Good evening and here is our daily roundup of the latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic in Australia. This is Elias Visontay bringing you the main stories on Saturday 9 May.
Don’t cuddle your mum, deputy chief medical officer says
Paul Kelly, the deputy chief medical officer, has pleaded with Australians to resist any urges “to cuddle our mums” ahead of Mother’s Day on Sunday.
“Absolutely if you are feeling sick yourself, do not go and visit your mum. Please don’t. If you are feeling well and you really want to see your mum, I’m sure it is fine. But for elderly mums, just be a little bit cautious and probably keep that 1.5-metre distance for now,” Kelly said.
“I know it is hard and we all want to cuddle our mums on Mother’s Day – and a big shout out to all of the mums out there – but let’s just wait a little bit longer.”
On Saturday afternoon, there were 6,929 cases in Australia, with the death toll at 97. There had been 16 new cases in the last 24 hours, four of which were related to the Cedar Meats cluster in Victoria. The testing positivity rate was now under 1%. Of the 900 Australians who were sick with Covid-19, 51 were currently being treated in hospital, with 19 of them in intensive care and 15 of those cases relying on ventilators.
As of Friday, the government’s CovidSafe app had been downloaded 5.4 million times.
One country, one direction, different speeds
The federal health minister, Greg Hunt, said: “We have a clear three-step roadmap and plan for Australia. This has been adopted and embraced by all of the states and territories and, to just give an update, what we see is that in seven of the eight states and territories they have already indicated their date and commenced with particular steps.
“The last state will start on Monday with their steps … So one country, one direction, different speeds, but all heading towards the common goal of keeping Australians safe but getting Australians back to work.”
Labor says the Coalition has no post-Covid economic plan
The opposition leader, Anthony Albanese, has accused the federal government of lacking an economic plan to go with its roadmap to lift coronavirus-related restrictions.
“We have said there needs to be a full release of the budget outlook, something the government is ducking at this stage,” Albanese told reporters in Queanbeyan on Saturday, campaigning in the Eden-Monaro electorate ahead of the byelection.
He said the government’s promise of a “snap back” in the economy once the crisis has passed is nothing more than “a marketing slogan from the prime minister who doesn’t have an economic plan”.
“We will be calling for the government to outline its economic plan.”
A 17th resident of Newmarch House dies
A 17th resident of Sydney’s beleaguered Newmarch House died overnight.
The 92-year-old great-grandmother Fay Rendoth, who grew up in the Blue Mountains and only recently moved to Newmarch, is believed to have died after recovering from coronavirus.
She leaves behind three daughters, eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
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Five new cases in NSW
There have been five new cases recorded in NSW, bringing the state’s total to 3,051.
NSW has also set a new record for a single day, with 13,692 tests conducted in the previous 24 hours. The state has tested 294,949 people since the declaration of the pandemic.
No new deaths have been reported in the state as of Friday evening, but this doesn’t include the death of Fay Rendoth at Newmarch House. However, this is not so straightforward because while she did have Covid-19, it is believed she had recovered before passing away.
Queensland’s third day of zero new cases this week
“We now have just 20 active cases of Covid-19 in Queensland. Just 20. A figure that was unimaginable only five or six weeks ago,” the state’s health minister, Steven Miles, said.
“Nine of those cases are currently in hospital. Three of them are in intensive care.
What you need to know: get the most important information from some of our key explainers
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Coronavirus Australia maps and cases: live numbers and statistics
Australia’s strict new coronavirus social distancing rules explained: state by state guidelines
Free childcare: what do the Australian government’s coronavirus changes mean for my family?
Am I eligible for the jobkeeper payment? Here’s everything you need to know to register
Groceries, telehealth and pharmaceuticals: how older Australians can get help at home
Have I already had coronavirus? How would I know and what should I do?
Dangerous cures and viral hoaxes: common coronavirus myths busted
How ventilators work and why they are so important in saving people with coronavirus
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