Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is set to announce a roadmap out of lockdown on Sunday, outlining what the next few months will look like and when restrictions can ease.
Here are some of the key events from Tuesday:
- NSW recorded 1,127 new COVID cases and two more deaths but health authorities said the state was seeing the result of vaccinations
- NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian's meeting with 12 mayors from Sydney's COVID-19 hotspots has been described as "a little bit heated"
- The ACT's lockdown has been extended for another four weeks following 22 new COVID-19 cases being recorded
- Victoria recorded 445 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases and two more deaths
- Queensland recorded one new locally acquired case of COVID-19, but the Premier said she was "not concerned" as the case was in home quarantine
- Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania and the NT recorded no new COVID-19 cases
Live updates
By Alicia Nally
Today's case numbers and press conference times
These will be updated throughout the day.
NSW Case numbers: 1,127 (local); 2 deaths Press conference: 11:00am AEST Watch it here Vax stats: 78.8% first dose; 46.5% fully vaccinated
Victoria Case numbers: 445 (local); 2 deaths Press conference: 11:15am AEST Watch it here Vax stats: 66.82% first dose; 40.95% fully vaccinated
ACT Case numbers: 22 (local) Press conference: 11:45am AEST Watch it here Vax stats: 50% fully vaccinated
Queensland 1 (local); 1 (overseas) Press conference: 9:00am AEST Watch it here Vax stats: 56.68% first dose; 38.33% fully vaccinated
South Australia Case numbers: 0 Press conference: 9:30am CST Watch it here
Western Australia Case numbers: 0 Press conference: 10:30am WST Watch it here
New Zealand Case numbers: 15 (local); 2 (overseas)
By Jessica Riga
We're closing the blog here
Thanks for joining us today. You can keep up to date with any breaking news here on the ABC News website.
We'll see you tomorrow. Until then, take care.
By Jessica Riga
'They've cruelled this town': Border businesses say support package 'too late' to save some
Despite fresh funding support for struggling businesses on the southern Gold Coast, many people fear it might be too late for some traders.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Tuesday announced the state and federal governments had struck a deal for $54.55 million in support for businesses affected by COVID border closures.
Under the deal, current COVID-19 business support grants will be extended, while there's a one-off $5,000 hardship scheme grant for employing businesses and $1,000 for sole traders.
According to Peter Scott, who runs Coolangatta men's store Cooly For Men, the grants package may not be enough to ensure his business of 26 years survives.
He said the money was a "drop in the ocean" given he had to close the store for the past month because he lived over the border in NSW and could not come to work.
"I'm sceptical because we've had nothing from the Queensland government so far. In fact, they've cruelled this area, they've absolute cruelled this town and the southern end of the Gold Coast," Mr Scott said.
By Jessica Riga
Confirmed COVID case in homeless crisis accommodation centre in Surry Hills
Wesley Mission says there's been a confirmed COVID case at its homeless crisis accommodation centre in inner Sydney's Surry Hills.
A man who stays at the facility tested positive for COVID earlier today.
Health authorities from St Vincent's hospital are on site conducting tests of the other people who use the centre.
It houses around 40 people. Contact tracing is also underway.
By Jessica Riga
No new local COVID cases recorded in SA
South Australia has recorded one new COVID-19 case, an overseas aquired case who has been in a medi-hotel since their arrival.
By Jessica Riga
By Jessica Riga
Grieving family of Victorian COVID-19 victim issue vaccination plea
The grieving family of a Victorian man in his 40s who died of COVID-19 on Monday are urging others to get vaccinated as soon as they can.
Martin 'Marty' Blight, aged 46, was a father and a long-term employee of the Serco call centre at Mill Park in Melbourne's north, who became unwell with COVID-19 soon after his workplace was identified as a tier 1 site. He had been identified as a close contact.
The Australian Services Union released a statement describing Mr Blight as keen fisherman and a friend to many.
"The union has been speaking with Marty's family directly and both the ASU and Marty's family would like to take this opportunity to encourage everyone to get vaccinated as soon as possible so that no one else has to go through the trauma of losing someone to COVID-19," the statement said.
Reporting by Sian Johnson
By Jessica Riga
No new COVID cases recorded in WA
Western Australia has recorded no new COVID-19 cases today.
By Jessica Riga
Indigenous vaccination rates in Victoria revised downwards after software error detected
A software problem is being blamed for incorrectly inflating the number of Indigenous Australians thought to have been vaccinated against COVID-19 in Victoria.
The state had been hailed as a success story at a time when Indigenous vaccination rates continue to lag behind the general population elsewhere.
Figures released by the federal government on Sunday suggested 47,954 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in Victoria had received one vaccine dose, with 30,951 fully vaccinated.
However, those figures were revised down on Monday to 21,559 people having received a first dose, and 12,209 being fully vaccinated.
According to the national COVID-19 vaccine taskforce, led by Lieutenant General John Frewen, it meant the Indigenous vaccination rate in Victoria had dropped from in excess of 60 per cent of people having received a first dose to around 45 per cent.
"Nationally, there has also been a small decrease in the first dose coverage rate for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, from 38.7 per cent to 36.3 per cent [based on data at 8 September 2021]," it said.
The taskforce blamed a software issue that was "incorrectly assigning Indigenous status to patients where the field was left blank".
"We have been working with the Victorian Government to correct this issue and have applied a data correction fix to the Australian Immunisation Register data," the taskforce said in a statement.
By Jessica Riga
Let's check in on the COVID situation in NSW, Victoria and the ACT with ABC Analyst Casey Briggs
By Jessica Riga
Four new cases, new exposure sites in regional Victoria
New exposure sites are being listed in regional Victoria, which is no longer under the same lockdown rules as Melbourne, after multiple new positive COVID cases were announced today.
Victorian Health Department deputy secretary Kate Matson outlined three cases, which were a train driver who lives in the Surf Coast Shire, a construction worker in Ballarat who works in Melbourne and a person in the Mitchell Shire who works in an area of Melbourne with significant spread of COVID-19.
The ABC has also seen a letter from the principal of Clarendon College in Ballarat, advising parents a child at the school's Early Learning Centre had tested positive.
This afternoon, Ballarat restaurant Lake View Hotel was listed as a tier 1 and tier 2 exposure site for September 9 and September 10.
New exposure sites have also been added today in the Geelong region, which has 13 active COVID-19 cases. The Geelong exposure venues include a supermarket and other retail outlets at Waurn Ponds on September 9, 10 and 12, and an Ocean Grove supermarket on September 9 and 10.
The regional city of Shepparton, which experienced an outbreak of more than 100 cases, remains under the same lockdown rules as greater Melbourne. It's recorded three consecutive days with no new cases.
By Jessica Riga
'Held hostage in their own homes': People forced to stay in isolation long after 14-day period
People who have tested positive for COVID are being forced to stay inside their homes for weeks longer than the typical 14-day isolation period because of delays in paperwork, according to a member of a NSW public health call centre in a Sydney hotspot.
Colleen* said she was speaking out for fear of the mental health of people who had unnecessarily been forced to stay in their homes.
"The longest that I've seen is up to 38 days, when it usually would be 14," she told the ABC's The World Today program.
"Everyone gets told, 'You have your COVID, you're isolated for 14 days, if everything's good, then you'll be allowed out,' and these people just aren't allowed out.
"It's like they're being held hostage in their own homes because we're failing in the medical system."
People who test positive for COVID-19 in NSW are placed under an isolation order which prohibits them from leaving their homes.
The NSW public health orders include fines of $5,000 for anyone who breaches that isolation order.
But isolation is only meant to last for about 14 days and, if tests are negative after that, the person should be able to leave their home for essential reasons again.
Colleen said this was not happening because of bureaucratic failures.
"The medical team are not doing the discharges," she said. "We don't know why, whether they are overwhelmed or not, but it's just a failure of the system."
By Jessica Riga
NSW Premier in 'heated' meeting with mayors from Sydney COVID hotspots
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian's meeting with 12 mayors from Sydney's COVID-19 hotspots has been described as "a little bit heated".
Ms Berejiklian initially rejected their request for talks several weeks ago, but met separately with small groups of them today.
Twelve local government areas (LGAs) have been deemed areas of concern and hit with stricter lockdown restrictions than the rest of Greater Sydney, with those measures including a curfew.
Canterbury-Bankstown Mayor Khal Asfour said today's discussion became "heated" when the topic turned to discrimination, as mayors described how their communities felt stigmatised and treated differently to other Sydneysiders.
"We raised … concerns about the different discrimination that we're feeling in the areas of concern, where the meeting got a little bit heated," he said.
"[The Premier's] answer to that was she was trying to protect everybody ... we just think it could've been done a different way."
By Jessica Riga
Broken Hill teenager with COVID flown to Adelaide hospital for treatment
A boy sick with COVID-19 has been flown to Adelaide for treatment, accompanied by his mother who also has the virus.
NSW Far West Local Health District chief executive Umit Agis said the boy was "the patient of concern".
"Mum was also positive, but mum went along to really accompany the minor," Mr Agis said.
"She's gone as a caregiver. The child is 13 and … certainly requires a carer to be present with him. That's the reason they're both going."
One new case of COVID-19 was reported in Broken Hill today, along with four from Wilcannia.
Another woman with COVID-19 from Broken Hill, who was being treated at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, returned to NSW on Thursday.
By Jessica Riga
Emergency cute: native Australian animal edition
Feeling pretty down today. Any chance for something positive?
-Emergency cute please
Here's a little koala hugging the toy version of itself.
And if you need someone to talk to, call:
-
Lifeline on 13 11 14
-
Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800
-
MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978
-
Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467
-
Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36
-
Headspace on 1800 650 890
-
QLife on 1800 184 527
By Jessica Riga
Shepparton records third day of zero COVID cases, calls to be released from lockdown
Greater Shepparton has not recorded a new case of COVID since Saturday and there are now calls for the town to be released from lockdown.
Last week, Premier Daniel Andrews flagged restrictions in Shepparton could be realigned with the rest of regional Victoria at some stage this week but at today's press conference Deputy Premier James Merlino said there were no further announcements to make.
President of the Shepparton Chamber of Commerce and Industry John Anderson said the latest outbreak and level of restriction was taking a mental toll on residents and local businesses.
"The local businesses are obviously very concerned, and in some cases quite distressed, at the fact that we're in such a hard lockdown and other regions have come out," he said.
There are now only 38 active cases of COVID in Shepparton.
By Jessica Riga
COVID forced the annual Met Gala to be postponed. Today, it returned
The annual Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala — or Met Gala — was postponed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and this year, guests were only allowed to attend if they were vaccinated.
By Jessica Riga
Rapid antigen tests will 'play a big part' in Australia's pathway out of the pandemic
"We now have 28 rapid antigen tests approved in Australia on my latest advice," Mr Hunt says.
"Rapid antigen testing will play a big part in Australia's pathway out of lockdown.
"So I have asked the TGA to rapidly consider the role of anti-gen testing or rapid antigen tests. They'll be going through that process. They're already assessing and approving the rapid antigen tests themselves.
"And now on the basis of their medical advice I'm hopeful the tests will be available at the earliest possible time for workplaces and then subsequently once we have the support of AHPPC within the home. But rapid antigen tests will be available in workplaces and soon enough in the home environment."
By Jessica Riga
Health Minister supports ACT's lockdown extension but urges those to seek help if necessary
"It's a difficult decision. We do respect it," Mr Hunt says.
"And we urge everyone if they do have challenges to seek help for themselves or their families through Beyond Blue, headspace, or other forms of mental health support."
If you need someone to talk to, call:
-
Lifeline on 13 11 14
-
Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800
-
MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978
-
Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467
-
Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36
-
Headspace on 1800 650 890
-
QLife on 1800 184 527
