Join the conversation, you are commenting as. Up to five visitors to a household at any one time. Australia's two largest states have kicked off 2022 with record COVID cases - while others have opted to change restrictions. I cannot stress this enough that everyone needs to take it seriously as hard lockdown," she said. The reintroduction of density limits, mask mandates and other restrictions has also meant consumers are most hesitant to shop, keeping vital dollars way from local businesses. "That really reinforces the message that whenever you leave the house, you've got to assume you can come into contact with someone who is infectious with covid.". "Now with further information and further data available to us and after consultation with a wide range of groups I've made this decision thinking it to be an appropriate, necessary and proportionate balancing of competing demands.". This from tonight's CHO report in Victoria: Wastewater detections in Geelong BEFORE the Sydney removalists crossed the border. The ship is later linked to up to 900 infections, Cinemas, entertainment venues, casinos, and nightclubs, Restaurants and cafs except for takeaway and/or home delivery, Melbourne distiller Gypsy Hub is the first (that we know of). Under the testing change, those who test positive on a RAT will be considered "probable" cases and must isolate immediately for seven days and notify their contacts. Ms Berejiklian said the impact of some of the more recent changes wouldn't be known for at least a few more days. The NSW government announces that from May 15, the following will be allowed: The Victorian government announces an easing of restrictions, allowing: Time Out announces the winners of the Time In Awards, supporting businesses and organisations that pivoted tonew initiatives during lockdowns. Here we are in early January 2022 and it's a wet day today (Sunday) in Melbourne, even though it's summer. Help keep family & friends informed by sharing this article, How a 21yo man with the code name 'Svyat' smuggled residents past Putin's private army, Anna called police to report an assault, but they took out a family violence order against her. There are 398 Victorians receiving care in hospital with 72 in intensive care, a small increase from 394 in hospital and 70 in ICU on Wednesday. Victorian Covid-19 testing head Jeroen Weimar said four of the new cases on Wednesday were linked to the Ariele apartment complex. 30 Aug, 2021, 08.26 AM IST 250 held in Australia anti-lockdown protests one of the longest aggregate periods of strict lockdown, outbreaks that devastated the aged-care sector, Multilingual Australia is missing out on vital COVID-19 information. But as a wave of Omicron infections wreaks havoc across workplaces and the healthcare system, data suggests Victorians are voting with their feet and staying close to home. Friday will finally see the entire state of Victoria exit lockdown after. 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. "In the past, you could say it's OK, it's the government, it's the policy, but that's not what we have right now. On 28 September, the Latrobe Valley went into lockdown for 7 days. #CovidVic. Victorians displayed enough collective adhesion to the strict public health orders that were in place to make those orders effective. Victoria's fifth lockdown ends, but less than a week later, the stateis plunged back into another long lockdown. Two had travelled to Wuhan, China, and the third was a close contact of the two travellers. Ashleigh Cooper has spent the new year indoors. Cafs and restaurants to seat up to ten people at any one time; and. Victoria on Thursday confirmed another 2,005 new infections and ten deaths - up from the 1,503 cases recorded on Wednesday. Sydney Aquarium staff bring their dogsto the closed aquarium to see the fish. "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. Vulnerabilities such as understaffing and inadequate training have been known for decades and were largely swept under the carpet. Everyone is trying (and failing) to make sourdough. 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? The federal government announces these measures, to be implemented by state governments: Australia closes its borders to everyone who is not a resident or citizen. His store of rapid antigen tests, bought in early December, has been slowly dwindling as he hands them out to friends who have been identified as close contacts. Worried. The lockdown will be in place until 11.59pm on June 3, with the following restrictions also coming into effect: People must remain within a 5km radius of their home when shopping or. You can find Tuesday's blog here. Melbourne spent more time in lockdown than any other city on Earth. No wonder local councils and businesses are stepping in, initial challenges with the vaccine rollout, Associate Lecturer, Creative Writing and Literature, Lecturer / Senior Lecturer, Emerging Technologies, Committee Member - MNF Research Advisory Committee. With daily case numbers in the tens of thousands, NSW health officialsand Victorian authorities are cautiously optimistic that the state has passed the peak of the current Omicron outbreak. "And that really untangles that narrative that we had, you know, all the way through 2020 and 2021,where there was this fear, there was the suspicion,that there were other people somewhere else that weren't doing the right thing," he said. A controversial media star and politician says there is no point in maintaining his political ambitions. You can find Marks Subscribestar here. Which in normal times would mean nothing as Covid is not really any different from the flu. The messy family drama behind one of the world's biggest K-pop empires, as the wave of infections sends staff into isolation at the same time COVID-19 patients are growing, Victorian hospitalisations surge to 631 as state records nearly 22,000 new infections, Timely reminder: How to respond if you test positive to COVID-19. Melbourne 12:10pm Jun 8, 2022 Shanghai neighbourhoods return to lockdown Multiple neighbourhoods in Shanghai were placed back under lockdown only a day after city-wide restrictions were lifted, as China's stringent zero COVID-19 strategy continues to haunt the financial hub. Among the potential exposure sites are a major Melbourne shopping centre and an AFL game. That's a higher turnout than the first day last year, when 17,922 attendees were recorded. But will it be safer for women? Restrictions were the same as Melbourne, but . "We really are all in this together and the data proves it.". 'Wear a mask in an indoor setting. Infections peaked about a month later, before beginning to fall. Mr Weimar revealed on Wednesday that the removalists were in Melbourne on a workers' permit but that they did not wear masks inside the apartment building. "Clearly, what were saying is particularly in greater Sydney, I have said openly that if you have had your AstraZeneca shots, over four weeks ago, contact your GP and talk about bringing the second dose forward from the 12 week mark to around 6- eight weeks," she said. Although many issues were eventually rectified and Victoria finished up with one of the best hotel quarantine systems in the country, the failing was in the leadership model and how responsibilities were delineated. Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the number NSW health officials are concerned about is how many people are spending time in the community while infectious. But on Wednesday night, a teacher at Bacchus Marsh Grammar tested positive and there are reports of an additional two cases which would bring the daily total to 10. No wonder local councils and businesses are stepping in. On Thursday the NSW premier will announce the policy reversal following Covid crisis talks with fellow state leaders and Prime Minister Scott Morrison. 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. 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. MELBOURNE, Australia When Australian officials announced last week that the country was unlikely to fully reopen its borders until mid-2022 because of the coronavirus, the backlash. Almost 2,700 passengers aboard the Ruby Princess cruise ship are permitted to leave the ship in Sydney without being tested for Covid-19. pic.twitter.com/YfNptxyua5. 2022 was supposed to be different, but It feels exactly like there is a lockdown. 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. 'We are not considering going into lockdown and this is the commitment that we gave to the people of Victoria,' Deputy Premier James Merlino said, Beachgoers in St Kilda in Melbourne. So it's going to be in some ways [it will be]more stressful for a lot of people.". Some wouldn't survive. Cooper says she felt significantly safer when Melbourne was in lockdown and finds the argument that people should get over their concern about a global pandemic incredibly invalidating. The Sydney suburb of Avalon records an outbreak of Covid-19, after NSW had gone 12 days with zero community transmission. Face masks are mandatory in all indoor settings in Victoria, except private homes,for anyone aged eight or over. Most of the population is vaccinated and harsh restrictions have ended. This is an additional 14 days on the previous directions. Lockdown orders end for Sydney's northern beaches. What does is Victorians got vaccinated at a rate that surpassed all expectations. A lot of people have gotten one or more of the various vaccines. To be able to work out your working from home tax deduction you will need to keep a record of the days from which you work from home. The three new cases are all believed to be linked to the apartment building where the removalists worked without face coverings. 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. Oct. 22, 2021. The pandemic has highlighted the vital role public health plays in keeping the community safe and healthy, so it needs adequate resources in future. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) for the 6th January 2022, the most recent data available, Australia has the following statistics: So according to these figures, more than 10% of all cases in the past two years were found in one day! 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. She went into self-isolation two weeks ago. It was no surprise for those of us familiar with the Victorian health department that at times it struggled to cope during the pandemic. That would be very challenging not just for Covid patients but for everybody else who needs a hospital bed.. Published: 01:28 GMT, 23 December 2021 | Updated: 03:32 GMT, 23 December 2021. It felt like, have we given up?. The state's health systems are under growing pressure, as the wave of infections sends staff into isolation at the same time COVID-19 patients are growing. But most importantly it kept the community focused on what was needed to bring the virus under control. The state government put Melbourne into its second lockdown in early July after cases exceeded 100 cases per day. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can also call the Victorian Aboriginal COVID Information Line on 1800 312 911. Now that has ended too. COVID in Victoria: 262 days in lockdown, 3 stunning successes and 4 avoidable failures Published: December 16, 2021 2.11pm EST Hassan Vally Associate Professor, Deakin University Catherine. 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. To access medical care or provide caregiving. 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. It's quieter on our roads, butthe timing of an Omicron wave during the state's summer holidays can make the picture complicated. Prime Minister Scott Morrison this week urged states not to re-introduce mask mandates, saying Australians should by this point in the pandemic know when and when not to wear a face covering. On Friday 7th January 2022, 21,728 cases were recorded in Victoria, However at 9.18am on Saturday 8th January 2022, the Victoria Department of Health twitted out that the number of new cases was 51,356. Masks are now required. [The] big difference is I have no energy for or interest in working, just want to read books and chill. Despite the efforts of the Victorian Aged Care Response Centre, a new unit specifically formed to bring these outbreaks under control, hundreds of elderly people died unnecessarily. Face masks are required at all major events with more than 30,000 people. Far fewer know their real story. Mr Foley said there was "nothing wrong" with seeing family and friends at cafes and restaurants but said it was safer to meet outdoors. When asked about that decision today, Mr Foley said "most of those recommendations" were turned into orders, such as the rules around face masks. If the measure of success in responding to the pandemic is the amount of disease prevented and lives saved, Australia will undoubtedly be held up globally as an exemplar of best practice. Over 800 people died of COVID during Melbournes second wave in 2020, many of them aged-care residents. Chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant called out a number of suburbs of concern, highlighting the need for high rates of testing. 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Victoria's health minister hasn't ruled out mask mandates or work-from-home rules after the state's pandemic powers were extended for another three months. "The number that would worry us in the last 24 hours is the 24 number. Victoria closes its borders with NSW. Mr Foley said there was no plan to introduce another lockdown. All of which makes me wonder if we are heading towards a summer lockdown. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said this advice is particularly aimed at those in Greater Sydney. This brings the total number of infections in NSW to 864. The best beach in Britain that you've never heard of: Seaside town is braced for tourism boom after Kate Garraway reveals Derek's heartbreaking words when they thought he had just minutes left to live. So for me, right now, I am seeing the light.. He also feels the loss of the sense of collective action which, for some, underscored the long lockdowns of 2020 and 2021.