So for me, right now, I am seeing the light.. Victorians are anxiously waiting to see if they will be plunged back into lockdown after a worrying spike in Covid-19 cases today. "This is a hard lockdown. Despite enduring one of the longest aggregate periods of strict lockdown in the world, the Victorian community by and large hung in there. Here's everything we've learned from Melbourne's polarising e-scooter trials. "I think they are a 2020/2021 iteration," he said. 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. 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). "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. Sign up to unlock our digital magazines and also receive the latest news, events, offers and partner promotions. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. "We will know at the end of two weeks to what extent we need to extend the lockdown, whether there is any chance of face-to-face schooling. Premier Peter Gutwein said with a highly vaccinated population Tasmania would not be heading into lockdown or closing its borders because of the climbing case numbers. Which in normal times would mean nothing as Covid is not really any different from the flu. Omicron variant of coronavirus led to huge spike in cases over New Year but has since subsided, prompting Boris Johnson to drop social restrictions . July 27, 2021 Victoria's fifth lockdown ends, but less than a week later, the state is plunged back into another long lockdown. There were three initial cases earlier this week, that leaked in from NSW. A crew of infectious removalists from Sydney transited through Victoria last Thursday, visiting households in Craigieburn and Maribyrnong, and coming into contact with two families of four. These include the reasons listed in Victoria, in addition to things like attending weddings or funerals. Victorian Covid-19 testing head Jeroen Weimar said four of the new cases on Wednesday were linked to the Ariele apartment complex. I know that I was safer.. But most importantly it kept the community focused on what was needed to bring the virus under control. Chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said this advice is particularly aimed at those in Greater Sydney. PCR tests, which are carried out through testing sites, will be discouraged for those with symptoms and for contacts. As the virus. We hit the streets of Sydney and find the normally bustling metropolis completely empty. The jump in cases in NSW - which is nearly 2,000 more than the 3,763 infections reported on Wednesday - comes after a major backflip on restrictions in the state with millions once again required to check into venues via QR codes. Victoria goes into lockdown for the sixth time, are permitted to establish a 'single's bubble, More than 10,000 Australians have now died of Covid-19. 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. 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. The government is also looking at providing free rapid antigen tests to help curb the spread of the virus as well as relieving pressure off medical workers. In a way, the statement still holds. (ABC News: Peter Drought) 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. Residents attending major events with more than 30,000 spectators will also have to wear a face mask. 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. Sydneyis released from lockdown on 'freedom day'. Mr Byrne said mobility at the moment was roughly equivalent to the 2020 period before Melbourne moved from stage threeto stage fourlockdown. All of which makes me wonder if we are heading towards a summer lockdown. With that in mind, lets look at what went right, and wrong, in Victoria amid the pandemic so far. 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. '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. Masks are now required. Local lockdown orders are reinstated in the northern beaches. Catch up on the latestCOVID-19 news here. Now that has ended too. Couples who don't live together are permitted to visit in Victoria. The government and health authorities failed to control infections among returned travellers spreading to hotel quarantine workers and beyond. Its relentless. Sydneysiders who live alone are permitted to establish a 'single's bubble' with a friend. 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. Coronavirus update for Victoria - 2 June 2022 | health.vic.gov.au Public transport usage in the city centre has fallen to 73 per cent below the baseline. Try another? Originally published at Upon Hope. The Premier on Thursday said he was listening to struggling sectors and didnt rule out providing future support. Catherine Bennett receives funding from the Medical Research Future Fund. 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. On the same day, three men in NSW also test positive for coronavirus. Im double vaxxed and feeling like, what was the point? 'Wear a mask in an indoor setting. "Were very keen to make sure we get a very firm grip of this as soon as we possibly can.". Like many who spoke to Guardian Australia, she focused on the vaccine rollout when everyone who was eligible was double-vaccinated it would be OK. Then Omicron happened, the inevitable consequence of a lack of global vaccine equity, and the promise of a return to normal life has been pushed back once more. But as the initial challenges with the vaccine rollout highlighted, theres still more work to do. The World Health Organisation declares the novel coronavirus to be a pandemic. On Thursday the NSW premier will announce the policy reversal following Covid crisis talks with fellow state leaders and Prime Minister Scott Morrison. We are waving, we have our hand up and it is code red in the small and medium business sector. 'Providing rapid-antigen testing kits for those who want to do the right thing will help take the pressure of our testing clinics, while giving people confidence to get on with their lives.'. He said the size of the fallcould not be fully accounted for by the hundreds of thousands of Victorians isolating as cases or close contacts. Interactive map reveals when you may see SNOW. 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. 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. Daniel Andrews government says it will not bring back a Covid lockdown He added that the government was encouraging dance floors to be closed. 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. Infections peaked about a month later, before beginning to fall. This is more than simply a language issue. Are you willing to justify risking the health of vulnerable people for that privilege?. The Ukraine war may be a battle for the global order but whose rules are we fighting for? So it's going to be in some ways [it will be]more stressful for a lot of people.". But perhaps most frustrating was the news that the crew have not been cooperating with contact tracers who only today found out there were two trucks involved. You don't need to be forced to do it,' he said. '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 which ones are best? A new 'veloway' is welcome news for Melbourne's cyclists. Many like Cooper have gone into self-isolation to protect themselves or a vulnerable loved one. 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. A controversial media star and politician says there is no point in maintaining his political ambitions. As of this date, the city was expected to be locked down until "late October". "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. The Department of Health in Victoria has revealed "two unexpected detections of COVID-19 viral fragments" in wastewater around Geelong. A near-deserted Bourke Street in the Melbourne CBD on October 20. Fronting up to press conferences day after day and answering all of the tough questions was important for many reasons. With the lockdowns extending into the 2022 financial year, we will no doubt be assisting with working from home tax deductions in the 2022 financial as well. Published: 01:28 GMT, 23 December 2021 | Updated: 03:32 GMT, 23 December 2021. 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. That would be very challenging not just for Covid patients but for everybody else who needs a hospital bed.. The local government areas of Fairfield, Liverpool and Canterbury-Bankstown are still areas of concern for NSW health officials. Most of the population is vaccinated and harsh restrictions have ended. We paid the price [of lockdown], we bought the government time to build capacity in our health services. Are we set to have a third lockdown for 2021. 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. 'Think of Christmas Day when you're going to see elderly relatives, and wear a mask it's pretty simple.'. You are not even fielding inquiries its school holidays in January, thats not right.. Melbourne COVID testing centres have been busy.Scott McNaughton Mr Morrison said on Tuesday that Australia would not go back into lockdowns, but a recommendation from the country's chief health officers for using masks in indoor settings was "very sensible". postcodes 3038, 3064, 3047, 3060, 3012, 3032, 3055, 3042, 3021 and 3046 will go back into lockdown from July 2. So we need to all play our part in taking this incredibly seriously. But maybe Im wrong. Victorians are less interested in finding restaurants or cafes to enjoy than they are in finding a rapid antigen test (RAT), for example. 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. While session tickets were capped at 50 per cent last week, the opening day saw 25,206 attendees on Monday. 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. 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. There are confirmed positive cases on board at the time, and 130 people test positive within a week. Key points: From Friday, Victorians must register their positive at-home RAT results on a government portal Health Minister Martin Foley said about one in 50 Victorians currently had COVID-19 Mr Foley said there was no plan to introduce a lockdown and that Victorians had to "coexist" with the virus People do not want to feel that you are judging them or saying that what they are doing is unsafe and it is not inherently unsafe, they just have different risk tolerance and different priorities than you, he says. "We're still doing things like we're going to the park, we're going to the beach on hot days, you can see that very clearly," he said. Sydneysidersare restricted to 5km of home. 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. COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria - Wikipedia A leading Australian infectious disease expert has ripped into one of the most draconian measures enforced during the pandemic. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. Australians Upset With Government as COVID Cases Grow Amid Lockdown To access medical care or provide caregiving. 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. In that way, he predicted it would differ to the "U shape" of mandated lockdowns, with a longer tail in and out. Mr Merlino's NSW counterpartDominic Perrottet has refused to bring back a sweeping indoor mask mandate - despite many health experts recommending residents continue wearing the face coverings indoors. You can find Tuesday's blog here. COVID-19 Victoria 2022: The mood in Melbourne in another COVID winter National Victoria Coronavirus pandemic This was published 3 months ago Measuring Melbourne's mood as the city weathers another COVID winter Neil McMahon July 16, 2022 7.52pm Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Dr Chant said it was imperative that everyone takes the current restrictions seriously. The ship is later linked to up to 900 infections of Covid-19. Coronavirus Australia updates: Scott Morrison says lockdowns - 9News The deputy premier said the changes were 'modest measures' that would protect the state's health system from the recent surge in infections. The new BA.5 variant is considered to be even more transmissible than previous Omicron variants. 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.