Up to five visitors to a household at any one time. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced a lockdown of metropolitan Melbourne as the state records its largest daily increase in COVID-19 cases since t. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Mr Foley said there was "nothing wrong" with seeing family and friends at cafes and restaurants but said it was safer to meet outdoors. Oct. 22, 2021. Australian government frontbencher Simon Birmingham told the ABC on Friday that demand for testing, from both PCR and rapid tests, had been far in excess of what has been modelled in Australia and all around the world. Victoria recorded eight new cases on Wednesday, seven of them linked to a returned family and a crew of removalists, who both came into the state from NSW. Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews has issued an ominous warning as the southern state prepares to come out of lockdown. Victoria asks (but does not mandate) people to wear masks in public for the first time. Over 800 people died of COVID during Melbournes second wave in 2020, many of them aged-care residents. Mr Merlino said Victorians should also now work from home if they can and urged hospitality venues to switch to a seated-only service to reduce transmission. We must invest in these community partnerships to ensure all communities are more resilient and protected. "We need to see the numbers decrease. Revealed: The top 10 fastest-growing destinations for UK pensioners retiring overseas. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. Some wouldn't survive. PCR tests, which are carried out through testing sites, will be discouraged for those with symptoms and for contacts. Pictured: Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton. Whats the price that we are willing to pay in order for people to be able to go and have brunch? And on Friday, they emerged from it with cheers, and a . A further two cases were family members of Ariele apartments residents and one case was believed to have been infected at Coles in Craigieburn where a family returning from a red zone were not isolating. Will the UK go into another lockdown in 2022? In case you missed it, the Sydney removalists who carried the virus to an apartment block in the Melbourne suburb of Maribyrnong have not been as forthcoming as authorities would like regarding the details of their trip. Victoria recorded eight new cases on Wednesday, including seven linked to the removalists and a family from a red zone who should have been isolating for 14 days. People who have had their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine are being urged to get their second dose as soon as four weeks after, rather than waiting the usual 12 weeks. Lotus lifestyle EV division to go public . Residents attending major events with more than 30,000 spectators will also have to wear a face mask. The announcement of the restrictions comes a fortnight after density limits and the closure of indoor dancefloors were recommended by the Chief Health Officer as the state headed towards Christmas and New Year celebrations. Here's how likely you are to get it more than once, Charting the COVID-19 spread: Australia passes 10,000 coronavirus deaths, Self-help author Marianne Williamson launches primary challenge against Joe Biden for 2024 Democratic nomination, Chinese migrants walked a gruelling 500km to Victoria's goldfields in the 19th century. "That is the number, the 24 number is what we need to get down to is close to zero as possible," she said. 24 people were infectious in the community. Here we are in early January 2022 and it's a wet day today (Sunday) in Melbourne, even though it's summer. Victoria on Thursday confirmed another 2,005 new infections and ten deaths - up from the 1,503 cases recorded on Wednesday. The Premier also hinted that parts of Regional Victoria may be able to exit lockdown "before next Tuesday if it is safe to do so." Covid-19 case numbers are on the increase across the state with 2,005 new infections and ten deaths reported on Thursday. This article was originally written on July 4, 2022 and has since been updated and fact-checked. I cannot stress this enough that everyone needs to take it seriously as hard lockdown," she said. Kylie*, a midwife working in Melbourne hospitals, says despite difficulties with testing and high case numbers there is cause to be optimistic. Multicultural groups are more reliant on different channels to get their health advice and may have different attitudes towards government and health officials. But maybe Im wrong. Tattoo and massage parlours can reopen with up to ten clients. And please, do not leave your home unless it is absolutely essential.". The way hotel quarantine was managed in Victoria in the early part of the pandemic can only be described as a mess. Worried. Partly empty shelves in Sydneys inner west caused by Covid-induced supply chain issues. "If you're fully vaccinated then your life will be back to normal, you'll be able to enjoy all of the things that you have yearned for and miss and desperately worked so hard for," Mr Andrews said as the state arrived at its 90 per cent vaccination target. Far fewer know their real story. Victoria goes into lockdown for the sixth time. The Victorian Premier has fired back after being accused of putting the state in shadow lockdown through new Covid restrictions. Authorities confirmed seven cases were linked, Covid rule that was an atrocious mistake. Masks are now required. The uptake of COVID vaccines by Victorians was nothing short of remarkable. More than 90 per cent of those who had a positive RAT result, ended up with a positive PCR test, he said. of the novel coronavirus. Among the potential exposure sites are a major Melbourne shopping centre and an AFL game. The rest of Victoria goes back into lockdown, as Sydney restrictions ease further. They just want an indication from governments both state and federal that they will be supported and able to easily access tests and healthcare as the outbreak, and any new variants to come, rolls on. An announcement is reportedly expected as early as tomorrow. I know that I was safer.. Victorians are less interested in finding restaurants or cafes to enjoy than they are in finding a rapid antigen test (RAT), for example. Phoebe says her social circle has split in two: those who have had Covid and are now feeling invulnerable for 30 days despite warnings that earlier reinfection is possible and those who are curbing social activities to try to avoid it. More than two years old, we've passed another grim milestone: 10,000 people have now died of Covid-19 in Australia. It comes after NSW extended the Greater Sydney lockdown by at least another two weeks until the end of July, with another 97 cases on Wednesday bringing the total outbreak to 864. Chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said this advice is particularly aimed at those in Greater Sydney. There will be another pandemic and potentially this will occur sooner than we all would like. 'Because Victorians went out and got vaccinated in record numbers, it means that we are not considering going into lockdown and this is the commitment that we gave to the people of Victoria,' he said. Business owners at the precinct this week called on the government to bring back support payments for struggling restaurants, bars and retail shops. Far fewer know their real story. Write CSS OR LESS and hit save. "I am highlighting that the risk is ever present and remember, what I'm reading you today is what has happened overnight so tomorrow, there might be different sites," Dr Chant said. Premier Gladys Berejiklain said its "very difficult" to compare the current situation in Sydney to the situation experienced by Melbourne last year. "It is very difficult to compare apples and oranges given the Delta strain and along the lockdown period in Victoria. Despite the Government trumpeting no more lockdowns once vaccine targets were met, isolation requirements, coupled with density limits and further restrictions have left Victoria in a shadow lockdown, he said. Victoria goes into lockdown for the third time. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can also call the Victorian Aboriginal COVID Information Line on 1800 312 911. Guardian Australia journalist Melissa Davey said there was "no way (the Victorian government) will delay any restrictions they think are needed given the way Delta is spreading in NSW". "We really are all in this together and the data proves it.". Victoria will not be sent back into lockdown despite a surge in cases linked to the hyper-contagious OmicronCovid strain, the state's deputy premier has vowed. Around her, in the suburbs of Melbourne, Covid cases are soaring. 'Like a lockdown': in 2022, Australians are still feeling the fear and anxiety of Covid Most of the population is vaccinated and harsh restrictions have ended. But will it be safer for women? Australia has been the most locked-down country since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, but residents are growing frustrated with cases still rising. That's a higher turnout than the first day last year, when 17,922 attendees were recorded. Sydneyannounces lockdown measuresfor suburbs across the cityas the Bondi outbreak grows. My husband is working overtime, heaps of chefs and [front-of-house staff are] unwell or close contacts, and there is no support. Victorian Acting Chief Health Officer Ben Cowie said it would be likely that come January 10, Victoria's testing system would have diagnosed "more people than it did for all of 2021". The Australian government has since ordered $62m worth of rapid antigen tests. 'Please confirm what Muslim refers to': Why Ali's birthday payment for his nephew was flagged by his bank, These engineers break their silenceafterdecade of criticism overBrisbane2011 flood handling, Kade was a fit 31-year-old when he died from a heart attack, Sherpa are world famous for their work, which is synonymous with their name. In doing this, the objective is not to blame. COVID 19 11:26am Jun 4, 2022 I know and understand that this is challenging and there is no family that has not been touched by that over the last few years and certainly many touched by that over the last few weeks and months, he said. This is clearly a very rapidly moving situation. Mr Southwick called for the government to extend the Commercial Tenancy Relief Scheme for a further three months, to help thousands of small businesses avoid rent increases. People in Melbourne start putting teddy bears in their windows for children to find on daily exercise walks. Milly*, a young woman from Melbourne, says that two years of going in and out of lockdown has caused a downshift in her lifestyle that feels akin to being retired. Mr Byrne said that trend extended to Melbourne's outer suburbs, where lower socio-economic communities had been among the first to go into lockdown this time around. Are we set to have a third lockdown for 2021. The Ukraine war may be a battle for the global order but whose rules are we fighting for? Lockdown measures ease in regional Victoria but remain in metropolitan Melbourne. Many lessons have been learned about engaging the diverse communities of Victoria. On Thursday the NSW premier will announce the policy reversal following Covid crisis talks with fellow state leaders and Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Victoria on Thursday confirmed. This is how the news unfolded on Wednesday. Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. "It is a true lockdown, but of course it wasn't announced and therefore we haven't entered it all at once, and because it wasn't announced or planned, we're not going to be able to exit it all at once either," he said. I know and understand that this is challenging and there is no family that has not been touched by that over the last few years and certainly many touched by that over the last few weeks and months, he said. Its a nightmare, she says. National Cabinet agrees that the states will close: Melbourne distiller Gypsy Hub is the first (that we know of) to pivot to making hand sanitiser. The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry's acting chief executive Scott Veenker said customer numbers were dwindling across hospitality and events sectors, and the surge in infections was also putting pressure on staffing. Barbera says he is still struggling to come to terms with a health policy that expects and accepts that hundreds of thousands of Australians will get Covid, after two years where a handful of cases would send the city into lockdown. A new test, the rapid Antigen test which can be done at home has become available. The state government put Melbourne into its second lockdown in early July after cases exceeded 100 cases per day. Victoria enters its fifth lockdown . Feeling tense. Around one third of businesses in Melbournes Chapel Street precinct have had to shut or reduce hours in recent weeks due to Covid-induced staff shortages. Ashleigh Cooper has spent the new year indoors. Panic buying leaves supermarket shelves bare, leading the prime minister to urge calm and compassion at the shops:There is no issue with food supply in Australia, but there is an issue with the behaviour of Australians in supermarkets.". This is clearly one of the biggest failures of the Victorian public health response to the pandemic, and was the catalyst for the devastating second wave in Victoria. NSW announces more of its restrictions will ease, allowing people in the state to: Then-NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian announces that from July 1, the following will be allowed: Victoria announcespostcodes 3038, 3064, 3047, 3060, 3012, 3032, 3055, 3042, 3021 and 3046 will go back into lockdown from July 2. It now feels as though it is going to define parts of my life trajectory where I was hoping it wouldnt, she says. Victorians displayed enough collective adhesion to the strict public health orders that were in place to make those orders effective. Published: 01:28 GMT, 23 December 2021 | Updated: 03:32 GMT, 23 December 2021. Almost 2,700 passengers aboard the Ruby Princess cruise ship are permitted to leave the ship in Sydney without being tested for Covid-19. When it comes to responding to a pandemic, however, this presents its challenges. I would not be fine I had my booster shot last week and was severely unwell for five days. Victorias latest Covid rules have been labelled a shadow lockdown by the opposition which claims isolation rules, density limits and restrictions have smashed Melbourne businesses. The 78-year-old man had been a passenger aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship and was the first WA resident to test positive for the disease. The bigger question of course will be whether we ever need to rely on hotel quarantine again or whether we have learned the more important lesson about how unsuitable hotels are for containing infectious diseases. Cooper is disabled and immunocompromised. The government has also announced a raft of "strong recommendations": that people take a RAT before visiting aged care facilities and hospitals, and work from home until late January. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Many health experts advocated for the development of purpose-built quarantine facilities and Victoria was a comparatively early adopter, yet we still dont have a facility in operation. Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Ken Bruce finishes his 30-year tenure as host of BBC Radio 2, Isabel Oakeshott clashes with Nick Robinson over Hancock texts, Alex Murdaugh unanimously found GUILTY of murder of wife and son, Dozens stuck in car park as staff refuses to open gate for woman, Missing hiker buried under snow forces arm out to wave to helicopter, Two Russian tanks annihilated with bombs by Ukrainian armed forces. Here's everything we've learned from Melbourne's polarising e-scooter trials. Also invalidating is the implication, from some public health messaging and public responses to death announcements, that a disease is less devastating if most of its victims are people who have pre-existing conditions. Most people who spoke to Guardian Australia are still recovering from the impact of long lockdowns and do not want a return to restrictions. He also feels the loss of the sense of collective action which, for some, underscored the long lockdowns of 2020 and 2021. Not so shipshape! These key charts will show if thats happening, NSW Covid update: health officials increasingly confident cases will plateau next week, Unions say exemption to allow Covid-positive people to work at SA meatworks sets dangerous precedent, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. We already have this email. Victoria indisputably went through the toughest ordeal of any state in the country. How can I best get on with living my best life?, NSW expects Covid hospitalisations to peak next week. Dr Chant said one dose is helpful in protecting against hospitalisation but two doses i even more effective. Of the 2200 businesses on the strip, around 30 per cent have had to temporarily close, shorten their trading hours or their number of trading days. But of course we are not living in normal times, everything, including the flu, is now politicised.