On Friday Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the latest stage in easing COVID-19 restrictions, allowing greater numbers for more pubs and public spaces, even as the situation in Victoria worsens and further tightening cannot be ruled out.
Following the weekly National Cabinet meeting, Morrison revealed the national plan to allow one person for every two square metres in venues, coming into effect earlier than previous planned. This measure has already been adopted in Tasmania and Western Australia.
Around most of the country the virus suppression measures have been doing the job. Queensland recorded no new cases on Friday, as did Western Australia, again, although borders remain closed.
Morrison boded “outbreaks will occur” but that the National Cabinet remains resolved on the three-step plan to continuing easing.
However, Victoria is approaching two straight weeks of daily new cases in double-digits, with 30 cases reported on Friday, forty-one cases reported Saturday, 49 reported yesterday and 75 new cases reported today.
Many positive results have been linked to known outbreaks, some in returned travellers, but a good proportion stem from routine testing and many more are under investigation, further fuelling the major fear of community transmission.
One suspected instance of transmission was revealed by the State Government as two people at a quarantine hotel sharing a cigarette lighter. Premier Daniel Andrews noted the people were “keeping their distance” but ultimately one contracted the virus from the other through mutual contact of the item.
Another positive result was that of a nurse in the emergency department at Royal Melbourne Hospital. Patients, visitors and other staff who may have come in contact with her have been contacted, but the Hospital declined to specify the number of people affected.
Victoria is undertaking a ‘testing blitz’ in known hotspots, where testing and investigation to date has shown the bulk of new cases are being found, in the inner northwest corridor suburbs. Over the next 10 days a team of 800 specialised testers and a fleet of mobile vans will hone in on community transmission, and residents of these priority suburbs* will be tested, whether they show symptoms or not.
Victorian deputy chief health officer Annaliese van Diemen expressed that health authorities were very concerned about the situation and consequences.
“Whether we have second, third, fifth, 10th waves, nobody really knows,” she said. “This is not something any of us have experienced before.”
Meanwhile, suffering the backward step in easing as most other states welcome more patrons, Victorian pubs are pleading for increases to patron limits as their continued existence is strained further.
Paddy O’Sullivan, CEO of Australian Hotels Association Victoria, urged government adjust the patron limit in light of circumstances.
“The new cases don’t stem from pubs or hotels, they are largely household-related,” he said. “It’s a strong argument that pubs can manage the risk for COVID-19.”
On Wednesday last week Victorian authorities submitted formal request for 850 Defence Force personnel to assist “with hotel quarantine monitoring”, and a further 200 medical personnel to support testing work.
Less than a day later, after input from Victorian Police, which had reportedly not been consulted on the ADF initiative, the request was revised down to 200 personnel. Swiftly approved, they arrived over the weekend to aid the testing blitz.
Australia’s Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy has stressed the importance of widespread testing, particularly with people in hotel quarantine, suggesting it should be done at both the start and end of their mandated stay.
But reports have emerged around 30 per cent of hotel quarantine guests in Victoria have been refusing testing. Authorities have been seeking legal advice as to whether they can force returned travellers to undertake the test.
NSW also does not force testing, but recommends it done for travellers on day three and day 10 of the isolation period. Anyone who refuses testing is required to stay in isolation a further 10 days. Official numbers suggest just two per cent of return travellers have refused since the mandatory hotel quarantine began.
NSW did record six new coronavirus cases from Friday. Five were returned travellers in quarantine, but the sixth was a Penrith man in his 70s. NSW Health is investigating how the man contracted the virus.
While agreeing to the official downsize in square metres, from four to two, there was also agreement at the National Cabinet to keep the 14-day quarantine period in place for the immediate future. State borders across the country are expected to begin re-opening in July, but the PM proffered it would be reasonable to exclude travellers coming from or through coronavirus hotspots.
Overseas travel is definitely out of the picture for the time being, but Morrison is hopeful of a special arrangement with New Zealand within the next year.
“It is not over,” laments Premier Andrews.
“It is with us for months and months until we get a vaccine. I take no joy in having to be as direct as that, but it is not over, and the fact you wanted to be over is no excuse for behaving badly.”
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*Priority suburbs: Keilor Downs, Broadmeadows, Maidstone, Albanvale, Sunshine West, Hallam, Brunswick West, Fawkner, Reservoir, Pakenham. Keillor Downs and Broadmeadows have been identified as greatest risk and focus of current testing.
