Covid-19 News Updates

Repayments resume on 91 per cent of deferred loans

New data from Australia's largest banks shows 91 per cent of deferred loans have resumed repayment, with just 5 per cent of deferred business loans yet to resume.

From the four major banks, 78,556 loans remain deferred. 60,562 are housing loans, 11,263 are business loans, and the remainder are a mixture of personal loans and credit cards.

According to the Australian Banking Association (ABA) these figures demonstrate an "encouraging sign of recovery", but the organisation notes there are still many Australians who need further support as the pandemic continues.

"Every customer is different. Banks are taking a careful and measured approach that takes into account every customer's individual circumstances", ABA CEO Anna Bligh said.

The ABA says banks will be working directly with those in hardship on an individual basis as part of the next phase of pandemic support to find a tailored solution.

As part of this support, banks have developed an industry-wide, consistent approach to hardship and a new online tool to guide customers in financial hardship and improve transparency.

"This is about ensuring that no customer is left in the dark as we emerge from the pandemic. It represents a compact between banks and their customers as we navigate the uncertain path ahead," Bligh said.

"Customers can expect a thoughtful and compassionate approach, with clear and transparent explanations, regardless of who they bank with. This step-by-step guide will help customers navigate the path out of the pandemic.

"Australian banks will continue to help customers and businesses turn the corner after the pandemic, while providing a fair and compassionate approach to those who can't get back on their feet."

Updated at 12.16pm AEDT on 18 February 2021.

Victorian lockdown ending tonight as state records no new cases

With no new cases recorded in Victoria overnight, the state's Premier Daniel Andrews has announced the five-day "circuit-breaker" lockdown will end tonight.

As such, from 11.59pm AEDT today, most of the harsh restrictions will fall away with Victoria essentially returning to pre-lockdown rules.

Victorians will be allowed to leave the house for any reason and can travel anywhere they like within the state as the 5km bubble rule is removed.

However, masks will still be required to be worn indoors, and outdoors where physical distancing is not possible.

Households will be permitted to have five visitors at any one time, and schools will reopen tomorrow.

Public and private sector workers can return to the office with 50 per cent allowed on site.

Retail and hospitality can resume with the same density limits that were applied pre-lockdown.

The same goes for religious gatherings, weddings, and funerals, which must abide by location-specific density limits.

Sport can resume, and entertainment will also restart with capacity limits in place

Andrews said the next nine days will be vital to ensure the current Holiday Inn outbreak remains under control.

"There are still nine days to go for the 14-day period of the last of the positive cases," Andrews said.

"Next Friday we'll be able to be even more definitive about the epidemiological picture across the state.

"And that means that whilst we can revert to almost all of the settings that applied last Friday, our COVID-safe Summer settings, there are some exceptions."

The news comes as Victoria reports no new locally transmitted cases of COVID-19, and none in hotel quarantine.

These good results came from 39,258 test results the biggest single day of testing that Victoria has done throughout the pandemic.

"To see so many people go and get tested is proof that we know what to do, we stick together, there's great community spirit and its really acknowledgement that this is a shared challenge," said Andrews.

Updated at 10.57am AEDT on 17 February 2021.

Victoria looking to construct purpose-built quarantine centre

The Victorian government is exploring the possibility of a purpose-built quarantine centre, in order to avoid yet another COVID-19 outbreak from a Melbourne CBD hotel.

Speaking to the press this morning, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said this new facility, if approved, would replace most of the work currently being done by hotels to accommodate international arrivals.

The centre will be based on the Howard Springs model used by the Northern Territory government to house returned travellers, and would be located either at Avalon Airport or Melbourne Airport.

If the centre is constructed, people would be staying at the same location but would not share the same spaces.

Based on advice from public health experts and COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria, the following specifications would be implemented in the design of any such hub:

• Flat structures (not multi-storey) that are adequately spaced are preferable;
• Designs that allow for strict IPC protocols that are already in place in the existing program;
• Individual rooms that cater to a variety of family sizes with self-contained bathroom facilitie;
• High quality or separate ventilation systems per room, including the use of windows;
• Surfaces that are easily cleaned, to enable the highest standard of IPC protocols; and
• Separate and adequately sized staff facilities.

"I think that there is a compelling argument for this not just in Melbourne, not just in the Northern Territory; I know the Queensland Government are working in partnership with the Commonwealth around a facility of similar structures," Premier Andrews said.

"I think we do have to have a proper conversation at a National Cabinet level about what we can do to reduce the risk, particularly in light of this UK strain.

"We're going to get on and built it, so it's just a matter of exactly how big it is. But Melbourne and Avalon Airports are standout candidates."

The Victorian government says the facility could also be used in the future for emergency needs, including ongoing quarantine arrangements or bushfire emergency accommodation.

The announcement comes as Victoria reports two new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 today, both connected to the Holiday Inn outbreak.

Both cases were isolating meaning there are no further exposure sites in Melbourne.

The state is expected to emerge from a strict five-day lockdown tomorrow at midnight, with Andrews today saying he will have further announcements about the next steps tomorrow.

"This strategy is working. We are well placed to be making changes tomorrow night," Andrews said.

"I'm not in a position to definitively commit to that, because these next 24 hours will, of course, be crucial."

Updated at 12.15pm AEDT on 16 February 2021.

Pfizer vaccine reaches Australian shores

The first shipment out of 20 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 have arrived in Australia ahead of the country's first vaccinations that are planned for next week.

More than 142,000 doses have landed at Sydney Airport, and have been securely transported to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for batch testing to ensure the vaccines meet Australia's strict quality standards.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the country is on track for the first and most vulnerable Australians to start receiving the vaccine from 22 February.

"The vaccine has landed and we're stepping up our fight against the pandemic," the Prime Minister says.

"Once the final safety checks are completed we can start rolling out the vaccine to our most vulnerable Australians and to our frontline border and health workers.

"The hard work of Australians has meant we're in an enviable position in our fight against the pandemic so we've been able to take the time to properly assess our vaccine decisions and give our world-class regulator the time they need to review the safety of the jabs."

He says while the government is taking the time neede to get the roll-out right as part of Australia's COVID-19 Vaccine and Treatment Strategy, he is confident all Australians who wish to be vaccinated against the virus will receive a vaccine this year.

Approximately 80,000 doses will be released of the Pfizer vaccine in the first week. Approximately 50,000 vaccines will be made available for the states and territories for hotel quarantine and border workers and frontline healthcare workers. Approximately 30,000 vaccines will be made available for the Commonwealth vaccine in-reach workforce to aged care and disability care residents.

It is expected that of these, at least 60,000 will be administered by the end of February with others to be continually administered thereafter.

Subject to TGA approval and shipping confirmation of the international AstraZeneca vaccine, it is expected these numbers will double from early March. Phase 1a remains on track for first round doses to be delivered within a six week period.

In lessons learnt in rollouts around the world and on the advice of experts, approximately 60,000 vaccines will be provisioned to ensure consistent supply and sufficient stock for second doses. The second dose of the vaccine will be administered at 21 days after the first dose.

The Phase 1a priority groups will ensure our quarantine and border workers, frontline healthcare workers and aged care and disability care residents and staff that the most vulnerable will receive priority access to the vaccine.

"The Pfizer vaccine will save lives and protect lives," says Minister for Health and Aged Care Greg Hunt.

"Australians can be reassured this vaccine has gone through rigorous, independent testing by the Therapeutic Goods Administration to ensure it is safe, effective, and manufactured to a high standard.

"These vaccines will now go through further batch testing to further check for quality and efficacy, ensuring all Australians have confidence in the vaccines they receive."

Logistics company DHL has been engaged to support the distribution of the Pfizer vaccine across Australia.

The company, along with a network of 200 ultra-low temperature portable freezers, will ensure Australians across the country, including in rural and remote areas, are able to access the Pfizer vaccine, which needs to be stored at minus 70°C.

By following the medical advice, Australia has maintained a diverse portfolio of vaccines, and are constantly engaging with international counterparts and vaccine sponsors to access the best available information on vaccine developments worldwide.

Pending TGA approval, the Government has also secured 53.8 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses and 51 million doses of the Novavax vaccine. Each is sufficient to vaccinate every Australian who chooses to be vaccinated in 2021.

The Australian Government has also signed up to the international COVAX facility, which provides access to a range of vaccines to immunise up to 50 per cent of the Australian population.

Updated at 1:49pm AEDT on 15 February 2021.

Australia shuts out New Zealanders over Auckland COVID-19 outbreak concerns

Australia's travel bubble with New Zealand has been suspended once again after three new cases of COVID-19 were detected in Auckland over the weekend.

The New Zealand city has gone into a three-day lockdown to ensure the outbreak does not worsen.

According to a statement from the Department of Health, Australia's chief medical officer Professor Paul Kelly convened an urgent late-night meeting yesterday to discuss Auckland's lockdown.

"It was decided at this meeting today that all flights originating in New Zealand will be classified as Red Zone flights for an initial period of 72 hours from 12.01am on 15 February," the Department of Health said.

"As a result of this, all people arriving on such flights originating within this three-day period will need to go into 14 days of supervised hotel quarantine."

The Federal Government will leave individual states and territories to decide how to manage people who have already arrive in Australia from New Zealand and who may pose a risk of transmitting COVID-19.

Meanwhile in Australia, Victorians are in the middle of a five-day "circuit-breaker" lockdown to slow the spread of a highly transmissible variant of COVID-19 in Melbourne.

The state's Health Department announced this morning there is one new locally acquired case of COVID-19, and one new case in hotel quarantine.

Yesterday, there were two new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in Victoria, and one new locally acquired case on Saturday.

Updated at 9.57am AEDT on 15 February 2021.

Victoria to enter five-day lockdown from midnight tonight

All of Victoria will enter a strict five-day lockdown from 11.59pm tonight in order to slow the spread of the Holiday Inn COVID-19 outbreak that has since grown to 19 cases.

According to Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, the Stage 4 lockdown is necessary to allow contact tracers to manage this outbreak of the UK variant of COVID-19, described as "the fastest moving, most infectious strain of coronavirus we have seen".

In response, Queensland has announced it will be closing its border to all people who have been in Greater Melbourne from 1am on Saturday with the measures to be in force for 14 days at which point a review will be made.

New South Wales is requiring any Victorian that entered the state on or after 29 January 2021 to remain at home or place of residence until midnight on Wednesday, while Western Australia has implemented a hard border with VIC. 

As such, from 11.59pm AEDT today, Victorians will be required to stay at home for five days until 11.59pm on Wednesday.

Exceptions have been made for Victorians to leave the house for four reasons:

• Shopping for necessary goods,
• Caregiving and compassionate reasons,
• Essential work or permitted education,
• And exercise for two hours per day with household members, an intimate partner, or one other person who is not from the same household.

However, Victorians must stay within 5km of their homes if leaving.

In addition, masks must be worn everywhere other than in the home

Private and public gatherings will not be permitted, and all Victorians have been encouraged to work from home where possible.

Schools will close but will remain available on Monday to Wednesday next week for vulnerable children and children of frontline health workers.

Places of worship will be closed other than for broadcasting of services, funerals can have a maximum of 10 people in attendance, and all weddings are not permitted.

Most non-essential businesses and places of gathering will close too including:

• Hairdressing and beauty services
• Real estate auctions
• Indoor physical recreation and sport venues
• Outdoor recreation and community sport
• Swimming pools
• Community facilities including libraries
• Creative studios
• Entertainment venues
• Non-essential retail

Hospitality venues will move to takeaway only and outdoor playgrounds will stay open.

Andrews also indicated that flight cancellations are likely during the five-day period, except for those already on their way.

As reported by the Associated Press, the Australian Open tennis tournament will continue but no crowds will be permitted to spectate. 

In addition, Victoria's Department of Health has updated its earlier public health alert about a café in Melbourne Airport to include all of Terminal 4.

As such, anyone who was in Terminal 4 of Melbourne Airport on Tuesday 9 February between 4.45am to 2pm must isolate for 14 days and get tested for COVID-19.

Outbreak moving "at light speed"

According to Premier Andrews, the five-day lockdown is warranted because of the way positive infections are presenting to Victorian health officials.

He said onces cases test positive, they have already infected all of their close contacts making it difficult to conduct contact tracing.

As such, this "circuit-breaker" lockdown will give contact tracers the room required to get on top of this fast-moving variant of COVID-19.

"It's not moving quickly. It's at light speed," Andrews said.

"We must assume there are further cases in the community than we have positive tests for and that it is moving at a velocity that has not been seen in our country.

"If we wait for that theory to be proven correct, it will be too late. Then we face the prospect of being locked down until a vaccine is rolled out...that's months."

This five-day lockdown is similar to successful circuit-breaker lockdowns done in SA, QLD and WA.

"This is a short, sharp blast the same as we've seen in Queensland and WA that will give us the what we need to get ahead of this faster moving virus," Andrews said.

"Right now, we are reaching close contacts well within the 48-hour benchmark. But the time between exposure, incubation, symptoms and testing positive is rapidly shortening. So much so, that even secondary close contacts are potentially infectious within that 48-hour window.

"It shows just how incredibly infectious this virus is. And our public health team tell us it's only getting faster."

Andrews has also called upon the Federal Government to consider changing the rules around repatriation of Australian citizens and oter international travellers.

"It's a different virus and we should have a mature discussion about just how many people are coming back (to Australia) and the circumstances in which they're coming back and why they are given the opportunity this way," he said.

States implement border restrictions

In response to Andrews' announcement, Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles has announced the border will be closed to people who have been in greater Melbourne for a period of 14 days, starting 1am saturday.

QLD will review the new border arrangement with Melburnians in 14 days.

South Australia, which closed its border to Greater Melbourne earlier this week, has now shut its borders to the entire state of VIC.

Further, anyone in SA who has been through Tullamarine Airport from 7 February is required to get tested and isolate until a negative result is received.

Western Australia has now implemented a hard border to VIC.

In New South Wales, anyone who has been in VIC at any time on or after Friday 29 January 2021 remains at their home or place of residence for the five-day period lockdown period.

Tasmania has declared all of VIC a high-risk state, meaning all travellers to Tasmania will have to self-isolate for two weeks at their home or in hotel quarantine.

Victorians will also be blocked from entering the Australian Capital Territory from midnight tonight, and any returning residents will be required to isolate at home until the five-day period is over.

Finally, any Melburnian entering the Northern Territory will be required to isolate for two weeks at the Howard Springs quarantine facility.

Updated at 1.35pm AEDT on 12 February 2021.

WA sets hard border for VIC, but doors to open for NSW travellers

As Victoria enters a five-day lockdown to contain COVID-19 with much of the country soon closing borders to travellers from Greater Melbourne, Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan (pictured) has announced a drop of good news.

Whilst WA will be implementing a hard border with Victoria in response to recent developments, McGowan has announced safe travel will be permitted from NSW to the state from 12:01am on Tuesday, 16 February.

McGowan highlighted NSW had not recorded a community case of COVID-19 since 15 January.

"As a result, we can safely move NSW from low risk to very low risk. A decision was taken for this to occur from 12:01 on Tuesday, February 16; that is Tuesday morning, pending no further outbreaks," he said.

He said safe travel was permitted from NSW but on certain conditions, including the completion of a G2G pass declaration stipulating the person does not have COVID-19 symptoms and which jurisdictions the traveller has been in over the previous 14 days.

For airport arrivals, people coming from NSW will need to undergo a health screening and temperature test.

McGowan expressed his support of Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews putting a circuit-breaker lockdown in place.

"As we know in WA it is just so important to reduce the risk and prevent community transmission," he said.

"Currently under our border controls, arrivals from Victoria are required to return a negative COVID test result and complete 14 days of self-isolation.

"This border control puts us in a very strong position to be able to handle any outbreak...however, given the concerning ongoing situation in Victoria, the Chief Health Officer has recommended Victoria be reclassified as medium risk for a short period until the situation is resolved.

This means that travellers arriving in Perth Airport from Victoria today will be tested before going into a fortnight of self-isolation, before a 72-hour hard border is put in place at 6pm with only some exemptions permitted such as senior government officials, active military personnel and certain workers in transport and logistics.

In terms of local rules in Western Australia, where 10 months have passed without community transmission, current transitional restrictions that followed Perth's snap lockdown earlier this month will be lifted from midnight on Saturday night.

"We will revert back to where we were on the 30 January. Only a few restrictions will apply - the standing capacity rules, restrictions on remote Aboriginal communities, mandatory contact registration, and of course our controlled interstate border," he said.

"The wearing of masks will no longer be compulsory as of Sunday morning.

"Please keep up your COVID safe practices, wash your hands, keep a distance where possible, get tested when unwell, and keep using SafeWA."

Updated at 11:23 AWST on 12 February 2021.

Melbourne Airport café named latest COVID-19 exposure site

Melbourne Airport's Brunetti café is the latest COVID-19 exposure site named by Victoria's Department of Health as the state records five new locally acquired cases of the coronavirus.

Health authorities added the location overnight, and anyone who visited the Brunetti café between 4.45am and 1.15pm on Tuesday 9 February must isolate for two weeks and get tested.

It comes as Victoria reports five new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 today, bringing the total number of active cases in the state to 19.

The new cases are all linked to the Holiday Inn outbreak, meaning there are still no cases unlinked to any active outbreaks in the state.

VIC Premier Daniel Andrews is expected to front the press today in response to the growing COVID-19 cluster.

As reported by the Herald Sun, a snap lockdown of Melbourne to come into effect as early as tonight is on the table, though a final decision on new restrictions has not yet been reached.

So far, South Australia has implemented a hard border to all travellers from Greater Melbourne in response to the outbreak.

Queensland has banned entry to all travellers if they have been to any of Melbourne's exposure sites, while Western Australia has extended its hard border to VIC for an extra week.

New South Wales currently remains open to all Victorians, but incoming passengers are being screened on arrival.

Updated at 9.39am AEDT on 12 February 2021.

New Victorian exposure sites revealed as SA locks Melburnians out

Victoria's Department of Health has announced new exposure sites in the south-eastern Melbourne suburb of Glen Waverley after two new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 were discovered.

It comes as South Australia imposed a hard border to all travellers from Greater Melbourne overnight in response to an outbreak connected to the now-closed Holiday Inn quarantine facility.

The two new locally acquired COVID-19 cases are both linked to the Melbourne Airport Holiday Inn outbreak, bringing the total number of cases reported in VIC to 20,458.

As such, the VIC Department of Health has updated its list of exposure sites to include:

• Commonwealth Bank, Glen Waverley Tuesday 9 February, 1.30pm-2.45pm
• HSBC Bank, Glen Waverley Tuesday 9 February, 2.15pm-3.30pm

South Australian health officials imposed a hard border to travellers from Greater Melbourne at midnight, after new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 were detected in the Victorian capital.

However, those who made it in before the deadline and test negative will then be allowed to leave isolation.

Travellers from regional Victoria will not be impacted by this change to the border restrictions.

Updated at 10.56am AEDT on 11 February 2021.

SA locks out Melburnians from entry

South Australian health officials imposed a hard border to travellers from Greater Melbourne at midnight, after new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 were detected in the Victorian capital.

Yesterday the government announced its intention to enforce the strict measures, allowing travellers from Melbourne into the state until midnight last night on the condition they isolate on arrival and get tested on the first day in SA.

Those who made it in before the deadline and test negative will then be allowed to leave isolation.

Yesterday SA's Police Commissioner Grant Stevens (pictured) said he was waiting for more specific details about the latest outbreak in Melbourne from VIC's Department of Health.

"We're looking for the indicators that those jurisdictions are getting on top of whatever issues they have, and that their contact tracing and quarantine processes are effective, and the community testing for COVID-19 is also at the level we believe is satisfactory to identify any community transmission," Stevens said.

"It's a very dynamic and moving situation. Our steps in South Australia are taken with an abundance of caution to make sure that we are minimising the risk."

Travellers from regional Victoria will not be impacted by this change to the border restrictions.

Updated at 10:05am AEDT on 11 February 2021.