Life under social isolation or mandatory "stay home orders".

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Original Poster
22-Jul
22july.png

Victoria's ( and Australia's ) worse day in the Covid19 pandemic so far . Horror numbers from Victoria ( a lot bad things happening and a lot to process )

New cases o/night in Victoria = 484
New cases o/night in NSW = 16
Total new cases o/night in NSW & Vic = 500
Total new cases in NSW & Vic since 10 June = 5769

Australia's covid19 pandemic daily cases so far
22july-Australia.png


Australia's covid19 hospital load today
22july-hospitals.png


Deaths so far ( waves 1 and 2 ) by cluster
22jul-deaths-by-cluster.png
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Original Poster
22 July in Victoria
It's BEEN A SHOCKER , lots of things going wrong down south , including no yesterday was not a sign that Victoria had turned the corner or had peaked .


Victorian coronavirus cases hit new record high with 484 cases, two more deaths
<< Australia's worse covid19 pandemic day so far >>
Coronavirus cases in Victoria have hit a record high with 484 new cases reported in the last 24 hours, as new figures reveal almost 90 per cent of people are failing to self-isolate when they become unwell.

Premier Daniel Andrews warned Victorians the outbreak could worsen and the state's six-week shutdown could be extended if they did not change their behaviour.

Another two men in their 90s died overnight — both in aged care facilities — taking the death toll to 44.

The total number of cases in the state now stands at 6,739

Mr Andrews said the numbers had not been coming down "as we would like them to".

He said new figures had shown nearly nine in 10 people did not isolate between the time they first felt sick and when they went to get a test. "We just can't have that any longer," he said.

When they did get tested, more than half did not self-isolate while waiting for results. << actual figures disclosed are 9 in 10 !!! >>

Nearly 9 in 10 cases in Victoria failed to isolate when they felt sick
An alarming new analysis conducted by the Victorian government shows nearly nine out of 10 residents did not self-isolate upon experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.

The detailed analysis measured 3810 cases between July 7 and 21.
"I'm very unhappy and very sad to have to report that nearly nine in 10 - or 3400 cases - did not isolate between when they first felt sick and when they went to get a test," Mr Andrews said.
"That's an interesting measure in that people have felt sick, they've got symptoms, and they've kept going shopping, they've kept going to work." << THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS BEHAVIOUR , clearly the message is NOT GETTING THROUGH and PEOPLE ARE NOT TAKING COVID19 SERIOUSLY >>

he Premier slammed Victorians who ignored their symptoms and continued to go out into the community as per normal. "You must go and get tested when you feel sick," he said.

"That is the only thing that you can and must do. And if people don't do that, then we will continue to see numbers increase."

<< and he later warned on ABC 7pm News that a NZ style HARD STATEWIDE LOCKDOWN for several months is likely including curfews and very tough law enforcement >>
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/nearly-9-in-10-cases-in-victoria-failed-to-isolate-when-they-felt-sick/vi-BB171YDO?ocid=msedgntp

"Fifty-three per cent of people continuing to do their shopping, continuing to go to work continuing to do all sorts of things," He said. (Further analysis revealed more than half of Victorians did not self-isolate after getting tested for COVID-19).
"I'm saddened to have to report that 53 per cent - or 2056 of those 3810 cases - did not isolate - that is, did not stay at home and have no contact with anybody else - between when they had their test taken and when they got the results of that test," Mr Andrews said.

Mr Andrews said the state would be in a "much longer" lockdown than six weeks if its "stark" coronavirus numbers did not begin to plummet. "Unless we have people who get tested staying at home and isolating until they get their results, then we will not see these numbers come down," he said. "The cases and death toll will continue to go up and up."

Victoria's escalating coronavirus numbers partly come down to people not self-isolating after undertaking a COVID-19 test and not getting tested upon experiencing symptoms.
"What we want to do is try and drive down the number of days between when people first get sick and when they get tested," Mr Andrews said.
"And we want to drive up the percentage of people who are at home waiting for their test result, not at work waiting for their test result or at the supermarket waiting for their test result."

Discussion on ABC The Drum indicates that this in part at least comes from mixed messages from the PM ( attending a footy game with 25,000 fans recently in the midst of the 2nd Wave - not wise and NOT A GOOD EXAMPLE , and continuing push back against restrictions and testing by the likes of ultra-libertarian / rightwing and antiscience commentators on Skye TV and Skye Radio , and by One Nation ).

Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton said isolating when first developing symptoms was of utmost importance. "You're actually most infectious in the first couple of days of your illness," he said.
"So the very beginning of that runny nose or sore throat or cough or low-grade fever is when you're most infectious.
"You're probably not that infectious after seven days ( but some are infectious for weeks ). So getting tested very early on and isolating right at the beginning is a really key action.
"I think they're things that are not being done so well through this wave."

Professor Sutton has dismissed suggestions that Victoria's contact-tracing team is not large enough to handle the state's coronavirus crisis.An army of more than 2000 people are working on contact-tracing in Victoria.
"The bottleneck is not in outbound calls," Professor Sutton said.
"We could get through 1000 cases if we had 1000 cases today. The complexity is in all of these settings where outbreaks occur and managing all of the difficult circumstances of those outbreak settings."

----------------
Number could rise further: Andrews
He warned the number of new cases could continue to rise.
"Unless people who get tested are staying at home and isolating until they get their test results, then we will not see those numbers come down," he said.
"They will continue to go up and up. And a six-week shutdown will not be for six weeks. It will run for much longer than that."

But chief health officer Brett Sutton said a move to much tougher restrictions, like those imposed in New Zealand, was not necessarily the answer to Victoria's problems.
"We have to be targeted in terms of seeing where the issues are and addressing them directly," he said.

Chief health officer warns of up to 600 cases daily
Mr Andrews said health officials were working to increase the number of people who were waiting at home for the result of a coronavirus test.
"We certainly cannot have one in two people who are waiting for a test result simply going about their business as if they didn't have symptoms," Mr Andrews said.

Mr Andrews said a hardship payment of $1,500 was available so that people did not have to make a choice between going to work and staying home when they were sick.

He said government officials were looking at whether they needed to boost that payment.
"We will provide you with that support so that you can stay at home and do the safe thing — the right thing," the Premier said.

Professor Sutton warned there could be "an even greater challenge" in coming days.
"That means that we're going to look at 500-600 cases per day," he said.
"I absolutely don't want us to go there. So we have to reinforce the things that we know will make a difference.
"And that is the very simple principles of isolation and quarantine."

Professor Sutton said the three-day period, between when people get symptoms, get tested and get their results, was "super-challenging" if people did not stay at home because it meant three days of potential transmission.
The chief health officer said health authorities aimed to contact someone within 24 hours of receiving a positive result.

But about a third of those people were not answering their phones because it was an unidentified number.
"If you've got a result and you know you're positive, we are trying to contact you. So please answer the phone," he said.
"The key element there is to isolate at the first sign or symptoms of coronavirus."

Mr Andrews urged Victorian workers with COVID-19 who don't have access to paid sick leave to apply for the $1500 relief payment from the state government and self-isolate. He said the state government was also looking at providing additional support to those with symptoms, who have not yet tested positive.

"There is a large proportion of these people who are making these choices because, in their judgement, they'll look at their bank balance, they'll look at the fact that, if they don't work the shift, they won't get paid for the shift, they don't have sick leave - this is a commentary on insecure work," he said.
"That's where that $1500 payment hopefully deals with the financial driver."

Hospital admissions soar
Victoria's last single-day record was 428 new cases, recorded on Friday, and numbers have fluctuated since then, from 217 on Saturday to 374 yesterday.

There are 205 Victorians in hospital, with 40 in intensive care.

Of the new cases, 97 are linked to existing outbreaks and 387 are under investigation.

There are now 3,408 active cases of coronavirus in Victoria.

A total of 45 aged care facilities have reported outbreaks, with about 300 positive cases in the sector overall.
Mr Andrews said infections were split roughly 50-50 between workers and patients.<< about 150 aged people , this is more that 22x worse than what happened in NSW in the first wave (Henderson Lodge and Newmarch House combined ) >>

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/victorian-coronavirus-cases-hit-new-record-high-with-484-cases-two-more-deaths/ar-BB171QlM?ocid=msedgdhp

Age Care sector in Victoria is going to have grannies and pops dropping like flies and it's still early days and this wave will get worse before we see any sign of improvement , this is going to be terrify for the families involved and the residents who still have the capacity to understand what is happening . A horrible situation for all involved .



Traralgon's Bupa aged care home in lockdown following visit from infected itinerant aged care professional
A Traralgon aged care home is in lockdown after a health worker, who has since tested positive for COVID-19, visited the centre.

The health professional visited Bupa's Traralgon facility in eastern Victoria on July 16, did not have symptoms at the time of the visit.

Bupa has asked residents to isolate in their rooms while cleaning occurs and all staff and residents will be tested for COVID-19. << this means they are all told to not leave their rooms , and not to use communal areas at any time , or to visit their neighbours or friends elsewhere in the facility and all regular activities ( bingo, cards, and other socialization activities have had to stop ), many of these residents will be feeling persecuted and wont really understand why this is necessary , they'll be upset, scared, and be feeling very isolated and cutoff and like prisoners .>>

Families of residents at the aged care home were told of the lockdown last night.

Visitors have not been allowed into the home since July 8.

"All residents and employees will now be tested for COVID-19 to determine if there are any other infections in the home," a BUPA spokesperson said in a statement.

"We are working closely with DHHS (Department of Health and Human Services) and will continue to closely monitor the health of those residents and staff who were in contact with the health professional."

Lockdown 'alarming'
Former health services commissioner Beth Wilson previously audited the Bupa centre.

"It was understaffed, there was a lot of communication issues, people were very concerned about the lack of care that their relatives were receiving," she said.

Ms Wilson said the lockdown was very concerning.

"To go into lockdown is alarming," she said.

"They will need to have some very stringent protocols in place to deal with this.

"It's got to be done very humanely, with staff who are adequately trained, who understand the new safety requirements."

Ms Wilson said the training and knowledge was essential when looking after older people.

"They'll need to understand the personal needs of every single resident," she said.

"That need to go out and have a little bit of fresh air gets quite profound when you're told that you can't do it."
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/traralgon-s-bupa-aged-care-home-in-lockdown-following-visit-from-infected-health-worker/ar-BB171RJ4?ocid=msedgntp

Cluster at aged care home in Victoria jumped from 13 to 51 yesterday

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/cluster-at-aged-care-home-in-victoria-jumped-from-13-to-51-yesterday/vi-BB171CFZ?ocid=msedgntp

Coronavirus spreads to 63 aged care facilities across Victoria
Authorities say the coronavirus outbreak in Victoria has reached a tipping point now it has spread to 63 aged care facilities across the state.

More than 170 residents and 146 staff confirmed to have the virus.

Another 9 in-home care services have also been impacted, with 4 elderly and six staff also testing positive to the deadly disease.

Authorities said the growing infection rate was particularly worrying given the elderly were most vulnerable to the virus.

Aged care providers are pushing for any resident who tests positive to COVID-19 to be transferred to hospital rather than receive treatment at their residential facility, arguing they are not set up for proper isolation or for the acute care needed to manage the illness.Minister for Aged Care Richard Colbeck told Sky News those who genuinely needed hospital treatment would receive it.

“Some of them won’t want to go to hospital and some of them clinically won’t need to go to hospital,” he said.
“We need to make sure that the capacity in the hospital system remains there to take care of those that genuinely need it.
“And those that genuinely need it should and will go to hospital.”
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/coronavirus-spreads-to-63-aged-care-facilities-across-victoria/ar-BB171KmY?ocid=msedgntp

Health authorities take over Melbourne nursing home
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/coronavirus-health-authorities-take-over-melbourne-nursing-home/vi-BB171Ndn?ocid=msedgntp

Tasmanian volunteers send thousands of masks to Victorians in need
22july-tas-masks-BB171-Ww-O.jpg

An army of hundreds of volunteers across Tasmania has spawned a nationwide homemade face mask movement.

The Tassie Face Mask Project was launched in March by Launceston-based co-founder and nurse, Bronwin Ballantyne, as a way to empower Tasmanians to help amid the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

Since then, it has grown to include about 400 Tasmanian volunteers sewing the masks in their homes, with countless others in every state and territory.

Around 10,000 masks have been made by the dedicated volunteers in the past five months.

"It's only been five months but you look at it and go, look how much we've achieved!" Ms Ballantyne said.

The 'sewists', as they are called, made the masks and deposited them at drop-off points across the state, with businesses that have put their hand up to host a ballot-style box.

Then they were collected, medically laundered and then sent off to those who needed them — which right now, is Victoria.

"We've got about 3,000 unfilled orders for Victoria, demand has surged since the new rules were announced," Ms Ballantyne said.

"Some businesses can afford to buy masks, so we're focussing on neighbourhood houses, not-for-profits and people who can't afford to buy them."

Ms Ballantyne said she was motivated to start the project as she watched on in horror as healthcare workers around the world died of the virus, partially as a result of a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE).

"[We had] Grave concerns about what was happening to healthcare workers in other countries and the lack of PPE, and we just thought 'we can't let this happen in Australia, what are we going to do?'"

"I felt really helpless … and I think people want to feel useful and like they're doing something constructive."

Building a virtual community
All the sewists are in a Facebook group, where they can show their creations, share tips and seek advice.

Ms Ballantyne said the kindness that has spread in the group "gives her goosebumps".

"They feel like they were actually making a tangible difference to what was happening in their community."

That was especially important when restrictions were tighter in Tasmania, making people who live alone feel less isolated.

More recently, zoom sessions have been partially replaced by face-to-face working bees, giving people the chance to meet in person for the first time after months of online collaboration.

"It's okay for me, I have two children and a husband at home, but some people live alone, spending hours sewing so it was lovely for them to be able to connect with each other," Ms Ballantyne said.

"People have been given a real sense of community."

Expanding beyond the island
The Tassie Face Mask Project has now expanded to a new nationwide initiative, called Masks For Aussies.

Volunteers and businesses can register to a interactive map, enabling people who need face masks to find someone near them who is making them.

There are also sewing patterns and a range of scientific papers on face masks.

"Our motto with it is: I protect you, you protect me. So that's the message we really want to get out there."

As requests for masks continue to outnumber the capabilities of the group, the Tasmania volunteers as passing on their skills to others.

"Little Tasmania can't provide the whole of Victoria with masks so we've offered ourselves as teachers so they can then teach their communities, so they can become self-sufficient."

The group is also looking at ways to continue creating beyond COVID-19, branching into other craft projects, including for children who are becoming upset with rules preventing parents taking them up to the classroom.

"One of our clever sewists can also crochet so they're making little hearts with stuffing in them," Ms Ballantyne said.

"Some schools are interested in getting them and handing them to children who are struggling, so they can just have this little heart in their pocket and can give it a little squeeze when they're missing mum or dad."

But for now, the focus is firmly on face masks.

"The science is there, all the countries that have done well have all been wearing masks," Ms Ballantyne said.

"We're all very proud of ourselves … we're all just working together, using our strengths and what we're achieving is amazing."
<< my wife was really moved by this and has dusted off her old multifunction Singer and has spent the afternoon cutting up old double bed sheets ( we have a queen sized bed now ) and plans to make some masks to donate , all we need is for someone to collect them when she's done >>
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/tasmanian-volunteers-send-thousands-of-masks-to-victorians-in-need/ar-BB171WwR?ocid=msedgdhp

Food relief hampers provided to international students

JOBKeeper and JOBSeeker payments have been extended, but international students are still excluded from the package as are people on temporary protection visas , OzHarvest CEO, Ronni Kahn, says her organisation has distributed 35,000 hampers to those struggling
<< mostly in Melbourne and other Victorian hotspots>> .
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/food-relief-hampers-provided-to-international-students/vi-BB171I5I?ocid=msedgntp

Victoria and NSW are facing a coronavirus resurgence. But is one state more at risk than the other?
As Victoria grapples with the fallout from close to 3,000 active cases of COVID-19, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has conceded her state is at a "critical point".

It is, in many ways, a tale of two cities: Sydney and Melbourne, both faced with a sudden resurgence of the virus, and both dealt the unenviable task of trying to contain the spread.

Health authorities recorded another 20 coronavirus cases in NSW on Monday, including several linked to known Sydney clusters and fresh outbreaks appearing almost every day.

As NSW residents watch and wait, many feel rising concern that the state is a ticking time bomb, about to follow Victoria into a second-wave lockdown.What are the risk factors?
While socially distinct, there are few inherent differences in the geographical features of Sydney and Melbourne that predict an outbreak says Hassan Vally, an epidemiologist and associate professor at LaTrobe University.

Both are dense metropolitan centres with similarly-sized populations, and while the latter may face additional challenge of a colder climate ("We're indoors more, so that could lead to more transmission," Vally says), it is unlikely to be a major contributor.

"I think the biggest driver for an epidemic is the fact that you have a population that isn't immune," Vally offers. "So even if you have some sort of seasonal effect, I don't think that's a major driver."

This isn't good news for Sydneysiders who also lack herd immunity.

Differences in the public health response, however, could provide a greater insight into the ability (or inability) of either state to limit the spread.

And to date there is one key difference that gives some hope that Sydney and NSW may avoid Victoria's predicament: community transmission — when the source of the infection is unknown.The level of community transmission in Melbourne is high. But this is not the case so far in Sydney. "So NSW is better placed really to stamp out transmission," Vally believes.

"With identifying every case and cluster ... they can stop these transmission cases," he says. "Whereas in Melbourne and in the Mitchell Shire, that's a lot harder."

How does Sydney compare to Melbourne?
It's an assessment reflected in the data.

With ABOUT 100 active cases in NSW, all of those recorded on Monday came from known sources, authorities said.

In contrast, about 30 per cent of the THOUSANDS of active cases in Victoria have been linked to community transmission. This is of concern, because it means the virus has emerged in places authorities had not anticipated.

An increase in community transmission translates to a looser grip on infection control, as there are missing links between cases."The first wave was [driven] by the Ruby Princess and this one is the failure of Victorian quarantine," says Stephen Duckett, a health economist and health program director at the Grattan Institute.

"It's not surprising that we have a second wave. If we follow a suppression strategy and lift restrictions while the virus is still circulating, it's inevitable we will see more infections.
"The only question is whether it will be small and easily controlled by local lockdown and contact tracing or if it is going to be big."

It's a sentiment echoed by Vally, who describes the seeding of clusters through quarantine breaches as a "nightmare scenario".
"That's clearly a large part of why Melbourne finds itself in this situation."

Sydneysiders not as socially distant
The big question for NSW is whether it can maintain this edge over the virus and minimise further spread.Regular discoveries of new virus clusters are testament to the risk and seem to defy the NSW plan to continue to pursue a suppression strategy that includes voluntary mask-wearing and businesses open as normal.

A new report from the Doherty Institute, examining the uptake of social distancing measures, found the average Victorian was interacting with 5.9 non-household contacts per day between early June and July 1.
Across the border in NSW, that number was 8.1 people.

Those numbers don't look comforting for NSW but the variable to watch for could be a single super-spreader.

"One of the things we know is that super-spreader events are part of this disease. That's what happened in Victoria. That is why [infections] got away so quickly," Duckett says.
"That's not what has happened so far in NSW, but clusters of infection have potential to become widespread across the Sydney metropolitan area."

Vally concurs. COVID-19 is an "equal opportunity virus", he says, that "exploits any weaknesses in the community or public health response".
"What is happening in Melbourne could equally have happened in NSW," he says.
"Melbourne [should be] a reminder as to how quickly things can get out of control.
"[But NSW has] already encouraged people to travel less and limit their social gatherings. So if things don't stabilise, I'm sure they'll go to the next phase and introduce restrictions."

Melbourne's mixed message problem
Will NSW residents cooperate and comply with social restrictions designed to slow, suppress, or eliminate the spread?

Duckett believes messages coming from federal and state governments have at times been contradictory and this has in turn undermined the authority of COVID-19 guidelines.

"We have received mixed messages — is the virus bad, or is it not? Should we be in lockdown or not? The Prime Minister says one thing and the premiers another," he says.

"We need more consistent messaging otherwise people will listen to the message they like the best."

Patrick O'Leary from Griffith University, who has conducted research into factors motivating public attitudes towards coronavirus restrictions, agrees.

"When people don't have consistency in the message they lose faith," he says. "It creates doubt and people take a decision to follow this guideline but not that guideline.”

He argues that this discrepancy in the message has been most marked in Victoria.

"There has been some awkwardness in delivery between the Commonwealth and Victorian governments in the way they have communicated things compared with the full embrace [of the federal perspective] by the NSW government," O'Leary says. "Daniel Andrews' approach is about community compliance but there has been a degree of lecturing about [being well-behaved]. Some of the other approaches have been less personal and more about communicating that this is what's expected."

O'Leary also believes that messages that appeal to people's values are more effective than enforcing particular behaviours.

"What we know about human behaviour is that none of us particularly likes to be told what to do and in democratic societies we are encouraged to make our own decisions. That includes the right to take risks if we want to take risk," he says.

But the dilemma posed by COVID-19 straddles personal risk and community responsibility.

"We don't like authoritarian regimes and if we look across to the US we see claims about rights being taken away or a nanny state," he says. "But this is a different situation. It's different to restricting free speech, for example, but it can get collapsed [in people's minds].

The challenge is for governments to promote a public health policy that encourages widespread compliance.

But it is not easy.

No-one can let their guard down

While acknowledging failures in Victoria's public health response, Vally says there is often "a lot of randomness" that factors into potential outbreaks.

A mistake here or a mistake there, he says, could see other states and territories facing a similar quandary.

"This is a really difficult situation that we're dealing with, and you just need one or two things to go wrong," he says.
"So the lesson here is that no-one can let their guard down. Every place is just as vulnerable to a resurgence."
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/other/victoria-and-nsw-are-facing-a-coronavirus-resurgence-but-is-one-state-more-at-risk-than-the-other/ar-BB16YBka?ocid=msedgdhp

Compare Vic and NSW school years for 2020
Victoria
vic-school-calender-2020.png

NSW
nsw-school-calender-2020.png


Schools as factor is continually glossed over ( mostly for economic and political reasons ) but it's clear schools are powerful vector for community transmission of covid19 as seen in the large cluster at the college , and regular need to shutdown schools when a teacher or staff or student tests positive in both states .
Victorian school kids have been on break from 27 Jun 2020 to 12 Jul 2020 and not restricted to the home ( in the locked down HC towers ) or the suburb elsewhere til today. Free to mix and transmit covid19 freely unless tested positive . Is the contention of many that allowing free socialization of school kids has added to community transmission in the end of the last term and over the winter break.
This will now change as most children are from now on back to remote / e-learning at least til September so will in theory in Victoria be spending more time at home and likely in their houses , reducing children - children social covid19 transmission in Victoria in Melbourne in particular.

In NSW the kids returned to face to face schooling today , but there is CURRENTLY less community transmission in NSW by orders of magnitude ( this can and will likely change shortly ).
Should schools reopen amid the pandemic? << an op-piece >>
https://www.msn.com/en-au/health/pregnancyparenting/should-schools-reopen-amid-the-pandemic/ar-BB171wqJ?ocid=msedgntp
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Original Poster
22 July in NSW

NSW records 16 new cases of COVID-19 overnight
NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, says one case is in hotel quarantine and the remainder can be traced to known clusters and outbreaks.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/nsw-records-16-new-cases-of-covid-19-overnight/vi-BB171NeS?ocid=msedgntp

Quarantine for 14 days even if you test negative, says NSW Premier
People who get tested for coronavirus and return a negative result must still obey health orders to stay at home for 14 days, the NSW Premier says.

"We are at a stage in NSW where we are able to control the spread, we don't want the spread to get out of control, we don't want to be in a situation where we will have to lock at restricting people's ability to get on with that they are doing," Gladys Berejiklian told Today.
"For that reason it is really important for all of us to take that advice."But she stopped short of supporting calls for the mandatory wearing of masks on public transport.
"We said from day one if you can't guarantee social distancing, you should be wearing a mask," she said.
"That includes public transport. That has been our position from day one, that's what the health advice is and we know for most services people are respecting the social distancing."
<< yet very few people are seen by my relatives who are still out and about who are wearing face masks or even trying to socially distance , this seems to be expecially so with those under 30 y.o. and especially young men - like in Victoria , the message is not getting through or people are choosing to ignore it , there have even been "covid parties" where someone who has tested positive SMS's their mates and invites them all over for a big pissup .>>

The government had received reports of some lines and services having more people on them than recommended, she said.
"If that's the case you should avoid using that service at the time," Ms Berejiklian said.
"I have to follow the health advice. When elected representatives make it up on the go, it is not a good thing.
"If you are in a situation where you can't guarantee that people will be able to keep that social distancing, well you should wear a mask."The growing coronavirus outbreak in NSW stemmed from one single source, Ms Berejiklian said.
Calls for face masks to be mandatory on NSW public transport << and in schools >>
NSW public transport workers, teachers decide to wear face masks

Key government workers in Sydney have been told they're welcome to wear face masks as coronavirus cases rise across the city.

NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance said workers on the public transport network should wear them if they are unable to maintain safe social distancing.

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) has called on the state government to issue face masks to Sydney bus drivers.

Mr Constance said he sympathised with the union's concerns.

"The RTBU have a right to be concerned," he said.

"The government is looking at the mask situation."

Mr Constance said when transport workers, like members of the public, are unable to maintain safe social distancing, they should wear face masks.
22july-svchool-BB16-Z4o-E.jpg

<< we don't have specialized school bus fleets here, children either use the local buses, trams, or trains and in some cases ferries to get to school , or ride pushbikes or walk , and some if they are lucky are dropped off and collected by mum or dad or grandparent.>>

But NSW Labor leader Jodi McKay called for face masks to be worn on public transport in the state.

https://twitter.com/JodiMcKayMP/status/1285342631707332608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
New pockets of coronavirus cases have emerged in Sydney's west, following a rapid surge in infections across the state.

Mask wearing will be compulsory in Melbourne from Thursday, punishable by a $200 fine, but NSW is only advising their voluntary use when people can't keep 1.5 metres apart.

NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell also said teachers are welcome to wear masks to work as students return to the classroom today.
"We are not requiring students or teachers to wear a mask, that's not the health advice, but if it gives parents or teachers comfort to wear a mask, that won't be a problem," Ms Mitchell said.
Ms Mitchell said face masks had been sent to schools as part of sick bay supplies.

They were part of three million cleaning and sanitising products sent to the state's schools.

The state government also announced it is funding 88 new school crossing supervisors across NSW.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/nsw-public-transport-workers-teachers-welcome-to-wear-face-masks/ar-BB16Z4oH?ocid=msedgdhp

There are calls to make wearing face masks compulsory for people using public transport in NSW amid fears of more coronavirus clusters appearing in the state.
<< Dr.Swan, the NSW branch of the AMA, the NSW GP organization, eminent epidemiologists ,viralolists and intersivitists , and professors of medicine at all major NSW medical schools
Growing clusters concern Premier as peak medical body says mask use in outbreak areas is essential
Separate cases that have been linked to businesses across Sydney were also yet to be connected to known outbreaks.

"This is a critical point," Dr Chant said. "We're concerned that we've had, potentially, introductions into multiple settings."

Australian Medical Association president Dr Tony Bartone said using masks in areas with community transmission was essential as it has been proven that they can reduce the spread of the virus in those areas.

"Masks add another layer of protection to the other significant measures of physical distancing, hand hygiene, and cough etiquette," he said.

"Every Australian in current areas of community transmission must make mask use part of their daily routines."
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/growing-clusters-concern-premier-as-peak-medical-body-says-mask-use-in-outbreak-areas-is-essential/ar-BB171Fkq?ocid=msedgntp

and many NSWelshmen ( including yours' truly , yes I'm an very squeaky wheel who just WONT SHUT UP and knows who to email and sms and call ) have been lobbying the PM, the NSW Premier and NSW Health Minister to make a ruling for enforceable mandatory mask wearing outside the home as the evidence is clear that masks ( even simple cloth masks ) are a very effective and cheap and easy way to reduce the Reff in the community . Yet there is still resistance from the top.>>

Doctors in regional NSW debate community need to wear face masks in public to defend against COVID-19

Key points:
A mid-north coast GP argues regional communities need to get used to wearing face masks in public
The Royal Australian College for General Practitioners stands by NSW Health advice that face coverings aren't necessary at this stage
RACGP warns masks don't fully protect against COVID-19 << but even simple cloth ones will filter up to 70% of aerosolized viral particles , which is better than nothing and can make the difference between spreading or catching covid19 much less >>
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners clarified its position after some regional doctors called on communities outside the cities to embrace face masks as part of the suite of personal defences to prevent contracting and spreading coronavirus.

"Routine mask wearing for everybody at this stage is not recommended for the numbers that we have in NSW," said the co-chair of the New South Wales-ACT branch, Ashlea Broomfield.

NSW Health has not recommended face masks be worn by the general population, but it recommends wearing a mask on public transport.

Based in Coffs Harbour on the state's mid-north coast, Dr Broomfield said there were a number of factors those living in regional areas of NSW needed to consider.

The biggest is the ability to keep at least 1.5 metres apart from others — especially indoors for extended periods of time."If you can't physically distance from someone then you can consider wearing a mask in that context," Dr Broomfield said.
She said the need to wear a face mask was reduced in regional areas because of low levels of COVID-19 circulating and the ability to physical distance. << I argue as well as the fitration and good reduction in Reff , if in doubt in this case DO IT & and make a habit of using a mask so you will be comfortable with it , and at least secure a good mask ( I'd recommend a N95 ).>>

But she warned the health advice about wearing masks could change for regional areas as we learn more about the spread of coronavirus.

Masks needed as COVID-19 'creeps up' coast: GP
Fellow mid-north coast doctor Trevor Cheney, from Bellingen, shares a different view.

Dr Cheney said the detection of community transmission in Sydney heightens the risk of infections creeping up into the coast.
"Before long, [COVID-19 community transmission] will exist here," he said.
"I'd rather people get used to wearing masks now rather than get caught out by an invisible foe that's just going to pop up in our community." << sic panic buying of masks in Victoria in last few days and at the start of the first wave , get in early , don't get caught in the lurch >>
Dr Cheney said it was important to promote the importance of mask wearing and break down the stigma associated with wearing a face covering that had begun to emerge across the country .

<< copycatting what has been going in the silly politicization of mask wearing in the USA especially by some politicans ( we've been very bemused about what we've seen on the TV about how anti-maskers harassing maskers and visa versa in the USA - really really silly folks ( it's a PPE and nothing more , and might just save your life if you wear it )
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-01/coronavirus-masks-are-political-in-us-donald-trump-rejects-them/12403962
ie conspiracy theorists like this lady https://www.boredpanda.com/starbucks-barista-20-thousand-dollars-tips-refusing-anti-mask-karen/
and who can forget this silly lady https://www.newsbreak.com/news/1589795223669/i-dont-wear-a-mask-for-same-reason-i-dont-wear-underwear-things-gotta-breathe-florida-woman-tells-off-county-commissioners >>

One key starting point to alleviate tensions is to avoid going out when sick, Dr Broomfield says.

She said being out in public wearing a mask when unwell, even with mild symptoms like a runny nose and scratchy throat, could create negative and unhelpful connotations for all.
"Now is not the time to go: 'I can put on a mask and still go out'," Dr Broomfield said.
"The mask doesn't provide full protection if you're unwell." << if you are unwell , a N95 with a one way respirator valve built in is not your best choices , as it will allow some air out on the outbreath and you can still infect people nearby, a N95 without a valve is the better choice if you must be around other people when you are sick , or good cloth surgical mask >>

She said washing your hands frequently, physical distancing, and getting tested for COVID-19 even with minimal symptoms were the crucial measures to protect regional areas from local COVID-19 outbreaks.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-21/doctors-divided-over-need-for-face-masks-in-regional-nsw/12476834


The state saw 13 new cases diagnosed yesterday, and transport officials say anyone who uses a bus or train should wear a mask to control the spread.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/calls-for-face-masks-to-be-mandatory-on-nsw-public-transport/ar-BB171gsw?ocid=msedgntp

Today's figures are very concerning," Ms Berejiklian said.

"Our health experts have been able to trace the genomic sequencing, a fancy term for where the virus originated, all from the same source.

"So that, in one way, gives us assurance at this stage we haven't detected anything which is unknown to us.

"But having said that, what this means is a lot of people have been exposed. A lot of venues have been exposed. A lot of venues have been impacted."

NSW already has more than 30 clusters, with 10 of those 13 cases linked to a Thai restaurant in Wetherill Park in Sydney's west, which has already seen 26 confirmed cases.

At least 8 are linked to the Soldiers club in Batemans Bay on the south coast and 50 cases associated with the Crossroads Hotel in Casula in Sydney's south-west.

A new COVID-19 case has emerged in Port Stephens, near Newcastle in NSW, overnight.
Health alert issued as man with COVID-19 visits NSW shopping centre Port Stephens

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/health-alert-issued-as-man-with-covid-19-visits-nsw-shopping-centre/ar-BB171M6R?ocid=msedgntp
22july-coles-BB171-HAZ.jpg

Salamander Bay Shopping Centre Coles Supermarket that is now subject to closure and a deep clean while all staff are in isolation at home and waiting covid19 clearances.
Coronavirus case confirmed in Port Stephens area overnight
More resources are being sent to the Tomaree Community Hospital virus clinic to boost testing capacity. and the Maitland Hospitals to ensure they are ready for the expected cluster that is now likely in the Pt Stephens , Raymond Terrace , Maitland and Cessnock areas.

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/coronavirus-case-confirmed-in-port-stephens-area-overnight/vi-BB171F9S?ocid=msedgntp

Now, there are also concerns for the Port Stephens area, near Newcastle, after a man, aged in his 60s, contracted the virus after visiting a local pub and shopping centre with a confirmed case from Sydney. Both parties visited the Windsor Castle Hotel on Monday July 13 and Salamander Bay Shopping Centre on Wednesday July 15.Anyone who visited these locations since that time is urged to get tested and self-isolate immediately.

"This is a matter of life and death," NSW Police Minister David Elliott said of the rising numbers in the state.From today, NSW is enforcing tougher border restrictions for Victoria, making all former permits to cross into NSW invalid.

As NSW toughens its stance on allowing Victorians into the state, Queensland is also considering bans on more NSW postcodes entering the northern state.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the state was closely watching the rising numbers in NSW and feared community spread across the border from people entering Queensland.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/quarantine-for-14-days-even-if-you-test-negative-says-nsw-premier/ar-BB171BsF?ocid=msedgntp

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian warns Sydney businesses over coronavirus breaches
ealth authorities have confirmed a staff member at Ashfield Baptist Homes, an aged care facility in Sydney's inner-west, has tested positive for coronavirus.

The staff member dined at Thai Rock at Wetherill Park, and means the restaurant's total cluster is 37.

NSW Health said all staff and residents of Ashfield Baptist Homes (ABH) were now being tested for COVID-19.

In a statement, Ashfield Baptist Homes said it was an "extremely difficult and worrying situation for all concerned, in particular the residents themselves, staff and families".

"While the staff member had worked three shifts since the contact, NSW Health advise that at this time they consider the risk to other staff and residents to be very low as the staff member wore masks, gloves and gowns when working with residents and did not work while symptomatic," the statement read.

"Nevertheless, ABH is taking all possible precautions and implementing additional safety measures."

The aged care facility said the infected staff member, as well as the residents and staff who had contact with the case, were all in self-isolation.

Earlier, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned police and regulators "will throw the book at everybody who is not doing the right thing" after the state recorded another 16 coronavirus cases overnight.

The Premier said the "next few weeks are the most critical in NSW" and authorities would be cracking down on breaches of the public health order when restrictions tighten on Friday.

"Any business that doesn't do the right thing, will have the book thrown at them," she said.

"If we don't find them ourselves, we expect members of the community to let us know or staff members for that matter."

Restrictions, including mandatory COVID-Safe registration for venues and a reduced cap on group bookings, will come into force from 12:01am on Friday.

The Premier said until this point the State Government strategy was a "self-regulatory approach".

A digital record of the patrons' attendance will also be compulsory within 24 hours and venues will be required to have a hygiene marshal.

The Premier said people have been given ample time to ensure their businesses were COVID-safe and urged people "not to cut corners, not to turn a blind eye" and "not to pretend they are immune".

"If you don't do the right thing from Friday … you will be fined — worse than that, if you breach again you will be shut down," Ms Berejiklian said.

Ms Berejiklian also addressed a letter she received from Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk about moving the NSW-QLD border checkpoints to relieve traffic delays.

Ms Palaszczuk earlier this week said she was sending a letter with a "detailed submission" to the NSW Government about the proposal.

Ms Berejiklian said she received the letter at 7:00pm two nights ago and wrote back "suggesting that we maintain the status quo".

"Suffice to say I did not support her suggestion that was put to me," Ms Berejiklian said.

NSW Health identified 16 new COVID-19 cases in the 24 hours to 8:00pm on Tuesday.

Of the new cases to 8:00pm Tuesday, three were associated with Casula Crossroads Hotel and 11 were linked to the Thai Rock restaurant in Wetherill Park, including a man in his 60s from New England who was identified as a close contact.

That brought the cluster of cases to 53 and 37 for those venues, respectively.

Chief health officer Kerry Chant said authorities may have identified the source of the cluster at Crossroads Hotel but may never find the "missing link" at Thai Rock.

There is one case in hotel quarantine.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/other/nsw-premier-gladys-berejiklian-warns-sydney-businesses-over-coronavirus-breaches/ar-BB171Dld?ocid=msedgntp
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Original Poster
22 JULY IN QLD AND ON BORDERS .

185 people missing from COVID-19 quarantine after lying to Queensland border police

22-JLY-NSW-QLD-BDR-BB171-G0s.jpg

The hunt is on for almost 200 people who have disappeared from their COVID-19 quarantine after lying to police officers at Queensland's interstate and international boundaries.

Authorities discovered 185 people were missing after police officers conducted compliance checks on those supposed to be in mandatory self-quarantine after coming into Queensland.

Police said most of the 2322 people officers have checked up on since April 18 were doing the right thing, but 387 people, equating to almost 17 per cent, had caused concern.

In a statement, the Queensland Police Service provided a breakdown of what happened in each of the 387 cases where self-quarantined individuals were not at their designated addresses.

Police said 125 people had left Queensland during the quarantine period, while 17 people were found at another address and had moved for reasons such as family conflict or their lease expiring.

Another 35 people were located away from their designated quarantine address and were issued a fine.

In addition, a further 25 people provided a correct address, but they had left the residence by the time officers paid them a visit. They are "wanted for questioning by police" and face a hefty fine.

Police believe 185 people missing from self-quarantine provided false information at the border and are therefore "putting others in the community at risk", which "will not be tolerated by the QPS".
"Contact information which is incorrectly recorded or possibly false are sent from the QueenslandHealth call centre to the Queensland Police Service for further attention," the police statement said.
"Investigators attached to QPS' COVID-19 Taskforce Sierra Linnet will then attempt to clarify the information provided to ensure the individual can be contacted.
"In a situation where a correct phone number cannot be established, investigators are tasked to further investigate and will attempt to locate the individual concerned.
"Whilst the majority of people are adhering to the self-quarantine requirements a small percentage of people have not."

It came as Queensland police fined a New South Wales man after finding him in the boot of hatchback on the state border at the weekend.
The vehicle was stopped for a search at Wallangarra, about 250 kilometres south-west of Brisbane in the Southern Downs, just before 7pm on Sunday.
Body camera footage shows one officer opening the boot and searching for a few moments with his torch before chuckling "oh, hello buddy".
The 41-year-old was fined $4003 for attempting to enter the state without a border declaration pass.
He and the two women also in the car, aged 28 and 29, were all refused entry to the state.

Police have been stopping and searching vehicles at random since the new declaration system came into effect on July 3.

As of Monday, July 20, Queensland police have issued a total of 2162 fines to people breaching COVID-19 public health directions. This is up from 2023 fines as of June 9.

Since July 10, 16 fines have been handed out to people breaching COVID-19 Border Directions, but no cases have gone to court since the threat of six months' jail was brought in.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/185-people-missing-from-covid-19-quarantine-after-lying-to-queensland-border-police/ar-BB171x3Q?ocid=msedgntp

Increased police presence along NSW-Victoria border
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/coronavirus-increased-police-presence-along-nsw-victoria-border/vi-BB171Ndo?ocid=msedgntp

Traffic chaos on Victoria-NSW border due to new restrictions
22-JULY-NSW-VIC-BDR-BB171-NA5.png

Traffic has ramped up at the Albury-Wodonga border after restrictions for Victorians entering New South Wales were tightened overnight.

Pictures captured by 9News show an onslaught of gridlock traffic causing major delays as residents attempt to cross the border into Albury.

The new border rules which came into effect at midnight mean Victorians can only cross the border for "extremely limited purposes", NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said. The purposes include education, health and employment.
<< The NSW - Vic border bubble was drastically trimmed from 30km to 2km , and lots of locals are now very miffed and grumbling especially those who live one-side and work the other >>

"From midnight Tuesday 21 July, border zone residents with a permit will only be able to cross into the other side of the NSW-Victorian border zone to go to work or attend an education institution if they can't work or learn from home, or to obtain medical care, supplies or health services," Mr Hazzard said.

"On top of that, we're strengthening the rules so the fewer people granted permits to enter NSW must now carry a copy of their permit and produce it when directed by enforcement officers."

The NSW government said changes have been made to the eligibility criteria for permits with a border-zone resident being "redefined".

Under a permit, NSW border residents will be restricted in their reasons for travelling into the Victorian side of the border zone.

If they travel beyond the border zone into Victoria, they will be required to self-isolate upon their return for 14 days.

"The growing rates of community transmission in Victoria have us on high alert and the health advice clearly indicates we need to have stricter border closures in place, making it harder to get a permit and easier to cancel them," Mr Hazzard said.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/traffic-chaos-on-victoria-nsw-border-due-to-new-restrictions/ar-BB171GrI?ocid=msedgntp

Medibank and Bupa (PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE FUNDS) dispute Choice claim they 'failed' Australians during COVID-19
Medibank Private has accused consumer advocacy organisation Choice of making “irresponsible claims” and said it should “stick to reviewing baby prams,” after the release of a report that said Australia’s two largest health insurers had failed Australians during COVID-19.

On 7 May Choice wrote to the chief executives of the big five health funds stating the organisation was creating a scorecard to help inform consumers about the actions individual health insurers were taking to support them.

Choice told the CEOs that five steps they could take to help consumers included: a full deferral of private health insurance premium increases for 2020-21; further premium discounts to reflect limited access to services; rolling over unused extras benefits to the new year; broad access to suspension of coverage; and making hardship policies public.
Choice assessed the responses from the insurers and created a draft scorecard. The health campaigner at Choice, Dean Price, said: “We decided that the hardship policies needed more attention and that it was best to investigate this further.”

“We sent a second letter to the five health funds on 2 July 2020, this time to the senior staff that were involved in the first round of letters. That letter outlined how they performed in relation to the other health funds and asked if they wanted to do any more to improve their score before the publication of the scorecard.”

Medibank Private was asked to commit to customer-focused reforms such as publishing hardship policies for COVID-19 online.

“While everyone has said that they have put hardship policies in place, only two of the top five funds have published these policies online in an easy-to-find spot,” the letter stated. “This transparency would make it much easier for your customers to find out what they are entitled to.”Medibank was also asked to commit to not passing on premium increases in 2020, to outline how any unforeseen financial gains would be returned to customers, and to commit to rolling over unused extras benefits. Price said Private Healthcare Australia confirmed Medibank had regulatory approval to roll over benefits.

Price said Medibank did not commit to the changes, and Bupa did not respond to the letter from Choice asking for further reforms.

HBF was ranked by Choice as the top fund in terms of COVID-19 response, as it was the only major fund so far to cancel this year’s premium increase.

“Medibank Private and Bupa have failed Australians during COVID-19,” Price said.

“With Victoria in lockdown again and unemployment still rising, it’s just outright greed for Medibank Private and Bupa to charge Australians more on October 1. These companies are saving massive amounts of money while people are unable to use many health services – companies increasing prices is simply taking advantage of the situation.”

In a statement, a Medibank Private spokeswoman said: “The scorecard from Choice is wrong and it shouldn’t be printed. They should stick to reviewing baby prams.”

Medibank’s chief executive, Craig Drummond, added that Choice was “conveniently ignoring the facts and confusing consumers at a time of great uncertainty”.

The Choice report follows an investigation from News Corp Australia that found insurers pocketed $1bn in six weeks when Australia first went into lockdown and residents stopped seeing providers like dentists and optometrists, which meant they were able to extras but were still required to pay full weekly premiums by the insurers.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/medibank-and-bupa-dispute-choice-claim-they-failed-australians-during-covid-19/ar-BB171wYA?ocid=msedgntp
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Original Poster
23-Jul
Still no evidence of any flattening of Victoria's curve .

New cases o/night in Vic = 403
New cases o/night in NSW = 19
New cases o/night in NSW & Vic = 422
23july.png


NSW & Vic daily cases so far in 2020
23july-nsw-and-vic.png

Total new cases in NSW & Vic since 10 June = 6191

Current LARGE CLUSTERS in NSW & Victoria
23july-current-LARGE-CLUSTERS-graphic.png

data inside these "blobs" , takes a bit drilling down to get out
<< I suspect it's set up this way to reduce community alarm especially in Victoria >>
23july-current-LARGE-CLUSTERS.png


Hospital situation today
23july-hospitals.png


Daily deaths so far in 2020
23july-deaths.png


and by cluster so far in 2020
23july-deaths-by-cluster.png


and by age and gender so far in 2020
23july-deaths-by-age-and-gender.png


Australia's test positivity rates today
23july-positivity.png

Victoria is 0.5% .
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Original Poster
23 July in Victoria

Victoria hit with 403 new virus cases on state's deadliest day

Victoria has reported 403 new coronavirus cases and five deaths, the state's highest number of fatalities in a 24 hour period.

There are 40 Victorians seriously sick in intensive care, with 201 in hospital, including four children.

The total of 403 new cases is the state's third-worst day of infections since the pandemic began, down from yesterday's record of 484.

A man aged in his 50s was among the dead, which now number 49 in Victoria.
Three new deaths were linked to aged care facilities, including a woman in her 70s, a man aged in his 80s and another man in his 90s.
The fifth death was a man aged in his 70s.Premier Daniel Andrews said there was a total of 113 coronavirus cases in regional Victoria, up 13 from yesterday.

He said regional case numbers were low and "we need to keep them that way".

Mr Andrews warned "stability is not enough" for the state to now defeat its coronavirus crisis.
"When you get swamped every day with additional cases, and every case represents the better part of four or five contacts, that's always going to push you," he said.
He said "no health system would cope" if the surge suddenly spiked to thousands of new cases each day.
<<
ABC 7:30 Report tonight : hospitals in Melbourne are now installing more ventilators and converting high dependency iso wards and iso private rooms into ICU wards with ventilators ready to go in preparation for the expected tsusami of critically ill covid19 patents from aged care facilities and from the large clusters all over Melbourne >>


Among Victoria's 403 new cases, 69 infections are connected to known outbreaks and 334 were under investigation.There are 3630 active coronavirus cases in Victoria.

The premier foreshadowed tougher punishments for those who breach lockdown restrictions, saying "we've got some unique and innovative ways to deal with that" which he would detail tomorrow.

Melbourne wakes up to compulsory mask wearing
Here's a breakdown of all the LGAs in Victoria with active cases.

There's more detail in the DHHS's latest round up here.
Current cases in each area of Victoria .
WYNDHAM = 439
HUME = 335
BRIMBANK = 411
MELBOURNE = 276
MOONEE VALLEY = 214
MORELAND = 222
WHITTLESEA = 213
MELTON = 165
BANYULE = 140
CASEY = 116
YARRA = 124
MARIBYRNONG = 107
DAREBIN = 86
STONNINGTON = 35
BOROONDARA = 49
HOBSONS BAY = 67
MONASH = 41
PORT PHILLIP = 37
GREATER DANDENONG = 63
GREATER GEELONG = 23
MANNINGHAM = 39
WHITEHORSE = 46
GLEN EIRA = 24
INTERSTATE = 6
MORNINGTON PENINSULA = 12
KINGSTON = 33
FRANKSTON = 15
BAYSIDE =18
NILLUMBIK = 22
KNOX = 22
CARDINIA = 21
YARRA RANGES = 16
MAROONDAH = 17
MITCHELL = 11
COLAC OTWAY = 26
BALLARAT = 11
GREATER SHEPPARTON = 2
MACEDON RANGES = 5
GREATER BENDIGO = 4
SURF COAST = 4
LATROBE = 4
BAW BAW = 3
GOLDEN PLAINS = 8
MOORABOOL = 6
SOUTH GIPPSLAND = 3
HORSHAM = 4
BASS COAST = 1
SWAN HILL = 2
GLENELG = 3
LODDON = 1
WANGARATTA = 1
CORANGAMITE = 1
EAST GIPPSLAND = 1
The Department of Justice and Community Safety has confirmed the young offenders at the Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre north of Melbourne have been locked in their bedrooms alone since Sunday.

More staff are undergoing testing, after a total of four Department of Education staff who visited the centre tested positive to coronavirus.

All the young offenders at the prison have tested negative.

Yesterday the Community and Public Sector Union told the ABC the young people were locked down in groups.

But today the Department said they are alone in their rooms, but are being provided with some support and supervised exercise.

"This includes educational materials and access to telephone or video calls to family and carers to ensure they maintain contact with their loved ones," a Department spokesperson said.

"Young people are also being provided with Personal Protective Equipment for use when leaving their rooms for exercise.

"Aboriginal children have support from Aboriginal Liaison Officers and cultural items have been provided."

Monique Hurley from the Human Rights Law Centre said locking children up is cruel.

"The solution can't be to lock kids up for days and days during a pandemic, it is cruel and could even amount to solitary confinement which can inflict irreversible harm on people, especially young people," Ms Hurley said.

"It's recognised in international human rights law as a practice that should only ever be used as a last resort.

"The Victorian government should be taking urgent steps to reduce the number of children and young people in prison. "
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/coronavirus-australia-live-news-melbourne-wakes-up-to-compulsory-mask-wearing-prime-minister-to-speak/ar-BB174obE?ocid=msedgntp
Four Victorian prisons now out of lockdown

Precautionary lockdown measures at four prisons have been lifted after prisoners tested negative.

The lockdowns were implemented after some staff tested positive to COVID-19).

Hopkins Correctional Centre, Barwon Prison, Loddon Prison and Langi Kal Kal Prison returned to normal operations early this afternoon.

Ravenhall and Fulham Correctional Centres remain in lockdown as a precaution while awaiting test results.

All new prisoners are tested and required to spend 14 days in protective quarantine, regardless of coronavirus (COVID-19) risk.

Personal visits remain suspended, while staff and professional visitors are screened and temperature-checked prior to entering a facility.

Anyone who presents with any coronavirus symptoms or risk factors are turned away.

Physical distancing measures and increased hygiene standards and use of Personal Protective Equipment have also been introduced.
Victoria's Health Minister Jenny Mikakos urged people to reflect on the four children in hospital and the big case numbers among the 20-30 age group.
"This is not an older person's disease," she said.
"A quarter of infections we are seeing are young people in their 20s."


She said Victorians in their 60s represented just six per cent of total cases.

Ms Mikakos also confirmed tougher visitor restrictions at aged care homes and hospitals are now in place.

Now only one visitor is allowed to visit for one hour, once daily.

The exceptions were parents visiting with a child and some palliative care situations.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/victoria-coronavirus-cases-rise-by-403-as-five-more-people-die-including-man-in-his-50s/ar-BB174zvB?ocid=msedgntp


4 children hospitalised in Melbourne
4 Melbourne children are in hospital fighting COVID-19, including a patient under the age of 9 how is now in ICU and fighting to live. << ABC 7:30 report >>
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/coronavirus-four-children-hospitalised-in-melbourne/vi-BB175xLz?ocid=msedgntp

45 Victorian aged care homes battle to contain outbreaks
45 Victorian aged care facilities battle to contain COVID-19 outbreaks as 383 cases and 13 deaths have been linked to the facilities. St Basils in Fawkner is the largest aged care cluster in the state with 69 cases.
Aged care staff raise concerns over infection control standards
Aged care workers have raised concerns over infection control standards at a number of facilities in Victoria as the number of coronavirus cases across the sector escalates.

Today revealed several workers logged complaints to the Healthcare Workers Union about the environment elderly residents were living in.

There are now 383 coronavirus cases and 13 deaths linked to aged care facilities across Victoria. In calls made to the union, one worker claimed masks and gloves weren't taken seriously by management and it was up to staff to provide their own PPE.
"Masks and gloves weren't taken seriously – it was up to workers. It wasn't enforced", the complaint read.

Another complainant said one of the main ways the infection has spread is through casual workers moving through different centres.

Victoria recorded 484 new infections yesterday, the highest number for the state since the pandemic began.
Two men aged in their 90s died from the virus, with reports the state could face restrictions up until Christmas.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/melbourne/aged-care-staff-raise-concerns-over-infection-control-standards/ar-BB1749Cv?ocid=msedgntp
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/coronavirus-45-victorian-aged-care-homes-battle-to-contain-outbreaks/vi-BB174913?ocid=msedgntp

Victorians offered $300 to stop work while waiting for Covid-19 test results, as infections rise by 404
Victorian workers who cannot afford to take time off while waiting for a Covid-19 test result will now be eligible for a $300 hardship payment, as the state announced a further 403 infections – its third worst day yet – and five deaths.

The premier, Daniel Andrews, said people going to work while symptomatic and awaiting a test result was one reason the state was struggling to contain the spread. He said the $300 payment for those who were unable to access sick leave meant people would no longer have an excuse not to isolate.

Applying for the payment would be simple, Andrews said.
“It essentially requires you to provide a payslip. If you’re in a position where you’re not able to do that, then [provide] a statutory declaration to that effect, which will be done as simply and as easily as possible.

“What we’ve got at the moment is people who feel unwell but don’t want to go and get tested quick enough because they’re fearful of not being able to go to work,” Andrews said. “This $300 payment will go a long way to supporting those families, and having them make much better choices.
“If you’re sick, get tested quick and then isolate until you get a test result. If you are then a positive case, then you are eligible for a further $1,500 payment.”

On Thursday the acting federal industrial relations minister, Mathias Cormann, left the door ajar to paid pandemic leave but pointed to JOBkeeper wage subsidies, JOBseeker and state support instead as a means to help sick workers.

“The government is continually monitoring the situation, noting that some states, including Victoria, already provide paid pandemic leave for workers who can’t attend their workplace because they are required to self-isolate,” he told Guardian Australia.

“I note the additional measures announced today by the Victorian premier, which are designed to ensure income supports are not a disincentive to remaining isolated pending the result of a Covid-19 test.”
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/victorians-offered-300-to-stop-work-while-waiting-for-covid-19-test-results-as-infections-rise-by-404/ar-BB1751qv?ocid=msedgntp

Dairy Country workers test positive for virus, plant closes for sanitization while workers are in lockdown and being tested.
The Dairy Country plant in Melbourne will be closed for a deep clean after 3 workers tested positive for coronavirus.

All workers at the Tullamarine site will be tested as a precaution, Dairy Country's owner Retail Food Group (RFG) said in a statement to the ASX this morning.
"The health and safety of our staff and customers is our priority," Peter George, RFG executive chairman, said.
"Dairy Country's Tullamarine facility will reopen once it has been deep cleaned and pending the availability of staff."

The company's Campbellfield plant, north of Melbourne's CBD, has not been affected.

Dairy Country said the closure of the Tullamarine plant closure will not have a financial or operational impact on the company.

The parent company RFG owns popular brands such as Michel's Patisserie, Donut King, Gloria Jeans and Brumby's Bakery.
<< we love Donut king hot donuts , Michel's mudcakes , and Brumby's family sized pies, slices, turnovers, breads , and have miss not being able to endulge in these while we are both hunkering down at home , must check if they home deliver - wife's BD in 3 weeks
>>
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/dairy-country-workers-test-positive-for-virus-plant-closes/ar-BB174NrW?ocid=msedgntp

Some food porn to wet your apetites

https://www.brumbys.com.au/products/

https://www.michels.com.au/product-category/mudcakes/ yumm !!!
https://www.michels.com.au/product-category/cheesecakes/ to die for !
https://www.michels.com.au/product-category/everyday-favourites/ too cruel !

https://www.donutking.com.au/filled-favorites/
https://www.donutking.com.au/new-glazed-donuts/
https://www.donutking.com.au/donuts/
https://www.donutking.com.au/the-ungrown-up-range/
https://www.donutking.com.au/hot-savouries/
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Original Poster
23 JULY IN NSW

MY LOCAL AREA
NSW records 19 new coronavirus cases
NSW records 19 new coronavirus cases.
A toddler in Port Stephens is among today's new infections
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/nsw-records-19-new-coronavirus-cases/vi-BB175lKy?ocid=msedgntp

Port Stephens toddler among 19 new NSW coronavirus cases, Health Minister confirms
A 1 year old child from the Hunter region is among 19 coronavirus cases identified overnight, New South Wales Health Minister Brad Hazzard has confirmed.

Yesterday, health authorities conducted 24,640 COVID-19 tests — up 50 per cent from the previous week — and detected 19 cases across Sydney and Port Stephens.

Mr Hazzard confirmed one of the new cases was a toddler who attended the Goodstart Early Learning Centre in Anna Bay
ANNA-BAY.png

( shows where Anna Bay is in relation to Salamanda Bay )

The playschool is now was closed today for contact tracing and cleaning.
23july-kinda-BB1750-Xh.jpg


Another case, he said, was a school-aged student who attended Tomaree Public School in Port Stephens.
The primary school and the nearby Tomaree High School were also closed today for deep cleaning.

<< The high school and public school are right next door to each other .>>

The Hunter New England Local Health District also urged anyone who had symptoms and visited the Salamander Bay Square Woolworths after 2:30pm on July 17 to get tested.

Similar advice was extended to any person who visited the Fingal Bay Cafe and Takeaway between 11:30am and midday.

Mr Hazzard praised the enormous spike in testing figures across the state, noting 800 of the 24,640 tests were from Port Stephens, where the last cases were found.
"We all need to be on high alert and not complacent," he said.
"We should be treating each other as if we all had COVID-19.
"We don't want to end up in a situation where we have widespread transmission."

SW Health said the primary school student also participated in an under-9s junior AFL match at Don Waring Oval on July 19, between 8.15am and 10:00am.
His teammates from the Nelson Bay Blue Marlins are considered close contacts and are required to isolate for 14 days.

NSW Health said the opposing team, the Newcastle City Sky Blues and others at the oval were asked to be on the lookout for COVID-19 symptoms and get tested immediately if they experienced any symptoms.
Larger NSW & Sydney
Both Mr Hazzard and the NSW Treasurer, Dominic Perrottet, urged the organisers of a planned Black Live Matters protest to reconsider the public demonstration.
"Now is not the right time to be on the streets and intermingling with each other," Mr Hazzard said.

The State Treasurer said there were "economic consequences" of "poor behaviour" and pointed to the adverse impact as a result of the second wave in Victoria.

Mr Perrottet said the lockdown in Melbourne was costing NSW about $1.3 billion a week.

The other confirmed cases include another three people associated with the Crossroads Hotel cluster in Casula, bringing the total count there to 56.

Another nine cases are linked to the Thai Rock restaurant in Wetherill Park, with the cluster now standing at 46 cases.

Where there have been recent covid19 cases in this 2nd wave
23july-where-covid-is-in-sydney-NOW-BB17503-A.jpg

NSW Health also said three cases were still under investigation, while another three were returned travellers in hotel quarantine and a fourth was a south-western Sydney resident self-isolating after arriving in NSW.
fingal-bay.png

<< one of my fav fishing spot for snapper and king fish and blue fin tuna from the rocks , can sometimes walk the sandspit to the Fingal Is , a gun deep water land based game fishing spot ( even marlin have been taken from the rocks by some guys ) >>
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/port-stephens-toddler-among-19-new-nsw-coronavirus-cases-health-minister-confirms/ar-BB174Isv?ocid=msedgntp

Salamanda Bay Woolworths shoppers told to get COVID-19 test
Woolworths shoppers have been put on high alert after a confirmed COVID-19 case visited one of the supermarket chain's stores on four consecutive days.
The Salamander Bay Village Woolworths in Port Stephens has been deep cleaned overnight after the customer went to the shop each day between July 17 and July 20.
23july-woolworths-salamanda-bay-BB1756-L0.jpg

Customers at the Fingal Bay Cafe and Take Away have also been told to get tested even for the slightest symptoms if they visited between 11.30am and 12pm on July 17.

A new three-lane drive-through clinic will meanwhile open at Tomaree Sports Complex at 20 Aquatic Cl in Nelson Bay on Thursday afternoon as cases continue to rise.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/woolworths-shoppers-told-to-get-covid-19-test/ar-BB1758mH?ocid=msedgntp

Port Stephens schools closed after coronavirus cases, NSW Police issue no fines for isolation breaches
No fines for NSW self-isolators
NSW Police say they have checked on 800 people who are supposed to be self-isolating in the last 48 hours and have issued no fines.

Police did not reveal how many warnings had been issued in the same period.

Since 17 March, NSW Police said they have carried out almost 20,000 compliance checks.

The update from police comes after the NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned authorities would "throw the book" at people caught flouting social distancing restrictions.

Aged care risk downplayed
Health authorities have played down the risk of a coronavirus outbreak in a Sydney aged care home after a staff member tested positive to COVID-19.

Ashfield Baptist Homes said the staff member worked three shifts at the aged care facility after dining at the Thai Rock restaurant in Wetherill Park on July 12 where a known cluster originated.
All residents and staff from the Ashfield nursing home have been tested and the facility is closed to visitors pending the test results.

NSW Health said it considered the risk of transmission to be "very low" as the infected staff member wore masks, gloves and gowns while working with elderly residents.

BLM rally in court
Efforts from NSW Police to block next week's Black Lives Matter protest in central Sydney will be heard in the Supreme Court this afternoon.

Organisers have applied for permission with the police to hold the rally next Tuesday in the CBD.
But
NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said he would not authorise it to go ahead due to concerns about the potential spread of COVID-19.
<< good for him , this is a crazy dangerous thing to do when were are tittering on the brink of being in the same situation as Melbourne finds itself in now >>

However, organiser Paddy Gibson rejected those grounds and said there was a plan in place to carry out the rally safely.

<< If Paddy and I knew each other my advise to him would be - if you do this , you'll alienate the entire community of NSW and especially in Sydney and you will be playing into the hands of OneNation and the URW groups and URW liberal and national party senators and parliamentarians in Sydney and Canberra , you will set your cause back by many years as you'll loose a lot of support . Especially if the 2nd Wave in NSW / Sydney and regionals blows up like it has in Melbourne , irrespective of whether your protestors social distance and all wear face masks and have and use handsanitizer.

There is already a lot of very nasty Twitter traffic on this , a lot of which I've tried to debunk using real data , real science and facts as well as photos of various rallies since 30 May >>
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/sydney-news-port-stephens-schools-closed-after-coronavirus-cases-nsw-police-issue-no-fines-for-isolation-breaches/ar-BB174cPr?ocid=msedgntp

Guzman y Gomez issues alert after a positive case of coronavirus
23july-gg-BB174l-F6.jpg

A Guzman y Gomez fast food outlet in Sydney’s south-west has been put on alert after a positive case of COVID-19.

Anyone who visited the popular taco restaurant in Hoxton Park on July 12 from 7.30pm to 9pm has been advised to monitor for symptoms of coronavirus.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/sydney/guzman-y-gomez-issues-alert-after-a-positive-case-of-coronavirus/ar-BB174oED?ocid=msedgntp

NSW Government wants everybody to try to stay home this weekend ( as NSW is on the brink of widespread and exponential community spread of covid19 ).
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said her state was facing the most 'critical time' since the initial March lockdown.

he said it was reassuring there were no new outbreaks of coronavirus popping up across the state but was still concerned about community transmission.

'The next few weeks are the most critical in NSW since the lockdown earlier in March and April,' she said.

'We are not out of the woods yet, quite the opposite ... We are very anxious regarding the extent of community transmission.'
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/nsw-government-wants-everybody-to-try-to-stay-home-this-weekend/vi-BB174vVV?ocid=msedgntp

Communities cut off from NSW border closure
23july-hard-border-nsw-vic-grumbles.png

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/coronavirus-communities-cut-off-from-nsw-border-closure/vi-BB172xSC?ocid=msedgntp


nsw Genome Data Help Track Community Spread of COVID-19
Contact tracing, a term that’s been in the news lately, is a crucial tool for controlling the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. It depends on quick, efficient identification of an infected individual, followed by identification of all who’ve recently been in close contact with that person so the contacts can self-quarantine to break the chain of transmission.

Properly carried out, contact tracing can be extremely effective. It can also be extremely challenging when battling a stealth virus like SARS-CoV-2, especially when the virus is spreading rapidly.

But there are some innovative ways to enhance contact tracing. In a new study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, researchers in Australia demonstrate one of them: assembling genomic data about the virus to assist contact tracing efforts. This so-called genomic surveillance builds on the idea that when the virus is passed from person to person over a few months, it can acquire random variations in the sequence of its genetic material. These unique variations serve as distinctive genomic “fingerprints.”

When COVID-19 starts circulating in a community, researchers can fingerprint the genomes of SARS-CoV-2 obtained from newly infected people. This timely information helps to tell whether that particular virus has been spreading locally for a while or has just arrived from another part of the world. It can also show where the viral subtype has been spreading through a community or, best of all, when it has stopped circulating.

The recent study was led by Vitali Sintchenko at the University of Sydney. His team worked in parallel with contact tracers at the Ministry of Health in New South Wales (NSW), Australia’s most populous state, to contain the initial SARS-CoV-2 outbreak from late January through March 2020.

The team performed genomic surveillance, using sequencing data obtained within about five days, to understand local transmission patterns. They also wanted to compare what they learned from genomic surveillance to predictions made by a sophisticated computer model of how the virus might spread amongst Australia’s approximately 24 million citizens.

Of the 1,617 known cases in Sydney over the three-month study period, researchers sequenced viral genomes from 209 (13 percent) of them. By comparing those sequences to others circulating overseas, they found a lot of sequence diversity, indicating that the novel coronavirus had been introduced to Sydney many times from many places all over the world.

They then used the sequencing data to better understand how the virus was spreading through the local community. Their analysis found that the 209 cases under study included 27 distinct genomic fingerprints. Based on the close similarity of their genomic fingerprints, a significant share of the COVID-19 cases appeared to have stemmed from the direct spread of the virus among people in specific places or facilities.

What was most striking was that the genomic evidence helped to provide information that contact tracers otherwise would have lacked. For instance, the genomic data allowed the researchers to identify previously unsuspected links between certain cases of COVID-19. It also helped to confirm other links that were otherwise unclear.

All told, researchers used the genomic evidence to cluster almost 40 percent of COVID-19 cases (81 of 209) for which the community-based data alone couldn’t identify a known contact source for the infection. That included 26 cases in which an individual who’d recently arrived in Australia from overseas spread the infection to others who hadn’t traveled. The genomic information also helped to identify likely sources in the community for another 15 locally acquired cases that weren’t known based on community data.

The researchers compared their genome surveillance data to SARS-CoV-2’s expected spread as modeled in a computer simulation based on travel to and from Australia over the time period in question. Because the study involved just 13 percent of all known COVID-19 cases in Sydney between late January through March, it’s not surprising that the genomic data presents an incomplete picture, detecting only a portion of the possible chains of transmission expected in the simulation model.

Nevertheless, the findings demonstrate the value of genomic data for tracking the virus and pinpointing exactly where in the community it is spreading. This can help to fill in important gaps in the community-based data that contact tracers often use. Even more exciting, by combining traditional contact tracing, genomic surveillance, and mathematical modeling with other emerging tools at our disposal, it may be possible to get a clearer picture of the movement of SARS-CoV-2 and put more targeted public health measures in place to slow and eventually stop its deadly spread.

Reference:

[1] Revealing COVID-19 transmission in Australia by SARS-CoV-2 genome sequencing and agent-based modeling. Rockett RJ, Arnott A, Lam C, et al. Nat Med. 2020 July 9. [Published online ahead of print]

Links:
https://directorsblog.nih.gov/2020/07/21/genome-data-helps-track-community-spread-of-covid-19/
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Original Poster
23 July elsewhere in Australia

SA

SA records two new COVID-19 cases
South Australia has recorded two new cases of coronavirus after almost a week without any positive results.

A 50-year-old woman tested negative twice while quarantining in Melbourne but when undertaking a second stint of isolation in South Australia, returned a positive result.
A 30-year-old woman was diagnosed after returning from overseas and had one family member who was positive.

The state's Chief Health Officer said she was not concerned by the cases as both were picked up in isolation settings.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/sa-records-two-new-covid-19-cases/ar-BB1748X1?ocid=msedgntp

Adelaide slash AFL crowds
Adelaide Oval slash AFL crowds from 25,000 to 20,000 as a result of a lack of social distancing.
<< IMO this is crazy, since the fans and the code and the stadium were unable to or perhaps decided to not bother enforcing social distancing from arrival to departure , even a 20% reduction in ticket sales is NOT ENOUGH , AFL should have been told "NO MORE LIVE AUDIENCES" in the Adelaide Oval for the rest of the season >>
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/adelaide-slash-afl-crowds/vi-BB1749Ww?ocid=msedgntp

NT

NT Government adds NSW community of Port Stephens to list of declared coronavirus hotspots
The New South Wales locality of Port Stephens, north of Sydney, has been declared a coronavirus hotspot by the Northern Territory's Chief Minister Michael Gunner.

The decision means anyone who has been in Port Stephens in the past 14 days will have to undergo two weeks of supervised quarantine upon arrival in the NT or return home.

In a statement on social media, Mr Gunner said the decision was needed to "keep Territorians safe".

"I know that's bad news for other Australians, but it's what needs to happen to keep Territorians safe, and that's my top priority," Mr Gunner said.

"As Territorians, we're all on the frontline now. And every single thing we do matters."

The NT reopened its borders on Friday, July 17, but all arrivals from coronavirus hotspots need to enter two weeks of mandatory supervised quarantine at their own cost of $2,500.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/nt-government-adds-nsw-community-of-port-stephens-to-list-of-declared-coronavirus-hotspots/ar-BB174C1l?ocid=msedgntp

NT Police arrest 2 men who travelled from coronavirus hotspot to Arnhem Land who made false declarations
Two men have been flown out of a remote Northern Territory town and placed in supervised quarantine after they "falsely declared" they had not been in a designated coronavirus hotspot.

The men, who had been in Sydney in the past 14 days and flew into the Arnhem Land town of Nhulunbuy on Tuesday, now face hefty fines or even jail time.

NT Police said both men returned negative COVID-19 test results.

The Northern Territory Chief Minister has previously warned any interstate arrivals who mislead authorities on their arrival documents could end up in prison.

"If you lie, and don't want to spend 14 days in a hotel room, then you face three years in a prison cell," Mr Michael Gunner told the ABC earlier this month.

Victoria, Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the NSW coastal shires of Eurobodalla and Port Stephens have now been declared hotspots by the Northern Territory Government.

"On Tuesday, July 21, a 25-year-old and a 54-year-old-male travelled to Nhulunbuy on a flight from the Australian Capital Territory via Queensland. It is alleged both falsely declared they had not been in a designated hot spot," NT Police said.
NT Police Incident Control Commander Matt Hollamby called the actions of the men "grossly irresponsible".

"These individuals potentially placed the lives of Territorians at risk," he said.
"If you lie on your entry declaration, you may face heavy penalties including three years in jail.
"Due to the diligent work of NT Police and the systems in place to protect Territorians, this serious breach of COVID-19 restrictions was discovered quickly.
"The actions of the men comes at a significant cost and an unnecessary use of resources. NT police will now complete a deep clean of the Nhulunbuy Police Station and a police aircraft."

<< these men were lucky the local tribals didn't feed them to the crocs.>>


The men have each been issued with a notice to appear in court on Monday, August 10.

In March, the Commonwealth Government decreed remote communities as Designated Biosecurity Areas under the Biosecurity Act to restrict access to these communities, but the restrictions were lifted in June.

The restrictions were instituted to protect vulnerable Indigenous populations who suffered high rates of chronic disease and comorbidities.

Earlier this month, the Northern Territory's peak Aboriginal health body urged the Northern Territory Government to immediately shut its borders to arrivals from coronavirus hotspots.

"I just remind Government and the Chief Minister that in the Northern Territory we have the largest vulnerable population in this country," said John Paterson, the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory chief executive.

"And all it takes is one positive COVID person to get out into those communities and we will have a catastrophe on our hands."
The remote Aboriginal community of Yirrkala is situated less than 20 kilometres from Nhulunbuy.
yirrkala.png

nhulunbuy.png


<< to get to Nhulunbuy NT by road / stock route / military track
How-to-get-to-nhulunbuy-by-road-using-a-4x4.png

<< it's a very challenging track even with the best equipped full size 4x4 , and is a Bucket List adventure for many Australian 4x4 adventurists, grey nomads, and adventure anglers and adventure wildlife photography enthusiasts - is definitely on my list as I've not been to Nhulunbuy except to visit for a plant visit / inspection and travelled there by air and wasn't there long enough to sitesee or try the fishing.

Is impassable and closed to all but the police , ADF and locals , using military all wheel drive and amphibious vehicles in the wet season >>.

At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, tough restrictions were placed on access to remote Aboriginal communities to prevent what health groups said could be a potentially catastrophic spread of the virus.

The NT Government has ordered that anyone who arrives in the Northern Territory from declared coronavirus hotspots must enter two weeks of mandatory supervised quarantine at an authorised facility.

NT Police said it questioned the two men after identifying "inconsistencies" related to their travel and "further investigations revealed the men had been in Sydney in the last 14 days".

"Both men were taken into police custody in Nhulunbuy and placed in quarantine pending being transported to the Howard Springs quarantine facility via Police Airwing," NT Police said.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/nt-police-say-men-who-travelled-from-coronavirus-hotspot-to-arnhem-land-made-false-declarations/ar-BB17530H?ocid=msedgntp
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Original Poster
23 JULY QLD

Queensland Premier blacklists another Sydney suburb
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says anybody who has been to Fairfield must quarantine at a hotel if they want to enter the state.

Outbreak in NSW could see Queensland introduce more border restrictions

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has declared the City of Fairfield in Sydney a COVID-19 hotspot, with changes to take effect next Monday.

The announcement means anyone who has visited Fairfield in the past 14 days will be turned around at the Queensland border.

The move comes after the Thai Rock Restaurant, located in the Fairfield council area, was found to be the source of Sydney's fastest-growing cluster.

The entire state of Victoria, as well as Campbelltown and Liverpool in Sydney have already been declared hotspots.

Queensland residents who are returning home after being in declared hotspots in the past 14 days will be forced into hotel quarantine at their own expense.

Earlier, the Premier said there would be no tightening of Queensland's border for now, but the State Government was monitoring the outbreak in New South Wales to decide if more restrictions were needed.

"If there is an outbreak of community transmission in New South Wales, like we have seen in Victoria, we will not hesitate to take quick and swift action," Ms Palaszczuk said.

"If we have to declare further hotspots, we will declare further hotspots."
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/coronavirus-outbreak-in-nsw-could-see-queensland-introduce-more-border-restrictions/ar-BB174DhB?ocid=msedgntp
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/coronavirus-queensland-bans-additional-200-000-sydney-residents/vi-BB175u74?ocid=msedgntp

Queensland doctor fined for lying on border declaration
A doctor is under police guard in a Rockhampton hotel after allegedly lying on his declaration form to get back into Queensland after visiting a declared COVID-19 hotspot in Melbourne.

It's understood the 38-year-old doctor claims he believed he was exempt from going into isolation because of his profession as a doctor.

Health Minister Steven Miles slammed the doctor's decision today, saying he should have known better."It's really disappointing frankly, to have a medical leader lie to us in order to get around these COVID restrictions," Mr Miles said.

"They should know that these restrictions are in place to keep Queenslanders safe, to keep them safe, to keep their own patients safe.

"This isn't good enough from anyone, let alone a health professional, someone who should know the risks, who should know better."Nobody is above these rules, no matter what their profession."

It's believed the doctor flew to Melbourne this month for personal reasons and visited a declared coronavirus hotspot.

He then returned to Rockhampton on July 12.

He was fined $4003 for providing misinformation on his whereabouts to border security.

It is not known if the doctor treated any patients after arriving back in Queensland.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/queensland-doctor-fined-for-lying-on-border-declaration/ar-BB1750Kn?ocid=msedgdhp

23 JULY in ACT

Restrictions in the ACT won't be eased for at least another fortnight due to NSW outbreaks
The easing of restrictions has been pushed back for another fortnight in Canberra, as health authorities monitor the current outbreak in New South Wales.

With daily double-digit increases in cases in Sydney, and an outbreak on the NSW South Coast this week, authorities say it is too risky to further unwind physical distancing measures.

The next stage of easing would see all venues, regardless of their size, allowed up to 25 patrons at a time.

It would also allow larger crowds to gather outdoors, more fans at Canberra Stadium, and food courts and casinos to reopen.

But that is now at least a fortnight away, with the next easing to be considered on August 6.

Sydney is both too close, and too alarming
There is only one active case of COVID-19 in Canberra — linked to the Victorian outbreak — and there have been no new cases recorded in the ACT for nearly a fortnight.

Instead, the Government's primary concern is the recent outbreak of cases in NSW.

There were 16 new cases reported in NSW yesterday — 15 linked to known outbreaks within Sydney, and one in hotel quarantine.

It is the 5th straight day the state has reported a double-digit increase in cases.

Testing is continuing on the South Coast too, with 8 cases currently linked to a cluster in Batemans Bay.

ACT Chief Health Officer Dr Kerryn Coleman said in that context, restrictions could not be eased and the ACT would remain at stage 2.
"It is still very early days," she said.
"We need to continue to monitor the [NSW] situation for a bit longer before we look to make any changes to ease restrictions in the ACT.
"This is to ensure we are in a good position to respond to cases here in the ACT should the need arise."

As of yesterday afternoon, 630 people were known to be self-isolating in Canberra, with large numbers now leaving self-isolation after returning from Melbourne a fortnight ago.

The Government has also announced an additional drive-through testing site in Kambah, located in the northern carpark of Jenke Circuit.

Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said the Government was also considering opening a clinic in Civic.

No reprieve for smaller venues, for now
Smaller restaurants, cafes and bars are set for the largest reprieve once restrictions are finally eased further.

Some will be allowed to more than double their capacity, with 25 patrons permitted in any venue regardless of its size.

But under current restrictions, all venues must adhere to the one-person-per-four-square-metre rule.

Ms Stephen-Smith said the eagerly-awaited move to a one-person-per-two-square-metre rule will be even further away.
"My sense is that we're a fair bit off going to one person per two square metres," she said.
"I think that is potentially now stage four."

The maximum currently allowed is one hundred seated customers, per enclosed space.

If customers are drinking, they must be seated, and if the venue does not comply, they can be fined.

Yesterday a Civic restaurant became the first venue to be fined in Canberra for breaching restrictions. Charcoal Restaurant was hit with a $5,000 fine for having 20 patrons seated last Friday night, instead of the 12 it is currently permitted.

ACT Policing said it was open to taking stronger enforcement action for intentional breaches of restrictions.

Pokies to stay switched off, and the casino shut-up
The pushing back of eased restrictions means Canberra's pubs and clubs will have to leave the poker machines turned off for at least another fortnight, despite pubs and clubs in NSW returning to gaming more than a month ago.

Casino Canberra will also be barred from reopening its gaming tables.

Gyms will continue to be prevented from running 24-hours unsupervised, another measure flagged for the next easing of restrictions.

Crowds at Canberra Stadium will also be capped at around 1,500, with a move to house as many as 6,000 also delayed.

But all easing of plans are still subject to further change as the situation in NSW and Victoria evolves.

Dr Coleman said the further pause on restrictions will buy authorities some more time.
"The next two weeks will also give us the opportunity to look at the learnings coming out of Victoria and NSW and review our Stage 3 restrictions to ensure these align with the latest health advice," she said.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/coronavirus-restrictions-in-the-act-won-t-be-eased-for-at-least-another-fortnight-due-to-nsw-outbreaks/ar-BB174pHt?ocid=msedgntp

23 July in WA

Warning over WA coronavirus hotel quarantine 'time bomb' as staff say rules repeatedly broken
Serious concerns have emerged about Western Australia's handling of interstate and international arrivals, with repeated rule breaches and fears of an over-reliance on private security contractors within the state's hotel quarantine system.

The concerns from workers within WA's hotel quarantine follow revelations of major flaws with the operation of Victoria's system, which has been blamed in large part of Melbourne's escalating COVID-19 outbreak.

In multiple interviews with employees directly involved in WA's hotel quarantine system, who spoke to the ABC on the condition of anonymity to protect their jobs, staff revealed major breaches and warned little action was being taken to address issues when they emerged.

"It is mayhem and the handling of it is disgusting," one staff member said.

"It is like a time bomb."

Among the issues raised were:

>>A near-total reliance on private security contractors for monitoring guests, with police only attending hotels when called out or when looking for a specific person
>>Repeated face-to-face interactions between quarantine arrivals and staff members not wearing full protective gear
>>Regular breaches of rules governing which parts of hotels staff members who interact with quarantine guests are allowed to access
>>Breaches not being reported for hours, if at all
>>Minimal action being taken to rectify issues when they emerged
>>Hotel staff members refusing to work out of fear
>>Regular threats and abuse of staff members by quarantine guests.
(In one instance, a person in quarantine was able to physically grab a hotel staff member who was not wearing any personal protective equipment.)
>>Police officers are reported to have dropped a new arrival with coronavirus-like symptoms in a hotel lobby — which at the time was being used by regular, non-quarantine guests.
>>There was also an incident where a person in quarantine was taken by ambulance for a coronavirus test, then allowed to return to the lobby of the hotel in a taxi.

<< All I can say , I'm gobsmacked ! it's a wonder covid19 has NOT broken out of WA's quarantine hotels , sounds like they are being run by the KeyStone Cops .>>

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/warning-over-wa-coronavirus-hotel-quarantine-time-bomb-as-staff-say-rules-repeatedly-broken/ar-BB174llO?ocid=msedgntp

FIFO workers' families dealing with perpetual uncertainty of separation due to coronavirus border closures
Perpetual uncertainty
WA's tough border policy has been credited with keeping virus numbers low in the state, but for those separated from their loved ones it is coming at a cost.

A second wave of infections has thwarted a push by the Federal Government to open domestic borders this month.

All states and territories now have severe restrictions in place for travellers from Victoria and other emerging hotspots.

Dr Patrick Clarke, of Curtin University's School of Psychology, said the pandemic had left many struggling with a sense of perpetual uncertainty.

"When people are separated from their families and support networks for long periods of time, it can have a significant detrimental impact on their levels of anxiety and stress," he told 7.30.

"When we aren't able to readily access those support networks, people can experience more frequent worry and this can contribute to other things like sleep disturbance and fatigue."

'You just want to cry'
In locked-down Melbourne, another FIFO family is trying to stay connected with regular Facetime calls.

Sharon Smith's husband Paul works at a Kalgoorlie mine and has not been home since March.

The father of three is missing out on life events, like finding out he is going to be a grandfather and his youngest daughter Erin's upcoming 21st birthday celebrations.

"You have days where you just want to cry all day because you just feel so frustrated," Ms Smith told 7.30.

"You just want a hug or that person there."

Ms Smith applied for an exemption to visit her husband in June, but it was knocked back.

With coronavirus cases climbing in Victoria, that isn't likely to change in the near future.

"You know there is talk that this could be going on for a long time and soon we may have to make really tough decisions," Ms Smith said.

"Do you quit your job? Do I leave my kids in Melbourne and move over there?"

'We just want to spend time together'
Jessie Pegoraro is waiting to hear if Mr Gabiola's request for an exemption to fly to Queensland in August will be granted.

"Don't get me wrong, we're extremely thankful to both have jobs in this pandemic, extremely thankful," Ms Pegoraro said.

"To me, a FIFO worker is an essential worker.

"I'm really hoping that Queensland has proved that we're safe enough to open our border between Queensland and WA.

"We all want to just spend that time together."
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/fifo-families-dealing-with-perpetual-uncertainty-of-separation-due-to-coronavirus-border-closures/ar-BB175DxL?ocid=msedgntp

23 July in Tasmania


Tasmanian Government urged to pay young unemployed to upskill during coronavirus pandemic

The Federal Government last week announced a JOBTrainer program for workers to participate in new courses, and subsidies for apprentices.

Tasmania is expected to have 7,100 JOBTrainer places, out of 340,700 nationwide, to train school leavers or reskill people who are searching for a job.

Tasmania has signed up to the scheme, but the details are still being worked out.

Dr Yanotti said JOBTrainer was welcome, but did not focus on youth unemployment.

Education Minister Jeremy Rockliff did not comment on the policy suggestion, but said changes to the state's Education Act would see the minimum school leaving age raised to 18, and that the State Government was funding a Skill Up program for redundant and unemployed Tasmanians to re-enter the workforce through TAFE.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/tasmanian-government-urged-to-pay-young-unemployed-to-upskill-during-coronavirus-pandemic/ar-BB174yRx?ocid=msedgntp

23 July Our northern neighbours are having a hard time with covid19.
<< to the shame of Australia's TV and media networks , this is barely rating even a mention here in Australia ,and our Federal Government is silent about their plight.
Australia has the resources to render foreign medical aid here , and IMO should , and do this in lei of playing wargames with the USN and JDFN in the S.China Seas and then near Hawaii >>



Papua New Guinea sounds alarm with WHO as coronavirus cases surge
Papua New Guinea has asked for the World Health Organization (WHO) help as the government worries the country is facing large-scale community transmission.

The government also ordered the mandatory wearing of face masks in public in the capital, Port Moresby, as part of a slew of measures to help contain the spread of the disease, The National newspaper reported on Thursday.

Prime Minister James Marape was also quoted as telling residents "not to be complacent or too relaxed because the COVID-19 is spreading".

"All the health measures which have been repeatedly announced in the media must be taken seriously to save lives," he said.

According to reports, nightclubs will also be banned from opening, although churches, restaurants and bars will remain open.

Having mostly dodged the COVID-19 pandemic until now, Papua New Guinea reported on Thursday it had detected three new cases in the previous 24 hours, bringing its total caseload to 30 - up from just 11 on Sunday.

The country also reported its first confirmed coronavirus-related death in the capital Port Moresby on Sunday. The 48-year-old woman had been previously diagnosed with breast cancer.

With limited coronavirus testing and many positive cases found in health workers, the authorities are concerned the virus might have a stronger foothold than the detected cases suggest.

National pandemic response controller David Manning expressed "serious concerns on the alarming rate of increase of COVID-19 cases in Port Moresby and the likely spread to the other provinces", saying there was a "high likelihood of expanded community transmission".

'Urgent need'
Papua New Guinea is one of the poorest countries in the Pacific.

Its health system is already under severe pressure from the widespread transmission of malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, as well as one of the world's few remaining outbreaks of polio.

On Sunday, the country reported its first confirmed coronavirus-related death in Port Moresby, involving a 48-year-old woman who was previously diagnosed with breast cancer.

Manning said the WHO was in the process of mobilising international emergency medical teams to deploy to the country and there was "an urgent need" for emergency health workers to help the country manage the outbreak.

"We are also discussing with the PNG Defence Force to assist ... the Health Department. We have always said we don't have adequate facilities."

Manning admitted testing had been "very limited" in areas outside the capital, and "while there is no evidence of hospitals being overwhelmed", that could "be due to delayed reporting or poor health checking behaviour".

Last week, the WHO announced that it was "scaling up testing" of coronavirus in the country, providing additional laboratory supplies, including more than 1,700 cartridges and 25,000 tubes for collection of coronavirus test samples.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/world/papua-new-guinea-sounds-alarm-with-who-as-coronavirus-cases-surge/ar-BB175lB9?ocid=msedgntp


Indonesia reports 1,655 new coronavirus infections, 81 deaths
Indonesia on Tuesday reported 1,655 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of infections to 89,869, according to official data released by the government.

The number of fatalities due to COVID-19 rose by 81 on Tuesday to reach a total of 4,320, the data showed, while 48,466 people have recovered from the virus.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/world/indonesia-reports-1-655-new-coronavirus-infections-81-deaths/ar-BB16ZR8J?ocid=msedgntp
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Original Poster
24-Jul

Another bad day in Victoria with 7 deaths.

New cases o/night in Victoria = 300
New cases o/night in NSW = 7
total new cases o/night in NSW & Vic = 307
total new cases in NSW & Vic since 10 June = 6498
ABC 7pm News 3200 current cases

24july.png


Confirmed cases in Australia in 2020 by age and gender
24july-confirned-cases-in-2020-by-age-and-gender.png


Hospital situation
24july-hospitals.png


Deaths in Australia in 2020
24july-deaths.png


Deaths in Australia in 2020 by age and gender
24july-deaths-age-and-gender.png


Deaths in Australia in 2020 by cluster
24july-deaths-by-cluster.png
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Original Poster
24 July in Victoria

Victoria's virus crisis top of the agenda as National Cabinet leaders meet

Victoria's coronavirus outbreaks will be at the top of the agenda when National Cabinet meets today. Leaders will also discuss the sobering figures in yesterday's Federal budget update.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/victoria-s-virus-crisis-top-of-the-agenda-as-leaders-meet/vi-BB176Y0s?ocid=msedgntp

Victoria Premier announces 300 new COVID-19 cases and record deaths today
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews says his state has recorded 300 new COVID-19 cases and 6 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Victoria marks deadliest day of pandemic
Victoria has marked its deadliest day of coronavirus deaths, with another 7 Victorians dying overnight.

The state's COVID-19 death toll has risen to 56, as Victoria records 300 new coronavirus infections.

The Victorians who tragically lost their lives include three people aged in their 80s and three in their 90s, all connected to an aged care setting.

Victoria's total virus tally has surged to 7405 cases.

"Our best wishes, our condolences, our thoughts and our prayers to the families of those 7 individuals," Premier Daniel Andrews said.

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton warned that more people are expected to die as cases escalate in the state.
"I have always expressed concern about the fact that whether you have hundreds of new cases a day, there are several people expected to die in the following two-week period," Professor Sutton said.

There are a number of other younger individuals also hospitalised with COVID-19 and in ICUs across the state.
<< The Federal Govt has provided extra ventilators from the National Emergency Stockpile and these are being rushed into service in preparation for the expected tsusami of critically ill covid19 patients that is only days or weeks away

24july-assembling-ventilators-in-Melbourne.png

Ventilators being assembled.>>

WA, SA, QLD and NSW are sending masks & PPEs , ventilators and medical staff to Victoria to assist.

"Some of those people who are in intensive care and on ventilators are younger individuals," he said.
"That is an absolute tragedy and of course we are working in whatever way we can to drive those numbers down."

Professor Sutton also clarified rules for hospital visits in Victoria following concerns a woman's partner or support person could not stay longer than a 2-hour period.
"The direction states that support person or partner can stay as long as is desired and needed for the labour and birth process, as long as is required. That is not limited at all.
"For subsequent days post-delivery, there is a visit limit of one person for two hours," he said.

Defence Force called in to check in self-isolators
ADF personnel will be deployed to knock on people's doors who have tested positive to coronavirus but have failed to answer calls from the Department of Health.

The new initiative comes after about 25 per cent of people were dodging calls from health authorities after being diagnosed with the virus.

Victorians who are positive to COVID-19 will be called by health authorities first and then called again within two hours.

If they do not answer, the ADF will proceed to doorknock the person's house. There will be 28 ADF teams deployed to support the move across the state.
<< some people have been threatening and even assaulting health workers , they'll think twice about this when confronted by a trained soldier >>
"This is about going that extra step to make sure that we cannot just call but we can connect and have that meaningful interaction, get that interview done and then begin the process of tracing contact," Mr Andrews said.

He also warned Victorians who have tested positive to COVID-19 will be fined if they are found to be not at home.
"If you were door knocked and you were not found at home, then you are in breach of the orders because you are a positive case and you should be at home," he said.
"So that would almost certainly lead to you being fined.

"You will have some very uncomfortable explaining to do as to why you are not at home isolated because you have tested positive."
<< the soldiers are empowered to enforce the rules >>
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/victoria-marks-deadliest-day-of-coronavirus-pandemic/ar-BB177l2T?ocid=msedgntp
<< bumped up 6 to 7 deaths by diner time >>
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/coronavirus-victoria-premier-announces-300-new-covid-19-cases/vi-BB177BFw?ocid=msedgntp

Premier Andrews commits to 'dramatic expansion' of contact tracing and quarantine at home enforcement efforts
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has committed to a “dramatic expansion” of COVID-19 contacting across the state, announcing ADF personnel will be deployed to visit confirmed cases to help with tracing efforts.

The state recorded 300 new coronavirus cases on Friday with a further 7 deaths.

“The aim is to have every single one of them contacted within 24 hours,” Mr Andrews said.

“That is not always possible, principally because some people won’t answer the phone, some people, a much smaller number, may answer the phone but are not particularly interested in making a time to sit down and go through that longer process to be interviewed about all the close contact.
“What we are going to do, and this has happened the last 3 or 4 days and it is now going to be dramatically expanded, there will be 28 teams of ADF personnel and authorised officers from the Department of Health."
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/andrews-commits-to-dramatic-expansion-of-contact-tracing-efforts/ar-BB177u3m?ocid=msedgntp

13 new cases recorded in regional Victoria yesterday
There 13 new cases scattered in regional Victoria , including 6 cases in Victoria's second city, Geelong, which is outside the lockdown zone, and many businesses there say they'd struggle to survive another round of Lev 4 restrictions.
COVID-19 cases in Colac jumped from zero to 27 in 5 days
Mayor Jason Schram says the initial response from health authorities wasn't swift enough and he wants tougher restrictions.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/covid-19-cases-in-colac-jumped-from-zero-to-27-in-five-days/vi-BB177d6F?ocid=msedgntp
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/13-new-cases-recorded-in-regional-victoria-yesterday/vi-BB177fdT?ocid=msedgntp

Intensive care nurse's blunt warning over coronavirus risk to younger adults
A senior Melbourne intensive care nurse says hospitals are preparing for the prospect of deaths among younger Victorians as authorities battle to rein in the state's coronavirus cases.

The head intensive care unit nurse at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Michelle Spence, said there was a growing number of younger adults being hospitalised with the virus.
"What we are seeing now is young people who are going to die. There is no doubt about it," she said.
"And these are people who are 30s, 40s, 50s, who have no past history."

She said deaths in Victoria had so far predominantly been in older people, but that will likely change << purely due to demographic distribution of cases being detected and subsequently hospitalized >>.

Yesterday, authorities revealed 20 % of people in Victorian hospitals with the virus were aged under 50, including 4 children.

Data provided by the health department on Tuesday showed 34 people under 50 were being treated in Victorian hospitals, including 2 people in their 20s and 2 people in their 30s in intensive care.

The Royal Melbourne Hospital has acquired a further 22 ventilators as the intensive care unit prepares for a surge in cases.

Ms Spence, who is the hospital's ICU nurse manager, said the hospital had patients ranging from their 30s to their 80s "and all of them are at varying degrees of their COVID journey".
"We're definitely not just seeing the elderly, that is not the case at all."
"It is definitely not an old person's disease," Ms Spence said.

She said a COVID patient's time in the intensive care unit was a long, slow process, where very ill people were separated from their families.
"Being in ICU is not a nice place to be," she said.
"It is absolutely not a comfortable thing to do."

Ms Spence warned the process of recovery, even after patients leave ICU, could take a long time.

She urged Melburnians of all ages to follow the directive to wear a face mask when outside their homes, saying wearing a mask was "way more comfortable than being on a ventilator".

Premier's warning to younger Victorians
Victoria's Premier Daniel Andrews yesterday said a significant proportion of the state's recent new COVID-19 cases were younger people and issued a firm warning to young people: follow the rules.
"It would be wrong to assume that young people are somehow more immune to this," he said.

"If you want this to be over, if you want to get to the other side of it and find that COVID normal … and be able to go and have a beer, or go and have a meal with a friend and be able to move around the community much more freely than you can now, you've got to follow the rules."

Mr Andrews warned: "There are a lot of young people who have died of this in other parts of the world."
"There are a lot of otherwise healthy people … and they have become ill," he said.
"This is not just something that affects people that are frail-aged."

Mr Andrews said there was growing international evidence that the virus was lingering for a prolonged period of time in the form of other chronic health issues.
"This is not something you want to get, it is not something you want to spread. Regardless of your age, gender, your faith background, your postcode, your income level, everybody is in this together."

Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said COVID-19 was "not an older person's disease".
"Our data from the start of July shows us that a quarter of the infections that we are seeing in our community are actually amongst young people in their 20s.
"By way of comparison, people in their 60s only represent 6 % of people who have been diagnosed with this virus."

Younger people often in 'frontline' jobs
A new State Government payment for people without paid sick leave who need to isolate while waiting for coronavirus test results is in part designed to help younger workers in casual or insecure work.

Victoria already has a $1,500 hardship payment for eligible workers who test positive to the virus or are a close contact of a confirmed case and have been told to self-isolate.

Earlier this week, the Premier revealed , and just over half of people who had been tested did not immediately self-isolate.

Felicity Sowerbutts from the Young Workers Centre, which aims to help empower younger people in the workforce, welcomed the new $300 payment, saying a large number of younger workers were on the "frontline" in insecure or casual jobs at places like supermarkets and fast food outlets.

"The $300 payment does plug a gap and supports workers without sick leave when they are isolating and waiting for a test result," she said.

<< Unfortunately there have been reports of young people doing the right thing when told to isolate after testing positive , being told by bad employers show up for work or don't bother coming back , or being threatened with job loss if they stay home >>
Young people among those hit hardest through pandemic
The ABC's youth current affairs program put a call out to young Australians and found many of them are facing pressure to keep working through the pandemic despite health directives to isolate when feeling sick (on pain of being let go).
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/young-people-among-those-hit-hardest-through-pandemic/vi-BB176Y0t?ocid=msedgntp


She agreed the gravity of the situation in Victoria was now getting through to younger workers and she urged them to make sure employers were providing personal protective equipment such as gloves, masks, hand sanitiser and screens so that risks were minimised.
<< this is going to be difficult when they are in very insecure gig type employment and have no power and few perceived workers' rights , and with so many of their peers on JOBSeeker and desperate to escape dependence on Centrelink and their JobNetwork provider's case manager's whims . I can't see many "rocking the boat" by asking for PPEs and better OHS practices ( even if they are aware of their rights ) , most are not unionized or if they are wont know who to contact to act in their behalf if the boss says "no" .>>

"I think it's very hard to ignore the fact that we've got a massive crisis on our hands and I'm very confident that young workers are hearing that message loud and clear," she said.


A research epidemiologist at the University of Melbourne, Professor John Mathews, said he was not surprised by the number of younger adults contracting the virus.

"We know that older people are at greater risk of severe disease and older people are more able to stay at home — it's probably not unexpected that younger people have been more socially active even with the social distancing requirements, so I'm not surprised.

"It may be that simple social explanation for why there are increased numbers of infections reported in younger people," he said.
He said Victoria's cases may have "plateaued now at around 300 or 400 a day".
<< no , I don't see this in the data , there may be slight reduction in semilog cum cases curve's slope but there is not a long enough run of daily datum to be sure of this (YET). This wont be 1st time that Vic Health and Vic Premier have said things were on the mend only to have the curve continue exploding upwards .>>

"If by next week the numbers are not going up, that's telling us that with the support of the population, the current policy settings should help suppress the current wave," he said.
<< Since masks were mandated from TODAY, IMO , and I've been on the money so far , it''ll take at least 2 weeks , maybe 4 weeks to see the effect of this on community spread rate .>>

Melbourne hospitals draw on reserve relief workers
Melbourne hospitals have begun drawing on an army of reserve relief workers to help with the COVID-19 outbreak.
14,000 workers will move between facilities to cope with the rising cases
<< hopefully they'll be required to be test negative and quarantine between relief postings >>.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/coronavirus-melbourne-hospitals-draw-on-reserve-relief-workers/vi-BB17721I?ocid=msedgntp
https://www.msn.com/en-au/health/medical/intensive-care-nurse-s-blunt-warning-over-coronavirus-risk-to-younger-adults/ar-BB177bGe?ocid=msedgntp

447 active COVID-19 cases linked to aged care homes in Victoria

More than half of deaths linked to aged care homes in Victoria
17 / 29 COVID-19 deaths in Victoria’s second COVID-19 wave are revealed as nursing home residents.
The company called in to manage the deadly COVID-19 cluster at Sydney's Newmarch House will be sent to St Basil's in Melbourne's north.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/coronavirus-more-than-half-of-deaths-linked-to-aged-care-homes-in-victoria/vi-BB17721K?ocid=msedgntp

'Significant stresses' on aged care workforce
About 40 aged care facilities across Victoria, mainly in Melbourne, have recorded at least one case of COVID-19.

A cluster of coronavirus cases at the St Basil's Homes for the Aged facility in Fawkner has grown to 73 cases and the Estia Health facility in Ardeer is linked to 68 infections.

Five new nursing homes recorded coronavirus infections overnight: Outlook Gardens in Dandenong North, BlueCross Riverlea in Avondale Heights, Villa Maria Catholic Homes St Bernadette's Aged Care Residence in Sunshine North, Fronditha Care St Albans and Japara Yarra West in Yarraville.

Workers have been brought into Victorian aged care facilities from interstate as part of the Commonwealth's coordination of the sector's response to COVID-19.

Many aged care workers are in isolation after being exposed to or contracting the virus.

Federal Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck told ABC Radio Melbourne more than 400 staff had been brought in to Victorian homes in the past few weeks.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/victoria-coronavirus-cases-rise-by-300-as-six-aged-care-deaths-recorded-more-adf-personnel-called-in/ar-BB177n8J?ocid=msedgntp


The Australian Medical Association is warning even larger numbers of health care workers might have to be brought into Victoria from other states and territories, to make up for staff shortages in aged care homes struggling through the coronavirus pandemic. ( as more age care workers are forced into quarantine at home due to widespread community transmission , only takes 1 member of the family to test positive or be waiting for a covid test result in their household and they are now compelled report by phone and stay home til everyone in the household is cleared , very heavy fines apply for breaches of the covid19 protocols that are now in force across Victoria ).
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/447-active-covid-19-cases-linked-to-aged-care-homes-in-victoria/vi-BB176XX0?ocid=msedgntp

Vic Police issue more than 100 fines in a day as Victorians 'blatantly' flout rules

Victoria Police issued 101 fines and 63 warnings on Thursday as officers turn their attention to “blatant, obvious and deliberate” breaches of pandemic rules.

“It’s people who decide they’re still wanting to party, people who have decided they want to continue to go to brothels, people who have decided that the gym can continue to operate and, of course, people who have decided to go into unrestricted areas,” State Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville said in a media conference on Today.
Ms Neville said most people in metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire were abiding by the state’s pandemic rules including the mask-wearing mandate, which came into effect Wednesday night, but some continued to flout the rules.

“Unfortunately, despite the fact Victoria Police have got a discretion policy, they’re handing out masks, they’re talking to people about why they need it, they’ve had to hand out a handful of fines yesterday to people who refused to wear them,” she said.
“Their discretion period will continue over the next 7 days but be in no doubt that for all the other incidences the discretion period is limiting, and that’s why we’re starting to see the sort of fines we saw at the start of this pandemic.”
Melbourne woman refuses to give police her details at vehicle checkpointVictorian authorities have slammed a woman who refused to tell police where she was going at a Melbourne vehicle checkpoint as “incredibly selfish”.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/melbourne-woman-refuses-to-give-police-her-details-at-vehicle-checkpoint/vi-BB177BpX?ocid=msedgntp
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/police-issue-more-than-100-fines-in-a-day-as-victorians-blatantly-flout-rules/ar-BB176Yzb?ocid=msedgntp

There continues to be a large volume of chatter online on blaming the BLM rally in Melbourne for the 2nd covid19 wave in Melbourne ( and Sydney ) , larger NSW & Victoria .
See my previous posts where I showed this is unlikely to be more than an minor causal effect and where I have shown that a major very likely causal effect was actually the COVIDIOT rallies on May 30 and May 31. I even predicted the 2nd waves initiation within a couple of days way back on June 2 to be about mid June based on real science .
More
ABC FACT CHECK - There's still no evidence Black Lives Matter protesters caused Melbourne COVID-19 surge
CoronaCheck is RMIT ABC Fact Check's weekly email newsletter dedicated to fighting the misinformation infodemic surrounding the coronavirus outbreak.

You can read the latest edition below, and to have the next newsletter delivered straight to your inbox.

CoronaCheck #31
With a court hearing over a Black Lives Matter protest planned for Sydney next week, and renewed media coverage of a similar rally held in Melbourne back in June, we've revisited our previous reporting on the protest's supposed links to a surge in coronavirus cases in Victoria.

We've also got more information on masks, which are now mandatory in Melbourne, and check in with US President Donald Trump and his newfound love of beans.

Explaining the Black Lives Matter 'links' to Melbourne's coronavirus surge
#blm

Suggestions of a link between a Black Lives Matter rally held in Melbourne on June 6 and an outbreak of coronavirus cases in public housing towers continue to spread, with NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller this week adding fuel to the fire.

before a court hearing on a Black Lives Matter protest planned for Sydney next week, Commissioner Fuller said that based on "some pretty good intelligence out of Victoria" he knew "how dangerous these protests can be in terms of health".

"From our perspective it was obviously big numbers in Victoria, a number of people who came to the protest were living in those vertical towers so that certainly is enough for me."

But in , the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) said that of the six protesters who subsequently tested positive to COVID-19, none were known to live in a "major public housing complex".

Commissioner Fuller's remarks come in the wake of that Victorian health authorities had "confirmed a link between two COVID-19 cases in people who attended the Black Lives Matter protest and the cluster of at least 242 cases in public housing towers in the city's inner northwest".

"While the confirmation stops short of establishing the (BLM , conveniently ignoring the Covidiot event that happened in last weekend of May) protest as a cause of the public housing megacluster, it demonstrates clear links between the mass gathering, attendees who tested positive, and the state's largest COVID-19 cluster to date," The Australian said.

According to the report, two Northland H&M employees who tested positive for COVID-19 attended the protests. These workers formed part of a larger cluster of coronavirus cases initially named as the H&M cluster but later reclassified as the North Melbourne family cluster.

It is the North Melbourne family cluster which the DHHS said was linked to the outbreak in the North Melbourne housing tower.

"Cases linked to the North Melbourne towers have links to other cases across Melbourne, including the North Melbourne family outbreak," The Australian quotes a DHHS spokesman as saying.

"It is not clear which direction the virus was transmitted in. In many cases, we will never know for sure how large clusters began and the order in which the virus spread."

The Australian's report prompted former Victorian opposition leader Matthew Guy Fact Check issue a correction on , published in June, which queried the evidence for assertions about links between the protests and the surge in cases.

"[The DHHS] continues to report that the current burst of cases does not stem from the rally," Fact Check said at the time.

"They have said that while one protester "may have been infectious at the rally", two others who have since tested positive for COVID-19 were not infectious at the rally, nor is there evidence they contracted the virus at the rally."

The DHHS statement last week that there is "no evidence to suggest" any person contracted COVID-19 at the protest.

The report in The Australian, as well as similar reports from other news sites, were shared widely, including and , a with 115,000 Twitter followers.

Fact Check found no evidence that from the Australian, which clarified that the DHHS said there was no evidence that the six protesters who had tested positive for COVID-19 had acquired the virus at the rally, was shared by Senator Hanson or Mr Wood.

Therefore Mr Yemini dismissed the report .

<< Sen Hanson is a the sole rep from her own ULTRA RIGHT WING party called OneNation , she's a known racist and bigot >>

Commentators ( linked to SKYE , Nine and Seven , ie Bolt, Jones, and their ilk ) and social media activists are using out-of-date advice on the use of masks to peddle misinformation in the wake of the Victorian Government's announcement that face coverings would be mandatory for residents of lockdown areas.

On Sunday, Herald Sun columnist Andrew Bolt there was NOT any medical basis to the decision to make masks mandatory, and quoted World Health Organisation advice against the wide use of face masks in the community. But that advice is outdated and now known to be INCORRECT based on large scale pandemic studies and scientific / engineering assessments of their effectiveness..
In fact SKYE commentators universially peddled misinformation indicating that the masks worn by the BLM rally participants were useless in stopping the spread of covid19 in the mass rally and somehow thereby they were to blame for the 2nd Wave in Melbourne .
Not one of SKYE's commentators has a scientific credential ( none of them have a B.Sc , or B.E, or medical credential ) and they all ( Bolt , Jones, Credlin, Kenny, Panani, Jayes, Richardson, Gilbert & Murray ) read from the same script and ultra right wing playbook and ape similar commentators in the USA .
<< IMO they are a big part of the problem and have blood on their collective hands >>

Best medical and scientific advice , however, says that masks should be worn by the general population where there is widespread community transmission or where physical distancing cannot be adhered to, such as on public transport or in "specific working conditions".

Meanwhile, while Federal Government advice against the "routine use of masks in the community" cited by Bolt , it stipulates that this is only the case while "the rate of community transmission of COVID-19 is low".

Infectious diseases physician and microbiologist Peter Collignon said there was enough community spread in Melbourne to justify mandatory masks. "Whenever you've got a lot of community transmission — and Melbourne seems to be in that situation at the moment — wearing masks makes a difference," Professor Collignon said.

Facebook groups popular with conspiracy theorists the Federal Government advice, as well as , to advocate against mandatory mask wearing.

As systematic review published in The Lancet in early June found that close fitting N95 respirators would reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission by up to 95 %, and surgical masks by up to 67 %.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/there-s-still-no-evidence-black-lives-matter-protesters-caused-melbourne-covid-19-surge/ar-BB177cJ8?ocid=msedgntp
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Original Poster
24 July in NSW

Three more COVID-19 cases in Port Stephens linked to Sydney cluster
NSW health authorities have confirmed three new coronavirus cases in the Port Stephens area, just north of Newcastle, are linked to a Sydney cluster.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/three-covid-19-cases-in-port-stephens-linked-to-sydney-cluster/vi-BB177idN?ocid=msedgntp

NSW Health confirms 7 coronavirus cases after record number of tests
NSW Health has identified seven new coronavirus cases after a record 36,169 tests conducted in the 24 hours leading up to 8:00pm yesterday.

Health authorities said 6 of the cases were associated with the Thai Rock restaurant cluster in Wetherill Park in Sydney's south-west, raising the total cluster to 52, and 1 had no identified source.

Of the 6 Thai Rock cluster cases, three were linked to Our Lady of Lebanon church in Harris Park and 3 were close contacts of other cases.

A previously reported case also visited Costco at Marsden Park for three hours on July 19, from 11:00am to 2:00pm.

NSW Health has urged any patron who visited the store during this time to get tested if they develop symptoms.

It has also directed all health workers in public hospitals to wear surgical masks and advised all patients to wear a mask, where possible.
New rules for masks in NSW hospitals as further restrictions kick in
Hospital staff are now required to wear masks if they are within 1.5 metres of patients ".

Patients are also required to wear a mask where possible, and visitors must don masks before entering a health facility. The rule does not apply to children under 12.

Ms Koff said the advice applied to all hospital and community health settings, and the use of personal protective equipment was an "integral element" of keeping health staff safe.

"I want to emphasise that mask use supplements, but is not a substitute for, other precautions such as hand hygiene and physical distancing," she said.

"The Clinical Excellence Commission and the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre are continuously monitoring the evolving situation, and will update advice as new evidence emerges, and risk levels change."

3 COVID-19 patients are being treated in intensive care, with 1 of those patients being ventilated and on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, Dr McAnulty said. In total, 96 patients are being treated by NSW Health.

NSW Health secretary Elizabeth Koff said the decision to raise the COVID-19 risk level to moderate, or amber, was due to the rise in local transmissions.

The new rules around masks in healthcare settings follow tighter restrictions on cafes, restaurants, weddings and funerals, which came into effect at midnight.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/new-rules-for-masks-in-nsw-hospitals-as-further-restrictions-kick-in/ar-BB176XR1?ocid=msedgntp

The latest figures come as new restrictions were introduced today which limited establishments — including restaurants, clubs and event venues — to a total of 300 people and group bookings of 10, who must remain seated.

Funerals and places of worship will be capped at 100, weddings and corporate events at 150 people with restrictions on singing, dancing and mingling while standing.

COVID-Safe registrations were also made compulsory for venues which involves submitting a digital record of patrons' attendance within 24 hours and a mandatory hygiene marshal.

The NSW Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello echoed Premier Gladys Berejiklian's warnings from earlier this week.

Ms Berejiklian said any businesses found in breach of restrictions "will have the book thrown at them".

Mr Dominello said Liquor and Gaming NSW had undertaken 1,311 compliance checks and had issued three fines — to the Golden Sheaf pub in Double Bay, The Star casino in Pyrmont and the Auburn Hotel in Western Sydney.
"I've got no hesitation in naming and shaming — if there is an organisation that is blatantly flouting the law and public health is at risk, I will be the first to name and shame and condemn them," Mr Dominello said.

Mr Dominello said close to 200,000 businesses in NSW have downloaded the COVID-Safe plans and there have been about 31,000 registrations, with a "further significant increase" expected over the coming days.

He said if a venue is unable to provide customer information after a positive COVID-19 case is identified there, NSW Health would "have to work triple time" to do contact tracing.

On Friday, NSW Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello issued a reminder that further compliance measures were in force for restaurants, bars and cafes, with group bookings capped at 10 people.

A cap of 300 patrons has been imposed on venues, and COVIDSafe registration for businesses is compulsory.

Weddings and corporate events are limited to 150 people, and funerals and places of worship are limited to 100. The one person per four square metre rule still applies.

Announcing the new restrictions last week, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the measures would reduce the risk of community transmission and help authorities control the virus.

"We absolutely need everybody seated when they are in a venue," she said. "No dancing, no singing, no mingling."

Mr Dominello said Liquor and Gaming NSW had undertaken 1311 inspections of pubs to check whether they were complying with COVID rules.

So far 79 verbal warnings and two written warning have been issued, along with three fines to the Golden Sheaf, The Star casino and the Auburn Hotel.

NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys said officers were continuing to enforce the public health orders and conducted 15,000 compliance checks of businesses last month.

He said police had also carried out almost 700 inspections in the past 48 hours of people who had been asked to self-isolate.

2 people have been issued penalty infringement notices for failing to self-isolate.
One was issued to a 39-year-old woman who was given a permit to travel from Victoria to NSW but failed to comply with a police warning to self-isolate after she was twice found away from her Redfern address.
The other was given to a 37-year-old man in the Riverina area who had a permit to enter NSW and told authorities he was self-isolating before travelling to Queensland. However, police established he had visited a local gym and a chemist earlier that day.

Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys said "the time for excuses is over".

He said NSW Police will track anyone down not complying with self-isolation orders.

"Police will be relentless. It's not just about a knock on the door and if we cant find the person then forgetting about it.
"In fact it increases our willingness to go back to make further inquiries.
"Particularly some our country locations where police can easily find out where people work, where people live, where they go to, and people need to take this seriously."
Tougher restrictions enforced at venues in NSW from today
NSW Minister for Customer Service, Victor Dominello, says businesses will be reprimanded & heavily penalized if found not complying with tougher COVID-19 regulations.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/tougher-restrictions-enforced-at-venues-in-nsw-from-today/vi-BB177dMJ?ocid=msedgntp
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/nsw-health-confirms-seven-coronavirus-cases-after-record-number-of-tests/ar-BB177kEj?ocid=msedgntp
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-24/nsw-coronavirus-seven-new-cases-recorded/12488446

CovidRefugees ( from Melbourne & Sydney )

COVID-19 no obstacle to Coffs Harbour real estate, with rental vacancies tight and sales strong
When the COVID-19 pandemic first washed across Australia one of the immediate economic fears was for the property market, particularly in regional areas like Coffs Harbour on the New South Wales North Coast.

Now, months into the pandemic, figures show the number of properties available to rent are at the lowest levels since August 2019 and agents are reporting a robust sales market.
"COVID really hasn't really scared anybody off at all," said Coffs Harbour real estate agent Emily McIlwraith.
"We've had up to 20 people come along [to open homes], so it hasn't really affected anything.
"If any it's actually grown slightly."

Rental properties hard to find
According to the Real Estate Institute of NSW (REINSW), rental vacancies in Coffs Harbour fell to 2.4 per cent in June, down from 3 per cent in May.
<< my sister who lives near Forster reports all the local rentals and homes that have up for sale for months and even for years have all been snapped up in the last month and there are lots of VIC number plated cars around >>

The rate is the lowest the city has recorded since August 2019.

Coffs Harbour agent Martin Wells suggested there were a number of reasons for the change.
"Some people are more reluctant to purchase a home at the moment that might be in a position to do so, and they're happy to rent for a little while and just to sit out the market and and see what's happening," he said.
"We're also actually getting a lot more people moving into the area, particularly from "southern capitals"."

At the same time Coffs Harbour renters have been struggling to find homes, the Sydney vacancy rate blew out to 4.5 per cent in June, up 0.4 per cent from May and 1.5 per cent since March.

Land in demand
The Federal Government's HomeBuilder program has seen demand for land increase, according to Ms McIlwraith.
"We've almost sold every single block that we had," she said.

The HomeBuilder scheme allows eligible home owners to apply for a tax-free grant of $25,000 if they are spending between $150,000 and $750,000 renovating a home or building a new home.
"The amount of inquiry has tripled since the Government released the new homes scheme," Ms McIlwraith said.
"Because, for first-time buyers especially, it's up to $40,000 in government grants [when combined with state relief]."

Affordability an issue
Increasing rentals and strong demand for homes will do nothing to ease housing affordability during an economically unstable time.
"I guess anyone looking for affordability in that bottom end of the rental market might be finding it tough to find those properties at the moment," Mr Wells said.
"I think that's a knock-on effect from the lack of stock across the board where we haven't got great investor properties coming into the market.
"Then you've got less investors purchasing property and therefore less stock about all for for rentals."

Mr Wells said a healthy market in both sales and rentals was a "double-edged sword".
"It's great for the property owners that have worked hard and done well and own investment properties," he said.
"And tough for those that are trying to find affordable housing and secure place over their head for their family."
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/covid-19-no-obstacle-to-coffs-harbour-real-estate-with-rental-vacancies-tight-and-sales-strong/ar-BB177nHU?ocid=msedgntp

Borders

NSW-Queensland border crossing at Elbow Valley to get automatic gate

24july-elbow-crg-BB177ecf.jpg

Border residents near Warwick have applauded a council decision to replace concrete barriers with electronic locks to reopen local roads after months of long detours.

When concrete barriers went up over some roads on the Queensland–New South Wales border due to COVID-19 restrictions, the length of Wendy Bell's commute tripled.

She said since April, she has had to travel an extra 100 kilometres for trips to and from her property at Cullendore in New South Wales to the nearest town of Warwick in Queensland.

Ms Bell said residents reacted with disbelief earlier this year when concrete barriers were put in place.
"People weren't notified at all, so it was a huge surprise … people were just driving down that road and just coming across it," she said.

Ms Bell said many in the region considered themselves to be Queenslanders.
"I've had trouble in the past convincing people that we are in New South Wales because of where we sit," she said.
"Because we are so close Warwick, people just feel that we that we must still be in Queensland, so we do really feel as though we are Queenslanders."

Ms Bell said locals were supportive of the border restrictions but they have had a big impact on their lives.
"We do support the borders being closed … so we will do our utmost to make sure that we support it fully and that way everybody does the right things," she said.

Gates approved
Now, after requests from residents from both sides of the border, the Southern Downs Regional Council has agreed to install an automatic gate at a border crossing at Elbow Valley.

The council said concerns had also been raised about the extra time it took emergency services crews to help with incidents in NSW.

Mayor Vic Pennisi said it will use a system that has been used in the Goondiwindi region.
"[It] uses video imagery as well as electronic locks to give you access through the border," Councillor Pennisi said.
"[Residents will] still have to have the permits in place … and if they fail to do that and get caught, there'll be some serious implications in that respect and fines."

Wendy Bell said the decision was a huge relief for locals.
"My husband's mum is 92, she lives in Warwick, so it will make it so much easier getting to see her," she said.
"Business-wise, it will just make it so much easier, so much less expensive, it will make a huge difference."

Councillor Pennisi said the council was in talks with the State Government over financial help to cover the costs of installing the gates.
"When you have 12, or 13, or 14 of these things that can run up to some serious dollars," he said.
"There's a number of other activities that we undertake as a result of the border closure … that is incurring some extra costs to council."

The council predicts the system could cost up to $7,000 to install at each location.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/nsw-queensland-border-crossing-at-elbow-valley-to-get-automatic-gate/ar-BB17751n?ocid=msedgntp

NSW-Victoria border restrictions putting lives at risk, doctors say in open letter to NSW Government
24july-nsw-vic-docs-BB177o-E5.jpg

Doctors are warning border restrictions will inevitably result in someone dying, with several near misses this week.

In an open letter provided to the NSW Government on Friday, senior doctors from the border region said there was a distinct lack of regard for vital border health services.
"Here in Albury Wodonga we are also facing the very real threat of an entirely preventable tragedy if patients cannot receive timely and appropriate emergency medical care due to border delays," the letter said.

In one example, a child known to the paediatric unit with congenital anomalies and special needs was choking on the side of the road while waiting in the border queue.

A doctor in the queue saw the mother and child in distress and went to assist, but it took another 30 minutes before they could pass through and get to emergency.

'Patients' lives at risk'
Oncologist Craig Underhill is one of the doctors behind the letter and said ambulances and hospital transport vehicles have been forced to go to the back of the queue and wait for up to an hour.

The doctors are calling for an emergency lane to be put in place urgently.
"Our emergency surgery, ICU, and paediatric services are based in Albury. There are no practical alternative services nearby in Victoria," Dr Underhill said.
"With delays in peak times of up to an hour, patients' lives are at risk."

Dr Underhill said the region was resilient but border communities were suffering.
"We had the drought, I had patients who walked off farms, we had the bushfires, we had people lose their houses. We had people coming from evacuation centres to have doses of chemotherapy," he said.
"Now we have a large number of health services severely impacted. So this is like putting a sword through the heart of these communities."

NSW Health acknowledges difficulties
The ABC understands representatives from NSW did not show up to a meeting called on Thursday between health services and the two state governments.

The doctors are also calling for exemptions for health workers, with medical staff who live in NSW but work in Victorian hospitals being forced to stay home.

North East Health Wangaratta is facing its third day in a row without 80 of its frontline medical staff.

NSW Health told the ABC that meetings late this week between the two governments and their agencies were aimed at "protocols and mechanisms to facilitate health care workers crossing the border."

Albury-Wodonga Health said it continued to meet regularly with NSW Health to resolve the issues impacting the delivery of health care to communities.

Carers unable to cross
Carers of terminally ill loved ones are also being caught up in the chaos, with one Victorian woman fearing her mother will die before she can get a permit to get into New South Wales to continue to help look after her.

Katie Donaldson lives on the Victorian side of the border and cares for her mother in NSW who has a terminal illness.

A week after she applied for a permit to cross the border she finally got a call from NSW Health.
"They called me asking if my Mum was going to die in the next two weeks, that was their question," Ms Donaldson said.
"You can imagine how stressful that was for me to hear, that while I am trying to care for my mum asking if she going to die in the next two weeks."

Ms Donaldson said NSW Health later sent police to her parents' home to check that her mother was in fact terminally ill.
"I'm so worried my mum will die and I won't be there. That's just terrifying to me."
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/nsw-victoria-border-restrictions-putting-lives-at-risk-doctors-say-in-open-letter-to-nsw-government/ar-BB177kFc?ocid=msedgntp

Man busted twice on buses attempting to enter Queensland
Queensland police say a man travelling directly from a New South Wales hotspot was caught twice on a bus trying to enter Queensland with false documents.
"We removed a 42-year-old man off a bus a couple of days ago in Coolangatta," Gold Coast Chief Superintendent Mark Wheeler said.
"That person had come directly from a hotspot in New South Wales.
"We removed and refused entry to the state to that person.
"We will allege that that person then went and got a border declaration, made a false declaration, got back on a bus, was intercepted some hours later.
"(He was) removed and fined for a false declaration and of course that person was shown the backdoor to our state."
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/man-busted-twice-on-buses-attempting-to-enter-queensland/ar-BB177oES?ocid=msedgntp

More than 100 Sydney suburbs now banned from Qld
More than 100 Sydney suburbs are now on Queensland's list of hotspots.

The city of Fairfield was overnight declared a third location, joining Campbelltown and Liverpool in the city’s south-west.

Queensland will turn around anyone attempting to enter the Sunshine State from 106 suburbs within those three declared hotspots unless they have an exemption.

Queensland residents have been urged against travelling to New South Wales, warned they would have to fork out for two weeks' quarantine if they entered a hotspot before returning home.

VIC-NSW-QLD border runner , and he's a doctor !!
A Rockhampton orthopaedic surgeon has been fined $4000 for allegedly falsifying a border pass declaration. He remains in hotel quarantine after returning from a Victorian COVID-19 hotspot.

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/more-than-100-sydney-suburbs-now-banned-from-qld/ar-BB1773fs?ocid=msedgntp

'No time for a beachside holiday': Fears about COVID outbreak as more cases confirmed, NSW ministers and CMO tell everyone in NSW to PLEASE STAY HOME THIS WEEKEND
Senior NSW Minister Andrew Constance has urged Sydneysiders to stay away from the South Coast , North Coast and Central Coast as other politicians warn their health districts would not cope with an onslaught of coronavirus cases.

The clusters in Sydney have prompted Port Stephens MP Kate Washington to urge everyone to reconsider their need to travel.
Ballina MP Tamara Smith said her region, including Byron Bay, was "open for business" but those living in hotspot suburbs should keep out.

The new Port Stephens cases are two children, including a one-year-old, and a man in his 30s, who are all close contacts of a previously confirmed case, a man in his 60s. That man was a close contact of a case linked to the Thai Rock outbreak.

Ms Washington, a Labor MP, said residents were on "high alert" as the Hunter New England local health district worked to trace all close contacts of new cases.
"My community is very concerned, very fearful of what these new cases mean," she said.

People in Port Stephens have turned out in high numbers for testing, which Ms Washington said created significant queues outside the hospital and left many unable to book appointments.

"We have been struggling with capacity on the ground," she said.

A new pop-up clinic will open on Friday but Ms Washington said the past 48 hours had shown that regional communities do not have the capacity to respond to outbreaks in a timely way.

"We know that our services are nowhere near the level of service that is available in the city," she said.
"The question has always been, if the virus comes to us, will our services be capable of managing that outbreak?"

Batemans Bay remains in a self-imposed lockdown, despite a third successive day of no new cases, after eight cases were linked to the Batemans Bay Soldiers Club. The source of that outbreak remains unknown.

Many businesses have shut as a precaution, though others have been forced to close due to a shortage of staff forced into quarantine following the outbreak.

Mr Constance, the local Bega MP, pleaded with Sydneysiders to stay away from the region.
"It's not the time to come to the coast for a beachside holiday over the next couple of weeks until we get through this unsettled period," he said.

Mr Constance said the fact cases hadn't increased in recent days did not mean the threat to the region had passed.
"We're holding our breath, we're on tenterhooks ... This is going to be the first true test because we haven't seen community transmission like this in a regional community," he said.
"We've not had a clear demonstration of how quickly it can rip through a place."

Ms Smith, a Greens MP, said Byron Bay was "open for business" but an outbreak would overwhelm the local health system.

She urged anyone from the south-western and western Sydney hotspots to stay away.
"Our regional hospitals cannot cope with a big outbreak here so it is so important that we protect our community," she said.
"If you are not from a hotspot and you are going to maintain social distancing, then you are welcome here. We need the tourism but if you are not going to behave when you are here and follow the health advice, then don't come."

But Ms Washington said everybody, regardless of where they lived, should consider their need to travel.
"Even if you have no symptoms you could have the virus," she said..
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/no-time-for-a-beachside-holiday-fears-about-covid-outbreak-as-more-cases-confirmed/ar-BB176qU6?ocid=msedgntp%20nsw
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Original Poster
24 July in QLD

Queensland ramps up coronavirus restrictions in licensed venues as two new cases recorded
After 3 weeks of being allowed to stand and consume drinks in licensed venues, Queenslanders will be again forced to sit by the state's Chief Health Officer.

Jeannette Young said the decision was in response to the worsening outbreaks in Victoria and New South Wales.
"I'm reimposing that restriction [and] it starts today," Dr Young said.
"It's a requirement [to sit] and there will be compliance."
Queensland ramps up coronavirus restrictions in licensed venues as two new cases recorded
Key points:
Standing will be banned in all licensed venues across the state from Friday
The state's Chief Health Officer has urged Queenslanders not to travel interstate
Queensland's Deputy Commissioner says the threat of coronavirus is far from over
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-24/coronavirus-queensland-reimposes-no-standing-restrictions/12488850

At this stage, the density of people allowed in venues remains the same, with one person allowed per every 4 square metres, or one person per 2 square metres in smaller venues or a cap of 50 people.
"So the density requirement didn't change, but people could stand," Dr Young said.
"But because I'm more worried, as you can tell, about what is happening in southern states, I think we need to go back and just enforce it."

Patrons will still be allowed to approach the bar to buy a drink but will then have to return to sitting at a table.

Dr Young said it was easier for people to maintain a 1.5-metre distance from one another when they were seated.

The move comes as Queensland recorded two new cases of coronavirus overnight.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said both people were in quarantine and were not considered to be a threat.

The state's total now stands at 1,076.

'Think twice before travelling'
Both new coronavirus cases were people who had travelled from the United States and who were in hotel quarantine.

Dr Young said it was an example of the system working as it should.

Instead, she said cases that originate in the southern Australian states would be of greater concern.
"I really think this is a time for people to think twice before they travel interstate to either New South Wales or Victoria," she said.
"If they got to Victoria or the hotspots in New South Wales, they'll have to quarantine when they get back."

Dr Young said she was able to give people three days' notice about the Fairfield area in Sydney being declared a hotspot, but could not guarantee as much notice for other hotspots in the future.

The outer Sydney suburb of Fairfield will become a hotspot at 1:00am on July 27, meaning anyone who has been in that area in the past 14 days will be barred entry from Queensland.
"So my advice is if you don't wish to spend two weeks in a hotel, you come back home to Queensland before then," Dr Young said.

'We're not even halfway through'
Meanwhile, police have warned Queenslanders they are not even halfway through the coronavirus pandemic, as the state approaches six months since the emergency health declaration was first announced in the state.

Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said he was concerned complacency has crept into the community and said the risk was far from over.
"With six months in, we're probably not even halfway through this response, to be honest," Deputy Commissioner Gollschewski said.
"Our primary focus is to make sure that COVID-19 does not re-establish itself in Queensland, as we're seeing in other parts of Australia and indeed across the world."

Deputy Commissioner Gollschewski said further lockdowns were possible in Queensland if people failed to heed the warnings.
"If we don't get that right and it does re-establish itself in this state, there is no doubt that we will have to think about further lockdowns and further restrictions," he said.
"I think it's a question for the whole community: Are we all a bit COVID-weary?
"We really don't know what the future holds.
"Our planning is beyond six months. We want to ensure we can deliver this security overlay … in an ongoing manner.
"The good thing about police is we're pretty used to operating in highly dynamic crisis-type environments — eyes wide open for us.
"It's about getting through this together, making sure we're not complacent [and] realising that it's not over.
"Whilst we've mitigated the risk in Queensland, the threat remains the same."
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/queensland-ramps-up-coronavirus-restrictions-in-licensed-venues-as-two-new-cases-recorded/ar-BB177e5R?ocid=msedgntp

Queensland Police warn of tough penalties for breaches
Queensland Police are warning of tough penalties for breaches of border restrictions. They say they have no tolerance for people flouting the rules.

Who is exempt from quarantine?
People who arrive by air and transfer directly onto another flight out of Queensland are not required to quarantine.

Likewise, people who are needed to perform an "essential activity" are exempt from quarantine.

These include:

>> Active military personnel required on duty
>> Anti-terrorism officials
>> Australian Federal Police or Australian Border Force members
>> Paramedics, Royal Flying Doctor Service crew and firefighters
>> Consular employees
>> People involved in transport, freight and logistics
Those people allowed to enter Queensland without entering quarantine must keep a record of close contacts and try to minimise contact with others for 14 days.

How many exemptions granted?
Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles said the question of who gained an exemption was up to Dr Young and she had been "very strict".

"They are very limited circumstances," Mr Miles said.

One recent example that gained media attention was Stephen McBurney from the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC).

The CFMEU raised concerns that Mr McBurney travelled from Melbourne to Brisbane this week to interview workers who attended a protest rally.

In a statement, the ABCC said Mr McBurney had received an exemption "to undertake his statutory duties" and had obtained a negative COVID-19 test result.

The commission said he had not attended any construction sites in Queensland.

Who's doing the wrong thing?
Since July 10, Queensland police have issued 18 infringement notices to people who allegedly failed to comply with the COVID-19 border direction.

The fine for providing false, misleading or incorrect information on a border declaration is $4,004.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/why-queensland-can-t-be-complacent-even-with-only-three-active-coronavirus-cases/ar-BB177f1i?ocid=msedgntp
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-24/coronavirus-queensland-next-outbreak-in-waiting-explainer/12485228

Indicated in the case of a Doctor who made false travel statdecs :
A Rockhampton orthopaedic surgeon has been fined $4000 for allegedly falsifying a border pass declaration. He remains in hotel quarantine after returning from a Victorian COVID-19 hotspot.
[/quote]
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/queensland-police-warn-of-tough-penalties-for-breaches/vi-BB177kXW?ocid=msedgntp

Rental properties hard to find in regional Queensland , same reasons as in regional NSW.
Real estate agents say the pandemic has tightened some markets, but some tourism destinations have seen the opposite with a surge in the number of properties on offer.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/rental-properties-hard-to-find-in-regional-queensland/vi-BB177fdU?ocid=msedgntp
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Original Poster
25-Jul
New cases o/night in Victoria = 357
New cases o/night in NSW = 15
Combined new cases o/night in NSW & Vic = 372
Total new case for NSW & Vic since 10 June = 6870

ABC 7pm NEWS : 4150 active cases today.

25july.png


Australia's pandemic in 2020 so far
25july-australia-2020.png


Each state's epidemiological semilog curves
25july-epidemiological-semilog-curves-for-each-state.png


Hospital situation today
25july-hospitals.png


Deaths in Australia
25july-deaths.png


Death by demographics
25july-death-by-demographic.png


Death by cluster
25july-death-by-cluster.png
 

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