What we learned today, Saturday 9 October
That’s where we will leave the live blog for today.
Here’s what made the news today:
- Victoria reported a record number of daily cases, with 1,965 new cases and five deaths today.
- A Virgin Australia cabin crew member tested positive to Covid-19, and was infectious for three days and on six flights.
-
Victoria will no longer require secondary close contacts to isolate.
-
New South Wales recorded 580 new locally acquired cases and 11 deaths today.
- The NSW premier, Dominic Perrottet, acknowledged cases are likely to go up again after reopening on Monday.
- NSW also reached the 90% first-dose milestone for its 16-plus population, with second doses currently standing at 72.8%.
- The ACT recorded 25 new cases, as its vaccine uptake continues to climb.
- South Australia recorded one new case, in a Victorian truck driver.
Updated
Victorian truck driver tests positive in South Australia
SA Health is reporting that a Victorian truck driver in his 20s has tested positive to Covid at Yamba when crossing into the state.
No public exposure sites have been identified, but the man has been escorted into quarantine in a medi-hotel.
Inquiries are under way into the case, who was on his way to Western Australia.
Updated
So the Business Council of Australia has changed its tune in recent days, throwing its weight behind a 50% emissions reduction by 2030, to avoid a “costly and damaging” game of climate catch-up.
“The purpose of our work is to move forward, not engage in an endless debate about issues the nation and the world has moved past,” the BCA president, Tim Reed, said.
The BCA’s call is a significant shift from the position it held in 2018, when it attacked Labor’s proposal of a 45% emissions reduction target for 2030 as “economy wrecking”.
You can read the report on their announcement here:
Updated
The Queensland health minister, Yvette D’Ath, was decidedly not impressed with three men accused of illegally sneaking into Queensland for the NRL grand final.
Speaking to reporters earlier today, D’Ath fumed at the “lack of respect” afforded Queensland by the men, who have so far tested positive.
What should be a deterrent is the fact that over 400 people have died [from Covid-19] since June 16 in New South Wales alone.
Over 60,000 positive cases in one state from one person. That should be enough of a deterrent that you are putting every person at risk by crossing that border.
You think of the irresponsibility of walking into a stadium – knowing you have come from a hotspot – and putting everyone at risk.
I am extremely disappointed, and I hope it sends a clear message to other people that this is not acceptable.
It doesn’t matter what fine we give you. I think the public will judge you for that behaviour.
Updated
Bullseye🎯we’ve hit more #COVIDvaccine milestones 🇦🇺
— Australian Government Department of Health (@healthgovau) October 9, 2021
6⃣0⃣% of people 16+ are now fully vaccinated🙌
3⃣0⃣ million doses have been administeredThank you for rolling up your sleeves so we can get back to doing the things we enjoy🧳🏊♀Find & book yours at💻https://t.co/bHrqu2sFOX pic.twitter.com/U2zszsT8Uw
Another doughnut day in Western Australia, with the state recording zero cases once more.
Striving for as close to 100% vaccination coverage as we can get and doing so as quickly as we can.
— Andrew Barr MLA (@ABarrMLA) October 9, 2021
Slow vaccine supply was always the constraint holding us back.
80% double dose coverage should be a floor not a ceiling.
The more people vaccinated the safer the community. pic.twitter.com/Mj8NQdq4MC
This from AAP was alluded to in the Victorian press conference earlier, around a police officer quitting due to having to enforce the Covid rules.
Former acting senior sergeant Krystle Mitchell, who has worked for Victoria police for more than 16 years, appeared in video on an anti-lockdown social media platform on Friday night.
Dressed in full uniform, she said police were “scaring people in the community” by enforcing the chief health officer’s public health restrictions.
“I couldn’t be happier in terms of the work that I do on a daily basis,” she said in the video. “But behind that is all of my friends that are police officers, that are working the front line and are suffering every day enforcing CHO directions that a vast majority, or certainly a great majority, don’t believe in and don’t want to enforce.
“The consequences of me being here today is that I will be resigning from Victoria police, effective at the end of this interview, because the consequences of me coming out publicly would be dismissal.”
AAP understands Mitchell resigned from Victoria police on Friday morning, before the video was released, and she is being investigated by the Professional Standards Command.
She is currently on personal leave and will not return to work.
Mitchell has claimed to be the founder of a group of police officers opposed to mandatory vaccination of the force and before her resignation she was working in a non-operational role as part of the Gender Equality and Inclusion Command.
Victoria police said Mitchell’s comments “in no way” reflected the organisation’s views.
“For the past 18 months, our members have been working tirelessly to enforce chief health officer directions aimed at slowing the spread of coronavirus to keep all Victorians healthy and to save lives,” police said in a statement
“The CHO directions are based on health advice and set by the Victorian government. Victoria police cannot pick and choose what laws it enforces.
“We acknowledge this has been an extremely difficult time for all Victorians who have had to give up so much.
“We know how fragile public trust can be and it is important people can have confidence in what we do.”
Updated
NSW reaches 90% first-dose milestone for 16-plus population
Just confirming the tweet Mostafa put in earlier, here’s the official line on NSW crossing 90% first-dose milestone from AAP:
90.1% have had at least one dose, 72.8% are fully vaccinated.
Updated
So, with NSW due to emerge from lockdown in two days, attention has turned to the technology we will rely on to prove our vaccination status.
The NSW state government app is still weeks away from being rolled out, despite the fact many of the freedoms afforded people on Monday are only for the fully vaccinated.
You can read more in Josh Taylor’s story here:
Updated
There appears to be a small anti-lockdown protest being held in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.
Rise Up Melbourne had been distributing a flyer online, advertising for a protest for people’s “health rights and freedom”.
From the pictures, it looks like police descended on them pretty quickly:
Updated
🚨 *EARLY LEAK* 🚨
— Chris O'Keefe (@cokeefe9) October 8, 2021
NSW: Now hit 90.1% first dose. 💉 72.75% fully vaccinated. 💉 💉
Two thirds (65.6%) of the state’s doses have been delivered through the GP and primary care network run by Commonwealth. @9NewsAUS
A 62-year-old inmate who caught Covid from the Parklea outbreak is now in ICU fighting for his life, raising fears it may have spread to another prison when he was transferred.
The inmate tested negative before he was transferred from Parklea correctional centre to Shortland correctional centre, where he tested positive.
Although he had no symptoms on his arrival, he quickly deteriorated and was taken to ICU.
A source with knowledge of the inmate’s health described his condition as “serious”.
Genome sequencing has linked the case back to Parklea, which has been struggling to contain an outbreak among inmates.
A spokesperson for the Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network said the patient had “deteriorating conditions”:
A person who was transferred to the Shortland correctional centre on 27 September tested positive on 1 October. He was transferred to the MRRC on 2 October, and to hospital on the same day due to his deteriorating condition.
In the state prison system, Covid-positive adult males are moved to the MRRC at the Silverwater correctional complex where they can be isolated from the rest of the prison population, their care can be properly managed and they can be near tertiary healthcare facilities if needed.
The network has in place a range of measures to reduce spread of the virus in prisons, including regular rapid antigen testing of staff at key locations, vaccination programs for staff and inmates, training in the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and other measures of infection prevention and control.
Updated
The Australian Medical Association in Western Australia has said that patients have “every right” to ask whether the doctor treating them has been vaccinated or not, after a GP withdrew their services at an aged care facility over mandated vaccines.
The ABC is reporting a number of GPs have withdrawn their services from aged care facilities because of the issue, with the AMA expressing its disappointment in their decisions.
The AMA WA president, Dr Mark Duncan-Smith, said about 99% of GPs had been vaccinated, and that it was better for vulnerable patients to see a vaccinated doctor.
It is disappointing that a healthcare professional looking at the evidence would come to the conclusion that they are not happy to be vaccinated, but that is a personal choice.
Those patients deserve to have the lowest chance of catching Covid and ultimately we do not want doctors and nurses who might be at greater chance of transmitting it to vulnerable patients to actually be seeing those vulnerable patients.
Updated
More than 60% of Australians aged 16 and over are now fully vaccinated.
— Greg Hunt (@GregHuntMP) October 8, 2021
Each vaccination gets us one step closer, book yours at https://t.co/BYd2HhVVzy pic.twitter.com/Ye22Uq8qsF
AAP has a little more on the earthquake that hit near the Victoria-South Australia border at around 4am this morning:
Another earthquake has struck Victoria prompting more than 100 reports near Murrayville close to the South Australian border.
Victoria’s State Emergency Service said a 4.8 magnitude earthquake with a 2km depth was recorded with its epicentre near Murrayville.
It occurred at 3.47am on Saturday morning with the State Emergency Service receiving more than 100 reports from residents who’d felt something.
It comes just two weeks after the state experienced its largest earthquake in history, on 22 September.
The magnitude 5.8 earthquake at Mansfield damaged buildings and was felt across Melbourne and as far away as Canberra, Sydney and Adelaide.
A second quake registered at magnitude 4 followed, also at Mansfield, about 15 minutes later.
Updated
Good afternoon all, and a quick thanks to Josh Taylor for expertly manning the blog this morning.
Mostafa Rachwani with you this afternoon, taking you through the news. There is, as always, much to get through, so let’s dive in.
With the run of press conferences out of the way, I will now leave you in the very capable hands of my colleague Mostafa Rachwani.
Updated
Queensland reports zero cases again
For the third day in a row, Queensland has reported no new Covid cases. AAP has more:
Queensland’s chief health officer believes testing has helped the state see off the Delta variant of Covid-19 as authorities urge more people to get vaccinated.
Queensland recorded no new-locally acquired cases for the third consecutive day on Saturday after more than 11,000 tests.
With the risk from recent outbreaks of Delta diminishing, chief health officer Jeannette Young says Queensland’s luck in seeing off the virus is related to testing.
Young believes people have “come out in droves” to get tested, allowing authorities to rapidly identify index cases.
“It’s that reason ... that’s made the biggest difference, that people are just prepared to come out and get tested, and then we find them,” she told reporters on Saturday.
“That 13-year-old who had a headache (in the Sunnybank cluster), I still can’t believe that she came forward so we so quickly got on top of that cluster. Other people who just with no idea that they might have it, come forward and get tested, so I think that’s probably one of the biggest differences in Queensland.”
Health minister Yvette D’Ath said state-run vaccination hubs delivered another 20,811 doses on Friday with the proportion of eligible Queenslanders who have had a first dose at 69.27% with 51.06% fully vaccinated.
The state government is holding another Super Pfizer Weekend allowing walk-ups to get the jab on Saturday and Sunday.
While Queensland hasn’t set a date or vaccination target for the state borders to reopen, D’Ath on Friday said more people were getting the jab “as we talk about Christmas, as we talk about borders opening”.
She urged anyone who is yet to get their first vaccine to do so before the Delta strain takes hold in Queensland.
“Those people who have been sitting back and going ‘We don’t have an outbreak here, I can afford to wait’: time is up,” the health minister said.
“It’s going to be five to six weeks before people are fully protected if they get vaccinated today, we don’t know what five or six weeks are going to look like in November.”
Updated
ACT COVID-19 update (9 October 2021):
— ACT Health (@ACTHealth) October 9, 2021
◾ New cases today: 25
◾ Active cases: 430
◾ Total recovered cases: 736
◾ Total cases: 1,172
◾ Negative test results (past 24 hours): 4,004
◾ In hospital: 17
◾ Lives lost: 6 pic.twitter.com/xdi5Q1FLd7
On whether he is concerned about regional travel (for day trips) being opened in NSW from Monday, Barr says it remains to be seen what will happen.
As I understand, their travel advisory is that’s within region not greater Sydney into the regions. That they are not going to make that move until some time later. For ACT residents, we will not be changing the travel arrangements whilst we are in lockdown.
But as I have indicated previously, the next step for us will be an expanded regional travel exemption arrangement and then beyond that we would look to even greater travel within regional NSW. And then beyond that will be free travel, but that will take place – the first step – from the middle of October, the second step likely from the end of October and then the final step in late November, early December.
Updated
Barr says there are 17 people in hospital, with five in intensive care, all requiring ventilation.
The ACT now has 97.1% of its 12-plus population having had the first dose of a vaccine, Barr says.
Twelve- to 15-year-olds have undertaken the fastest vaccination uptake, and they are now at nearly 85% first dose. But because they were the last cohort to be able to access vaccination, their second-dose rate is only 7% at the moment. I’m pleased to report that 20- to 24-year-olds have now crossed the 75% first-dose threshold.
Updated
ACT records 25 new cases
The ACT chief minister, Andrew Barr, has announced 25 new cases overnight, with 12 linked:
The remaining are under investigation. Nine of the cases were in quarantine during their entire infection period and 16 are under early investigation. The rest are assessed as not presenting a risk of transmission to others. We had 3,637 tests yesterday.
Updated
Danny Pearson says there will be “more to say shortly” about integrating into the Service Victoria app a method to verify vaccination status.
We will have more to say about that shortly. Technology is absolutely going to play a critical role in terms of the reopening of our economy. It has already played a really important role in terms of QR check-in. We are though very mindful that not everyone has a smart phone, that’s why we have added additional functionality to the Service Victoria app, in terms of add another or the kiosk function, but we will have more to say in relation to the trial and the way in which we will roll this out very, very soon.
New South Wales is currently trialling its own version in regional NSW ahead of opening up next week.
Just to correct what I said earlier, Matson has clarified Victoria is currently on track in terms of the Burnet modelling on case numbers and hospitalisations.
Updated
The Victorian health department deputy secretary, Kate Matson, clarifies that secondary close contacts who have symptoms should still get tested and isolate.
She doesn’t recommend they get a test unless they have symptoms.
Matson also said the Burnet Institute is working on updating its current modelling given the higher case numbers in Victoria, and that will likely be released next week.
In one piece of positive news, however, she says hospitalisation rates are better than previously projected.
On the Mildura outbreak, there are some cases that came from NSW, and some came from Melbourne, but it is difficult to tell the difference, she says, because it’s the same strain of the virus.
She says Indigenous communities in Mildura are affected by the current outbreak, and the local health service is working with those communities.
Updated
Returning to Victoria, there’s a few questions around whether Victoria police are sick of enforcing the health rules, and whether it has damaged the reputation of police.
The assistant treasurer, Danny Pearson, who was acting police minister when Lisa Neville was on sick leave recently, says he’s not aware of officers who don’t want to enforce the rules, and won’t comment on operational issues when asked what he would say to police who do not want to enforce the rules.
Updated
NSW Health has given its formal Covid update via a live video stream, confirming that 11 people lost their lives overnight, bringing the overall deaths related to this outbreak to 481.
Fiver people were from south-west Sydney, three from western Sydney and three from south-eastern Sydney. Four were unvaccinated, four had received a single dose and three were fully vaccinated.
A woman in her 80s died at the Hardi Guildford aged care facility, where she acquired her infection. Hers is the sixth death associated with an outbreak at the facility.
Another woman in her 80s died at Allity Beechwood aged care facility, where she also acquired her infection, becoming the fifth death linked to the outbreak at this facility.
Overnight, there were also just under 80,000 tests, which is still relatively high, but a drop downwards compared to the high testing numbers we saw weeks ago.
NSW Health’s Dr Jeremy McAnulty also announced the state’s vaccination rates, with NSW now sitting at 89.8% first dose and 71.5% double dose, steaming towards the 90% first dose mark.
Finally, McAnulty also said that the virus had been detected in sewage in West Wyalong in the Riverina region, Dungog in the Hunter-New England region, Crescent Head on the mid-north coast, Ballina on the far north coast, Gulargambone in western NSW and Merimbula in southern NSW. All residents are encouraged to get tested if they feel any relevant symptoms.
Updated
Asked whether arts venues could get certainty on larger crowd sizes when restrictions are eased, Pearson says it is a “work in progress”:
I think this is very much a work in progress and I can’t give you definitive timelines now as to when precisely you will open up to that level. What I can say is that this package is going to be really important. I think the trials we will be running in regional Victoria commencing on Monday across those six local government areas will play a really important step forward as we start that process of opening up.
Updated
The Victorian assistant treasurer, Danny Pearson, has announced $15m in tailored support for the Victorian arts and creative sector, with $10m targeting small to medium organisations, and $5m to go to individual artists.
It will be delivered through Creative Victoria to keep them going and employing people as restrictions ease.
It will be comprised of grants of up to $5,000 for creative practitioners, and $10,000 for collectives, organisations and businesses.
Updated
Victoria no longer requiring secondary close contacts to isolate
Victoria will no longer require secondary close contacts to isolate, the deputy health secretary, Kate Matson, has announced.
Victoria is no longer chasing Covid zero, Matson says, meaning forcing secondary contacts to isolate is no longer necessary.
It has been the practice in Melbourne for a while, but will now apply statewide.
Matson says they will still be contacting primary close contacts and requiring them to isolate, but the change will release 16,000 people from isolation this week, who will receive a text message advising them of that.
It will also make it easier for household members of primary close contacts to get groceries and work while the primary close contact is isolated away from the rest of the household.
Again, there is a very important difference between someone who is known to have come into contact with a confirmed case, and then someone who has come into contact with that primary close contact. And the risk is different.
So this just recognises the changing risk and the changing environment that we are in, we are no longer chasing Covid zero in Victoria, and we have 17,000 active cases in Victoria at this point in time.
Updated
Virgin Australia cabin crew member tests positive
The Victorian health department is warning a Virgin Australia cabin crew member has tested positive for Covid-19 and worked while infectious from 4 to 6 October on six flights.
Other crew members have been deemed close contacts, and passengers on those flights are being contacted by the relevant jurisdictions in NSW and South Australia.
The flights covered include:
- 4 October, VA 219 from Melbourne to Adelaide
- 4 October, VA 218 Adelaide to Melbourne
- 5 October, VA 827 Melbourne to Sydney
- 5 October, VA 808 Sydney to Melbourne
- 6 October, VA 1593 Melbourne to Newcastle
- 6 October, VA 1594 Newcastle to Melbourne
Updated
The Victorian health department deputy secretary, Kate Matson, says 735 of the 1,965 cases reported on Saturday are in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, with majorities in Hume and Whittlesea. There were 464 cases in the west of Melbourne, with the majority in Melton.
The south-east had 533 cases, with Casey having the majority. The eastern suburbs had 125 cases.
There were 90 new cases in regional Victoria, including 20 in Mildura, which went into a seven-day lockdown overnight. There were also 13 in Baw Baw, 12 in Mitchell shire, eight in greater Shepparton, seven in Latrobe, six in greater Geelong, and three in Ballarat.
Updated
Victorian press conference starts
The assistant treasurer, Danny Pearson, has gone through the Victorian case numbers today:
538 people are currently in hospital with Covid-19, 117 are in ICU and 83 are on the ventilator.
Turning to the tests and vaccines. So there were 73,443 tests processed yesterday. And I want to thank each and every one of those tens of thousands of Victorians for coming forward and getting tested. 41,177 vaccines were administered at our state hubs yesterday.
And many thousands more were administered by GPs and pharmacies right across this state. 85% of the over-16 population have now received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, and 57% have received a second dose, which is a fantastic effort.
Updated
NSW reports 11 deaths
Here’s more detail from NSW Health on the Covid outlook.
Eleven deaths, including three women and eight men.
Sadly, NSW Health is reporting the deaths of eleven people who had COVID-19 – three women and eight men. One person was in their 50s, one was in their 60s, four people were in their 70s, two were in their 80s, and three were in their 90s.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) October 9, 2021
We are also now just waiting for the Victorian daily press conference to start.
NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant says the returned traveller associated with the new Delta strain came back to Australia in September, but it’s not clear beyond that, and stresses again it is not any more concerning than the existing one.
So what’s happened is this dates back to September when this returned traveller came in. To what we’re investigate something was there someone else on the plane that was positive? How could it have got out? What was the mechanism of that? And we haven’t sequenced every one of our isolates from all our people and so really we’re still finding out how much transmission is being generated in the community from these cases. That will evolve over time. The main thing for the community so understand is that there’s nothing different about this.
It’s a different Delta strain but it’s still a Delta strain so we know its characteristics are the same, it’s likely to be more transmissible than previous strains, it’s associated with more hospitalisations for older age groups, but it’s not got anything that makes us more concerned about this strain versus the others. We will work through those investigations in the ordinary course but it really doesn’t change the public health supports response.
That’s where ABC cut off the NSW press conference, but we will bring you more updates as they come through.
Updated
Perrottet won’t say whether the next step in the roadmap will happen on 18 October, when NSW is due to hit 80% double dose for those aged 16 and over.
He also won’t pre-empt any potential further changes to the roadmap.
Health minister Brad Hazzard also clears up that unvaccinated people can only gather in groups of two for outdoor gym sessions from Monday.
Updated
Perrottet denies he has sidelined health advice in his changes to the roadmap:
That’s untrue. There’s always different advice given and different opinions. I saw an opinion the other day on the 7.30 report that said the opposite from a leading doctor who said the changes we’ve made in bringing forward the roadmap are modest and will ensure we keep people safe as we open up. This is a balance and that’s the approach the New South Wales government has taken successfully over the course of the last 18 months. We listened to the health advice. We listened to the economic advice. We listened to the mental health advice as well.
Will be interesting to see if the NSW chief health officer, Dr Kerry Chant, speaks to this.
Updated
On whether there will be enough teachers when schools return to face-to-face learning from 25 October, with some teachers not vaccinated yet, Perrottet says the advice is schools will be able to make it work and have been “working tirelessly” to make it happen.
Perrottet acknowledges cases are likely to go up again after reopening on Monday:
We know that as we open up, case numbers will increase. But what has been key to keeping people safe is our high vaccination rate. We have the highest vaccination rate in the country and importantly we’re coming close on that first-dose mark to 90%.
Our roadmap is more conservative than the federal roadmap set out by the Australian government. We believe that our conservative approach here ensures that we keep people safe but, importantly, get people back into work as quickly as possible. This crisis has many facets, from the health side of things to the economy, to mental health.
All these areas are incredibly important. We want to make sure that we open up well on Monday. I want to make the point today, and I’ll be making it again tomorrow, it’s going to be a difficult time as we do open up but I ask everybody to trees everyone across our state with care and kindness as we open up. We are the first state to go into a process where things will open up for those people who have been double vaccinated.
He says “we will learn to live alongside the virus” and vaccinations will be critical.
Updated
Perrottet accidentally introduced himself as the treasurer. He said it’ll take some getting used to:
I think I said I was treasurer. Don’t worry Matt Kean. You’ve still got the job.
Question: Are you still getting used to the title?
When I hear premier, I think of Glad. That’s just part of, obviously, the change. But I’ve been treasurer for five years. It will take some getting used to.
Updated
Just flagging they haven’t mentioned if there are any deaths to report today.
Chant says there’s nothing to be more concerned about in terms of the different strain of the Delta variant in western Sydney. She said investigations into how it emerged in western Sydney are still ongoing, but there’s nothing to suggest it is more transmissible, or going to cause more illness than the existing strain of Delta.
Chant says cases are declining in south-western Sydney and western Sydney. The numbers in Broken Hill and Wilcannia are “pleasingly settling” but there are a number of cases in Dareton, and in the Hunter and New England Area, as well as Taree and Tamworth, Cessnock and Lake Macquarie, and Walgett and Cowra.
Updated
NSW records 580 cases
The NSW chief health officer, Dr Kerry Chant, has announced there were 580 local cases of Covid-19 reported overnight.
79,894 tests were returned in the period.
There are 163 people in intensive care, and 812 in hospital.
Updated
NSW press conference starts
NSW premier Dominic Perrottet is speaking now.
He is in Redfern and has been visiting social housing to see what is being done there to increase vaccination rates.
He said:
It’s been a great opportunity today to visit some of the social housing here to witness firsthand the great work that New South Wales Health is doing with the Department of Communities and Justice in ensuring we get as many people across our state vaccinated as quickly and safely as possible. Whether that’s testing, whether that’s reaching out and providing support packages to those in isolation, it’s really been the work of New South Wales Health and the department of justice and communities’ services who have provided incredible support to people in Redfern but also across the state.
We know that vaccination is key to our freedom. And high vaccination rates here in NSW have not just led the nation, but led the world and behind the scenes, so much goes on and it’s a great opportunity for me as premier today to witness that firsthand. Whether it’s Aboriginal cultural support team that goes out and supports the Aboriginal community here in Redfern to help them get vaccinated, also to provide support during isolation, and it’s what the public don’t see every day firsthand that ensures we keep people safe.
Updated
So we are still waiting on NSW premier Dominic Perrottet to hold a press conference. It was due at 10.10am but he is yet to appear.
Updated
Hamish McDonald reviews Sharri Markson’s new book:
Details are deficient, scientific analysis contentious and expert voices missing in Markson’s thesis about ‘what really happened’ in China, which establishes a crime scene around the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
A Melbourne abattoir worker says he and dozens of workmates weren’t told for a week about a Covid-19 outbreak at their plant, which has so far infected four people.
AAP reports Victoria’s Department of Health was notified of a case at Westside Meat on 30 September that has since been linked to three other cases.
The employee, who spoke to AAP on condition of anonymity because he fears losing his job, worries he and about 100 others at the Bacchus Marsh plant were put at risk.
He said a crew of half a dozen workers did not arrive for their shifts at the plant on Monday, 27 September but meat processing continued as usual.
“I thought something was fishy ... but we were all in the dark,” he said.
He said Westside Meat did not tell him until five days later that the crew supervisor, a man in his 30s, had been infected.
On Friday 1 October, staffers were given a larger than usual amount of beef and lamb to process before being told to go home early and take a virus test, he added.
Department of Health officials began interviewing employees that same day and advised all personal close contacts to isolate and get tested.
The worker wants to know whether Westside Meat has complied with health department protocols.
“They say they did everything right but how can that be? They mentioned nothing about it all week,” he said, adding many employees are angry with the company.
“They care more about their product than they do about their workers.”
When contacted by AAP, Westside Meat confirmed there had been one Covid-19 case at the plant before declining to comment further.
Worksafe Victoria is making enquiries regarding the outbreak.
Crews at the abattoir process carcasses under one roof and share facilities such as bathrooms.
At least seven Victorian abattoirs have recorded cases.
On Monday the Australian Lamb Company’s meatworks in Colac was temporarily shut down after nine staff tested positive.
The site was at the centre of one of regional Victoria’s largest outbreaks in 2020.
The state’s Covid response commander, Jeroen Weimar, also confirmed on Monday that health authorities are testing additional safety measures introduced for the meat processing industry.
Another Melbourne meatworks, Cedar Meats, was at the centre of the state’s largest outbreak during the first wave of the virus in 2020, with at least 111 people infected.
In that case, staff were allowed to continue working for several days after workers tested positive.
The Brooklyn processing plant was cleared after a WorkSafe Victoria probe into COVID-19 workplace protocols.
Updated
Qantas flights from Darwin to London are set for take-off next month after the airline finalised its deal with the Northern Territory government.
The new service will begin on 14 November and fly until at least April 2022, with hopes the route could stay in the air into the future.
“The Kangaroo route is one of the most iconic on the Qantas international network,” chief executive Alan Joyce said on Friday.
“We are delighted that Darwin will play a vital role in Australia’s post-pandemic reopening to the world.”
The return route temporarily replaces flights from Perth to London after the WA government announced it was unlikely to open to international travel until next year.
Passengers on connecting flights from Covid-19 hotspots, such as Sydney and Melbourne, will be able to disembark at Darwin International Airport terminal without quarantining after an agreement to make it a travel bubble.
But they’ll have to show proof of full vaccination and wear a mask.
They also need a negative PCR test result before boarding their connecting flights to Darwin and have no Covid-19 symptoms.
The flight to London will take 17 hours and 20 minutes.
“I thank Qantas and the Darwin International Airport for working with us to turn this direct route into reality,” NT chief minister Michael Gunner said.
“It will mark a real turning point for the nation as we work towards the next stages of the national plan.”
The national carrier has successfully used Darwin as a hub for its repatriation flights to various destinations across Europe, Asia and the Middle East during the past 12 months.
It began talks with the NT government last month and was also looking at Singapore.
“The challenge now is to show Qantas that there is no better place to be,” Gunner said
Updated
Looks like there was another earthquake overnight near the Vic-SA border.
Not quite as large as the one in Victoria a few weeks ago.
Magnitude 4.7 earthquake at 3:46am AEDT on VIC-SA border, south of Pinaroo pic.twitter.com/v12lTAs3Jr
— Seismology Centre (@AusQuake) October 8, 2021
Three men have been fined more than $4,000 each and returned to NSW after allegedly crossing the Queensland border illegally to attend the NRL grand final in Brisbane, AAP reports.
Queensland police allege the trio travelled from Sydney into Queensland through the M1 on the Gold Coast shortly after 2.30pm on Saturday with incorrect border passes.
The men, aged 23, 24 and 25, attended the NRL grand final at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.
They were issued with Covid penalty infringement notices of $4135 for breaching chief health officer directions and have since left Queensland.
Updated
Here’s an explainer on the booster shot announcement yesterday from my colleague Elias Visontay.
After Facebook’s week of woes, there was another outage overnight while we were sleeping.
Doesn’t look like it was as bad as the one at the start of the week, and things are back to normal.
Victoria reports 1,965 cases and five deaths
Victoria has reported another record daily cases, with 1,965 reported today, and five deaths.
There were 73,443 tests and 41,177 vaccines administered in state-run clinics.
Reported yesterday: 1,965 new local cases and 0 cases acquired overseas.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) October 8, 2021
- 41,177 vaccines administered
- 73,443 test results received
- Sadly, 5 people with COVID-19 have died
More later: https://t.co/OCCFTAtS1P#COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/t1DpsU7d06
Classic Melbourne weather day. In other words, get out earlier rather than later.
Planning a #picnic or outdoor activity today #Victoria? 🧀🥗⛳
— Bureau of Meteorology, Victoria (@BOM_Vic) October 8, 2021
Sunny this morning (just some high cloud about), but storms are possible from this afternoon, showers increasing into the evening #VicWeather
All the details:https://t.co/8qq6NILwEg pic.twitter.com/1NM4aLtser
Australia’s aversion to public transport is expected to continue for a while yet despite the looming promise of a post-pandemic return to normality, AAP reports.
Sydney’s train, bus and ferry patronage plummeted to levels not seen in more than a century as Delta outbreak restrictions were launched in July.
In Melbourne, researchers believe public transport uptake might permanently struggle to exceed 80% of pre-Covid levels again.
While hardly good news for future commute times or the environment, the trend has been a boon for the parking industry or, at least, a niche within it.
Parkhound, a platform which connects 100,000 drivers with parking hosts Australia-wide, has enjoyed a 110% bookings increase this lockdown compared to those last year.
It has also signed on more than 200 new “commercial partner spaces”.
They include those offered by the Grand Hyatt Hotel Group in Melbourne’s CBD. With 550 rooms empty that would normally be full, the chain has decided to reduce overheads by listing its undercover car spots.
Mariners Court in Sydney’s Woolloomooloo would usually have 100% occupancy this time of year but is at 15%, prompting manager Donna Blackie to similarly rent out car spaces at $320 a pop and planning to list more.
Parkhound founder Michael Rosenbaum says interest is high in Brisbane and other cities too.
“Businesses operating in the city centres have been slammed – a lot are looking at what they can do to cut back on some of their costs,” he told AAP.
“An extra $5,000 or 10,000 a month can make a big difference. We’re also fielding a lot of enquiries from commuters renting out those parking spots.”
While workers in NSW and Victoria are beginning to figure out what at least a partial return to office life will look like, the reality is many will want to do so via the relative safety of their own vehicle.
Even in Queensland, the state government has had to resort to enticing commuters with “Golden Go Cards” as it tries to drive up public transport patronage.
The Australasian Railway Association says passenger numbers did grow in the first three months of the year compared to Q4 2020 but overall, remain 48% lower than before the pandemic.
Updated
Clive Palmer requested that his name and logo be printed on 33m doses of hydroxychloroquine that he donated to the Australian medical stockpile last year as a potential treatment for Covid-19.
Correspondence obtained by the Guardian under freedom-of-information laws reveals the former MP told health department officials he would source the anti-malarial drugs from China on condition that a “small copy” of the Palmer Foundation logo was printed on the packets, along with a message stating they had been “donated by the Palmer Foundation for the benefit of the Australian people”.
Updated
NSW to give Covid update at 10.10am
New premier Dominic Perrottet has called a press conference for 10.10am with health minister Brad Hazzard, the minister for families, communities and disability services, Alister Henskens, and NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant.
The press conference will be on the importance of high vaccination rates.
Updated
Good morning, and welcome to the live blog for Saturday 9 October.
I’m Josh Taylor and I will be bringing you all the news this morning.
Victoria’s third major coronavirus outbreak may be nearing its peak, the state’s chief health officer says, after reporting a record 1,838 new Covid-19 cases on Friday and another five deaths.
The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, has been fined $400 for breaching coronavirus restrictions after he failed to wear a mask as he arrived at parliament on two occasions this week.
A seven-day lockdown was announced for Mildura, while Shepparton and Moorabool came out of lockdown overnight.
New South Wales reported 646 new infections and 11 deaths on Friday. NSW premier Dominic Perrottet has said he accepts the easing of restrictions is “going to be difficult” after doctors warned changes to the state’s plan may overwhelm hospitals
South Australia recorded a new case in a truck driver on Friday, despite tough restrictions in the state’s south-east having been lifted.
Queensland’s chief health officer is confident the state has averted another outbreak as restrictions on social distancing, hospital and aged care visits and mask-wearing ease.
Australians with severely weakened immune systems will be offered a third coronavirus jab to maximise protection against the deadly disease after Atagi recommended the move.
Let’s get into it.
