Good evening, here are the latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic in Australia. This is Lisa Cox and it’s Friday 21 August.
Morrison feels the heat over aged care outbreaks
The prime minister, Scott Morrison, declared he still had confidence in his aged care minister after Richard Colbeck came under pressure at a Senate inquiry and was unable to recall how many people had died in aged care during the pandemic. Colbeck apologised for the times when the Morrison government “didn’t get everything right” in dealing with aged care outbreaks – but insisted the government was prepared for what it believed to be the worst-case scenarios. Morrison announced a further $171m in funding for the aged care response.
The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, said this week only a handful of active coronavirus cases in aged care were in state government-run facilities, after Morrison said blame for the outbreak should be shared between state and federal governments. The prime minister said he would not take personal responsibility for the ongoing crisis of the coronavirus outbreak in aged care, saying that although the federal government had responsibility for the aged care sector, public health was a responsibility of the Victorian government.
New Covid-19 cases in Victoria decline
Victoria’s number of new daily cases continued to track downwards, which the state’s chief health officer, Brett Sutton, said was the result of mandatory masks and stage three and four restrictions. On Friday, the state recorded 179 new infections, its lowest daily total since 13 July and the first day below 200 in five weeks. But the number of deaths in the state since the start of the pandemic is now 385. As of Thursday, 258 people in aged care had died.
Hotel quarantine link to 99% of Victoria’s cases
The vast majority of the cases of Covid-19 in Victoria can be traced back to a single family that returned to Australia in mid-May who were kept in hotel quarantine at the Rydges on Swanston hotel, an inquiry heard. Dr Charles Alpren, an epidemiologist with the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services, confirmed to the hotel quarantine inquiry that more than 90% of cases since the end of May could be linked to the one outbreak at the Rydges hotel, while almost all of the other cases could be linked to an outbreak at the Stamford Plaza hotel. Later in the week, the inquiry was also told quarantined guests were sharing lifts and toilets with non-quarantined guests and staff and security guards had not been given proper hygiene and PPE training.
Qantas records $2bn loss
Australia’s flagship carrier, Qantas, recorded the worst financial performance in its history – a $2bn loss – due to the pandemic’s hit to domestic and international travel. The company’s chief executive, Alan Joyce, called for a national framework on border closures to revive domestic travel. This was immediately dismissed by Queensland’s premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, who said she was “not going to bend to anyone” on border closures.
Vaccine deal struck
The Morrison government announced it had reached a deal with the British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca to supply Australians with the University of Oxford Covid-19 vaccine if it clears clinical trials. The deal was revealed as a “letter of intent” prompting criticism from Labor and Greens that this was not a formal agreement with substance. Morrison said any vaccine would be “as mandatory as you can make it”, but later walked back those comments by saying the government would not make a vaccine compulsory.
No plan to lift travel caps
Morrison said he was not contemplating lifting the caps on international arrivals. He said the government would be reassessing them every two weeks and when circumstances in Victoria and New South Wales improved more they may be reconsidered. An inquiry heard this week the cap on international arrivals meant there were 18,800 Australians overseas who were still trying to return home.
National cabinet halved the number of arrivals to Australia in July after Victoria stopped taking passengers at the onset of its second coronavirus wave. The move prompted complaints from Australians left stranded overseas, particularly about airlines rationing seats by pushing passengers towards more expensive business class tickets.
Bill Shorten criticises profit-driven aged care
The shadow government services minister, Bill Shorten, took aim at the profit-driven focus of the nation’s privatised aged care homes, while blaming the federal government for failing in its duty to oversee the system during the pandemic.
The former Labor leader asked how privatised centres were able to “serve two masters” – profit and care – given the cost of properly caring for elderly people, particularly those with health issues such as dementia, was not insignificant.
“This is the problem,” he told the ABC. “Looking after elderly people with diagnosis of dementia is not cheap. So if we want to make a profit, and you want to look after people, then you create faultlines in the system.
What you need to know: get the most important information from some of our key explainers
Full Australian coronavirus stats interactive: charts, graphs and state by state data
Australia’s state by state coronavirus lockdown rules and restrictions explained
Melbourne’s stage 4 restrictions explained; Regional Victoria’s stage 3 rules explained
Australia’s Covid-19 face mask advice: are reusable or washable masks best, and what are the rules?
Covid vaccine tracker: when will we have a coronavirus vaccine?
Is Melbourne’s coronavirus curfew likely to be effective? We ask the experts
Melbourne Covid work permit form: who is eligible and how do I apply?
Victoria schools: how Covid-19 lockdown will affect education, remote learning and childcare
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