasons - including those Western Australians that may have travelled to Queensland recently and need to return to WA.
These people will be assessed by WA Police and will be required to complete 14 days of self-quarantine and be tested for COVID-19 on arrival and on day 11.
Updated
AMA: UK variant greater risk of breaking out of hotel quarantine and fast action needed
The Australian Medical Association is backing the changes announced by prime minister Scott Morrison after today’s national cabinet meeting.
The association is also urging the government not to rush the vaccine through the approval process.
Here’s what AMA president Dr Omar Khorshid had to say in a statement that’s just been released:
The appearance of the new UK strain of Covid-19 in Queensland shows the need to act quickly to head off any further outbreaks.
“This UK strain appears to be a greater risk of breaking out of hotel quarantine, and then spreading quickly to outrun and overwhelm our last lines of defence – physical distancing and testing and tracing.
“It must be stopped before it enters the community, and we commend the Queensland Government for taking strong, fast action, and national cabinet for backing those actions.
“The three-day lockdown across Brisbane and other south-east Queensland regions may not be popular. Nor may the stricter quarantine rules, and the testing of passengers before they board a plane to Australia.
“But we have seen in the past that decisive action, taken early, is the best way to stop this wicked enemy.”
Updated
As one place goes into lockdown (Brisbane) another (the northern beaches) emerges anew:
There is some doubt about the Brisbane cricket Test, given the Covid-19 situation that has unfolded in the past couple of days.
There’s a few matters outstanding, which I’d expect will be clarified throughout the day.
These matters include the Victorian position on the Brisbane lockdown, and whether that will result in a ban on people coming into the state from that area. The premier, Daniel Andrews, said earlier today he expected to announce a position after the national cabinet meeting.
Updated
So it’s been quite a busy afternoon so far, with announcements coming from national cabinet and the Western Australian premier. To recap:
- Western Australia has closed the border to Queensland.
- Every person seeking to travel from overseas to Australia will have to return a negative Covid-19 test first.
- Masks will become mandatory on flights and in airports for international and domestic travel.
- Flight crews will be subject to stricter conditions and testing.
- Quarantine workers across Australia will be subject to stricter testing requirements.
- The cap on international arrivals will be reduced to 50% of current rates in NSW, WA and Queensland, as Australia reckons with the new UK variant of the virus, until 15 February.
Updated
National cabinet will meet again on 18 January, Morrison confirmed. He also said he would be on leave from tomorrow for at least a week and the deputy prime minister, Michael McCormack, would be taking the reins.
Updated
Morrison and Kelly also reiterated during that press conference, which has just wrapped up, that the new highly infectious variant should not just be referred to as the UK variant, because of how many countries it has now been detected in.
Updated
Morrison has become emotional while discussing the release of Bali bombing mastermind Abu Bakar Bashir from prison in Indonesia, saying it’s still “very raw”.
Look, this is very distressing to the friends and families of the Australians, the 88 Australians, who were killed in the Bali bombings of 2002. I still remember that day very vividly, like I’m sure many Australians do. Over the years, where I’ve been able to, I would join the remembrance service down there in Coogee ... and come together with many others in remembrance of those who were lost ... It’s hard, and it’s gut-wrenching, having spent time with the families of those victims, of that terrible bombing. We have always called for those who were involved – not just I as prime minister, my predecessors of all political persuasions – to face tougher, proportionate and just sentences in these cases. Decisions on sentences, though, as we know, are a matter for the Indonesian justice system.
Updated
Mark McGowan: 'We need to eliminate it'
Mark McGowan said WA had introduced a hard border to all of Queensland because “the border doesn’t respect postcodes”.
He repeated his argument that Australia should pursue an elimination strategy.
“We need to eliminate it. We are an island. We need to use our advantages to eliminate the virus. The idea that you keep the virus ticking along, and you close down postcodes or you deal with a cafe or a restaurant here or a suburb there, I don’t think is right.”
All 7,500 people who arrived in WA from Queensland after 2 January will now have to self-quarantine.
They’ll get an alert on their G2G app, and emails and texts from the WA government.
McGowan said the Queensland government was right to act with caution in regards to the potential spread of the UK variant of the virus.
In Britain, it’s just a disaster. It’s a human catastrophe in Britain. And many people, particularly the elderly, will die, in Britain in large numbers. In Australia, as we know a very similar country to Britain. Very similar to the United States in many ways. And yet we have a very different outcome. And the reason we have a very different outcome is we have been highly cautious and we have used the things that define us to our advantage. Things like our isolation, our island status, our borders. If Britain had done that they would be in a much better position now.
Updated
Back to prime minister Scott Morrison and chief health officer Paul Kelly.
Kelly, and then Morrison, have agreed that the new plan announced today to test all international arrivals to Australia before they leave is not foolproof, as they could feasibly contract the virus between getting the test and arriving in Australia.
“Anyone looking for absolute guarantees in a Covid world is not going to find them,” Morrison said.
“The expectation of them being there is unrealistic. We can’t be cavalier about what the alternatives are to the approach which the chief medical officer has set out.”
Updated
Western Australia to introduce hard border with Queensland from midnight
Western Australia has introduced a hard border with Queensland, which will take effect from midnight tonight.
This was expected. WA premier Mark McGowan made the announcement in Perth a short time ago, speaking at the same time as the prime minister.
This means WA now has hard borders in place with Queensland, Victoria, and New South Wales. Anyone who attempts to enter WA from Queensland after midnight tonight will have to “meet a strict exemption category to enter WA,” and that includes WA residents returning home.
There are nine flights arriving in Perth airport from Queensland today, McGowan says, with about 1,400 people on board.
Those people will be allowed in, tested at the airport, required to self-quarantine for 14 days and tested again on day 11.
McGowan said: “My advice to those who are not West Australians returning home would be to return to Queensland unless you have personal circumstances that require you to be in WA.”
McGowan said that 7,500 people have arrived in WA from Queensland since 2 January. All of them have been asked to get a Covid-19 test, and all those tests are to be completed by Tuesday. But because it’s so hot today in Perth – 41C – McGowan said it was not safe for people to form long queues for tests today.
He then told people from WA not to leave the state. “My advice to people is don’t travel to other states of Australia unless it is absolutely necessary. Don’t leave Western Australia unless it is absolutely necessary. We are not out of the woods yet, you never know when we will have to shut down a border. And also if you go interstate, you could catch the virus.”
And added:”Obviously if this keeps happening we don’t rule out just shutting the border completely.”
WA reported no new Covid-19 cases today – particularly good news because the negative tests include the paramedic who breached PPE when transferring an 86-year-old woman who has the UK variant from hotel quarantine to hospital last week.
Three people failed to use the correct PPE when interacting with the woman. Two have now returned one negative test, a nurse who treated the woman in hotel quarantine has yet to receive a test result.
Updated
Morrison clarifies that the cut in international arrivals has not been done to ease the burden on hotel quarantine until frontline workers can get vaccinated.
The date for those arrivals to increase again to current levels – 15 February – is around the time the government said yesterday that they were hoping to start vaccinations, but Morrison says there is no connection.
“Whether that coincides or not is another matter, but that wasn’t the basis. It was, effectively, if you’re going to reduce them, there is a sort of logistical process that goes with scaling it down and then scaling it up again.”
Updated
Chief medical officer Paul Kelly is also clarifying that any Covid-19 vaccination will not be mandatory. Kelly and Morrison have both drawn comparisons with other vaccination programs, such as that for measles.
In this case I think the word requirement, rather than mandatory, is really important. We have done this, as the PM has said, for many other protections for vulnerable people in healthcare settings and aged care settings before.
Morrison on the Brisbane lockdown:
I know they will be some in Brisbane today asking why is this necessary? There is only one case. Well, this isn’t any ordinary case. This is a very special case and one that requires us to treat things quite differently until we know more and we will learn much in the next few days and what Queenslanders will be doing over the next few days, they will be doing not just for themselves and their own communities, but for the rest of the country.”
Updated
Morrison says it would be “imprudent” to make lockdowns standard every time there was a community case detected of the new UK variant, as has occurred in Brisbane.
Updated
Chief health officer Paul Kelly says his own office had to get fumigated, as a staff member had been in Brisbane during this week’s danger period. She is fine and in isolation.
These are the changes, in a slightly more digestible form:
- A negative Covid-19 test must be recorded by all people seeking to travel to Australia prior to departure, with some exceptions.
- Masks must be worn on all international and domestic flights by passengers and crew. They will also be mandatory in domestic airports and recommended in international airports.
- There will be a 50% reduction in the cap on international arrivals into NSW, Western Australia and Queensland until 15 February;
- International air crew must undergo a Covid-19 test in Australia every seven days or on arrival. Must quarantine in dedicated facilities between international flights or for 14 days; and
- Daily Covid-19 testing for hotel quarantine workers (as defined by the states and territories, could include all cleaners, security, transport staff, etc.).
Updated
Morrison said that much of what had been announced today was already done on Commonwealth chartered flights.
Morrison: 'Everyone on the same page' at national cabinet
Morrison has finished running through these changes. He says the states and territories were largely all on the same page:
What all that means is that we are working together - and I must say, it was one of those meetings where everyone was on the same page here - everybody understood what the risk was and I want to thank, again, the chief medical officer and all the state health officers for the very important work they’ve been doing in advising on this issue.
This is absolutely consistent with the medical advice that has been provided. The suggestion that Australia might be able to close off every single flight that comes to Australia was considered ... and was not recommended to the national cabinet.
Updated
Quarantine workers to be tested daily
Quarantine workers (as defined by individual state and territories) will be subject to daily testing. The national standard had previously been every seven days.
Updated
The reduction in caps on international requirements relate to NSW, WA and Queensland.
Updated
Prime minister Scott Morrison is running through changes to Covid-19 restrictions for travel as approved during the national cabinet meeting today, for those just tuning in.
The caps on international arrivals are also going to be halved in some states until 15 February.
Updated
Passengers must wear masks throughout all flights
Domestic travel: mask wearing is mandatory for all people in Australia, aside for those under 12 and some exemptions, on flights and at airports.
Updated
Passengers should also wear masks while in international airports. Flight crews coming into Australia must undertake a test every seven days.
Passengers must wear masks throughout international flights.
Updated
There are some mitigations for countries where testing is difficult, Morrison says.
Flight requirements: travellers must return a negative Covid-19 result prior to Australia.
Updated
He is talking about how the Queensland action is proportionate. He emphasises that this is how he has thought about restrictions throughout the pandemic. This was also the word used repeatedly (by federal and NSW politicians) in relation to the border closures with NSW after the northern beaches cluster.
Morrison says that 80% of Australians registered to come home from overseas are in countries where the UK strain has been found.
Updated
Morrison praises Queensland approach
Morrison again praises the approach taken in Queensland, where Brisbane has been subject to a three-day lockdown.
Updated
“It moves so quickly, far more quickly than previous strains of the virus, and that means we need to give our contact tracers a head start.”
Updated
Prime minister Scott Morrison is speaking now from Canberra
He is addressing the UK strain, which he expects will become the “dominant” strain of the virus globally.
Updated
I was waiting for Western Australian premier Mark McGowan to stand up in Perth, but he appears to have been delayed.
As we are about to go into a lengthy prime ministerial press conference, I’ll hand over now to Nino Bucci. But fret not, I’ll be back tomorrow.
Prime minister Scott Morrison is giving a press conference about today’s national cabinet meeting at 1pm.
Spurrier said anyone who arrives in South Australia from greater Brisbane today, but before midnight, will not have to quarantine but will have to be tested for Covid-19 on day one, five and 12.
Spurrier said:
They are not required to isolate, but they need to have that testing and to facilitate this we have already made plans to stand up additional testing at the Adelaide Airport. We did have a testing facility there but we have sent our people to boost that because we want to make sure everybody was coming on a flight gets tested. And I hope it is not inconvenient for people and we will try to do that as we can when people come off those flights.
However, as the premier said, this person, unfortunately this person who worked in the hotel has been infectious in the community up in that greater Brisbane area from 2 January. So we will be SMSing anybody who has travelled from that area to go and get a test as well and we will require a test as soon as possible and then a test five days later.
From midnight, as mentioned earlier, it’s 14 days quarantine.
Updated
South Australia has reported three new cases, all people in hotel quarantine.
The SA chief health officer, Prof Nicola Spurrier, said there are two people in hotel quarantine in Adelaide who have tested positive to the UK variant of the virus.
One of those might prove to be an old case and we are doing some further testing. But I want South Australia to understand that while there is that issue that is very concerning because, of course, we’ve got somebody who has been out in the Queensland community with that particular variance, we do actually have that variant here in our own state and we have to be very mindful of that and we have do not have complacency. We’ve got to still be doing hygiene, the physical distancing, the QR scans, and all of those sorts of things and getting tested today that you get any symptoms. So we still have to be very aware here in South Australia.
Updated
South Australia to require travellers from Brisbane to quarantine
Marshall said that from midnight tonight, anyone coming into SA from greater Brisbane will be required to quarantine for 14 days. But he notes that because of the lockdown in greater Brisbane, no one in that area should be travelling.
People already in SA, who have been in greater Brisbane, will be contacted and urged to get a test.
Marshall says:
It is important to also note that with regards to this case that has come to light in Brisbane, one of the hotel quarantine workers, this person has used public transport and has done shopping. A net is being put over all of the close contacts of the person at the moment but we need to be very about, in South Australia, anybody who has been in the Greater Brisbane area will receive an SMS message from SA Health today requiring them to go and get themselves tested. Anybody who has been in the Greater Brisbane area since 2 January will be required to have testing here in South Australia and those people will be advised by SMS later today. We will clearly be looking very closely at this case over the next three days.
We expect the testing in Queensland will significantly increase and we will be looking very carefully at that. And if we need to take any further action with regards to board restrictions with Queensland, then we will have no hesitation in calling a press conference in doing that immediately.
Marshall said they also decided against increasing the number of international arrivals. I’m not clear if he is commenting just on SA’s capacity here or on the national cap.
We made a decision within National Cabinet today that we would not be increasing the overall number of international repatriation flights we have coming in.
There was some pressure for states to increase their room caps, but South Australia will be remaining exactly where we have, which is at a diminished level from where we were several weeks ago, prior to the Parafield cluster.
Travellers to Australia will be required to undergo pre-flight testing; masks mandatory
Marshall says the national cabinet has adopted South Australia’s suggestion for pre-flight testing.
Masks are also now mandatory on all domestic and international flights.
Marshall said:
I’m very pleased to announce that our suggestion from South Australia, that pre-flight testing come into place has been agreed to. The Federal Government will make it clear how that rollout will occur in the coming days. Our suggestion for preflight testing ha snow been adopted by the National Cabinet.
We have also adopted a new national standard with regards to the wearing of masks on international and domestic flights. This previously was on advice people should wear them. It is now people must wear them on all domestic and international flight.
National cabinet will go back to fortnightly meetings
South Australian premier Steven Marshall is the first off the ranks to discuss the national cabinet meeting, which just wrapped up.
He said they have agreed to go back to fortnightly national cabinet meetings.
The restrictions that apply to the Sydney Test, banning people from certain Western Sydney suburbs from attending, have been extended to A-League matches.
People from the following suburbs will not be allowed to attend A-League games:
- Auburn
- Belmore
- Berala
- Birrong
- Lidcombe
- Potts Hill
- Regents Park
- Rookwood
- Wentworthville
And masks are mandatory. More in the link below.
To help prevent the spread of COVID-19 restrictions are in place for A-League Games under a Public Health Order. The following rules and restrictions will commence on 8 Jan 2021 until 31 Jan 2021.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) January 8, 2021
For more information on restrictions, please visit: https://t.co/knnh3wyGb8 pic.twitter.com/KXAnwvc6H4
Brisbane correspondent Ben Smee is in the trenches.
Quilton is always the last to go
— Ben Smee (@BenSmee) January 8, 2021
Research led by Curtin University and published in the Australian Journal of Public Administration this week found trust in the Australian and New Zealand governments increased during the pandemic, at least as of July.
Research and evaluation: 'Trust in government increased during the Covid‐19 pandemic in Australia and New Zealand' - [open access] https://t.co/43hz9E6F5g
— Melissa Davey (@MelissaLDavey) January 8, 2021
Researchers surveyed a representative sample of 500 people each in Australia and New Zealand during July, in the middle of the pandemic. The researchers found:
...trust in government has increased dramatically, with around 80% of respondents agreeing government was generally trustworthy.
Around three quarters agreed management of the pandemic had increased their trust in government. Over 85% of respondents have confidence that public health scientists work in the public interest.
The study also found income and education predicted trust in government and confidence in public health scientists, “as does voting for the political party in government”.
Updated
Queensland health has issued the following statement urgently reminding people that supermarkets will remain open and accessible throughout the entire three-day lockdown.
So cramming into them in large crowds without a mask on at the start of a lockdown prompted by fears that a highly transmissible strain of the virus may be circulating in the community? Very, very bad plan.
Here’s the statement:
Queensland Health is urgently reminding the Brisbane community that supermarkets and essential businesses will remain open during the greater Brisbane area lockdown.
From 6pm Friday 8 January to 6pm Monday 11 January the lockdown will be in place for residents, restricting movements for essential purposes only (including shopping for essentials, food and necessary supplies).
There are no concerns that supermarket supplies are at risk during this three-day period.
Those attending supermarkets, particularly during busy periods, are reminded to practice social distancing and hand hygiene, wear a mask and follow all health advice.
Updated
Brisbanites are panic buying
In Brisbane the panic buying has begun, despite a plea from Dr Jeannette Young for people to not do that. It’s three days, and you can still go to the shops while the lockdown is in place.
Anyway. This is what happens. The below photo shows a Woolworths in Wynnum, a bayside suburb of Brisbane, about an hour after the three-day lockdown was announced.
Here’s the queue inside another Woolworths in Chermside. Face masks aren’t mandatory until 6pm but Young did strongly recommend people start wearing them earlier.
And here’s the queue outside another Woolworths, this time at Camp Hill in Brisbane.
Updated
Northern Territory declares greater Brisbane a hotspot and requires travellers to quarantine
To other jurisdictions now, and the Northern Territory has followed Tasmania in introducing a travel ban against greater Brisbane.
Chief minister Michael Gunner said the greater Brisbane area has been declared a Covid-19 hotspot, effective immediately.
This means anyone arriving in the Territory today from these regions will have to enter mandatory two-week quarantine.
Unfortunately right now there are incoming flights from Brisbane about to land in Yulara and in Darwin.
People on these flights will be given the option of returning to Brisbane or entering mandatory quarantine.
Western Australian premier Mark McGowan will give a press conference at 9.45am Perth time – 12.45pm AEDT – and I’d give you short odds he will make a similar announcement.
A bit of confusing advice from acting NSW premier John Barilaro here.
He was asked about the business relief packages for the northern beaches, specifically the vouchers for hospitality venues announced yesterday. The northern beaches is one of the target areas for that.
Barilaro said:
When you think about that, there is $500m set aside in the budget to get people out and about, if we can get people out and about in the beaches to support these local businesses, that would be the greatest stimulus those businesses would like to see.
So, wait, is he advising people to go to the northern beaches? Is he concerned people will flock to the northern beaches with the nice weather this weekend?
Barilaro:
I have stood in front of you all week in my acting role in the hot seat, and one of the things I’ve learned this week is that the work that happens behind closed doors. The advice that I have received all week is not just advice that is worked up half an hour before a press conference, it is the work of our health experts, and that advice has led this government for the past 10 or 11 months to make decisions in relation to managing the Covid pandemic at the start, and now reopening the economy.
This is good to know.
What I am confident about is that we have remained sensible in that advice, and we have taken that advice seriously. But we also must find a balance between opening up the economy.
Is there a risk between opening up the northern beaches, of course there is. There is a risk each and every day as we coexist and live with this pandemic. There is always going to be some level of outbreak ... but just what we did over Christmas with the Avalon cluster appeared, so that we can find a balance with restrictions, we will respond fast, hard, and local. And that is what we did on the beaches. And are confident we can open up the northern beaches this weekend. Hopefully the weather is good and I think that is important for the mental health and wellbeing of that community, many people have been in lockdown for long time with many cases on their own, I always will take that advice day by day. As of tomorrow midnight those restrictions will be lifted on the northern beaches, I look forward to the community coming back to some semblance of normality.
Updated
Chant said the northern beaches lockdown had been lifted because the area had such high testing rates since the outbreak began late last month.
Those testing rates are expected to continue.
The northern beaches community has come out with stellar testing levels right in the early response and they have continued to do so. To back what the minister said, I am just urging we do that last push for the community.
If you have woken up this morning and you have a minor headache, sore throat, a scratchy or itchy throat, and you wait for a few hours, can I suggest you don’t. Go down and get a test.
We are considering multiple scenarios to explain why this gentleman got it, but at the moment there is no clear-cut answer and we have to take seriously the risk that this person has been inadvertently exposed in the shopping centre or other limited exposure values. We are doing testing, and that is why the best thing the community can do is to come out in force and get those testing numbers which will get us the added assurance not missing significant community transmission.
Updated
Hazzard was asked about the risk that people travelling to NSW from Brisbane would not isolate, as required.
I would first of all say, if you don’t have to come from Brisbane, don’t come in the next few days. Comply with your government’s requirements. If you are a Brisbane resident, don’t come if you don’t need to. If you really need to, comply with the movements your government has in place in Brisbane but comply with them here and New South Wales. We will be backing that in. We want people to essentially be on the journey but there will also be orders bucking that and fines available to enforce if people preach the orders.
Does Hazzard think Queensland’s response was warranted?
I think it doesn’t behoove us to impose on other states our views on anything. We work with what other states and territories do. We have been very careful hearing New South Wales not to either be critical or to make any negative comment about other states governments trying to manage this issue. This is a virus with no playbook at each government does their best, given the advice of their public health teams.
Updated
A reporter asked if it was even worth having crowds at the Sydney test at all, with crowd numbers down below even the 10,000 which was allowed.
Health minister Brad Hazzard said:
The Government has made a decision and consultation with Cricket Australia and the SCGand public health and those people who attended it our enjoying every minute, I am sure, and are a sense of normalcy and as I have said many times in the last year, we are determined to have a sense of normalcy in our community.
I want to go back quickly to something Dr Kerry Chant said earlier, about the UK and South African variants of the coronavirus.
Chant said that current protocol is that all people who test positive to Covid-19 in hotel quarantine in Sydney are transferred to Special Health Accommodation (SHA) and remain there until the test shows they are no longer infectious.
Testing of positive cases has revealed that six people who have tested positive have the UK strain of the virus, and four, according to test results received last night, have the South African strain. Again, they’re all people in a SHA.
Chant says:
Further testing is under way to confirm these results, but as a precaution the 16 people who were accompanying that flight, have as a precaution moved to the SHA. That is because there are concerns that this South African strain does share a similar mutation from the UK, but may be associated with increased transmissibility. That is why we are taking a very cautious approach there. The remaining two cases with the UK strain, and the four cases with a possible South African strain, receiving care in the SHA, and will be cleared when they are assessed to be no longer infectious.
The remaining cases [four from the UK] were effectively managed in the SHA and released.
Lockdown of the northern beaches to end at midnight Saturday
NSW health minister Brad Hazzard says the lockdown of the northern half of the northern beaches in Sydney will lift at midnight on Saturday, 12.01am on 10 January, as previously scheduled.
That’s despite a new case, still under investigation, being reported yesterday.
Hazzard explained why, in a very lengthy way:
Clearly, we were hoping there would be no reservations about opening up the northern and of the Northern Beaches but of course, the case of the gentleman in his 40s yesterday returning a positive case has caused public health officials a degree of anxiety, a degree of concern.
But the view has been taken on the basis of the response we saw, particularly before Christmas, from the Northern Beaches residents, in their willingness and capacity to come out and get tested in enormous numbers. Public health has confidence sufficiently that if we can expect a similar response from the Northern Beaches, then we can, with confidence, and reservations – confidence and some reservations – open up from just after midnight on Saturday night.
Ao 12:01am on 10 January, Sunday. The people of the Northern Beaches will become part of the greater Sydney circumstances. And have the same rules applying to that area as applies for the rest of Sydney.
As to the Northern Beaches residents, I want to emphasise the problem, the big issue for public health officials was, and is, the gentleman who returned to the positive case yesterday, had previously shown negative results. It is concerning, perhaps, and there is no clarity here, perhaps he had a second infection of the virus, it is possible. It is really the unknown that is worrying. It could be an indicator of unknown chain or chains of transmission still circulating in the far end of the Northern Beaches.
He urged people living in that northern tip of the northern beaches to come out for testing.
Can I say to all of our friends on the end of the northern peninsular and Northern Beaches... please, please, come out and get tested. We need to know, for your sake, for all our sakes, for the people of Sydney in New South Wales and indeed Australia, that we don’t have any more cases still circulating that we aren’t aware of.
(Hazzard earlier said Sunday was 9 January, it’s the 10th).
Updated
Chant said that Covid-19 had also been detected in sewage tests at Ulladulla. The sewage treatment plan there has a catchment of 32,000 people, and takes sewage from Narrawallee, Milton, Mollymook Beach, Ulladulla, Kings Point, Burrill Lake, Dolphin Point, Lake Tabourie.
Anyone who is in that area, or has been in that area, has been asked to get tested. Chant said:
There have been no recently locally-acquired cases or people have returned to this area, [but] this is a time of year when we have lots of mobility so we cannot exclude that someone who has pleaded the infection from either New South Wales, Victoria or a return traveller from interstate, may have visited that area.
We do need the community to respond, and if anyone has been recently in that area please also cut out for testing.Regardless of where you have been if you have been in that area in the last week, or liver that area, or work in those areas, please come forward and get tested.
Updated
The NSW chief health officer, Dr Kerry Chant, says health authorities are still trying to determine the source of infection for the man in the northern beaches who tested positive late Wednesday.
Investigation continues into the infectious source of a man in his 40s who tested positive for Covid several days after completing a 14 day period of isolation. He was asymptomatic through his isolation and tested negative on three occasions through his isolation period, we have tested everyone allowed the gentleman and have not managed to find the source. We are having a couple of test results pending on some more casual contacts, and we have issued some additional guidance in relation to some venue information.
That updated venue information is here.
The three other people included in today’s figures were self-isolating for their full infectious period, Chant says.
They are a woman and her 50s and a teenage boy who were household contacts of the Berala cluster, and a child in Croydon who was a close contact of a previously reported case.
Barilaro says NSW will not 'treat the border like a light switch'
Barilaro says NSW will not close its border with Queensland in response to the Brisbane lockdown announced this morning. But he said anyone who had been in greater Brisbane for any time from 2 January onwards, and was now in NSW, was required to follow the Brisbane lockdown rules. So that’s staying at home from 6pm tonight to 6pm Monday.
Barilaro said:
I am sure today there were people calling on New South Wales to close its border to Queensland. At no point during this pandemic have weever had a knee-jerk reaction or treated the border like a light switch. What we do is work with our counterparts, offer support, because whatever happens in Queensland impacts NSW and any other state. We are all working together for the benefit of Australians and the citizens of this nation.
He said people entering NSW from Queensland would be asked to account for their movements, and urged people driving over the border to track their stops for ease of contact tracing later on, should it be required.
For those that will be flying in... we will be asking people as they come off those flights for the information, because if something does occur it will be very important that we respond quickly in relation to that. If you are driving over the border, that is not going to be some border closure, please try to document exactly travel itinerary so that if something occurs and we get in touch, you are able to accurately give us your itinerary to help us minimise any impacts going forward.
Again, I urge the public in New South Wales to do the right thing and follow the rules and work with the Government at our health officials.
Updated
NSW has recorded four new locally acquired cases of Covid-19
NSW has recorded four new locally-acquired cases of Covid-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night, and seven new cases in hotel quarantine. So 11 in total.
Of the four new cases:
- One remains under investigation. This is the man from the northern zone of the northern beaches first reported yesterday morning.
- One is linked to the Croydon cluster, and is a close contact of a previously reported case. There are now 11 cases in this cluster.
- Two are linked to the Berala cluster, and are close contacts of previously reported cases. There are now 20 cases in the Berala cluster.
There were 26,112 tests conducted in the reporting period. Acting premier John Barilaro is giving today’s update. He said:
That number is still on the low side. We did hit that 30,000 mark a couple of days ago and I am encouraging NSW to still come out and get tested.
Updated
As always, you can follow our rolling coverage of the global coronavirus crisis here.
Some federal LNP senators appear to have missed prime minister Scott Morrison’s earlier statement welcoming Annastacia Palaszczuk’s “wise call” to institute a snap three-day lockdown of greater Brisbane, in response to a case of the new highly infectious UK strain.
LNP senator Gerard Rennick said Palaszczuk had “lost the plot” and called the decision to implement the snap lockdown “pathetic”.
Unclear whether he missed the talking points or has gone deliberately off book.
The Premier has lost the plot. One case and she locks down Brisbane for three days! How pathetic. NSW has successfully managed their latest Covid outbreak with many more cases and no deaths. Typical Labor-command and control at every opportunity. #auspol
— Senator Gerard Rennick (@SenatorRennick) January 7, 2021
Tasmania bans travellers from greater Brisbane
Tasmania is the first state to announce a ban on travellers from the greater Brisbane area.
Tasmania has banned travellers from the greater Brisbane area #politas
— Emily Baker (@emlybkr) January 7, 2021
I would expect we will hear from other states, specifically the NT and WA, on this point throughout the day.
A bit more information on the Brisbane lockdown.
Cafes, pubs and restaurants will be open only for takeaway service.
Funerals will be restricted to 20 guests and weddings restricted to 10 guests.
There is a limit of two visitors in homes (only if people are offering support) and people are allowed to exercise with one other.
People can enter Brisbane during the lockdown period but are bound by the same restrictions.
Masks are mandatory in the lockdown area.
And again, the lockdown applies to greater Brisbane from 6pm tonight to 6pm Monday. That’s the local government areas of Brisbane, Logan, Ipswich, Moreton Bay and Redlands.
Updated
Indonesia will release Abu Bakar Bashir, the radical cleric and spiritual leader of extremist group Jemaah Islamiah, who was responsible for the 2002 Bali bombings, from jail today. The bombings killed 202 people including 88 Australians.
Updated
In other very important news, Oliver is the top baby name for boys in Victoria for the seventh year in a row. Charlotte is the most popular name for baby girls.
I know you were all waiting on that information.
“Calla” did not make the top 100 list for any gender. Do better, Victoria.
Updated
The national cabinet are discussing the UK variant at their meeting today.
A couple of weeks ago on 22 December, the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee issued a statement on the variant based on the available evidence at the time. That statement said:
At this stage, it is not clear whether the mutations are responsible for the higher growth rates in cases. It could also be a combination of factors such as a mutation, winter, super spreading events, or found in areas or populations where people live in more crowded settings.
A spokesman for the federal department of health told me the advice may change off the back of today’s meeting.
It comes as Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced a three-day lockdown of greater Brisbane after a hotel quarantine worker was infected with the variant, and 79 close contacts of that worker in the community were identified.
Dr Stuart Turville, an associate professor in the immunovirology and pathogenesis program at the Kirby Institute, said though some people have been describing the virus as a UK ‘strain,’ it was more accurate to describe it as a “variant” or “isolate”. He said while initially it was unclear whether the variant was more infectious, it was now becoming clearer that it was spreading more easily than other isolates.
Turville said:
One of the things that concerns us is the amount of changes in this variant and that means it becomes a black box, an unknown entity.
When you have this unknown it’s best to get a lockdown done and get it done quick, and if you can you can then keep it short and sweet. If I was in charge in Queensland I’d be doing the same until we get a better handle of what we are dealing with. We had a similar situation earlier on in the pandemic, where people spoke of a variant called D614G which they said was more transmissible. And it was, and it became the dominant variant globally. And I’d say this is just another case similar to the D614G situation.
Updated
Prime minister Scott Morrison has commented on the Brisbane lockdown, calling it a “wise call”.
Wise call by Qld Premier @AnnastaciaMP to have a brief lockdown to enable Queensland health authorities to get on top of the UK strain case in Brisbane.
— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) January 7, 2021
A big thanks in advance to everyone in greater Brisbane for their patience in coming days.
This will buy much needed time.
Andrews was then asked about a report in the Herald Sun this morning, which reported that the City of Melbourne was providing “logistical and Covid-safety support” for a dawn service at the memorial rock in the Kings Domain on the morning of 26 January.
The dawn service is an incredibly moving event held at the site where the remains of 38 people were buried after they were repatriated from museums and private collections. It’s solemn and quiet. You can read more about it and see a video of the first dawn service in 2019 here.
I just wanted to make that clear. The Herald Sun story is not alleging the City of Melbourne is providing support to the big Invasion Day protest, which tens of thousands of people attend each year in Melbourne. It’s a very different event.
Anyway. Andrews is not keen on any gatherings. He told reporters:
At no point have I been engaged in trying to determine which events are more worthy than others. It’s not about what you’re gathering for, it’s about are you gathering in a safe way.
He said whether an event would be permitted to go ahead would depend on whether the chief health officer approved a Covid-safe plan.
No such plan has been submitted.
He added:
There’s no parade this year for Australia Day because it’s not a seated event ... And the judgment by the public health team, not the politicians, but the public health team, was that it could not be done safely.
Updated
Daniel Andrews calls for daily testing of quarantine hotel workers
Andrews also spoke about national cabinet.
I will be going into national cabinet this morning and I will be recommending that they test everybody ever single day ... you will never eliminate this risk, you can only manage it.
He said the call for daily testing for hotel quarantine workers came “from bitter experience” in Victoria. He will also recommend advanced contact tracing for people working in hotel quarantine – ensuring someone working in hotel quarantine isn’t sharing a house with someone working in aged care, for example.
Updated
Victorian health authorities still do not know how the man from Vermont South, the mystery case, caught the virus. That’s why authorities have been calling for people at the Chadstone Boxing Day sales and day two of the Boxing Day Test to get tested, to determine upstream contacts.
Andrews also said he is not sure of the result of a Covid-19 test for a housemate of the Vermont South case, who was reported two days ago as having symptoms.
I think it unlikely that he would not have received a result by this time and obviously we did not have any locally acquired cases so there is a process of deduction there.
He then said he did not have information specific to the man’s housemate and would try to find it.
Updated
Andrews said authorities have now granted 579 exemptions to the hard border rule with NSW.
We are in a steady, proper methodical way, working through all of those different exemption requests, those important applications that have come through the system. There are extra staff there. We are working through that as fast as we can.
There is no change to the number of close contacts in isolation. It’s still about 2,000. Some 3,000 people who returned from NSW are also quarantining.
The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, has been speaking in Melbourne.
He apologised to the 10,000 people whose Covid-19 test results had been delayed due to a technical problem at a private lab.
As you know, there was a hardware problem at one of the private laboratories overnight. That was rectified at 3am. So, I thank that private business and their staff and their contractor whose have worked throughout the night to get that system back up and running. It is now back up and running. I’m advised just as I approached you then, just a moment ago, that those results are now being – they are being fed back out to people.
People are getting the news that they want. Those 10,000 results will be essentially added to the total. In effect results received today... will be around 33,000 tests, not the 23,000 that we already have reported. That is a very strong number. I they each and every one of those people for coming forward, getting tested, and for those who have this minor wait while this technical issue ... I want to thank those people for their patience.
Updated
Young said the lockdown did not include the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast because the cleaner has not been outside the greater Brisbane area.
So, yes, there will have been people who visited Brisbane from the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast since the 2nd. I’m asking that those people stay in their homes for the three days as well, rather than asking the entirety of that area. If things were to spread, then, of course, we’d have to look at a broader lockdown, as we did back in March. But I’m hopeful that this is contained within Brisbane.
She also said none of the 79 identified close contacts have been to the Sunshine Coast or the Gold Coast.
That is why we have got hold of all those people. We don’t believe – at this stage we have tested symptomatic ones and they don’t have the virus. So, I’m as comfortable asI can be that it is the right thing to focus on those five LGAs [in greater Brisbane.
Updated
Young said that the Queensland government could not wait to act.
It will be too late if, on Monday, I stand up here in front of you and say: We’ve had 10 cases, and they have been out infectious in the community infecting people.
We can’t put it back in the box. We’ve got to act before we get the cases and hopefully we know that not everyone spreads the virus, even with a more contagious variant. Hopefully it won’t spread. But it’s too late if it’s spread to then try and undo that spread. So, that’s why we have got to act today.
A reporter asked if the UK variant of the virus is more deadly, or just more infectious.
Dr Jeannette Young says it is 70% more infectious, but not more deadly. The risk is, if you get a high number of cases, hospitals will be overwhelmed.
We’ve already seen that one case in the hotel quarantine has spread to a cleaner and also spread to his partner. So it is a very contagious variant.
We’re sort of almost back where we were in March, knowing very little about the virus. So this is very early days. At this stage, the evidence coming out of the UK is that it doesn’t cause more severe disease, it doesn’t increase mortality, and most importantly of all for us it doesn’t affect the efficacy of the vaccines that have been developed to date. That’s very important.
The issue is that more people will get it. And we have seen that in the UK. So today in the UK one in 50 of their population is sick with Covid-19. So it is causing problems for their health system. Their health system can’t manage the numbers. So, if you can’t manage the numbers although this doesn’t cause any more severe disease, if you can’t provide oxygen and the basic care that those people then need, then the consequences will be worse.
Fewer people have it, we can provide fantastic care. We’ve seen that in Queensland. We’ve seen that the people who have needed intensive care in Queensland have survived. In other countries, they haven’t necessarily, because there’s just too many people to give care to. So, the idea here is we want to minimise the number of people who get infected.
Updated
Queensland has identified 79 close contacts of the hotel quarantine case
Palaszczuk says that authorities have identified 79 close contacts of the woman with the UK strain. All are now in quarantine, testing is being done.
Can I stress, this is very serious. As I said, doing three days now could avoid 30 days or longer in the future. longer in the future.
She urged people in greater Brisbane to get tested if they had any symptoms — even very mild symptoms.
I think people will still go and get tested if they have any symptoms. In fact, we would like to see more testing rates.
We would like to see more people tested if they have any symptoms, to please go and get tested. If we get through the next three days and we don’t have any cases, well, then, fingers crossed we’re out of woods.
She said the government would provide daily updates until at least Monday.
Questions now. Annastacia Palaszczuk says that if the UK strain of the virus has transmitted through the community, it will be a much more serious outbreak than that in the northern beaches of Sydney, and therefore required a proportionately stronger response.
She also clarified that people who live in greater Brisbane but are currently elsewhere in the state are allowed to come home — just come home — to quarantine there.
The stay at home order relates to people not going out and about because they happen to be holidaying outside of a lockdown area.
A reporter asks if Palaszczuk will declare Monday a public holiday, given everyone will be locked down.
No. But we are asking employers to be sympathetic to this situation, because it is unprecedented and it has to be done.
The three-day lockdown also applies to anyone who has been to the greater Brisbane area since 2 January but has since moved elsewhere in the state.
Queensland health minister, Yvette D’ath, says if you were in greater Brisbane even briefly any time from 2 January onwards, you should stay where you are until 6pm Monday:
If you are a local resident but have gone off holidaying in the Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast or Cairns, please stay where you are for three days and do not move around your area. If you are someone who’s been travelling through, again, we ask that you take this advice and you remain isolated for the next three days.
Of course, if you are anywhere in Queensland, or you are interstate and you have been in the greater Brisbane area since 2 January and you have any symptoms whatsoever, we ask for you to come out and be tested.
Updated
Queensland chief health officer: 'we've got to get on top of it'
Young:
We got on top of it. I’m really concerned that if we were to have cases from this very, very contagious, infectious virus, we wouldn’t be able to get on top of it. That’s why we have to bring this in fast, rather than be able to wait and see what the extent of the spread is, because once it is spread, it will be too late to act. It would be very difficult as we’ve seen in the UK.
So, as of 6pm today, we’re asking people to essentially stay home. Have a weekend with your family, in your own home. That’s important. If you have to go out, though, I’m asking everyone, because we have plenty of supplies and we have checked. I’m asking everyone, when you walk out your front door, put a mask on. It’s another barrier for this virus. That is important.
So, please today, if you don’t have masks, I know most people do, because we’ve been messaging for some time now, the importance of masks, if you don’t have masks, please go and buy a box. They’re readily available at many, many different places. That’s important. Even better, stay at home and you won’t need a mask.
People have been told to just buy one box though, not to hoard masks. The order is only in place for three days — households are unlikely to need multiple boxes.
Updated
Young said aged care, disability accommodation services, prisons, and hospitals had been locked down to visitors from last night.
If you normally provide care to a vulnerable person, think through what the risks are there. We don’t want your elderly relatives to end up getting this strain of this, this variant, of the virus.
The last one, exercise. It is important to exercise, of course it is. But please do so in your local area and do it in your family group or at most with one other person. Again, stay local and protect your family and yourselves at this time. We don’t want this to spread.
Updated
Queensland’s chief health officer, Dr Jeannette Young, said she was “confident that Queenslanders can respond to this threat as we’ve been responding since January last year ... we have managed it extremely effectively every single time because Queenslanders have listened”.
I believe if we can get on top of this today, we will be able to manage it and not need to go back through that lockdown period that we had to go through in March and April. We can do this quickly and rapidly.
Young said she was advised at 4pm yesterday that the hotel quarantine worker had tested positive to the highly contagious UK variant of the virus.
So we need to act really, really fast. We need to find every single case now. We need to find every person who might have had contact with that lady now, find them find them, and get them into quarantine. That’s what we’ve got to do over the next three days.
I have absolute confidence that we will do that. Until we’ve found all those people, we can’t relax. It’s important we do it immediately and we know because people have been very mobile recently, it’s hard to find people. So I need people to be at home so we can contact trace them, so we can get them to go into quarantine in their home for 14 days, so we can test them, and quarantine them and test them again. That’s absolutely critical. Then we know this particular variant can spread very rapidly if it gets hold. So my hope is that it hasn’t got hold.
This woman has been exceptionally helpful with us, telling us exactly where she’s been.
The full list of exposure sites is here.
Updated
Annastacia Palaszczuk to declare greater Brisbane a Covid-19 hotspot at national cabinet
Let’s go back to Queensland, where premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced a three-day lockdown of greater Brisbane in a bid to contain the UK variant of the virus, which some people have claimed may be 70% more infectious than other strains of the virus.
The lockdown will cover the local government areas of Brisbane, Logan, Ipswich, Moreton, and Redlands, from 6pm tonight to 6pm Monday.
It will be the same as the lockdown in Queensland in March last year, with four reasons to leave home. Palaszczuk says:
They are to go to essential work – if you can work from home, please do that. It is coming into a weekend, so that is good news. You can leave home if you are providing health care or support for a vulnerable person; you can leave home for essential shopping, but within your local area and the fourth reason is to exercise in your local neighbourhood. I know this will be tough on businesses over the next few days but I am thinking about your long-term futures as well. So it is incredibly important that we take these strong measures.
That includes allowing two people to visit people at home for specific purposes, such as providing support. Not for visiting.
Palaszczuk said she had told her national cabinet colleagues that she would declare greater Brisbane a Covid-19 hotspot, and asked that premiers and chief ministers from other territories also declare it a hotspot.
She said:
If you are in Brisbane, in those greater Brisbane areas and you may have planned a vacation over this weekend. I’m so sorry, but you will not be able to go. You will have to reschedule until Tuesday. Please, everybody, let’s be in this together, let’s stay at home, look at it as a long weekend at home with your family and friends.
And added:
I understand a lot of people are on holidays, too. So, if you are on holidays, we need people to be listening to the media, listening to your radio, and also to listen, or look through your social media as well, so please get this message out, tell your friends, tell your neighbours. It is incredibly important in this time to stop the spread of this infectious UK strain, we must act immediately, we must act strongly and we have taken those strong measures today.
Updated
Victoria records no new locally-acquired cases of Covid-19
Victoria has again recorded no new locally-acquired cases of Covid-19, with one case in hotel quarantine.
But there’s a hitch — 10,000 testing results have been delayed due to technical issues. Some 23,108 test results were received yesterday, but there’s another 10,000 coming.
Yesterday there were 0 local cases and 1 international case reported. 23,108* results were received with approximately 10,000 results delayed due to technical issues. More information coming later: https://t.co/SOwj13mBwA… #COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData (1/3) pic.twitter.com/008iCTgDCg
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) January 7, 2021
Brisbane will go into three-day lockdown, masks mandatory
Palaszczuk has put greater Brisbane into a three day lockdown in a bid to contain the UK variant of the virus, which has been in the community after a hotel quarantine worker contracted the virus.
The lockdown will cover the local government areas of Brisbane, Logan, Ipswich, Moreton, and Redlands. It begins at 6pm tonight and goes until 6pm Monday.
Masks are will also be mandatory in greater Brisbane.
Palaszczuk said:
From 6pm tonight, Friday, to 6pm Monday all residents living in those areas will be required to stay at home. Think of it as a long weekend at home.
We need to do this. I’ve accepted the strong advice from Dr Young. If we do not do this now, it could end up being a 30-day lockdown. So we will do a very strong three-day lockdown in those areas. You will be allowed to go outside for those four essential reasons we did back in March.
Updated
Queensland records nine cases of Covid-19, all in hotel quarantine
Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says the state recorded nine positive cases of Covid-19 overnight, all in hotel quarantine.
Some 13,000 people got tested yesterday.
In recession news, demand for a permit to fossick for gold in the region in southeastern Queensland has jumped 40% in the past year.
The mayor of Gympie, Glen Hartwig, told the ABC that the leap in interest was due to an increase in the global gold price, which happened as everything else kind of fell apart in 2020.
He said:
With the gold price being $2,500 an ounce, I think there is an interest in mining again in and around Gympie.
If you pull up 30g, it’s a good day away.
Not only are our own residents doing a bit more fossicking but there are the travellers that are coming through trying their luck as well.
But Hartwig had a warning to those thinking of heading out with a fossicking pan to find their fortune.
Some people might find it a little bit therapeutic, others immensely frustrating.
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Health authorities have cracked down on a number of wildly inaccurate rapid Covid-19 antibody test kits being pushed on to the Australian market, cancelling approvals, issuing fines and pledging to investigate one supplier marketing an unapproved device.
Relatively little scrutiny was applied to the large volumes of rapid test kits that were rushed on to the Australian market in the pandemic’s early stages.
The kits promised to detect antibodies and return results within 15 minutes, without the need for laboratory testing.
In most cases, manufacturers claimed their products could detect Covid-19 antibodies with more than 90% accuracy.
A review by the Doherty Institute has now analysed 15 of the kits on the market and found the accuracy of many tests fell well short of their claims.
Read more here:
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Emergency services in Western Australia have issued an updated emergency warning to residents in an area on the northern side of Lancelin, a coastal town about 140km north of Perth.
The area covered by the emergency warning was extended in the early hours of the morning to include an area west of Brand Highway, where the fire has broken containment lines.
The department of fire and emergency services said:
Forecast very hot, dry and windy weather conditions over the next two days will continue to test containment lines and there is the ongoing potential for the rapid escalation of fire behaviour.
Two residential estates, Ocean Farms Estate and Seaview Park, remain under threat. Residents were advised to evacuate, and are now told they are unable to return home until conditions ease.
Incident controller Sven Anderson told AAP on Thursday that the fire was only one hour away from the estates, and could turn “quite easily” in the right conditions.
There have been no reports of houses lost, but pine plantations, olive groves and some sheds are believed to have been damaged.
Victorian premier Daniel Andrews is providing a coronavirus update early today, at 9.30am. This will allow him to make some comments before heading in to national cabinet.
We haven’t got the daily figures for Victoria yet – I’ll bring them to you as soon as they’re published.
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One of the benefits of Australia waiting to roll out the vaccine is that we can learn from countries like the US and UK, where millions of people have already been vaccinated.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published data on allergic reactions seen after administration of the Pfizer/ BioNTech mRNA vaccine.
The vaccine gives human cells instructions for how to make a protein unique to Covid-19. The protein is harmless, but the body recognises it should not be there and begins to build an immune response. If infected with the real virus, the body will know how to attack.
The Australian government said 10m units of the vaccine would be available from February. Phase three clinical trial results found 95% of people given the vaccine were protected against the virus.
Between 14 and 23 December, monitoring by the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System in the US detected just 21 cases of anaphylaxis – a severe allergic reaction – after administration of 1.8m first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. That’s just 11.1 cases per million doses, and 71% of these reactions occurred within 15 minutes of vaccination. Of the 21 anaphylaxis cases, 17 were in people with a documented history of allergies, seven of whom had a history of anaphylaxis.
An infectious diseases and vaccine expert from the University of Sydney, Prof Robert Booy, said this was useful information for Australia:
We know that those who get the allergic reaction actually already have a history of allergy. And so if you do have a history of what they call anaphylaxis severe reaction, you probably shouldn’t have the vaccine. No one has actually perished as a consequence of that side-effects but it is something worth paying attention to because it could put you in the hospital.
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UK variant of Covid found in Queensland worker 'concerning', Australian chief medical officer says
Australia’s chief medical officer Prof Paul Kelly told Radio National the discovery that a person in Queensland had tested positive to the UK variant of the virus was “concerning”.
The woman, who worked as a cleaner in the hotel quarantine system, developed symptoms on Wednesday and got tested immediately. She had been out and about in the community in the days before becoming symptomatic. Kelly said:
We do know that we’ve had cases of the UK variant in our hotel quarantine system and we do know that sometimes with a very complex system that relies on humans mistakes can happen and that apparently is the case here. We don’t know the full details about the cleaner but she has been mobile in the community ... obviously at this point is the absolute key messages are the ones we have had all along. If you’re sick, get tested. If you are asked by a public health official to get tested, do that.
He was asked if he believed flights from the UK to Australia should be stopped. The AHPPC provided national cabinet with advice on that question, which will be discussed at today’s meeting. Kelly said:
Obviously the national cabinet is brought together for a reason ... they are the decision making body, our role at the AHPPC, the medical expert panel that I chair, is to give advise to them, ultimately they’re the decision makers and those decisions will be talked about at the usual press conference after national cabinet and not beforehand.
Kelly was also asked about the vaccine rollout. He said it had not been brought forward out of concern about the UK variant or for any other reason other than it was possible to bring the projected date for the first round of vaccinations from March to February:
It’s been brought forward because we can bring it forward. We’ve always said that as soon as we have that safety tick from the TGA and the logistics is worked out to get the vaccine here it will be rolled out as soon as feasibly after that. We now have a more definite date for that, we have said mid to late February and that’s where we’re heading now.
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Labor’s health spokesman Chris Bowen was on Radio National a short time ago. He was asked about the measures to be announced in national cabinet today and the updated vaccine rollout. But first he was asked to comment on the events in US in the past 30 or so hours.
He said it was “an assault on democracy incited by the sitting president”. Australian prime minister Scott Morrison yesterday declined to explicitly criticise Donald Trump as the instigator of the violence, but Bowen said: “I think we should all be explicit in our comments.”
He also criticised some Coalition MPs, and said Morrison should pull the members of his government into line over “propagating conspiracy theories” on social media:
I have also been concerned to see statements on social media by members of the government, namely George Christiansen and Craig Kelly ... While of course we all have a right to our views, we have to be clear and condemn violence.
Bowen said the Labor party supports “sensible measures” around pre- and post-flight testing of travellers from Australia to the UK, but said the Australian government should strengthen quarantine without making it more difficult for Australians stranded overseas to return home:
An Australian passport should mean something, it should mean the right to return home to your country if you need to. Scott Morrison promised to get people home by Christmas – that’s been and gone.
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NSW Health adds more sites in Sydney's northern beaches to exposure list
NSW Health last night added a number of new exposure sites in Sydney’s northern beaches, in connection to a new case that will be included in the official figures today.
Anyone who attended the Woolworths supermarket on Old Barrenjoey Road in Avalon on 2 January from 3.45pm to 4pm, 3 January from 12.45pm to 1pm, 4 January from 6.30pm to 6.50pm, 5 January from 4.45pm to 5pm, and 6 January from 12.45pm to 1pm has been urged to get tested immediately and self-isolate until they receive a negative result. They have also been told to continue to monitor for symptoms after receiving a negative test, and get tested again if they arise.
Anyone who attended the Chemist Warehouse in Old Barrenjoey Road in Avalon from 1pm to 1.15pm on 3 January has also been asked to get tested immediately and self-isolate until they receive a negative result. They have also been told to continue to monitor for symptoms after receiving a negative test, and get tested again if they arise.
The full list of NSW exposure sites is here.
In Victoria, authorities added a number of new exposure sites yesterday.
Anyone who attended the Merryman Cafe in Hampton on 28 December from 12.50pm to 2.40pm or the Sikh Temple in Keysborough on 1 January from 3pm to 6pm has been told to get tested immediately and self-isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result.
Anyone who attended the Woolworths supermarket in Southland at Cheltenham on 31 December from 6pm to 6.30pm, and the Coles at Hallam on 30 December from 6.15pm to 6.30pm, has been advised to monitor themselves for symptoms and get tested if they develop.
The full list of Victorian exposure sites is here.
In Queensland, anyone who was at the following sites is advised to get tested immediately and quarantine until they receive a negative result.
They are the train from Altandi station to Roma Street on 2 January, arriving at 7am; the train from Central station to Altandi station on 2 January, arriving at 4pm; the Woolworths supermarket in on 3 January from Calamvale North from 11am to 12pm; the Coles in Sunnybank Hills Shoppingtown on 5 January from 7.30am to 8am; and the Nextra news agency at Sunnybank Hills on 5 January from 8am to 8.15am.
The full list of Queensland exposure sites is here.
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The Guardian US team is continuing to provide rolling coverage of the fall-out from the incursion into Capitol Hill yesterday. There are growing calls, from both Republicans and Democrats, that article 25 of the constitution be used to oust Donald Trump from office.
You can also read a timeline of Trump’s incendiary language, culminating in the insurrection, here.
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Good morning,
National cabinet is expected to move today to require all travellers from the UK to Australia to undertake pre-flight and post-flight testing for Covid-19 in a bid to detect the new highly infectious strain of the virus before it enters Australia. National cabinet is also expected to require pre-flight testing for travellers from all countries planning on heading to Australia, and to make face masks mandatory on all international and domestic flights. They are mandatory on a lot of flights but it’s at the discretion of airlines.
The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee provided updated advice on the UK variant to national cabinet yesterday.
Victorian premier Daniel Andrews told reporters yesterday that he would also push for the daily, or very frequent, Covid-19 testing of everyone who works in the hotel quarantine system through out Australia. Victoria now tests everyone who works in its hotel quarantine system daily; it was one of the reforms recommended in a lengthy review of the system after a quarantine breach last year led to Melbourne’s second wave.
Andrews said daily testing meant that “not if but when the virus does end up getting in the hotel quarantine system, this virus will have a one-day jump on us”.
The UK variant has already been in the community – a woman who works as a cleaner in Queensland’s hotel quarantine system tested positive to it, prompting Queensland health authorities to yesterday lock down aged care homes in large parts of Brisbane and list a series of exposure sites in the city’s south-east. You can find that list here.
Queensland chief health officer Dr Jeanette Young said that starting Monday, every person who works in the hotel quarantine system will be tested at the start of every shift, not just every seven days as is now the protocol in Queensland. So Queensland is likely to support Victoria’s motion in national cabinet.
In NSW health authorities are trying to find the source of a new infection in Sydney’s northern beaches. The man was a close contact of a known case and tested positive to the virus after he developed symptoms after completing his 14-day isolation period. NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said was is possible he caught the infection elsewhere, although he has remained in lockdown:
It does highlight that with that level of community transmission in that northern zone ... that is the risk we want to make sure we tackle, very promptly.
Western Australian authorities have confirmed that a woman in her 80s who is at the centre of personal protective breaches in that state’s hotel quarantine system has also tested positive to the highly contagious UK strain. She arrived in Perth from the UK on Tuesday, went to hotel quarantine, and has since gone to hospital. A paramedic, a nurse and a third person who came into contact with the woman have also been put into hotel quarantine after they failed to use correct PPE when interacting with the woman. Premier Mark McGowan has said there is no risk to the public from the “flabbergasting” breach.
And in non-coronavirus news, residents forced to evacuate their home to flee a bushfire burning out of control north of Perth may not be able to return home for several days, with severe conditions and temperatures of more than 40C expected today. An emergency warning remains in place.
I’ll bring you the new NSW and Victorian exposure sites shortly but for now, let’s crack on. If I miss something you can contact me on Twitter @callapilla or email me at calla.wahlquist@theguardian.com.
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