Australia Coroavirus updates: 11th May
MELBOURNE
The number killed by the novel coronavirus surged to 98 in Australia with an additional death Saturday in New South Wales (NSW).
Health authorities said a 92-year-old patient lost her life at a carehouse in Sydney, becoming the latest victim.
Australia has conducted more than 750,000 coronavirus tests and 6,079 patients recovered from the virus.
There are still 849 active cases, including 21 patients in intensive care units.
New Zealand registered two cases following 7,204 performed Friday.
It tested more than 183,000 and 1,368 of 1,492 patients recovered.
New Zealand implemented an emergency in a bid to stem the spread of the virus.
Victoria to relax coronavirus restrictions
Premier Daniel Andrews has announced that from 11.59 pm on Tuesday Victorian residents will be allowed up to five visitors in their homes. Andrews stressed that this is “not an invitation to host a dinner party every night of the week” but “about seeing those you need to – if you need to”.
Up to 10 people will be allowed to attend weddings, and funerals will be able to have 20 guests if indoors, and 30 if outdoors. Camping in national and state parks is still prohibited, and Andrews said he doesn’t expect Airbnbs or hotels will take overnight bookings. But there will be no limit on how far you can travel within the state.
Victoria is the last state to announce a relaxing of coronavirus restrictions, after prime minister Scott Morrison outlined the federal government’s national three-step plan to reopen Australia last Friday.
No new cases in several states and territories
There have been no new cases of Covid-19 in the ACT, the Northern Territory, South Australia, Western Australia or Tasmania in the past 24 hours, deputy chief medical officer Michael Kidd said this afternoon.Advertisement
This morning, Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk also announced no new cases in the state overnight. NSW reported only one new case of Covid-19 was diagnosed in the past 24 hours, from 5,200 tests. Victoria recorded seven new cases overnight, one of which was connected to the Cedar Meats outbreak.
There are 49 people in hospital from Covid-19 in Australia at the moment, 16 of whom are in intensive care, and 14 who are on ventilators. To date, 6,179 people in the country have recovered from Covid-19.
Deputy CMO warns of ‘very serious risks’ from overcrowding
Kidd has also warned that Australia faces “very serious risks if overcrowding starts to occur”, as states and territories ease coronavirus restrictions.
“Covid-19 is still out there in our country,” he said. “Each of us needs to continue our strong commitment to maintaining physical distancing of 1.5 metres from other people whenever we are outside of our homes, and that means avoiding crowds whenever possible. If you see a crowd, please go in the other direction.”
Kidd also warned Australians against going back into a crowded workplace under the current circumstances.
Newmarch House confirms 17th death
A Newmarch House resident has become the 17th person to die in the NSW nursing home after being diagnosed with Covid-19.
The resident had previously tested positive, but since returned two negative tests before passing, according to the facility’s provider, Anglicare. They are the second infected resident to have tested negative in the days before their death.
Calls for Morrison to end ‘undemocratic’ parliamentary adjournment
Several judges and public servants – including former high court justice Mary Gaudron and former department of prime minister and cabinet secretary Michael Keating – have written to Scott Morrison calling for an end to the government’s “undemocratic and unprecedented” parliamentary adjournment.
Parliament will resume for three days this week, but otherwise sittings have been adjourned until August, in response to Covid-19. “Individual ministers have been given the power to allocate multibillion dollar discretionary funds and write the rules for major policy response programs,” the letter says. “Parliamentary democracies around the world are continuing to meet, including through virtual means in the UK and Brazil.”Quick guide
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Labor lays out post-Coronavirus plans
Opposition leader Anthony Albanese has warned against a post-coronavirus crisis “snapback” to an economy where workers worry about job insecurity and jobseekers are kept in poverty.
In a speech to the Labor caucus room in Parliament House today, Albanese said he will call on the government to bring forward nation-building infrastructure projects, like high speed rail; restore public sector jobs in areas like Centrelink, Medicare and Veterans Affairs; and increase investment in social and affordable housing.
“It’s critical that we are still saying, ‘we are all in this together’, after the lockdown has come to an end – and not just saying it, living up to that standard,” he said.
In New South Wales, no new cases of the novel coronavirus have been recorded for the first time since the pandemic hit in the south-eastern state of Australia. Premier Gladys Berejiklian said it was a “milestone” for the state in the fight against the COVID-19, however, she said people must not be complacent at a press conference.
Speaking at the daily COVID-19 briefing, Berejiklian said that there might be people walking around today in the community that might have the virus. It is the job of the state to ensure that such people were identified, so, therefore, if someone had the mildest symptoms, they should come forward and get tested, she urged.
As we ease restrictions we can’t let our guard down, quite the opposite! While we recorded 0 cases overnight we must come forward & get tested even if we have the mildest symptoms. COVID-19 is deadly & there will be people today in NSW who have the disease and don’t realise it!
NSW Deputy Chief Health Officer Jeremy McAnulty told the press conference that the community must take the threat of coronavirus seriously, despite the extraordinary result. The virus will be bubbling around beneath the surface in the community, Dr McAnulty said. Further, he added, testing was the key. The enemy is complacency, if people drop their guard, think it’s just a cold or the flu, that will be a mistake, he stressed. The state of NSW would find every person who may have an infection and that could be made a lot easier if people came forward for testing, he added.
NSW govt to ease restrictions
As per local media reports, on May 15, New South Wales is expected to ease the social distancing measures allowing some cafes, restaurants, outdoor gyms, pools, and playgrounds to resume operation. The NSW Government will not be afraid to move more quickly to support business, Berejiklian was quoted saying, adding that restrictions could be eased even further if businesses could prove it was safe. NSW state wanted to work with industry to encourage them to put forward their plans so that the businesses and jobs in NSW could resume in a safe way, she told a press conference.
Further, Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg reportedly warned that it could cost the NSW economy $1.4 billion every week if the state forced to reinstate stage-one lockdown restrictions in the event of a second wave of the novel coronavirus outbreak. NSW went through the first wave as best as anywhere in the world has, Frydenberg reportedly said. It wasn’t achieved because governments and politicians made the right decisions, it’s because the community has actually been respectful of the restrictions, he emphasized, noting that the community must extend cooperation at all times.