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Zac Lomax and Daniel Alvaro's St George Illawarra absence could be extended even longer with the Dragons unsure when they will be able to enter Queensland.

Lomax and Alvaro were the only two of the Dragons' dirty dozen not to sign statements verifying the details of Paul Vaughan's illegal barbecue a fortnight ago.

As a result the NRL refused to release them out of a COVID hold, stopping them from rejoining the Dragons and flying north with the squad.

The duo had been expected to fly up with families this weekend and quarantine separately, however uncertainty around that travel has now left them in limbo.

The Queensland Government are yet to sign off on plans to move players' families north, upsetting several players and staff.

The news has already ruled Benji Marshall out of South Sydney's clash with Canterbury on Sunday, after it was agreed he could spend extra days in Sydney and also fly up with families.

But the implications could be far longer lasting for the Dragons pair, given they will have to spend two weeks away from their team before returning to training and playing.

"They're like a few people. They are stuck in Sydney like the families," Dragons coach Anthony Griffin said.

"I'm not sure where that's at at the moment. It's been a crazy week."

Any prolonged absence would be another blow for the Dragons, who are already stretched for numbers.

Matt Dufty, Tyrrell Fuimaono and Kaide Ellis sat out Friday night's 32-18 loss to Manly, and another three are likely to serve their one-game ban against Gold Coast next week.

Forward Poasa Faamausili could face a suspension for a crusher tackle out of Friday nights match, while Jamayne Taunoa-Brown is only on a three-game deal from the Warriors.

Lomax could also give the Dragons the spark they need out wide, having not played since being injured in early May.

But with one of the hardest runs home of all finals contenders and a missed opportunity against Manly on Friday night, Griffin insisted the club had to move past the barbecue drama.

"I don't think it's a matter of tackling it anymore," Griffin said.

"They have paid a price and as a club we have come together and since we got up here on Wednesday we had a really good week of training.

"The thing that happened at Shellharbour is over, it's been dealt with."

© AAP 2021

National cabinet has thrashed out a truce on COVID-19 support for households and businesses.

With the country's two major cities in lockdown, and premiers disputing the fairness of arrangements, the federal government has overhauled assistance for the third time in six weeks.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison scrapped the seven-day wait he had initially proposed.

"You have seen the Commonwealth chief medical officer declare hotspots across greater Sydney. That is what triggers the Commonwealth engagement in payments in any lockdown that may occur," Mr Morrison said.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews earlier announced his state would pick up the tab for people in regional areas under lockdown but not officially in a hotspot.

"There is a shared effort," Mr Morrison said.

Almost 12 million Australians are now subject to stay-at-home orders.

After a record day for vaccinations, just under 13 per cent of Australian adults are fully vaccinated.

Victoria is in a snap five-day hard lockdown and Sydney is preparing for its fourth week of restrictions.

Mr Morrison said the focus of national cabinet now is to reduce "as far as possible to zero" the cases that are infectious in the community.

"We have seen that rising and we need to see those come down, and so encouraging people to stay home, to get tested and get vaccinated are the core messages," he said.

Clearing the air before Friday's meeting, Mr Morrison had already agreed to fund immediate support payments for Victorians forced out of work.

In frank talks with the prime minister on Thursday night, Mr Andrews argued needs-based support should begin on day one of a lockdown.

"And if there's a need in another part of the country, they should pay there too," he said on Friday.

Employers will need to keep their headcount but can reduce the working hours of their staff.

"It is the hours lost that determine what you will receive," Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said in Melbourne.

People who have lost at least 20 hours of work will get $600 while those who have lost between eight and 20 will receive $375.

Charities have warned of "gaping holes" in lockdown support as 800,000 people on JobSeeker, Youth Allowance and other payments will miss out.

But Mr Morrison ruled out any further support for the unemployed.

NSW has reached a grim milestone of more than 1000 cases since mid-June as the more infectious Delta variant spreads.

The 97 local cases recorded on Friday were mostly in Sydney's southwest, with 75 people admitted to hospital and 18 in intensive care.

"We know how easily the virus spreads and we know how easily other communities can get that virus," NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.

She called for Sydneysiders to visit new 24/7 testing sites to help keep on top of the outbreak.

Doctors have called for a stricter lockdown to give Sydney the best chance of lifting it within weeks rather than months, or risk the restrictions continuing indefinitely.

Australian Medical Association president Omar Khorshid urged the closure of all non-essential shops and services, a 5km restriction on leaving home not 10km, and more use of telehealth to see a GP.

"If you just want to go get a $10,000 handbag it is not urgent," Dr Khorshid said.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has listed Victoria as a hotspot alongside Greater Sydney and told Queenslanders to stay away from the infected states.

Western Australia has also introduced a hard border.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt is also finalising a mental health support package for Victoria, on a smaller scale to NSW.

© AAP 2021

Senior federal ministers say they are open to the idea of a national vaccine lottery to encourage Australians to get the jab.

Gambling company Tabcorp has floated the idea of a national vaccine lottery, which Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says he's open to.

"I'm open to all these incentives, whether it's lotteries or free airline tickets or Frequent Flyer points," he told 3AW on Friday.

The treasurer said many businesses had proposed incentives to drive vaccination rates during meetings with the government.

"People should get the jab because it's in their best health interests, it's in their families' best interests, it's in the nation's best health interests," Mr Frydenberg said.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton said he thought the lottery was "a great idea".

"The only two flaws, which the company has identified, is they need regulation approval and someone to pay for it," he told the Nine Network.

"So apart from that it seems like a pretty sound proposal. Anything to incentivise people to get vaccinated."

More than 12 per cent of Australians who are eligible to be vaccinated have received both jabs so far.

There have been 9.6 million doses delivered in total.

Former federal Labor treasurer Wayne Swan poured cold water on the proposal, noting the shortage of vaccine supply.

"It can't work here because it will be like lotto without tickets - we haven't got any vaccines so how's it going to work?" he told Nine.

A Melbourne pub was previously told off for offering free beers to vaccinated patrons.

This was because of the Therapeutic Goods Administration's rules around offering alcohol as an incentive to receive medicines.

© AAP 2021