Good evening, and welcome to our daily roundup of the latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic in Australia. This is Calla Wahlquist bringing you the main stories on Wednesday 29 April.
Death toll reaches 90 after 12th death at Newmarch House
Another person has died at the Newmarch aged care home in western Sydney, bringing the death toll at the home to 12 and Australia’s death toll to 90. It follows the deaths of four residents in 24 hours yesterday. The Anglicare chief executive, Grant Millard, said he had been told to anticipate more deaths this week, with 34 residents testing positive to the disease.
The New South Wales premier, Gladys Berejiklian, said she was concerned at the lack of information given to family members.
Australia recorded just 13 new cases overnight, bringing the total to 6,738.
South Australia recorded no new cases for the seventh day in a row. Western Australia and Queensland both recorded one new case on Wednesday.
Victoria recorded three new cases and in NSW the total increased by 11.
Victoria ‘disappointed’ by schools funding offer
The federal government has offered to advance $13bn in funding to independent schools that commit to reopening by 1 May, in a move that has been criticised in Victoria as putting independent schools in “an extraordinarily difficult and unfair position”.
Victoria is the only state holding out against schools returning to in-classroom learning by June. NSW has announced a staggered return to onsite learning from 11 May, while schools in Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory are open now. Tasmanian students have been told to remain at home due to the outbreak in the state’s north-west.
The advice of the Australian Health Protection Principle Committee has consistently been that there is no health risk to students from reopening schools.
Jobseeker extension ruled out
Scott Morrison has ruled out extending the increase to the Jobseeker payment beyond the end of the pandemic.
The prime minister said the increase by $550 a fortnight was only ever intended to be temporary, and “was not a change in the government’s view about the broader role of the social safety net in Australia”.
“These emergency measures come at a great cost and clearly that level of cost is not sustainable beyond what we have flagged,” he said.
About 800,000 jobseeker claims have been processed since early March, Morrison said. In December, the total number of people on Newstart was 728,000.
11 May the ‘target date’ for reviewing stay at home measures
The national deputy chief medical officer, Prof Paul Kelly, said there would be a number of changes announced as the target date for reviewing the stay at home measures, 11 May, approaches. Kelly said Australians would be “hopefully getting back to some sort of new normality living in a Covid-19-safe society”.
The eased restrictions will not include a resumption of international travel, Morrison said, with the possible exception of New Zealand. Tourism Australia has launched its first campaign focused on domestic tourism since 2013.
Berejiklian said she relaxed the stay at home orders to allow home visits of up to two people to reduce social isolation and improve mental health, but people should still be mindful of protecting the health of vulnerable friends and relatives.
“I’ll still be standing outside the house when I visit my parents,” she said. “I’m in contact with a lot of people and I don’t want to put them at risk.”
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China responds to inquiry calls
The Australian government has defended the “entirely reasonable and sensible” call for an investigation into the origins of the coronavirus, after the Chinese embassy in Canberra said Australia had breached diplomatic protocol and leaked the content of a conversation between the Chinese Ambassador and the secretary of the department of foreign affairs.
“As the Australian media report was inaccurate and misleading, the Embassy had no choice but to set the record straight,” an embassy spokesperson said. “The Embassy of China doesn’t play petty tricks, this is not our tradition. But if others do, we have to reciprocate.”
The attorney general, Christian Porter, said the response was “largely emotional”, adding: “Generally speaking those type of emotional responses are relatively short-lived.”
What you need to know: get the most important information from some of our key explainers
Australia’s coronavirus lockdown rules explained: can I still visit my partner and other questions
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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