Selected
- Details
- Written by Grant Broadcasters
- Category: Selected
- Hits: 163
South Australia will likely end its week-long COVID-19 lockdown on time after reporting one new virus infection linked to the Modbury cluster, Premier Steven Marshall says.
The premier says the shutdown will end at one minute past midnight on Wednesday morning, provided there are no further "unlinked" coronavirus cases.
"Working together we've been able to demonstrate we can get through this very difficult situation," he said.
"We're absolutely delighted with how the people of South Australia have worked with the restrictions. Everyone has made extraordinary sacrifices this week.
"We said we wanted to go hard, we wanted to go early and we wanted to knock this off."
When the lockdown lifts, SA will keep a range of heightened restrictions including a general density requirement of one person to every four square metres.
Masks will be required in high-risk settings, such as aged care centres, in medical services and on public transport.
The wider use of masks is strongly encouraged.
All food and drink consumption must be seated while dancing and singing remain banned.
Family gatherings will be limited to 10 people although weddings and funerals can have up to 50.
Schools will also reopen on Wednesday.
Mr Marshall said more details of the transition would be released in the coming days, including arrangements for the resumption of sports training and competition.
That will include revised rules for people returning from interstate.
The new restrictions will remain in place for at least a week.
On top of the continuing measures, the premier urged all people to strongly consider their need to move around, with working from home a preferred option.
With one new locally acquired case, an 87-year-old man, the Modbury cluster now stands at 19 confirmed infections.
The man contracted the virus after visiting the Tenafeate Creek winery near One Tree Hill last week, which is now linked to 11 infections.
However, Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier said more cases could still crop up, most likely in close contacts of those already found to have the disease.
She said it was hoped any new cases would already be in quarantine.
"We've thrown 150 per cent effort at this. We have got our teams working around the clock, throwing the net as wide as possible," she said.
"But it is a very tricky virus and this is why when we come out of lockdown we all have to remain very observant, very cautious."
Prof Spurrier said of the 19 confirmed infections in the latest cluster, six people had received one dose of the vaccine and 12 had not been vaccinated.
The remaining person's status was unknown.
The Modbury cluster began with an 81-year-old man who recently arrived in Australia from Argentina and was quarantined in Sydney before travelling to Adelaide, where he tested positive.
Genomic testing has confirmed the man became infected while in Sydney, not while he was in Argentina.
© AAP 2021
Photo: SA Chief Health Officer Nicola Spurrier (AAP Image/Pool, Naomi Jellicoe)
- Details
- Written by NSW News
- Category: Selected
- Hits: 151
NSW has reported 141 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and two deaths, including a woman in her 30s.
AAP reports at least 62 of the 141 diagnosed people in the 24 hours to 8pm on Saturday were circulating in the community for all or part of their infectious period, Premier Gladys Berejiklian says.
Forty three people are in intensive care in NSW, 18 of whom require ventilation.
Greater Sydney and surrounding regions are in lockdown until at least July 30, while three local government areas in regional NSW are in lockdown until at least 28 July, as health authorities battle to contain an outbreak of the virulent Delta strain.
Ms Berejiklian said the woman in her 30s who died had no pre-existing conditions, demonstrating the severity of the virus.
Image: Supplied
- Details
- Written by NSW News
- Category: Selected
- Hits: 149
Council elections for more than five million voters across NSW are to be delayed for the second year in a row, as the Berejiklian government moves to postpone the poll to December in response to the state’s coronavirus crisis.
Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock said they would instead be held on December fourth.
It comes after growing pressure from Labor and mayors across Sydney to postpone the polls planned for September fourth.
125 councils across NSW were supposed to hold elections.
Authorities are concerned the elections have the potential to become a super-spreader event.
Image: NSW Electoral Commission
- Details
- Written by NSW News
- Category: Selected
- Hits: 140
Two men have been charged with allegedly striking a police horse following unauthorised protest activity in Sydney’s CBD yesterday.
A high-visibility policing operation was launched about 12pm yesterday, to ensure the safety of all protest participants, as well as the wider community and local businesses.
During the operation, officers were assaulted, and police horses were struck and pushed.
Following the protest, Strike Force Seasoned was established by the Central Metropolitan Region to investigate persons who committed offences associated with the unauthorised protest and breach of Public Health Orders.
As a result of inquiries, investigators from Strike Force Seasoned attended a unit on Marlborough Street, Surry Hills, about 11.20pm (Saturday 24 July 2021), and arrested a 33-year-old man.
He was taken to Kings Cross Police Station and charged with affray, join or continue in unlawful assembly, commit an act of cruelty upon an animal, and not comply with noticed direction re 7/8/9 – COVID-19.
Another man, aged 36, was arrested at a house in Kalang Road, Edensor Park. He was taken to Fairfield Police Station and charged with assault officer in execution of duty, commit an act of cruelty upon an animal, not comply with noticed direction re 7/8/9 – COVID-19.
Both men were refused bail and will appear today at Parramatta Local Court.
Officers attached to the Strike Force have been working throughout the night to identify those involved in the protest and further arrests are expected to be made.
Police would like to thank the community that continue to work with police and abide by the public health orders.
Images: NSW Police
Page 169 of 191