The first Covid-19 vaccine doses are administered in Australia. Tattoo and massage parlours can reopen with up to ten clients. University of Melbourne mobility analyst Rohan Byrne said mobility in Melbourne had "plummeted" to its lowest point since the last lockdown, even compared to previous holiday seasons. are permitted to leave the ship in Sydney without being tested for Covid-19. The messy family drama behind one of the world's biggest K-pop empires, as the state arrived at its 90 per cent vaccination target, Timely reminder: How to respond if you test positive to COVID-19. Guardian Australia spoke to more than 40 people about how they were feeling at the start of the third year of the pandemic. . Whats the price that we are willing to pay in order for people to be able to go and have brunch? What does is Victorians got vaccinated at a rate that surpassed all expectations. The government chose not to bring in those changes at the time, arguing their introduction could hurt businesses and potentially undermine public confidence in the government's pandemic response. 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. Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said the decision to restrict density limits further was due to the majority of cases about 40 per cent being recorded in people in their 20s, whomake up the majority of hospitality workers. Hard to see how Vic doesnt end up in Lockdown no. Density limits of one person per 2 square metres will be introduced indoors at hospitality venues and entertainment venues. Will the UK go into another lockdown in 2022? Melbourne spent more time in lockdown than any other city on Earth. While we should celebrate what went right, its much more important we look fearlessly at what could have been done differently. Of the new cases, 60 were isolation throughout their infectious period, seven cases were in isolation for part of their infectious period and 24 were infectious in the community. 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. Which somehow seems fitting as things being out of order seems to be the way things are with Covid. This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. He said authorities estimated one in 20 Victorians aged in their 20s currently had the virus, compared to onein 50 Victorians of all ages. 'Wear a mask in an indoor setting. "This is a hard lockdown. Over at worldometers we find some different numbers: The question is what has changed in the past few weeks to have led to this large increase in cases? That's a higher turnout than the first day last year, when 17,922 attendees were recorded. However, the real story of the response to COVID in Australia is messier. I'm a vet, and here are five dog breeds most prone to cancer - including Golden Retrievers and Rottweilers, Prince Andrew chuckles as he encounters female jogger on way to his weekly Windsor horse-riding trip. But the state as a whole has been sealed off from neighbouring New South Wales and South Australia. Victorians displayed enough collective adhesion to the strict public health orders that were in place to make those orders effective. Here we are in early January 2022 and it's a wet day today (Sunday) in Melbourne, even though it's summer. "These relatively mild restrictions are about making sure that activity can continue but in a less congregated and less active space.". Premier Daniel Andrews has himself said there is no need to lockdown the Victorian capital for a seventh time once more than 90 per cent of the state's population has received both Covid vaccine doses. 'Masks have a very small individual cost for us,' he said. "I need to find any cases that are out there to get them under control, and obviously we need to continue to work very closely with our red zone arrivals to make sure that these flying embers don't catch light again," Victoria's Covid-19 Commander Jeroen Weimar told reporters earlier on Wednesday. There are growing calls for Greater Sydney to be placed into a hard lockdown similar to the one imposed in Melbourne last year, but chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant insists NSW is already under "hard" restrictions. There will be another pandemic and potentially this will occur sooner than we all would like. He said the lockdown, which had "sort of emerged organically", would also bring with it different levels of anxiety, uncertainty and confusion for some people. Mr Foley said there was "nothing wrong" with seeing family and friends at cafes and restaurants but said it was safer to meet outdoors. Victoria on Thursday confirmed another 2,005 new infections and ten deaths - up from the 1,503 cases recorded on Wednesday. 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. The government and health authorities failed to control infections among returned travellers spreading to hotel quarantine workers and beyond. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. Every single one of us was double-vaccinated as soon as we were eligible but we are not eligible yet for a booster. Sydneysidersare restricted to 5km of home. So it's going to be in some ways [it will be]more stressful for a lot of people.". It's hard to believe that while Australia was so focused on the bushfires that raged in the early part of 2020, another threat was already on our shores one that would change the way we live and work for years. Victorians are anxiously waiting to see if they will be plunged back into lockdown after a worrying spike in Covid-19 cases today. You are not even fielding inquiries its school holidays in January, thats not right.. Among the potential exposure sites are a major Melbourne shopping centre and an AFL game. Up to 20 people at an indoor funeral or 30 for an outdoor funeral; and, Attend places of worship and attend a funeral with up to 49 others; and. 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. Like everyone else, we just have to muddle through on our own.. Premier Dominic Perrottet had last week scrapped the QR check-ins for 'low risk' venues such as retail and kept them in place for 'high risk' settings like gyms and pubs. There are more women with the virus who are having babies, but unlike 2021 they are not gasping for breath, she says. There are confirmed positive cases on board at the time, and 130 people test positive within a week. #CovidVic. Worried. It now feels as though it is going to define parts of my life trajectory where I was hoping it wouldnt, she says. It may be a new year but the lies and the fight against them goes on! Lotus lifestyle EV division to go public . Mr Merlino said from 11.59pm on Thursday face coverings would once again be mandatory for patrons at cafes, restaurants and pubs in a bid to stem the spread of the Omicronvariant. Thats no-ones fault, it is the nature of this virus and people are making their own choices, to not go out as much as they might have., To join the conversation, please Daniel Andrews must end this shadow lockdown and stop imposing 2020 style restrictions on family run cafes, retailers, restaurants and businesses and must immediately provide the support needed for their survival.. Now that has ended too. But before we do this, its vital we look back and learn every lesson we can so next time we are faced with such a crisis and there will be a next time we can do better. We must invest in these community partnerships to ensure all communities are more resilient and protected. Housing policies favour the rich and leave first home buyers high and dry. "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. 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. Far fewer know their real story. A man who had flown from Guandong, China, to Melbourne on January 19, 2020, tests positive for Covid-19, becoming Australias first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus. Sign up to unlock our digital magazines and also receive the latest news, events, offers and partner promotions. Victoria on Thursday confirmed. She still cant smell or taste anything and several of her friends remain unwell. Melbourne has endured the world's longest cumulative time in lockdown, . This is clearly a very rapidly moving situation. We should absolutely acknowledge that [lockdown] was bad and a lot of people suffered, but a lot of people are also alive now because of it, she says. The way hotel quarantine was managed in Victoria in the early part of the pandemic can only be described as a mess. Life is about to get very difficult for the unvaccinated, Active Cases: serious or critical: 269 (0.1%). Thanks for subscribing! the song became the world's best-selling hit of 2022 . Living in Victoria the last couple of years has been really tough. So which ones are best? CTRL + SPACE for auto-complete. One of the things that makes Victoria so vibrant is its a melting pot of cultures. In the midst of the ongoing pandemic, some individuals in Australia have still managed to avoid contracting Covid-19. Face masks are mandatory in all indoor settings in Victoria, except private homes,for anyone aged eight or over. There are other signs, too, that highlight a shift in focus from enjoying the freedoms of a reopened economyto navigating the pressure causedby the rapid rise in Omicron cases. The state government put Melbourne into its second lockdown in early July after cases exceeded 100 cases per day. 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. Nonetheless, Friday's Google mobility data, which compares activity to a pre-pandemic baseline of several weeks over January and February in 2020, showed retail and recreation activity in the City of Melbourne falling62 per cent below the baseline. Victoria has revealed eight new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, with a major Melbourne shopping centre and an AFL game potential points of exposure. Density limits will be reintroduced in Victoria from 11:59pm and it will become mandatory to reportpositive rapid antigen test results to the health department, in response to the state's surging Omicron outbreak. Published: 01:28 GMT, 23 December 2021 | Updated: 03:32 GMT, 23 December 2021. Pictured: Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews with his wife Catherine. 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. The Ukraine war may be a battle for the global order but whose rules are we fighting for? The first person in Australia to die of Covid-19 dies in a Western Australia hospital. The thought of lockdown again is what is giving me a lot of anxiety and a lot of dread it scares me, says Melbourne man James Burke. "That is the number, the 24 number is what we need to get down to is close to zero as possible," she said. Infections peaked about a month later, before beginning to fall. I do not want to get Covid.. Here's everything we've learned from Melbourne's polarising e-scooter trials. A leading Australian infectious disease expert has ripped into one of the most draconian measures enforced during the pandemic. Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the number of people infectious in the community needed to drop before the lockdown could be lifted. It's quieter on our roads, butthe timing of an Omicron wave during the state's summer holidays can make the picture complicated. Victoria enters its fifth lockdown . 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. Two years [living in a pandemic] is very different to five years when you only get three good months every year.. Which in normal times would mean nothing as Covid is not really any different from the flu. 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. Switching to rapid antigen would slash these numbers and stop testing sites being overwhelmed by the 'worried well' and delay testing for those who are feeling sick. The public servant, 25, contracted Covid along with 16 others at a house party late last month. AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), abc.net.au/news/covid-restrictions-tighten-in-victoria-to-slow-spread-of-omicron/100741342. "In regards to the balancing of economic, social, mental health, cultural and just family reasons, that was the appropriate decision," he said. But on Wednesday night, a further case emerged from a school in Bacchus Marsh as well as reports of two additional cases that would bring today's number to 10. Sydney Aquarium staff bring their dogsto the closed aquarium to see the fish. The Premier on Thursday said he was listening to struggling sectors and didnt rule out providing future support. Earlier, one locally acquired case was announced before a press conference at 11.30am where a further seven cases were announced. These include the reasons listed in Victoria, in addition to things like attending weddings or funerals. Feeling tense. More than 10,000 Australians have now died of Covid-19. NSW recorded 97 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. Australia's PCR testing sites have been overwhelmed by travellers trying to get tested before going on holiday. Follow our Covid live blog for the latest updates, a disease is less devastating if most of its victims are people who have pre-existing conditions, since ordered $62m worth of rapid antigen tests. The Victorian Premier has fired back after being accused of putting the state in shadow lockdown through new Covid restrictions. When I have been asked for my opinion I have said that we will be free to have summer and then we will go back into lockdown in March. The Herald Sun reports the state government is holding high-level meetings this afternoon to weigh up whether to reimpose restrictions across Melbourne, with venue limits and caps on home visitors among the options being considered. Omicron variant of coronavirus led to huge spike in cases over New Year but has since subsided, prompting Boris Johnson to drop social restrictions . A controversial media star and politician says there is no point in maintaining his political ambitions. "We are will have to vaccinate again against Covid and will have further advice about boosters but in the context of an outbreak, what we want to do is give people the advice so that they are protected.". Victoria will not be sent back into lockdown despite a surge in cases linked to the hyper-contagious Omicron Covid strain, the state's deputy premier has vowed. Victorian premier Dan Andrews announces that only two people may gather outside unless they are members of a household, as well as the only four reasons people are permitted to leave home: NSW health minister Brad Hazzard announces that there are 16 reasons to leave home in NSW. Its a story repeated in every Australian state, except Western Australia. The anxiety of past outbreaks has been replaced with anger at state and federal governments, and a growing sense of despair that the pandemic will not end, at least not any time soon. "But if you are in certain areas where you know you are in even greater risk, as low as four weeks is acceptable. 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.". Are we set to have a third lockdown for 2021. But most importantly it kept the community focused on what was needed to bring the virus under control. There were three initial cases earlier this week, that leaked in from NSW. This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. 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. Mr Morrison told day that with the arrival of Omicron, and Australia's high vaccination numbers, the government's approach had "shifted gears". Victorians are anxiously waiting to see if they will be plunged into yet another lockdown, as the state government weighs fresh restrictions amid a worrying rise in Covid-19 cases brought in from NSW. The Department of Health in Victoria has revealed "two unexpected detections of COVID-19 viral fragments" in wastewater around Geelong. It is up to individuals to determine and manage their own risk. The state recently reintroduced low-level restrictions in the wake of Omicron, including mask wearing indoors, density limits on hospitality and the banning of indoor dance floors. Covid-19 was first detected in Australia on January 25, 2020. He owns a series of ecotourism huts in the New South Wales Blue Mountains and lost the 2020 summer holidays to bushfires and 2021 to coronavirus. The fragments were detected as early as July 4 in the Geelong suburbs of Breakwater, Clifton Springs, Curlewis, Leopold, Drysdale, East Geelong, Moolap, Newcomb, South Geelong, Thomson and Whittington. The rest of Victoria goes back into lockdown, as Sydney restrictions ease further. The NSW government cancels all major events of more than 500 people. Time Out rebrands as Time In worldwide to bring our readers ways to connect with their cities and support urban culture without leaving home. 5 https://t.co/RbnwQRfFF0, In Melbs we are on high alert again. The 'winter shot': Everything you need to know about getting your next COVID-19 booster, If you catch COVID again, will your symptoms be worse? '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. The Ukraine war may be a battle for the global order but whose rules are we fighting for? It felt like, have we given up?. Victoria's Chief Health Officer has declared that from tonight the lockdown restrictions will be strengthened and extended in metropolitan Melbourne, until 11.59pm on Thursday, 2 September. "We need to see the numbers decrease. Four of the new cases were recorded on level three of Ariele apartments in Maribyrnong where the removalists stopped. A lot of people have gotten one or more of the various vaccines. To access medical care or provide caregiving. Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews has issued an ominous warning as the southern state prepares to come out of lockdown. "The number that would worry us in the last 24 hours is the 24 number. Thomas Barbera says his friend groups have done the same, and it has caused some uncomfortable conversations. So we need to all play our part in taking this incredibly seriously. For most, the threat posed by Covid has eased 92.4% of Australians over the age of 16 are fully vaccinated, and 18% have also had a booster shot. Two had travelled to Wuhan, China, and the third was a close contact of the two travellers. The Victorian Premier has spoken out after Queensland moved to make major changes to its drug laws. It is very strange to watch the rest of the world say we will go out and it will be fine and we will get sick and it will be fine. It's usual to see a lull in public transport use over the summer holidays, and network and road upgrades have caused disruption to some services. Test yourself with this Cockney Rhyming Slang quiz. A man who had flown from Guandong, China, to Melbourne on January 19, 2020, tests positive for Covid-19, becoming Australias first confirmed case. Dr Chant said it was imperative that everyone takes the current restrictions seriously. "And they're going to disagree whether that's employers or family members or friends when you go to cancel a social engagementbecause you don't want to go out and catch Omicron. A new 'veloway' is welcome news for Melbourne's cyclists. Regardless of your political stripes, or whether you felt all of the calls Victorian health authorities made were always the right ones, no one can doubt the commitment of the government and health authorities to get Victoria through the pandemic, and to communicate with Victorians. But for the 40 people Guardian. The chamber is calling on federal and state governments to offer free RATs to small and medium-sized businesses, and suggestinga one-off payment equivalent to three weeks of support under the joint business packages released during previous lockdowns. 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". That would be very challenging not just for Covid patients but for everybody else who needs a hospital bed.. The three new cases are all believed to be linked to the apartment building where the removalists worked without face coverings. Premier Daniel Andrews on Thursday defended the restrictions and current isolation rules, saying it was saving many thousands of people from ending up in hospital. But to the credit of the authorities, efforts were boosted in the second part of 2020 and beyond, building resources that were language and culturally appropriate and partnering with community leaders to design local public health interventions and disseminate messages. When asked about that decision today, Mr Foley said "most of those recommendations" were turned into orders, such as the rules around face masks. Deakin University provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU. Try another? 30 Aug, 2021, 08.26 AM IST 250 held in Australia anti-lockdown protests "Please note that we have always taken the position in New South Wales they will keep the community safe but also make sure that we keep livelihoods going.". It would have been so easy to lose hope and stop complying with the tough restrictions en masse, especially as Victorians navigated their way through lockdown six, arguably the toughest to endure. Some email providers try to silence us. Residents attending major events with more than 30,000 spectators will also have to wear a face mask. There are many venues who have given feedback that they are not at 100 per-cent capacity and havent been for quite some time, he said.