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Caitlin Cassidy and Ben Smee (earlier)

Northern Territory records two cases including returned traveller from South Africa – as it happened

Sydney airport
A passenger awaiting their Covid test at Sydney airport. The Australian government has closed the border to southern African countries where the Omicron variant has been found. Photograph: James D Morgan/Getty Images

What we learned today, Saturday 27 November

With that, we will wrap up the blog for the evening. Have a lovely night and stay dry.

Here were today’s major developments:

  • Australia will close its border to nine southern African countries in response to the emergence of Omicron, a new Covid variant first detected in South Africa. Anyone who has been in southern Africa, and is not an Australian citizen, will be unable to enter, and Australians will need to quarantine for 14 days. Flights will also be suspended for a fortnight.
  • The Northern Territory recorded two new Covid cases including a returned traveller from South Africa. Katherine’s lockdown eased from 12pm.
  • A number of flood warnings remained in place across New South Wales and Queensland. Queensland police issued a warning to motorists following flood rescues throughout Darling Downs overnight, and the Eugowra community had been asked to evacuate.
  • Protests on vaccine mandates continued across several major cities including Sydney and Melbourne. In Broome, Covid protesters fired off air horns outside the ABC office.
  • And New South Wales reported 235 new Covid cases and no deaths overnight. Victoria reported five Covid deaths and 1,252 cases.

Updated

Eugowra community advised to evacuate amid flooding

The NSW SES has issued a flood evacuation warning for the community of Eugowra.

Updated

Australian police and ADF personnel providing security in the Solomon Islands as rioting continues in the capital Honiara have reportedly been well received, AAP reports.

Senior federal minister Simon Birmingham says the contingent is likely to be deployed to Australia’s troubled Pacific near neighbour for a matter of weeks rather than months:

“At this very early stage our officials and forces on the ground are working hard to help to provide that restoration of peace,” he told reporters in Adelaide on Saturday. “They are, I believe, a respected and welcome force on the ground by the people in the Solomon Islands. The work at present is to get that stability there.”

Solomon Islands police found three bodies in a burned-out building late on Friday after making more than a hundred arrests following rioting over the past several days.

Many of the protesters are said to resent the government over its 2019 decision to end diplomatic ties with Taiwan and establish formal links with China.

Australia initially deployed 23 Australian federal police officers, including tactical response teams. An additional 50 agents and 43 ADF members have since been dispatched as well as a patrol boat. Papua New Guinea has also sent 50 police.

The home affairs minister, Karen Andrews, said on Friday Australian forces had been armed with lethal and non-lethal weapons.

The Save the Children Solomons country director, Lisa Cuatt, says there are strong fears for the safety and wellbeing of children following the destruction of Honiara High School and damage to other schools. The organisation has 47 staff across four provinces in the country.

While there is no exact figure, an estimated 200 Australian citizens in total are in the country.

The Solomon Islands prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare, imposed a lockdown in Honiara for 36 hours along with a curfew in a bid to quell the unrest, which ended on Friday morning. He blames foreign powers for encouraging the unrest.

But the Solomons opposition leader, Matthew Wale, has accused the government of taking bribes from China, saying people are protesting the current regime’s corruption.

Birmingham refused to be drawn on the reasons for the unrest.

“We don’t wish to draw into the political commentary that relates to this,” he said. “Our concern is for the people of the Solomon Islands and ensuring that they can enjoy the type of peace and security that they deserve.”

Updated

Cult Melbourne zine store Sticky Institute has just taken to social media to announce due to the continued weekend protests in the CBD, it will no longer be opening on Saturdays for the rest of the year.

Its shop is located in the middle of the CBD, underneath Flinders Street railway station.

Updated

America has just doubled its lead in the women’s soccer friendly against Australia in Sydney. Rose Lavelle scored in the 48th minute, with the US now leading 2-0.

I’m not a betting man, but if I were I wouldn’t be backing the Matildas at this late stage.

Catch up on our live blog here:

Updated

Six people including an infant child have been rescued from flood waters in southern Queensland with a major flood warning current for the Logan and Albert rivers, AAP’s Marty Silk reports.

The people were all rescued late on Friday and in the early hours of Saturday after entering flood waters despite official warnings. They were issued after the body of a man was found in a submerged ute near Rockhampton, in central Queensland, earlier on Friday.

Police had to enter waters to rescue an infant and two women from a car struck in a torrent at Freestone Creek Bridge on the Cunningham Highway at Warwick about 10.40pm on Friday. About 10 minutes later emergency services were called 10km away at Swan Creek.

Officers used a rope and formed a human chain, wading into strong, waist-high current to reach a woman trapped in a car on Jack Smith Gully Road. They managed the pull her through the window and carry her to safety. A man and boy stranded in rising waters in their four-wheel drive on Forest Hill Fernvale Road, Glenore Grove, were also rescued by police about 3.20am on Saturday.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a flood watch for all south-east Queensland catchments.

A major flood warning is current for the Logan and Albert rivers with the town of Beaudesert set to be partially inundated. The Logan River was at 9.07 metres, above the major flood level of 8.3 metres, on Saturday morning and could peak close to 9.2 metres in the afternoon, the BoM said.

Moderate flood warnings have also been issued for the Balonne, Condamine, lower Macintyre and Weir rivers in the state’s south.

Police Superintendent Danny Shaw urged people and drivers to avoid flood waters with more rain predicted on Saturday. He said conditions can change quickly and heavy rain can significantly damage roads, so even if a flooded road appears safe on the surface, it may not be underwater:

“It’s not worth risking the lives of yourself, your loved ones, and those of emergency services,” Supt Shaw said in a statement. “I’m urging residents to use common sense, back away from flooded roadways, delay your journey if necessary. If it’s flooded, forget it.”

Updated

A flood evacuation warning is in place for Whittingham, Scotts Flat, Glenridding, Dunolly and Combo following possible flooding along the Hunter River.

Updated

Launceston has a population of approximately 110,000.


One Nation
Screen Shot 2021-11-27 at 3.55.34 pm Photograph: THE GUARDIAN

Updated

A quick reminder, we’re live blogging the Matildas’ game against the USA this afternoon. Sam Kerr has passed a fitness test and is playing. We’re 1-0 down.

Hmmmm...

Another extremely chaotic social media graphic from Palaszczuk’s office:

More on that Northern Territory case. Genomic sequencing is under way to see if the person who tested positive after arriving from South Africa has the Omicron variant of concern.

Updated

Covid protesters fire off air horns outside ABC office in Broome

Disturbing development in Broome today:

Updated

Northern Territory records two Covid cases

The NT has recorded two new Covid cases including a man on a repatriation flight from South Africa.

Katherine’s lockdown will ease to a “lockout”, which solely restricts the unvaccinated from activities, at 12pm.

Updated

Flood rescues prompt Queensland police warning to motorists

Queensland police have issued a warning to motorists following a number of flood rescues throughout Darling Downs overnight.

Late Friday evening police and emergency services were called to the Cunningham Highway at Warwick, where water had risen half a metre over Freestone Creek Bridge.

Police entered the fast-flowing waters to remove two women and a baby from a car and bring them back to safety.

The same night, officers were called out to Jack Smith Gully Road at Swan Creek, where another car had become inundated by flood waters.

Police waded through waist-high currents to retrieve a woman through the driver’s window and carry her back to dry land.

A man and a boy were also rescued from a four-wheel-drive stranded in flood waters along Forest Hill Fernvale Road at Glenore Grove early this morning.

The Darling Downs district superintendent Danny Shaw said:

As we can see from these incidents overnight, flash flooding can occur very quickly and without any notice, even on roads that you usually travel on without any issues.

It’s not worth risking the lives of yourself, your loved ones, and those of emergency services.

Updated

Still in Victoria, the opposition leader, Matthew Guy, has vowed there will be no more lockdowns under a government led by him.

A bold line to push on the day we’ve shut the border to nine countries over a new Covid variant.

Here’s Benita Kolovos with AAP:

Guy made the pledge at an event in Dandenong South on Saturday morning to mark one year until the state election:

The Liberals and Nationals are here 12 months out to give a very clear commitment to Victorians for the next election. No ifs, no buts, no more lockdowns.

Guy said Victorians were sick of the “negativity” of the Labor government, which had imposed six lockdowns on the state totalling 263 days.

Lockdowns have hurt our community, they’ve hurt people, our kids, our state.

Over 90% of us are fully vaccinated and that number will only increase. So as far as we’re concerned, lockdowns should be a thing of the past.

In his speech, Guy said he had a “positive” plan for the state’s future, which included reigning in budget blowouts on infrastructure projects, creating more jobs by supporting small businesses, reducing hospital waiting lists for elective surgery and ending the mental health crisis.

The opposition needs to win 18 seats at the 26 November poll to form government.

However, the most recent opinion polls show Labor is in a near impregnable position.

A Roy Morgan survey published on Thursday has Labor leading the coalition 59.5 to 40.5 on a two-party preferred basis, while last week’s Newspoll has them leading 58 to 42.

Updated

Guess who’s back, back again!

Updated

The NSW SES has provided an update from Denman. A number of flood warnings remain in place across the state.

Updated

Good afternoon and many thanks to Ben Smee for guiding us through this morning’s news. I’ll be keeping you company for the rest of the day.

And with that, I’ll pass you on to your afternoon blog host, Caitlin Cassidy.

She’s going to be driving for most of the afternoon. Thanks for your company this morning!

Updated

OK, so a more detailed recap from the federal health minister Greg Hunt’s press conference.

Australia will suspend flights and ban foreign arrivals from nine southern African nations in response to concern about a new Covid variant of concern, Omicron.

The decision follows similar measures taken by the US, UK and European nations overnight.

Hunt says the decision was precautionary but necessary given emerging knowledge about Omicron.

“We’ve taken [precautionary] action in the past. We’ve taken early action in the past. We are doing that again,” Hunt said.

“The difference is that we now have strong vaccines, we have one of the highest levels of coverage in the world, we have one of the most recently vaccinated populations in the world, and we have strong public health and social measures, and we also have, most significantly, as well-prepared hospital system.”

Updated

The chief medical officer, Paul Kelly, says authorities have been working back through arrivals records since 1 November to identify people coming to Australia from southern Africa.

He says there are “less than 100” people.

Updated

Hunt has flagged that those restrictions could change – for better or worse – in the coming days as the world learns more about the risk – and the extent – of the Omicron variant.

Let me be absolutely clear. I said yesterday, if more actions are required, we will not hesitate. Today, we have taken those actions. Today, I’m saying, if the medical evidence shows that further actions are required, we will not hesitate to take them. And that may involve strengthening or expanding the restrictions. It may involve reducing the restrictions and the temporary measures which we’ve put in place. The world will learn a lot over the coming weeks.

Updated

So just to recap the measures announced today by the Australian government:

  • Australia’s borders are closed to anyone (except Australian citizens) arriving from nine southern African countries: South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, the Seychelles, Malawi and Mozambique.
  • Australians attempting to return from those countries will be subject to hotel quarantine.
  • All flights from those nine countries to Australia are suspended.
  • Restrictions will apply to international students and skilled migrants arriving from travel bubbles, and who have been to those countries in the past 14 days.
  • Anyone who has already arrived in Australia from one of the nine listed countries must quarantine and get tested immediately.

Updated

Greg Hunt says the government’s measures are “strong, swift, decisive and immediate actions”.

“They’re taken on the best medical advice. And they include the suspension of all flights from the nine southern African countries.”

Updated

The chief medical officer, Paul Kelly, is now speaking about Omicron:

At this point, other than understanding that it is transmissible between humans and is transmitting particularly in SouthAfrica, but also in those surrounding countries, we do not, at this point, have any clear indication that it is more severe, or any definite indication in relation to the (efficacy of the) vaccine.

They’re crucial points. It’s the reason why we’re taking this precautionary approach, which is proportionate to that risk, and putting in place the measures that the minister has outlined in relation to that.

Updated

The health minister, Greg Hunt, says:

There are currently no known cases of the Omicron variant in Australia.

And we’d just note that there are 20 people in quarantine in Howard Springs in the Northern Territory who’ve arrived from South Africa in the last week. I’ve consulted with Natasha Fyles, the health minister of the NT, this morning. They have all been tested – 19 negative, one positive.

The nature of that positive will be considered, and I understand the Northern Territory’s saying more today. But at this stage, there are no known cases of the Omicron variant in Australia.

We’ve taken precautious action in the past. We’ve taken early action in the past. We are doing that again. The difference is that we now have strong vaccines, we have one of the highest levels of coverage in the world, we have one of the most recently vaccinated populations in the world, and we have strong public health and social measures, and we also have, most significantly, as well-prepared hospital system.

Updated

The countries concerned are: South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, the Seychelles, Malawi and Mozambique.

Updated

Australia will also suspend all flights from nine southern African countries for a period of 14 days as a matter of precaution.

Updated

Anyone who has already arrived in Australia and who has been in any of the nine listed southern African countries within the past 14 days must immediately isolate themselves and be tested for Covid-19 and follow jurisdictional quarantine requirements

Australians arriving from southern Africa will need to quarantine for 14 days

Australian citizens and residents and their dependents arriving from these countries will need to go into immediate supervised quarantine for 14 days.

Updated

Australia closes border to southern Africa in response to Omicron Covid variant

Australia will close its borders to anyone who has been in southern Africa, and is not an Australian citizen, in response to the emergence of the Omicron Covid variant, the health minister, Greg Hunt, has announced.

Updated

OK, so pending another delay, Greg Hunt should be up very, very shortly.

Updated

Greg Hunt to hold press conference on new Covid variant at 1pm

The health minister Greg Hunt’s Covid press conference has been rescheduled (again), from 12.15pm to 12.30pm to 1pm AEDT. So we’re 30 minutes away.

Updated

Anthony Albanese says Australia must close border to southern Africa

The federal Labor leader, Anthony Albanese, has called for Australia to close the border to southern African countries.

He said:

The Omicron outbreak is a major concern that should be of concern to all Australians. We know the impact that Delta had when it came here. And we can’t afford to be complacent. I make this point, Scott Morrison always waits until a problem becomes a crisis. And then he waits until a crisis becomes a political issue before he acts. He must act today.

Australia should place restrictions on our border with southern African countries to make sure that this variant is not able to enter Australia. And that needs to happen today. The prime minister can’t afford, once again, to wait for a problem to become a crisis. He needs to act.

We should close the border with southern African countries, just like our counterparts in advanced economies in the northern hemisphere have done. This is a variant that is of real concern. The health authorities are still examining the detail but what we should have is an attitude which mitigates risk. There is a risk here and it should be shut down and minimised and that requires strong action from the federal government.

Updated

Police officers from Australia and Papua New Guinea have been deployed to the Solomon Islands in response to unrest in the capital, Honiara.

The foreign ministers of Australia and Papua New Guinea, Marise Payne and Soroi Eoe, have released a joint statement expressing concern “about the violent turn that protests have taken” in Honiara.

The countries have “jointly emphasised the importance of resolving tensions peacefully”.

As part of our close working relationship, the Australian federal police (AFP) and Royal Papua New Guinea constabulary (RPNGC) are deploying together in response to the request by the Solomon Islands government.

We are aiming to help restore calm and allow normal constitutional processes to operate.

On 26 November, 50 RPNGC officers arrived in Honiara on a chartered flight from Port Moresby. They are accompanied by the RPNGC commissioner, David Manning, and AFP commander of the Australia-PNG policing partnership, Jamie Strauss.

The AFP, Australian Defence Force and members of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade deployed from 25 November.

Australia and Papua New Guinea share a joint commitment to regional security and stability and an enduring economic and security partnership with our Pacific family.

Updated

The federal health minister, Greg Hunt, will be speaking at 12.15pm AEDT.

Updated

Anti-vax mandate protesters are gathering again in Melbourne and Sydney this morning.

It will be interesting to see, when the prime minister steps up later today, whether concern about this new Omicron variant prompts any sort of change in language about vaccination mandates.

Protesters gather on the steps of Parliament House in Melbourne to rally against mandatory vaccination
Protesters gather on the steps of Parliament House in Melbourne to rally against mandatory vaccination. Photograph: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images
Protesters gather in Sydney’s Hyde Park to rally against Covid vaccines and vaccine passports
Protesters gather in Hyde Park, Sydney to rally against Covid vaccines and vaccine passports. Photograph: Brook Mitchell/Getty Images

Updated

Queensland records one new Covid case in hotel quarantine

The hermit kingdom of Queensland is keeping its powder dry on the Omicron variant.

Queensland recorded one new Covid case today, in hotel quarantine.

Updated

New South Wales Health says it is “working closely” with the federal government and other states and territories “to rapidly understand the implications of the new Covid-19 variant of concern, Omicron”:

No cases of the Omicron B.1.1.529 variant of concern of Covid-19 have been identified in NSW to date.

NSW Health is urging all travellers who have been in southern Africa, including South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, and Eswatini, in the 14 days before arriving in Australia to get a Covid-19 test and isolate immediately. All people in the household should also isolate until further notice. Travellers who have been in southern Africa are asked to call NSW Health on 1800 943 553.

NSW Health is also contacting all international travellers who have arrived in the last 14 days by text message and phone asking anyone who has been in southern Africa to get a test and isolate and to remind all other travellers of their testing requirements.

The emergence of this new variant reinforces the critical importance of all fully vaccinated travellers who return from overseas complying with the NSW Health guidelines; there are requirements to be tested and restrictions on attending certain high-risk premises.

People who have arrived from overseas must have a Covid-19 PCR test within 24 hours of arriving and another test around day six. Travellers who have not been in southern Africa are not required to isolate while waiting for their results unless they have symptoms. If symptoms present at any time after arrival travellers should get tested at a PCR drive-through clinic or other Covid testing facility.

Updated

ACT records seven new Covid cases

The Australian Capital Territory (which now has 96.7% of people aged over 12 double-vaccinated) has recorded seven new Covid-19 cases.

Updated

We expect to hear from the federal government at 12.30pm (AEDT).

Morrison and Hunt considering response to Omicron Covid variant

We’re expecting an announcement from the Australian government in the coming hours to detail measures in response to the newly discovered Omicron variant of Covid-19.

Health minister Greg Hunt said yesterday there were no plans to restrict flights from South Africa or elsewhere in response to the development.

Overnight, US, the UK, Europe and a host of other jurisdictions placed travel restrictions on southern Africa.

The Sydney Morning Herald and the Age are reporting that the prime minister, Scott Morrison, Hunt, the health department secretary, Brendan Murphy, and the chief medical officer, Paul Kelly, met early this morning to discuss what measures might now be necessary.

Updated

Some significant flood warnings for NSW rivers from the BOM.

Stephen Sondheim, the master craftsman of the American musical, has died at the age of 91.

A big loss.

Updated

Burrendong’s storage level rose 10 percentage points in 24 hours – including a 0.5% rise per hour for five hours – requiring overnight dam releases that reached 30GL/day before being scaled back to 5GL/day this morning to avoid increasing downstream river levels already rising due to high tributary inflows, WaterNSW said.

Keepit Dam has cut releases almost entirely to avoid adding to a record flood peak in the Mooki River, due to reach Gunnedah later today.

Elsewhere, Chaffey Dam on the Peel River continues to spill in large volumes, while WaterNSW teams are monitoring inflows into Burrinjuck and Blowering Dams on the Murrumbidgee, where successful storage operations are expected to have created sufficient capacity to capture the majority of inflows, WaterNSW said.

The rain should back off for a few days but return for most of eastern NSW by mid next week.

Updated

Some more info about flooding alerts in NSW.

The state’s inland rivers are a concern. WaterNSW say flows down the unregulated Mooki River in northern NSW appear to be twice the height of any previous flow.

That is headed towards the Namoi River, which is already a major flood threat in places. Towns like Gunnedah and Narrabri may be in for some flood activity.

WaterNSW said it is also continuing to monitor storage levels at the state’s major regional supply dams, almost all of which are receiving constant inflows and are in excess of 90% of storage capacity.

“WaterNSW dam personnel are on round-clock flood operations at several dams, with the Keepit Dam on the Namoi River and Burrendong Dam on Macquarie River the primary regional focal points overnight,” the agency said.

Burrendong Dam (at about 140% full) received huge inflow volumes on Friday which have pushed the storage to almost filling the dam’s 500GL flood mitigation zone.

New South Wales double-dose vaccination rates have hit 94.5% for people over 16.

For those 12-15, the rates are also increasing rapidly. 81.2% have had a single dose; 76.2% are fully vaccinated.

Victoria’s numbers are for all people, aged 12 and over. They hit the 90% double-dose rate earlier this week.

NSW reports 235 new Covid cases

New South Wales has recorded 235 new cases and zero deaths.

Updated

Five Covid deaths and 1,252 cases in Victoria

Victoria has recorded 1,252 new Covid-19 cases and five deaths.

Updated

NSW flood alerts issued as rain continues

With so much rain in recent weeks and widespread falls lately there are many flood alerts current in NSW.

Warragamba Dam is spilling this morning at a peak rate of about 60-80 gigalitres a day.

That pace, though, is well shy of the 500GL (or about one Sydney Harbour) that spilled at the height of the March floods.

And the rain should ease up today and for a few days so any flooding on Sydney’s outskirts should be minor for now at least.

Updated

There’s also some news around for football fans this morning. If the Socceroos end up (as looks likely) finishing third in their World Cup qualifying group, the path to Qatar next year will go through a playoff with a South American country.

At this stage that could be Colombia, Uruguay, Chile or Peru. They’re all good. We are ... well, not blessed with our best ever generation of players, frankly.

But then again, who cares about the men’s side when the Matildas have their best ever crop. They play the USA in a friendly this afternoon. Here’s hoping Sam Kerr is passed fit.

Updated

Here’s a helpful explainer – everything you need to know about Omicron.

Updated

The Queensland human rights commissioner, Scott McDougall, says the commission has received a spike in inquiries due to confusion about the state’s Covid border rules.

McDougall said that in the past few weeks, since the Queensland government announced its plans to reopen the state border, more than a third of inquiries had been about Covid issues as a lack of detail had “created a vacuum where misinformation is able to be spread”.

“We’re very much aware of the confusion and the lack of clarity for people trying to make sense of our border reopening plans,” McDougall told Guardian Australia.

“Since they were announced a couple of weeks ago Covid issues have been the subject of over a third of all our inquiries – at times nudging 40% – and almost all those are in relation to the restrictions after borders reopen.

Given the emergence of Omicron, it’s worth reflecting on this piece from Nyasha Chingono about how some of southern Africa’s “white garment” churches have undermined vaccination rollouts.

We should hear more about the Australian government’s response to Omicron later today.

Meanwhile the European Centres for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has followed the World Health Organisation and classified it a “variant of concern”.

A report published by the ECDC says: “[It] is the most divergent variant that has been detected in significant numbers during the pandemic so far, which raises concerns that it may be associated with increased transmissibility, significant reduction in vaccine effectiveness and increased risk for reinfections.”

Good morning everyone and welcome to Saturday. This is Ben Smee in Brisbane bringing you the weekend version of Guardian Australia’s live news blog.

As always, there’s a bit to get through.

All eyes are on Australia’s reaction to the new and stronger Covid variant threatening to spread from southern Africa.

The latest variant, given the name Omicron by the World Health Organisation and listed as a variant of concern on Saturday morning, first emerged in Botswana and has been detected in South Africa, Hong Kong, Israel and Belgium.

It has double the number of mutations as the Delta variant that sparked a third wave of outbreaks and lockdowns in Australia this year.

Australian health minister Greg Hunt previously said “the world is looking and learning about the strain ... if the medical advice is that we need to change, we won’t hesitate.”

Parts of New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria are on flood watch for the second weekend in a row. A Queensland man died in floodwaters yesterday, and authorities have issued some fairly serious warnings. Severe thunderstorms are likely to lash most of the east coast.

WaterNSW confirmed this morning that Warragamba Dam started spilling shortly after 9pm last night.

“Preliminary estimates are that the spillway outflow could peak at a rate of approximately 100 gigalitres per day (GL/day), one-fifth of the March spill event that peaked at 500GL/day.

“Inflows to the dam storage are rising as a result of multiple recent rain events, with latest rates of >38 GL/day expected to rise and showers to persist.”

It’s Saturday, so that can only mean one thing. That’s right, it’s anti-vaccination rally day. There are a few protest marches scheduled, including the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast and Canberra. We’re not expecting anything on the same scale as last weekend, but will keep you abreast of anything relevant.

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