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Hi, Helen Sullivan here. I’ll be bringing you the latest pandemic news for the next few hours – you can get in touch with me directly on Twitter @helenrsullivan or via email: helen.sullivan@theguardian.com.
Summary
I’ll be handing over to my colleague Helen Sullivan in Sydney shortly. In the meantime, here’s a summary of the latest coronavirus headlines.
- Australia’s coronavirus hot spot of Victoria on Monday reported two deaths from Covid-19 and 11 cases, continuing a steady downward trend in daily cases and putting the state on course to ease more restrictions.
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Brazil recorded 16,389 additional confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, and 363 deaths from the disease, the health ministry said on Sunday.
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The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported a further 42,561 cases of the coronavirus, bringing the total to 6,748,935. The number of US deaths had risen by 655 to 198,754.
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Lebanon on Sunday said it confirmed 1,006 new coronavirus cases and 11 deaths from the disease in 24 hours, in a new record for the crisis-hit country, according to AFP.
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Thousands of demonstrators calling for Benjamin Netanyahu to resign have gathered in Jerusalem, despite an Israeli national lockdown that went into force on Friday.
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The French health ministry has reported 10,569 new cases in 24 hours, down from the previous day’s record increase of 13,498. 12 more deaths were registered in the past 24 hours, with the death toll rising to 31,585. The latest increase in deaths from yesterday’s toll may reflect late-arriving data for earlier fatalities, according to Reuters.
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The US performed a record one million tests on Saturday – but experts say the country needs to be hitting targets of between six and ten million a day to get the outbreak under control.
- Myanmar has announced a stay-at-home order for its largest city, Yangon, from Monday, following a record daily rise in new coronavirus cases on Sunday.
- The UK has reported an additional 3,899 lab-confirmed coronavirus cases. This brings the total to 394,257. The death toll has risen by 18 to 41,777, according to government data.
Australia’s coronavirus hot spot of Victoria on Monday reported two deaths from Covid-19 and 11 cases, continuing a steady downward trend in daily cases and putting the state on course to ease more restrictions.
Victoria, Australia’s second most populous state, on Sunday reported five deaths from the virus and 14 new cases, its lowest rise in daily infections in three months.
A hard lockdown in the city of Melbourne has brought daily coronavirus cases down to double digits after it touched highs of 700 in early August.
Brazil registers more than 16,000 new infections
Brazil recorded 16,389 additional confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, and 363 deaths from the disease, the health ministry said on Sunday.
The figures do not include any new cases or deaths in the Brazilian states of Tocantins, Amapa and Roraima, as state authorities did not report updated statistics on Sunday, the ministry said.
South America’s largest country has registered more than 4.5 million cases of the virus since the pandemic began, according to ministry data, ranking it as the third worst outbreak in the world after the United States and India.
Nearly 137,000 people have died of the disease in Brazil, which ranks second after the United States in coronavirus deaths.
Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, is set to extend the Treasury’s UK-wide programme of business support loans to help companies affected by the coronavirus pandemic, the Financial Times reported late on Sunday.
Sunak is expected to unveil plans to extend its four loan schemes for applications until the end of November, with banks allowed to process loans until the end of the year, the newspaper said.
Britain is at a critical point in the Covid-19 pandemic and faces a very challenging winter, one of the government’s top medical advisers will warn at a public briefing on Monday, according to Reuters.
Cases in Britain are on the increase in what Boris Johnson has labelled a second wave of the virus, with large areas of the country subject to restrictions on social freedom and London expected to be next in line.
“The trend in the UK is heading in the wrong direction and we are at a critical point in the pandemic,” England’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty is expected to say in an address set for 10am on Monday.
“We are looking at the data to see how to manage the spread of the virus ahead of a very challenging winter period.”
More than 40,000 people in Britain have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic in March, the highest number in Europe.
With the days shortening and the prospect of a tighter local lockdown imminent, there was understandable dismay among residents and business owners in London on Saturday. Outside Blade Hairclubbing, on Frith Street, Soho, three hairdressers waited for clients who may never come. On a normal day, they might get 10 customers but only three were booked in.
Until lockdown, the salon had a downstairs bar and customers were served drinks in crystal glasses. “But we can’t run the bar now,” said owner Julia Despot-Olofsson. “We can only serve water.”
The prospect of a further lockdown could spell the end of the successful business. Its concept of “hairclubbing” – combining a party vibe with cutting hair – was so popular that on 19 March it was about to open a new salon in New York. “And then lockdown came,” Despot-Olofsson said.
Tens of thousands of private renters in England and Wales could be at risk of losing their homes when the ban on evictions ends on Monday, campaign groups say.
Renters in England and Wales have been protected from eviction during the Covid-19 outbreak by a ban announced in March which was then extended, meaning anyone served with an eviction notice since August 29 has been given a six-month notice period.
But up to around 55,000 households in England who were served notices between March and August do not enjoy this protection and need further help, said campaign group Generation Rent.
The National Residential Landlord Association (NRLA) said it has encouraged landlords to “work with their tenants to sustain tenancies wherever possible”.
But the NRLA added it is important to begin tackling the “most serious cases” including tenants committing anti-social behaviour and domestic abuse, or with rent arrears which “have nothing to do with Covid-19”.
Labour has called for protective measures to be extended and has warned of a winter homelessness crisis, while the Local Government Association (LGA) has said councils are “concerned that the ending of the ban could see a rise in homelessness”.
Summary
Here’s a summary for those of you just joining the blog:
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The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported a further 42,561 cases of the coronavirus, bringing the total to 6,748,935. The number of US deaths had risen by 655 to 198,754.
-
Lebanon on Sunday said it confirmed 1,006 new coronavirus cases and 11 deaths from the disease in 24 hours, in a new record for the crisis-hit country, according to AFP.
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Thousands of demonstrators calling for Benjamin Netanyahu to resign have gathered in Jerusalem, despite an Israeli national lockdown that went into force on Friday.
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The French health ministry has reported 10,569 new cases in 24 hours, down from the previous day’s record increase of 13,498. 12 more deaths were registered in the past 24 hours, with the death toll rising to 31,585. The latest increase in deaths from yesterday’s toll may reflect late-arriving data for earlier fatalities, according to Reuters.
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The US performed a record one million tests on Saturday – but experts say the country needs to be hitting targets of between six and ten million a day to get the outbreak under control.
- Myanmar has announced a stay-at-home order for its largest city, Yangon, from Monday, following a record daily rise in new coronavirus cases on Sunday.
- The UK has reported an additional 3,899 lab-confirmed coronavirus cases. This brings the total to 394,257. The death toll has risen by 18 to 41,777, according to government data.
- Authorities in China’s northeastern Jilin province have found the coronavirus on the packaging of imported squid, health authorities in the city of Fuyu said on Sunday, urging anyone who may have bought it to get themselves tested.
- Russia has reported 6,148 new cases. It was the second straight day when the daily number of cases exceeded 6,000, taking the national tally of infections to 1,103,399.
- Indonesia has reported 3,989 new cases, taking the total to 244,676. Data from the country’s health ministry also showed 105 new deaths, taking the total to 9,553, the biggest death toll in Southeast Asia.
Updated
US reports more than 40,000 new cases
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Sunday reported 6,748,935 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 42,561 cases from its previous count, and said the number of US deaths had risen by 655 to 198,754.
The CDC figures do not necessarily reflect cases reported by individual states.
Lebanon reports more than 1,000 new infections
Lebanon on Sunday said it confirmed 1,006 new coronavirus cases and 11 deaths from the disease in 24 hours, in a new record for the crisis-hit country, according to AFP.
The figures from the health ministry brought Lebanon’s total tally since February to 29,303 Covid-19 cases, including 297 deaths.
Outgoing health minister Hamad Hassan told television channel Al Jadeed he had called for authorities to impose a new two-week lockdown to combat the virus’ spread.
Cases have spiked in the aftermath of a massive explosion at the Beirut port on 4 August that killed more than 190 people and overwhelmed the capital’s health services with thousands of wounded.
Authorities on 21 August declared a lockdown in all parts of the country except those ravaged by the explosion, as well as a night-time curfew. But they eased the restrictions a week later following protest from the private sector, already reeling from the country’s worst economic downturn in decades.
The head of a major public hospital battling Covid-19, Firass Abiad, expressed his alarm at the rising rates on Saturday.
“I couldn’t sleep last night. The corona numbers were shocking,” he wrote on Twitter.
Despite an expected increase in cases, “the sharp rise in deaths, including that of an 18-year-old boy, was tough news,” he said.
Israelis protest in Jerusalem despite lockdown
A few thousand demonstrators calling for Benjamin Netanyahu to resign have gathered in Jerusalem, despite an Israeli national lockdown that went into force on Friday.
The prime minister has faced months of relentless protests and widespread public anger over his government’s handling of the country’s coronavirus crisis and charges of alleged corruption.
Public demonstrations are still allowed under the lockdown rules. However, there has been criticism from Netanyahu allies and even supporters of the protest movement that they should be suspended during the lockdown as infections rise.
Nathan Brand, 56, a video producer at the rally, said he was not “oblivious” to the risks of large crowds. “I have kids at home, and a wife, and I’m worried about them, and I’m worried about my mother, and I’m worried about my family and friends. But I also think we should continue demonstrating against [Netanyahu] who is a crook. I’m not kidding. He is a vampire … He doesn’t say a word of truth.”
Police said in a statement that officers had attempted to divide the protesters into smaller groups to keep the crowds from getting too close to each other, but that demonstrators removed the barricades. Meanwhile, some protest leaders had drawn chalk markings on the ground so people could easily keep away from each other.
Having entered a second lockdown that will cover a normally-festive period of Jewish holiday, Israel is on edge. Reports spread on Sunday night of an attempted ramming attack on protesters after a car sped down a road towards the rally at high speed and stopped suddenly. Police arrested a man, witnesses said.
One demonstrator, Sharon Sagi, a choreographer and dancer, said she believes Netanyahu imposed a lockdown so he will be able to delay his corruption trial and use the coronavirus as an excuse. The leader, who denies the allegations, saw a previous hearing this year postponed by the courts due to the virus.
“Mr Netanyahu has been making fun of us for too many years,” said Sagi. “We are not going to leave this place until there is a real profound change.”
Reuters earlier reported that France’s death toll had stood “at 31,585, up from 31,274 published day earlier” – an apparent increase of 311.
However, the news agency has since sent an update saying the number of French deaths from the disease rose by 12 over the preceding 24 hours to 31,585 – obviously a very different figure.
It looks like the increase of more than 300 is due to late reporting – rather than deaths in the last 24 hours, which amount to 12.
My apologies for the confusion – I’m reaching out for further clarification on this.
Updated
Jahana Hayes, a Democratic US representative from Connecticut, has tested positive for coronavirus and will quarantine for 14 days, she has announced on Twitter.
“After going to 2 urgent care centers yesterday, I finally got an appointment at a 3rd site and was tested this morning,” the lawmaker said, adding that she has no symptoms “except for breathing issues which are being monitored”.
This morning I received a positive COVID-19 test result and will be quarantined for the 14 days.
— Jahana Hayes (@RepJahanaHayes) September 20, 2020
After going to 2 urgent care centers yesterday, I finally got an appointment at a 3rd site and was tested this morning. pic.twitter.com/Yiw9yNLglU
Greece reported an additional 170 coronavirus cases and seven deaths on Sunday.
The country’s cumulative number of cases stands at 15,142, while its death toll is at 338.
The greater Athens area will be placed under additional restrictions from Monday in response to a surge in new infections.
The new measures include a ban on gatherings of over nine people, limiting weddings and funerals to 20 attendees and the shuttering of cinemas and concerts venues, according to Ekathimerini.
Over-65s will also be encouraged to stay home for the next two weeks.
Updated
France reports more than 10,000 new cases
The French health ministry has reported 10,569 new cases in 24 hours, down from the previous day’s record increase of 13,498.
The country’s death toll rose by 311 to 31,585. The death toll increased by 25 on Saturday, following a jump of 154 on Friday.
The latest increase in deaths may reflect late-arriving data for earlier fatalities, according to Reuters.
The cumulative number of cases now stands at 453,763.
Hospitalisations rose by 3,894 over seven days, according to the health ministry, while 593 people are in intensive care.
Updated
Nearly 700 new cases of Covid-19 were recorded in Liverpool in the seven days to 17 September, according to new data from Public Health England.
A total of 688 cases were recorded – the equivalent of 138.1 cases per 100,000 people, up from 96.4 per 100,000 in the previous week.
It means Liverpool now has the fifth highest weekly rate in England.
The four areas with higher rates are Bolton (187.8 per 100,000 people, down from 213.2); Rossendale (159.5, up from 60.2); Hyndburn (156.7, up from 117.2); and Preston (148.1, up from 103.4).
Summary
Here’s a round-up of the latest developments and figures:
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The US performed a record one million tests on Saturday – but experts say the country needs to be hitting targets of between six and ten million a day to get the outbreak under control.
- Myanmar has announced a stay-at-home order for its largest city, Yangon, from Monday, following a record daily rise in new coronavirus cases on Sunday.
- The UK has reported an additional 3,899 lab-confirmed coronavirus cases. This brings the total to 394,257. The death toll has risen by 18 to 41,777, according to government data.
- Authorities in China’s northeastern Jilin province have found the coronavirus on the packaging of imported squid, health authorities in the city of Fuyu said on Sunday, urging anyone who may have bought it to get themselves tested.
- Russia has reported 6,148 new cases. It was the second straight day when the daily number of cases exceeded 6,000, taking the national tally of infections to 1,103,399.
- Indonesia has reported 3,989 new cases, taking the total to 244,676. Data from the country’s health ministry also showed 105 new deaths, taking the total to 9,553, the biggest death toll in Southeast Asia.
- The World Health Organization has endorsed a protocol for testing African herbal medicines as potential treatments for coronavirus and other epidemics.
- The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, has warned that the English capital needs fresh Covid restrictions by Monday if it is to avoid a big rise in infections, while doctors are urging the government to introduce stronger coronavirus measures in England to drive down case numbers and avoid another national lockdown.
Updated
Testing for Covid-19 in schools must improve if they are to remain open, the National Education Union (NEU) told the Boris Johnson on Sunday.
The leaders of Britain’s largest education union urged the government to take emergency measures if schools and colleges are to stay safe, warning Boris Johnson not take support for schools for granted.
Joint general secretaries Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney wrote: “It is now clear that your government has not managed to ensure that testing is sufficiently available to meet the predictable need when 12 million children and their staff returned to school in England.”
The leaders encouraged Johnson to move towards asymptomatic testing of staff and older pupils, as has been done in care homes and the NHS.
“The situation needs addressing as a matter of urgency. Children and staff should be a high priority for the testing regime,” they wrote.
The schools divide between private and state is not just about the quality of education – now it’s about whether or not the students and staff can get a coronavirus test.
While those at state schools have been struggling to book a test since the start of term, their peers at private schools are facing no such problem. Both the Independent Schools Association (ISA) and the Independent Association of Prep Schools say some of their members have privately purchased Covid-19 tests to use on pupils and staff who display symptoms.
The US performed a record one million tests on Saturday – but experts say the country needs to be hitting targets of between six and ten million a day to get the outbreak under control.
The country carried out 1,061,411 tests on Saturday, according to data from The COVID Tracking Project, a volunteer-run effort to track the outbreak.
The record follows a fall in testing figures in recent weeks, with the country performing an average of 650,000 tests in the week up to 13 September, compared to a peak of 800,000 in late July.
Testing shortages have hampered efforts to contain the virus, with residents in Houston and Miami queuing for hours and even sleeping in cars for a test.
The testing system has also been plagued by delays, with people waiting up to two weeks to learn if they have the virus, rendering the process pointless in some cases.
Myanmar has announced a stay-at-home order for its largest city, Yangon, from Monday, following a record daily rise in new coronavirus cases on Sunday.
Myanmar has recorded 671 new infections, the health ministry said. The country has so far reported 5,541 cases and 92 deaths. Most of the recent new cases have been in Yangon, the country’s commercial capital.
The order will force all employees to work from home. Schools have already been shut.
Infections have increased to hundred per day over recent weeks following an outbreak in the western state of Rakhine, after weeks without a confirmed domestic case.
UK coronavirus cases rise by 3,899
There have been a further 3,899 lab-confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK, according to government data.
A total of 394,257 cases have been confirmed.
Government figures show a further 18 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for the virus as of Sunday. This brings UK toll to 41,777.
Separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies show there have now been 57,500 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.
UK cases have risen dramatically in recent weeks, with the prime minister describing it as a ‘second wave’ and London likely to be next in line for stricter lockdown measures.
Updated
Hello, I’m Clea Skopeliti and I’ll be running the blog for the next few hours. If you need to get in touch, you can reach me via Twitter DM @cleaskopeliti or email. Thanks in advance.
China finds coronavirus on imported squid packaging
Authorities in China’s northeastern Jilin province have found the novel coronavirus on the packaging of imported squid, health authorities in the city of Fuyu said on Sunday, urging anyone who may have bought it to get themselves tested.
One of the packages had arrived in the city via the provincial capital Changchun, Fuyu city’s health office said on its official WeChat account on Sunday.
It asked people who had bought and eaten imported squid at the local Sanjia Deda frozen seafood wholesale shop Aug 24-31 to report to neighbourhood authorities and seek a Covid test.
The Changchun Covid-19 prevention office said the squid had been imported from Russia by a company in Hunchun city and brought to the provincial capital.
Chinese customs said on Friday they would suspend imports from companies for a week if frozen food products tested positive for coronavirus and for a month if a supplier’s products tested positive for a third time or more.
Mainland China has recently reported very few infections with the virus which emerged in Wuhan late last year, with just 10 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday. It says most recent cases come from people entering China from elsewhere.
In August, local authorities in two Chinese cities said they had found traces of the virus on cargoes of imported frozen food. The World Health Organization said then it saw no evidence of Covid-19 being spread by food or packaging.
Updated
By midday on Sunday, the chants of “Unity!” and “Healthcare!” that echoed around a busy crossroads in north-east Madrid had given rise to a more specific demand: “Ayuso resign!”
On Friday, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the president of the Madrid region, announced that 850,000 people – many of them living in some of the poorest parts of the city and surrounding area – would be placed in partial lockdown from Monday in an attempt to arrest the second wave of the virus.
Neither Ayuso’s decision, nor her claim that “the way of life of immigrants in Madrid” was partly to blame for the current epidemiological situation, was well received in the 37 affected areas, where there are more than 1,000 cases per 100,000 people.
The neighbourhood groups that organised the protests around Madrid accused the regional government of spreading “fear and hatred” and picking on already marginalised communities. In a joint manifesto, they said:
Instead of protecting and looking after the most vulnerable people in our city and seeing to it that they didn’t suffer the highest infection rates, they have instead opted for stigmatisation, exclusion and territorial discrimination.
A third of coronavirus patients in intensive care in Britain are from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, prompting the head of the British Medical Association to warn that government inaction will be responsible for further disproportionate deaths.
Chaand Nagpaul, the BMA Council chair, was the first public figure to call for an inquiry into whether and why there was a disparity between BAME and white people in Britain in terms of how they were being affected by the pandemic, in April.
Summary
Here’s a summary of the latest developments:
- Russia reported 6,148 new cases. It was the second straight day when the daily number of cases exceeded 6,000, taking the national tally of infections to 1,103,399.
- Indonesia reported 3,989 new cases, taking the total to 244,676. Data from the country’s health ministry also showed 105 new deaths, taking the total to 9,553, the biggest death toll in Southeast Asia.
- Australia reported six new deaths including five in Victoria, the site of the country’s largest outbreak. The state also reported 14 new cases, far below the 700+ cases months ago.
- New South Wales will join the federal pandemic leave disaster payment scheme, and Victoria announced $13m to rescue Melbourne’s live music scene.
- New Zealand reported three new cases, all family members of a man who returned from overseas and went through 14 days quarantine but without producing a positive Covid-19 result.
- The taskforce backing a huge gas expansion to help drive Australia’s Covid-19 recovery was receiving “pro bono” advice from a lobbyist firm with links to the Saudi government and gas companies.
- Brazil recorded 33,057 additional confirmed cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours, and 739 deaths.
- Mexico’s health ministry reported 5,167 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the country, bringing the total to 694,121 cases and 455 new deaths, for a cumulative death toll of 73,258.
- Germany reported an increase of 1,345 cases to 271,415, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Sunday. The reported death toll rose by two to 9,386, the tally showed.
- The World Health Organization has endorsed a protocol for testing African herbal medicines as potential treatments for coronavirus and other epidemics.
- The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, has warned that the English capital needs fresh Covid restrictions by Monday if it is to avoid a big rise in infections, while doctors are urging the government to introduce stronger coronavirus measures in England to drive down case numbers and avoid another national lockdown.
- Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, is cracking down on private social gatherings as cases surge.
- After Poland reported record daily new coronavirus cases on Saturday, neighbouring Lithuania and Slovakia also logged their largest daily tallies since the pandemic began.
- A partial lockdown is set to begin in some of Madrid’s poorer districts next week, but residents of one of the worst-hit neighbourhood’s said today they doubted the new measures would work.
As the world battled the first wave of coronavirus infections, scientists and doctors pulled together in an unprecedented global effort to explore the virus, the illness it causes, and the drugs and vaccines that might bring it under control. But as many countries face a resurgence in cases, what have we found out about Covid-19?
HI. That’s it from me, Caroline Davies. Handing over to my colleague Kevin Rawlinson. Thanks for your time.
Protesters take to streets in Madrid over lockdown measures
Protesters in some poorer areas of Madrid that are facing lockdown to stem a soaring Covid-19 infection rate took to the street on Sunday, to call for better health provisions and complained of discrimination by the authorities, Reuters reports.
Madrid’s regional government announced on Friday that movement between and within six districts that are home to about 850,000 people will be restricted from Monday, although people will still be able to go to work.
The lockdown measures predominantly apply areas of lower income and with higher immigrant populations. Peaceful protests were held 12 of the 37 districts affected on Sunday.
About 600 people demonstrated in the southern district of Vallecas, which has of the highest infection rates in the Spanish capital - about half that of Chamberi, a wealthy area in the north of the city, according to regional government figures.
“We want adequate measures to protect us in these working class areas. We don’t have medical centres. Many people do not have a work contract so they can go into quarantine in peace,” said Vanesa, a protester, who lives in Vallecas.
Vallecas is not a ghetto, chanted demonstrators.
They also called for the resignation of Madrid regional leader Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who attracted criticism for saying this week “the way of life of immigrants” was partly to blame for the rise in cases.
Updated
The Emmy award ceremony on Sunday night may see television shows such as “Succession,” “Watchmen” and “Schitt’s Creek” set for multiple wins, but the biggest buzz may be around the virtual ceremony and its potential for pyjamas, alpacas, and designer Hazmat suits, Reuters reports.
Jimmy Kimmel hosts television’s highest honours in a live awards show that promises to be full of surprises around the challenges of linking up in real time with nominees in 125 places around the world – in their homes, backyards, bedrooms or anywhere else.
“This year people will be watching for different reasons. Are they (the celebrities) dressed up in their living room? Are they wearing sweats? It’s going to be very different,” said Michael Schneider, senior editor with Variety.
The pandemic has meant no red carpet and no physical audience for the three-hour show. Instead, producers have sent camera kits and microphones to all the nominees, who are choosing how and where they want to be seen.
Some of the winners may get their trophies delivered by a person dressed in a custom black and white Hazmat suit, designed to look like a tuxedo, producers said.
“What could possibly go wrong? It’s sort of like walking a tightrope,” said Emmy co-producer Ian Stewart. “It’s not stuffy. It’s not staged. We know that people, for instance, are having their own Emmys pyjamas made.”
Updated
US airlines are facing what one leading analyst calls a “Thelma and Louise” moment as the industry approaches a government-funding deadline that could decide its future, Edward Helmore reports.
On 30 September a government aid packages used to protect workers expires, the airlines have already announced huge layoffs but what comes next could be even worse.
“I don’t think people get the Thelma and Louise analogy here. The car is up to speed, it’s headed toward the cliff and we know what happens next because you’ve seen the movie,” said industry analyst Robert Mann.
Along with leisure and retail, the airline industry has been one of the most direly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Passenger numbers are down 70% and the loss of business and frequent flyer travelers has pushed revenue down by as as much as 85%.
Read the full report here:
Hi. Caroline Davies here, taking over the blog for a short time. You can get in touch on caroline.davies@theguardian.come
Researchers around the world are racing to develop a vaccine against Covid-19, with more than 170 candidate vaccines now tracked by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Vaccines normally require years of testing and additional time to produce at scale, but scientists are hoping to develop a coronavirus vaccine within 12 to 18 months.
Vaccines mimic the virus – or part of the virus – they protect against, stimulating the immune system to develop antibodies. They must follow higher safety standards than other drugs because they are given to millions of healthy people, Niko Kommenda and Frank Hulley-Jones write.
Covid-19 has spread around the planet, sending billions of people into lockdown as health services struggle to cope, Pablo Gutiérrez and Seán Clarke write. Find out where the virus has spread, and where it has been most deadly:
Updated
A clown juggled and acrobats launched themselves through the air above a stage in an open field in Seoul at the weekend as the audience watched from the safety of their cars, cocooned from the risk of coronavirus.
The annual circus – usually held in May – was pushed back twice this year because of the virus until organisers turned it into a drive-in event, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports. Cho Beong-hee, the manager of the Seoul Street Art Creation Centre, said:
The performing arts are very important even during a pandemic. So we came up with different ideas in trying to make this event happen and the drive-in option was chosen as it was deemed the safest idea.
Each event allows 30 cars to park in front of the stage, while the event is also streamed online for free.
The lack of interaction with the audience posed new challenges for the performers.
“I had to re-imagine and re-think new ways to go about my performance,” said Lee Sung-hyung, a performer at the circus.
The crowd clapped and honked car horns as acrobats swung above the giant stage, hoisted by a crane. In the audience, Yu Hye-jin said she was satisfied with her seat.
I think watching performances in cars is great. I think it can be done in the future, with other performances like musicals.
Agustina Valls’ phone is ringing off the hook.
“It started as a trickle when the pandemic first hit Argentina, but now we’re getting over 20 calls a day,” she said from her office in Uruguay’s luxury beach resort of Punta Del Este.
Valls runs a thriving business guiding well-off Argentinians through the red tape of acquiring Uruguayan residence – a skill she learned arranging her own residency application after marrying a Uruguayan lawyer last October.
“The pandemic hit us like a sledgehammer – we are suddenly drowning in people wanting to come here,” said her husband Diego Torres.
About 15,000 to 20,000 Argentinians are estimated to have moved to Uruguay since the pandemic began in March – a number equivalent to about 0.6% of Uruguay’s population of 3.5 million.
As the UK battles with the overwhelming demand for Covid-19 tests, its health secretary, Matt Hancock, said on Friday that the country needs to come together to keep the infection levels down while we await the cavalry on the horizon.
The cavalry, he said, would come in the shape of the science that will bring a vaccine, effective treatments and the ability to undertake mass testing. Detecting cases, tracking contacts and containing the spread of infection remains our strongest weapon.
But the truth is we need urgently to find new approaches to achieve mass testing because the cavalry might not be here soon; we are in this for the long haul. This is now a global endemic infection – which means it is present within communities all the time, across the world, writes Prof Trudie Lang, the director of the Global Health Network, Nuffield Department of Medicine, Oxford University.
The UK is at a tipping point, its health minister Matt Hancock has said, warning that – unless people follow the government rules – the virus will spread and further restrictions will be needed. He told Sky News:
The nation faces a tipping point and we have a choice. The choice is either that everybody follows the rules ... or we will have to take more measures.
The opposition leader Keir Starmer backed the government’s move towards fining those who do not comply with self-isolation requirements, telling the same channel:
There are a few people that are breaking the rules and something has to be done about that. I have to say that I think that is not going to be the silver bullet, that isn’t going to deal with the problem we’re in.
We’ve got rising infection rates, I think the whole country is concerned about that, but we have a testing system, just as we need it to be effective, is barely serviceable and this is a major problem.
Indonesia has reported 3,989 new cases, taking the total to 244,676, data from the country’s health ministry shows. The data added 105 new deaths, taking the total to 9,553, the biggest death toll in Southeast Asia.
Indonesia has suspended exports from an Indonesian seafood company PT Putri Indah into China after its frozen fish products tested positive for the virus, the country’s fisheries ministry has said.
The ministry said an investigation was underway and that the suspension would only apply to PT Putri Indah “whereas the others can still do export activities as usual”.
The virus was detected on the outermost side of the package, not on the fish, the ministry said. The seven-day suspension began on Friday, it said.
Reuters reported that a person in charge of marketing hung up the phone without replying.
China’s General Administration of Customs said on Friday it would stop accepting import applications from PT Putri Indah for one week after a batch of frozen hairtail fish from the company tested positive.
China customs said on 11 September it would halt imports from companies for a week if their frozen products tested positive a first or second time.
Russia has reported 6,148 new cases, the second straight day when the daily number of cases exceeded 6,000, taking the national tally of infections to 1,103,399. The country’s coronavirus crisis centre said 79 people had died of the disease in the last 24 hours, bringing the Russian death toll to 19,418.
The Czech Republic’s daily count of new cases dropped to 2,046 on Saturday, still a record number for a weekend day when fewer tests are done, data from its Health Ministry shows.
The overall count of confirmed cases rose to 48,306 in the country of 10.7 million people.
The Czechs have been reporting new cases of the infection at one of Europe’s fastest paces in recent weeks and the authorities have returned to some of the measures used in spring when the pandemic first reached the country.
Hello, I’m taking over the blog from Helen Davidson for the next few hours. If you’d like to draw my attention to anything, your best bet is Twitter, where I’m KevinJRawlinson.
Summary
I’ll be handing this blog over to my colleagues in London now. In the meantime here is a quick summary of the latest developments. Take care.
- Australia reported six new deaths including five in Victoria, the site of the country’s largest outbreak. The state also reported 14 new cases, far below the 700+ cases months ago.
- New South Wales will join the federal pandemic leave disaster payment scheme, and Victoria announced $13m to rescue Melbourne’s live music scene.
- New Zealand reported three new cases, all family members of a man who returned from overseas and went through 14 days quarantine but without producing a positive Covid-19 result.
- The taskforce backing a huge gas expansion to help drive Australia’s Covid-19 recovery was receiving “pro bono” advice from a lobbyist firm with links to the Saudi government and gas companies.
- Brazil recorded 33,057 additional confirmed cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours, and 739 deaths.
- Mexico’s health ministry reported 5,167 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the country, bringing the total to 694,121 cases and 455 new deaths, for a cumulative death toll of 73,258.
- Germany reported an increase of 1,345 cases to 271,415, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Sunday. The reported death toll rose by two to 9,386, the tally showed.
- The World Health Organization has endorsed a protocol for testing African herbal medicines as potential treatments for coronavirus and other epidemics.
- The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, has warned that the English capital needs fresh Covid restrictions by Monday if it is to avoid a big rise in infections, while doctors are urging the government to introduce stronger coronavirus measures in England to drive down case numbers and avoid another national lockdown.
- Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, is cracking down on private social gatherings as cases surge.
- After Poland reported record daily new coronavirus cases on Saturday, neighbouring Lithuania and Slovakia also logged their largest daily tallies since the pandemic began.
- A partial lockdown is set to begin in some of Madrid’s poorer districts next week, but residents of one of the worst-hit neighbourhood’s said today they doubted the new measures would work.
Updated
The first wave of coronavirus swept through a world unprepared. Authorities struggled to test for the disease, and didn’t know how to slow the spread of Covid-19.
Lockdowns brought the virus under temporary control in some places, including the UK, buying a window for the revival of education and the economy, and time to prepare for future waves that epidemiologists said were almost inevitable.
Each country has used that time differently, but at the heart of every effective system to halt the spread of the disease is an efficient test and trace system. Authorities need to be able to see where and how the disease is spreading, if they are to have any hope of containing it.
What has the second wave of coronavirus looked like in countries around the world, and how have authorities handled it?
Read more here:
Six months ago, Boris Johnson gave the nation a “simple instruction” – to stay at home to stop the spread of the disease. The weather that day in most of the country was pretty good for early spring – widespread sunshine after a frosty start, with a high of 15C.
Later, as restrictions eased and temperatures rose, green spaces became places for (mostly) socially distanced gatherings – birthday parties, family reunions, picnics and barbecues. People took their laptops to the park during working hours, pubs sold drinks from open windows, and some faith organisations moved worship outdoors.
But now the days are shortening, temperatures dropping and Covid restrictions tightening. As winter approaches, will we retreat behind our front doors and hunker down against the virus, or will our spring and summer of outdoor living and socialising continue with the turn of the seasons?
Cathay Dragon is suspending its thrice-weekly flight between Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong after five passengers traveling to Hong Kong on Friday were confirmed to have contracted Covid-19. All passengers were connecting, travelling from India via an Air India Express flight.
The airline said it was informed by the Civil Aviation Department (CAD) that Cathay Dragon’s passenger flights from Kuala Lumpur to Hong Kong will be prohibited from landing at Hong Kong International Airport for two weeks from 20 September to 3 October.
“We are in the process of informing all affected passengers with the provision of refunds or other alternative flight arrangements,” it said.
In the UK private rents in some parts of London have tumbled by up to 20% as tenants quit the capital, the number of international students plummets and companies put relocation plans on hold.
A glut of rental properties on the market means many landlords have had to slash rents in order to attract tenants. While leading estate agents say average rents in London are down by perhaps 4% on a year ago, or 6% to 7% in the so-called “prime” areas, these figures mask much bigger falls in certain locations as Covid-19 continues to wreak havoc on the lettings market.
In Australia a player for the Melbourne Demons, Harley Bennell, is being investigated by the AFL for a possible breach of its Covid-19 protocols.
The Demons announced on Sunday they were aware of Bennell’s potential breach, reportedly a Saturday drinking session away from the team’s Sunshine Coast hub.
As the club and the AFL attempt to establish the facts, the 27-year-old has been placed in isolation away from the Twin Waters resort, which is also shared by the NRL’s Melbourne Storm.
A dispatch from Latin America via Joe Parkin Daniels in Bogotá, Dom Phillips in Rio de Janeiro and David Agren in Matamoros:
“Things have to go back to normal,” said Raniel Braga, who said that – after a desperately slow first half of the year – business at his paddle board rental on Copacabana Beach was picking up again. “Like it or not, we’re going to have to live with this virus for a while.
“People who go to the beach are those who feel safe. People who are scared don’t go to the beach.”
But while Braga is delighted that Rio’s beaches are packed once again, international health officials are worried. This week, the World Health Organisation warned that countries across Latin America are rushing back to normality prematurely – a mistake that could prove catastrophic in a region that already accounts for a third of global pandemic deaths.
Read more here:
Updated
Three new cases in New Zealand
AAP: Three new community cases of Covid-19 this weekend will give the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, food for thought as she considers axing restrictions in New Zealand on Monday.
The fresh cases are not linked to the Auckland cluster which saw Ardern send New Zealand’s biggest city into lockdown last month. Instead, health authorities say they are three members of the same household as a man who recently returned to NZ but passed quarantine without a positive result.
That man travelled from India to New Zealand on 27 August and completed his mandatory isolation in Christchurch before returning to his home in Auckland.
On developing symptoms, he was tested, and on returning a positive result, his household members were isolated and tested – picking up the two further positive results.
It remains to be seen whether the outbreak will spark a fresh cluster.
Health authorities have two working theories on how the man brought the virus into the community despite his fortnight in isolation.
The first theory is he caught Covid overseas or on his international flight, and had an above-normal incubation period, developing symptoms after three weeks. Developing symptoms after more than two weeks is considered rare.
The second theory is he was infected on his flight from Canterbury to Auckland after completing his isolation. This has led contact tracers to contact all passengers on that Air New Zealand flight.
A connection to the existing Auckland cluster has been ruled out by genomic testing.
The notion of a new cluster will be the major concern for Ardern as she considers New Zealand’s alert level settings.
Auckland’s 1.6m inhabitants endured a 16-day lockdown after last month’s cases, but is now at alert level two – like the rest of New Zealand – with smaller cap sizes for gatherings.
Last week Ardern pledged to lower those cap sizes for Auckland to rid all restrictions for the rest of New Zealand should cases “track as they are, and maintain the containment we have seen”.
The Auckland case numbers seem to tick that box, given there were four community cases in the past week, compared with 18 in the previous week.
Outside Auckland, there have been no cases found in months – except for a handful in Tokoroa with established links to Auckland businesses.
The Tokoroa cases also produced two of three deaths due to Covid-19 this month, with NZ’s overall death toll at 25.
New Zealand’s cabinet will meet on Monday morning to decide before Ardern announces the decision at a 1pm NZST press conference.
Updated
India sees 92,605 new infections
India’s coronavirus case tally surged to 5.4m after adding 92,605 new infections in the past 24 hours, data from the federal health ministry showed on Sunday.
The country has posted the highest single-day caseload in the world since early August, and lags behind only the United States, which has 6.7m cases in terms of total infections.
A total of 1,113 people died of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said, taking mortalities to 86,752, which is a relatively low 1.6% of all cases.
Updated
In Australia a teenage boy has tested positive for Covid-19 while in quarantine in Perth after recently returning from overseas.
Health officials say the 13-year-old is a close contact of a previously confirmed case, and it takes Western Australia’s total since the start of the pandemic to 662. The state has three active infections.
From 27 September WA is set to increase its arrivals by 200 a week before adding an extra 300 from 12 October.
The premier, Mark McGowan, said on Friday at least one and possibly two extra quarantine hotels would need to be set up to accommodate the extra 500 returnees.
However. a revival of the quarantine program on Rottnest Island isn’t expected to be required.
WA has enlisted eight hotels to house people returning from overseas and Victoria, as well as airline staff.
Elective surgery may be affected by the change to ensure medical support isn’t compromised for the increased hotel quarantine efforts.
“I don’t want to reduce elective surgery capacity but it may be necessary,” McGowan said.
Meanwhile, WA has announced it will start testing wastewater for Covid within the next month.
The analysis aims to identify the existence of the virus to enable more targeted campaigns encouraging people to be tested.
It has been used in other jurisdictions including the ACT and Queensland.
Updated
Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced the state of New South Wales will join the federal pandemic leave disaster payment scheme which provides $1,500 to people living in NSW who can’t earn an income because they must self-isolate, quarantine or care for someone who has Covid-19, and who doesn’t have sick leave.
“If you’re someone who has a job and you don’t have any leave left, you will be paid $1,500 for that fortnight you have to isolate,” Berejiklian said.
“We didn’t want to declare a state of emergency in NSW which is what the criteria was to get the pandemic leave. I wrote to the prime minister saying ‘please can you support us in that way?’, and he very gladly accepted.”
Updated
From AFP in the Philippines: in the sweltering heat and humidity, 31-year-old Caitlyn Tojanes grumbles about having to wear a face shield over her mask as she waits in line for her bus in the capital Manila.
“It’s uncomfortable. Combined with the long queues it means we get to work already tired and bathed in sweat,” said Tojanes, whose commute involves three buses and takes several hours.
But she is resigned to the new normal in the Philippines, where it is now compulsory to wear both masks and plastic shields in indoor public spaces and on public transport to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
“With Covid, it’s up to the people to maintain discipline,” said Tojanes, who works as a store manager in the sprawling capital of 12m where most of the country’s infections have been recorded.
“People should not put the entire burden on the government. We must practise self-discipline.”
The latest measure comes as the country struggles to contain the virus outbreak, recording the highest number of confirmed cases in south-east Asia with more than 283,000 infections and more than 4,900 deaths.
Six months after tough restrictions were introduced to curb the contagion – including stay-at-home orders, travel bans and no talking on buses and trains – infections are still rising by several thousand every day.
Some measures have been eased to help kickstart the devastated economy.
“It’s a big adjustment having to wear a mask and a face shield and having to wash your hands with alcohol each time you touch something,” said Jeff Langurayan, 31, his voice slightly muffled by the layers of material and plastic over his face.
But he accepts the need for precautions.
“A lot of people have died and you do not know what will hit you and what effect it would have on your body.”
Updated
AAP: the Australian government is investing almost $6m in additional research and development for three Australian Covid-19 vaccines.
Under the funding from the medical research future fund, the University of Melbourne will receive almost $3m to develop two vaccine candidates.
The University of Sydney will also receive almost $3m for a clinical trail to test the safety and effectiveness of a novel DNA-based vaccine.
“The rapid development of safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines is a critical Australian government priority,” the health minister, Greg Hunt, said on Sunday.
“Subject to further work, the resulting vaccines could eventually be deployed in Australia and around the world.”
Updated
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 1,345 to 271,415, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Sunday. The reported death toll rose by two to 9,386, the tally showed.
Fifth wave of virus possible in China, says expert
Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, says a fifth wave of the virus in China is possible, amid warnings that vigilance was needed for the approaching winter.
The South China Morning Post reports Wu characterised the four waves so far as:
- The first outbreak in Wuhan, controlled by early March
- A regional outbreak in north-eastern China in April and May, driven by imported cases
- The outbreak starting at a Beijing food market in June
- Sporadic cases in the northeastern city of Dalian and Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang region, in July
“Except for the initial outbreak in Wuhan, the outbreaks were sporadic, regional cases and they were effectively controlled,” Wu said.
Updated
The federal government has refused to release information on the number of Australians still using the Covidsafe contact tracing app on the grounds it could risk public safety and harm commonwealth-state relations.
Covidsafe relies on large numbers of the population running the app on their phones when out in the community to help identify close contacts in the event of an individual positive Covid-19 test.
Since the app’s launch in April, the government has used the number of downloads to sell the success of the app, and encourage more people to download it. More than seven million people in Australia have downloaded the app, but that metric doesn’t tell the full story of how and whether it is being used.
Updated
Queensland records two new cases
Queensland has recorded two new coronavirus cases.
The premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, said on Sunday both cases were already isolating with one among a close contact of a known case and the other an international traveller in hotel quarantine.
It has been nine days since the sunshine state has recorded a community transmission of Covid-19, while its number of active infections has fallen to 29.
The result comes as Queensland prepares to welcome ACT travellers on Friday and double its intake of international arrivals by the end of October.
The border will open only to Canberrans who arrive by plane and anyone coming from NSW via the ACT will have to wait 14 days before being allowed to fly.
Queensland will also lift its quota on international arrivals from 500 to 1,000 by 24 October, with the government calling for expressions of interest from Brisbane and Cairns hotels to take returnees.
The figures come as the premier again had to field questions about celebrities receiving special quarantine exemptions after reports US actor Tom Hanks and other members of a film crew were staying on a property in the Gold Coast hinterland.
The actor is in Australia to finish filming an Elvis Presley biopic by Australian director Baz Luhrmann.
Palaszczuk said she had been advised the Oscar-winner was “staying in a hotel” not a house.
“Very few countries are producing movies at the moment,” she said. “There are a whole lot of jobs relying on that industry.”
Updated
Asked about the music industry recovery funding, Victoria’s creative industries minister Martin Foley says venues had to apply and there was a sliding scale of criteria.
Hundreds applied, but 106 were approved for the first tranche and they’ll start receiving their money between now and 28 October.
Updated
From AAP: more than 1.6m Australians will have to wait until after the October budget to learn if the government will extend its coronavirus supplement to jobseeker.
Social services minister Anne Ruston announced on Saturday that the government would not make a call until it could see the impact of a scheduled reduction in payments from next week.
“We will not be making announcements in budget,” she said.
“We don’t know what Australia is going to look like on the other side of this pandemic. We don’t know when it’s going to end.
“So we will remain agile and we will continue to provide the support that is needed for Australia and Australians.”
About 1.6m Australians receive unemployment payments, which were boosted in April by $550 a fortnight. From next week, the supplement will be cut to $250 a fortnight.
That reduction alone will plunge many families into hardship, Australian Council of Social Services chief executive Dr Cassandra Goldie said.
Add in the uncertainty about the boosted payments continuing into 2021 and Goldie said people would have to start skipping meals and forgoing fresh fruit and vegetables to scrounge Christmas gifts for their children.
“While it might suit some within government to not make decisions yet ... 1.6 million people are worrying today about how they are going to get through Christmas,” she said.
ACOSS wants the Morrison government to legislate a permanent increase to jobseeker or at least guarantee a level of increased payments beyond this year.
“The government says that it has peoples’ backs – that means delivering adequacy of income support and confidence that is not going to be taken away in just a few months time,” Goldie said.
Ruston also said that although the aged pension would not be indexed as usual due to economic conditions, extra support for older Australians would be announced in the budget.
Updated
Victoria again: Dan Andrews is asked about the continuing anti-lockdown protests and the cost of the police response (which has been heavy and high-profile). He doesn’t know but says this of protesters:
“It’s unlawful, it’s selfish, and it can achieve but one thing and that is the spread of this virus.
“It’s any protest ... Stay home, follow the rules, and then you can do all the protesting you like some time in the future.”
Sixteen anti-lockdown protesters were arrested yesterday and 21 fined by police amid chaotic scenes. Footage of police on horses chasing people through parks were widely shared on social media.
Protesters indicated there would potentially be further demonstrations today.
Updated
Gladys Berejiklian says: 'Get tested!'
The NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian, has also been holding a press conference this morning, primarily about preparation for the approaching fire season.
She’s also spoken about the new Covid figures: two new cases and one death.
“I want to extend our deepest condolences to a man in his early 70s who unfortunately [died] at Royal North Shore hospital yesterday. He got the disease from one of the CBD clusters recently and unfortunately succumbed to the disease and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this very difficult time.”
NSW has seen a bit of a drop in testing, with only about 13,500 in the last reporting period. Berejiklian is urging anyone with symptoms to come forward and get tested as soon as possible.
Updated
Asked about the reclassification of one death announced today – the sixth so far – Andrews says reports come in from private nursing homes.
Updated
Andrews is hammering the “get tested” message today. Victoria’s testing numbers are lower than NSW.
“Any symptoms, don’t put it off, get tested today. It’s the most important thing you can do.
“This is not a zero outcome; we’re not trying to eradicate this. We’re trying to control it and suppress it and keep those numbers low.
“Every person who goes in, you know, December, January, whenever it might be, and gets a test, even if they’re positive they’re doing the best of work because then we can wrap our arms around that person, protect them, protect their family and protect the overall settings and leave the place open.
“It’s when things bubble along and get to very big numbers and you don’t know [why] and the proxy for testing becomes the number of people who have been admitted into hospitals needing machines to breathe. That’s when you got a real problem.”
Updated
Asked about the Casey cluster, which has grown to 40 people, Andrews says he doesn’t think the investigation has identified the original source of the infection.
“It may well be that we never know where that index case is, who the person is these 40 got it from,” he said.
“We’ve had so much community transmission around the place that these riddles might never be solved.”
Updated
Daniel Andrews says it's no time for complacency
Back in Victoria, Andrews is asked if he’s still ruling out lifting restrictions on the current set date, even if the state does reach its target – of five new cases over a 14-day rolling average – sooner:
“We set a range of between 30 and 50 cases [by 28 October] and we are on track to meet that,” he says.
“To do this, just off one single 14-day period, or to do it off one day or a five-day grouping, that runs the risk that you’re not getting the most complete picture. We’re confident that come Sunday, we’ll be able to make some significant announcements because we’ll be in that 30-50 band.
“But that should lead to no sense of complacency. We’ve just got to stay the course. All of us, every single Victorian, by following the rules, playing our part, doing the things that matter ...
“I’d love to be able to announce that everything is opening up tomorrow. Of course I would. And maybe that would be something that would be praised by many people.
“I don’t think that that praise would be around only a few weeks later when we had to close the place down again. So we only have one way to go here, and that’s to do it safe, steady and then lock it in.”
Updated
NSW: two new cases, one death
A quick detour to New South Wales where the health department has just released the case numbers from the past 24 hours.
Two new cases of Covid-19 were diagnosed in the 24 hours to 8pm [yesterday], bringing the total number of cases to 4,011. There was one Covid-related death reported, taking the overall number of deaths to 55.
A man in his 70s, whose infection was linked to the Sydney CBD cluster, died on Saturday 19 September.
There were 13,635 tests reported in the 24-hour reporting period, compared with 15,239 in the previous 24 hours.
Of the two new cases to 8pm:
- one is a returned overseas traveller in hotel quarantine
- one is locally acquired, and early investigations indicate the infection may have been acquired at Liverpool hospital. Investigations and contact tracing are continuing.
NSW Health is treating 78 Covid-19 cases, including two in intensive care, one of whom is being ventilated. 86% of cases being treated by NSW Health are in non-acute, out-of-hospital care.
Updated
The Victorian government is also announcing the rollout of a $13m package today for the state’s $1.7bn live music industry to be Covid-safe and Covid-ready to come back when restrictions allow.
An initial tranche of 106 live music venues (from small places to venues of 1,000+ capacity) will receive $9.6m to keep their businesses going.
“In addition to that we’ll also announce a series of measures to actually protect those venues which the industry has made very clear is a priority during this shutdown,” said creative industries minister Martin Foley.
“The state planning scheme will be amended to ensure that the value socially, economically and culturally, that live music presents, will be reflected in the state’s planning scheme, and we will be strongly encouraging all local government areas to move quickly once that amendment has happened to protect not just music venues but live music presents wherever they are across the state.
“Finally, there’s also a $3m package for further supports of a whole range of musicians, of festivals, associations, peak bodies, of crews as a part of the support acts, support to make sure that the wellbeing of the whole set of workforce that goes with our live music industry is protected.”
Among the venues to share in the funds are the Northcote Social Club, Queenscliff’s Blues Train, the Westernport Hotel in San Remo, Castlemaine’s Theatre Royal and Loop in Melbourne’s CBD.
The Grace Darling in Collingwood, Richmond’s Corner Hotel, the Night Heron in Footscray, the Hotel Warrnambool and the Wool Exchange in Geelong will also get help.
Updated
Daniel Andrews: 'This is a good day'
This is a good day. A day where Victorians can be proud of the work that they’ve done, their commitment, their resolve to see this off. To defeat this virus in its second wave properly, comprehensively and sustainably.
The Victorian premier, Dan Andrews, is giving his daily briefing to media. He has some updates on the figures I posted earlier.
To confirm, there are 14 new cases and five new deaths. Nine of the new cases are linked to known clusters. The fatalities include four people in their 80s and one in their 90s.
There are no additional cases in regional areas.
There are 94 people in hospital with Covid-19.
There are still 4,267 cases with an unknown source, but that’s a drop of seven since the previous day.
There are 743 active cases across Victoria, including 117 health workers, and 20 in regional Victoria.
The rolling 14-day average is down to 36.2 in metropolitan Victoria and 1.8 in regional Victoria.
“These numbers are coming down,” says Andrews. “We are, thanks to the hard work of every single Victorian, the vast, vast majority of Victorians who are following the rules, doing the right thing, getting tested as soon as they have symptoms.”
Updated
NSW fears over taxi driver tests Covid-positive
Health authorities in the Australian state of New South Wales are concerned coronavirus may have spread to taxi passengers who rode with a Covid-19-positive driver across Sydney.
The taxi driver, who appears to have contracted coronavirus from Sydney’s Liverpool hospital – a known cluster – worked across a 11 days during which authorities believe he was potentially infectious.
NSW Health is urging anyone who caught a taxi on 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 September in the Sydney suburbs of Moorebank, Bankstown, Chipping Norton, Liverpool, Lidcombe, Warwick Farm and Milperra, to monitor for symptoms and get tested if they develop symptoms.
The taxi driver also visited several venues in Sydney while believed to be infectious. Anyone who visited the following venues at the specified time is considered a close contact and required to self isolate for 14 days.
- Campbelltown Golf Club, Glen Alpine – 16 September, 2pm-4.30pm in the TAB area
- Milton Ulladulla Ex Servos Club – 12 September, 2pm-6.15pm
- Carlo’s Italian Restaurante Bar & Seafood, Ulladulla – 12 September, 8pm-9.30pm
- Bannisters Pavilion Rooftop Bar & Grill, Mollymook – 13 September, 12.30pm-2.15pm
Updated
From Reuters: on Saturday Mexico’s health ministry reported 5,167 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the country, bringing the total to 694,121 cases and 455 new deaths, for a cumulative death toll of 73,258.
Deputy health minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell has said the real number of cases in the country is significantly higher.
Updated
The Victorian health department has updated details on the new cases, locations, and clusters. Check the website here to see if you have visited a particular location and need to take action.
The following numbers are as of Saturday:
Among the non-aged care outbreaks, there are 26 cases in the Casey community cluster, 13 in the Footscray hospital cluster, seven within the one at Vawdrey Australia Truck Manufacturer, six connected to Dandenong police station, and six in the Alfred hospital cluster.
There are 89 people in hospital.
So far 757 people have died. Most deaths (596) have been in Victoria’s elderly community, aged 80 or over.
There have been 4,527 confirmed cases in aged care homes, including residents and staff.
Updated
British billionaire Lord Alan Sugar is quarantining privately in Australia, the Sydney Morning Herald reports this morning.
Anyone arriving in Australia must go through hotel quarantine for 14 days at their own cost – about $3,000. There are “no exceptions”, but some celebrities have been able to quarantine elsewhere as long as the authorities find that place suitable and if they cover the costs of security. They have to follow the same restrictions as everyone else.
The SMH reports NSW police have confirmed Sugar and his wife “submitted a proposal to acquire appropriate, independent locations to be nominated as ‘quarantine facilities’ as allowed under the public health order”.
Sugar riled up more than a few Australians when he tweeted about his arrival into the country (flying on a commercial airline instead of a private jet for the first time in 25 years, because this is a time of great sacrifice) to host Celebrity Apprentice Australia.
There are tens of thousands of Australian citizens and residents stranded overseas because of border closures and caps on international arrivals.
Covid test to be allowed on plane with mask all the way and strict 14 days quarantine and 2 covid tests after 3 days and 10 days. Same rules for me and a tosser like you https://t.co/eHGC0nl7nK
— Lord Sugar (@Lord_Sugar) September 17, 2020
Updated
What’s it like to be part of a Covid-19 vaccine trial? Alex Spring spoke to Australian Josh McGrane, an associate professor and educational researcher living in Oxford. McGrane is taking part in the vaccine trials conducted by the University of Oxford’s Jenner Institute.
I probably shouldn’t say it as a researcher, but from a psychological point of view, you do feel “all right, I’m immunised now, let me out of the house” – even though I’m not certain I had the vaccine. It might have been the placebo. There was definitely a psychological impact of feeling a bit like yeah, I’m OK.
Read the full interview here:
Updated
$305m for families and childcare providers in Australia
Still in Australia, the government is providing an additional $305m for families and childcare providers, largely targeted at Victoria in light of the second wave lockdown, AAP reports.
The package includes a childcare fee freeze for Victorian families until 31 January and a continuation of the employment guarantee to ensure Victorian providers receiving the recovery payment pass support payments on to educators and employees through wages and payments.
The relaxation of the activity test for Australian families whose activity level has been affected by Covid will also be extended to 4 April.
The education minister, Dan Tehan, said the government had already invested $2.6bn to support families using childcare and the early childhood education and care sector, helping workers and vulnerable families who rely on these services.
“Victorian families and providers will continue to be supported by the federal government so they can get back on their feet following the second wave,” Tehan said on Sunday.
The package includes:
- A recovery payment of 25% of pre-Covid revenue to childcare services in Victoria, until 31 January.
- The recovery payment will start for centre-based day care, family day care and in-home care on 28 September in Victoria. The 40% recovery payment for outside school hours care will also start in Victoria when in-school teaching returns (anticipated to be mid to late October).
- An extra payment of 15% of pre-Covid revenue for Victorian outside school hours care services, increasing their total support payments to 40% of revenue.
- A childcare fee freeze for Victorian families until 31 January.
- Continuing the employment guarantee to ensure Victorian providers receiving the recovery payment pass support payments on to educators and employees through wages and payments.
- The relaxation of the activity test for Australian families whose activity level has been affected by Covid-19 will be extended to 4 April.
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NSW 14-day average down to four
The New South Wales 14-day average of locally acquired cases is down to four, the lowest since July, says Casey Briggs on the ABC. Testing numbers have dropped from a daily average of about 20,000 to about 15,000.
Victoria is testing fewer people too but case numbers are dramatically dropping as we reported earlier. Briggs says Victoria’s rate of reduction in cases is following the trajectory of NSW earlier in the year when it got its first wave outbreak under control.
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Australia’s prime minister, Scott Morrison, is being interviewed on the ABC’s Insiders program.
He’s asked about what Treasury modelling says will be the impact of cutting back jobseeker and jobkeeper (government payments for those who have lost work or jobs). Morrison isn’t giving any specific answer despite being pushed. He says more than 400,000 jobs have come back and there will be more by Christmas, with Victoria bouncing back too.
“We’re moving forward with the budget ... and there are a range of measures in the budget,” he says when asked again about Treasury modelling.
Asked again: “Treasury says we need to boost aggregate in demand in our economy and the full suite of measures to do that job and that’s what the budget will [do]... You don’t have to hold on to every measure forever.”
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14 new cases in Victoria and five deaths
There were 14 new cases and five deaths reported in Victoria in the past 24 hours.
#COVID19VicData: Yesterday there were 14 new cases and the loss of 5 lives reported. The 14 day rolling average & number of cases with unknown source are down from yesterday as we move toward COVID Normal. Info: https://t.co/eTputEZdhs #COVID19Vic pic.twitter.com/AVvaMLwUpQ
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) September 19, 2020
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Welcome to our new live blog. Helen Davidson here to take you through the next few hours
Here the latest key developments at a glance:
- France reported 13,498 new confirmed coronavirus cases on Saturday, setting another record in daily additional infections since the disease started to spread.
- The UK reported 4,422 new daily cases on Saturday, 100 more new cases than on Friday and the highest daily total since 8 May.
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The taskforce backing a huge gas expansion to help drive Australia’s Covid-19 recovery was receiving “pro bono” advice from a lobbyist firm with links to the Saudi government and gas companies.
- Brazil recorded 33,057 additional confirmed cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours, and 739 deaths.
- The World Health Organization has endorsed a protocol for testing African herbal medicines as potential treatments for coronavirus and other epidemics.
- The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, has warned that the English capital needs fresh Covid restrictions by Monday if it is to avoid a big rise in infections, while doctors are urging the government to introduce stronger coronavirus measures in England to drive down case numbers and avoid another national lockdown.
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The Philippines reported 3,962 new infections and 100 additional deaths, with both numbers the highest in five days.
- Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, is cracking down on private social gatherings as cases surge.
- After Poland reported record daily new coronavirus cases on Saturday, neighbouring Lithuania and Slovakia also logged their largest daily tallies since the pandemic began.
- A partial lockdown is set to begin in some of Madrid’s poorer districts next week, but residents of one of the worst-hit neighbourhood’s said today they doubted the new measures would work.
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