Covid-19 News Updates

New restrictions for SA venues after two new COVID-19 cases

Venues in South Australia will be restricted to serving alcohol to seated patrons only from midnight on Tuesday night as the state records two new cases of COVID-19 today.

In addition, the number of people who can be at home gatherings will be reduced from 50 down to just 10.

Premier Steven Marshall says the new measures have to be imposed because of the situation in Victoria and the potential for seeding of virus in SA.

"We are concerned about seeding. We are concerned about community transmission, and we are absolutely focused, 100 per cent, on keeping ahead of the game. That's what we've done in South Australia since day one," says Marshall.

"We expect a very high level of compliance with these new restrictions."

Marshall also says the state's health authorities will be looking "very closely" at the density arrangements currently in place for licenced venues and will be announcing changes later this week.

"We're also going to be looking very carefully at the numbers who attend our football matches in South Australia and finally fitness studios," says Marshall.

SA recorded two new cases today, meaning the state has recorded nine new cases in the last 10 days.

Of the new infections, one is a returned overseas traveller in hotel quarantine and one is a close contact of a case announced yesterday.

"That particular person has one close contact who will be tested and isolated," says Chief Public Health Officer Dr Nicola Spurrier.

"That group of cases originated from Victoria. That will now be called a cluster."

Dr Spurrier says SA is on high alert because of the ongoing COVID-19 situation in Victoria.

"Obviously this is disappointing to South Australians starting to have this number go upand this absolutely reflects the situation in Victoria" says Dr Spurrier.

"This is a reflection of how transmissible this virus is and how quickly it is spread."

Updated at 1:55pm AEST on 3 August 2020.

The house loses $1 billion as COVID-19 hits Tabcorp

The economic effects of COVID-19 are expected to result in a $1 billion impairment charge for gambling giant Tabcorp (ASX: TAH) in its FY20 results.

Announced this morning, the non-cash goodwill impairment charge in the range of $1 billion to $1.1 billion will relate to the Wagering & Media and Gaming Services Businesses.

Tabcorp says they reflect an assessment which took into account the impact of COVID-19 restrictions, the acceleration of retail contraction and uncertainty regarding longer term impacts from the pandemic.

The company also says structural changes in the Wagering & Media businesses, particularly in an increasingly digital-centric market, have taken a toll on Tabcorp.

"We are facing a challenging and uncertain environment, and the current operating conditions and those expected into the future are relevant factors in assessing the value of the goodwill in those businesses at this time," says outgoing Tabcorp managing director and CEO David Attenborough.

"We remain confident in the strength and resilience of Tabcorp's diversified portfolio of assets and are pleased that integration is now substantially complete.

"We are focused on supporting our people and partners during these challenging times while ensuring that Tabcorp emerges strongly post COVID-19."

Tabcorp says the impairment charges are non-cash and will not impact the company's financial covenants with its lenders.

In addition Tabcorp says it expects FY20 EBITDA to be in the range of $990 million and $1 billion and NPAT for the period will be in the range of $267 million and $274 million, down from $369 million in FY29.

Earlier this year Tabcorp was forced to stand down 700 staff as Australian sporting competitions were put on pause, affecting licenced venues and TAB agencies where many of its clients like to take a punt.

A further 160 technology contractors were also let go, representing a cut of 40 per cent.

Because of the situation CEO Attenborough took a 20 per cent fixed remuneration pay cut until the end of FY20, and he is set to step down in the current half-year. Chairman Paula Dwyer will also retire from the board at the end of this calendar year. 

Shares in Tabcorp are down 3.37 per cent to $3.44 per share at 10:26am AEST.

Updated at 10:52pm AEST on 3 August 2020.

Zero new cases as "very crucial" week begins for QLD

Queensland has reported no new cases of COVID-19 overnight but Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says this will be a "very crucial" week for controlling the virus in the Sunshine State.

The Premier also revealed all the 105 residents at the Bolton Clarke Aged Care home at Pinjarra Hills, who had a staff member infected with COVID-19, received negative tests. 

"In the last 24 hours 7,482 people have come forward to be tested," she said.

Today's news follows the reporting of one new coronavirus case yesterday who had recently returned from overseas via New South Wales and is in quarantine.

The man travelled on a Jetstar flight JQ790 to Maroochydoore on 31 July while infectious - an issue Premier Palaszczuk will be raising with National Cabinet.

"I think now is the time for overseas travelers to definitely go into mandatory hotel quarantine," she said.

"There have been some exemptions. I don't think the time is right now for those exemptions."

Also on the Sunshine Coast, concerns were raised over a lack of social distancing on a crowded hill at yesterday's NRL clash between the Melbourne Storm and the Newcastle Knights at Sunshine Coast Stadium in Kawana Waters.

"The majority of people were seated, they weren't moving around...I want to commend the NRL for taking that very swift action and letting my office know this morning that they will be reducing the numbers [in the stadium] by 1,000," the Premier said at today's press conference. 

Deputy Premier Steven Miles noted there were now just 12 active cases in Queensland, of whom one in the Metro North region is considered recovered and seven are still in hospital.

"Our contact tracing has progressed well over the weekend," Miles said.

"There are now just 10 remaining contacts outstanding, and our teams will continue to work to contact those people throughout the day.

"We've now tested nearly 510,000 Queenslanders, which is a great result."

Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said there had been an increase in turnaround times for test results from the usual 17 hours to beween 31 and 38 hours, but teams were now working to bring the timeframe down to under 24 hours.

Queenslanders with symptoms or who have been to venues registered as attended by coronavirus-positive cases are urged to get tested and stay in self-isolation until they receive a negative result. 

The recent cluster that has emerged in Brisbane's south and the Logan corridor led the Northern Territory to declare Brisbane, Ipswich and Logan as COVID-19 hotspots on Friday afternoon.

This means the NT border will effectively be closed to people who have been in these areas in the past 14 days, and if they do enter the territory they will need to go into hotel quarantine at their own expense.

Updated at 11:07am AEST on 3 August 2020.

State of Disaster: Melbourne enters Stage 4 lockdown

Significant new restrictions, including an evening curfew and strict travel restrictions, were imposed in Melbourne overnight as the city entered into Stage 4 COVID-19 restrictions.

The new restrictions will last for at least six weeks until Sunday 13 September, with a curfew from 8pm to 5am every night imposed as part of the new State of Disaster. 

Melburnians are only be permitted to leave home for work, medical care and caregiving, and can only travel up to five kilometres from their place of residence, including for shopping for essentials.

"Where you slept last night is where you'll need to stay for the next six weeks. There'll be exemptions for partners who live apart and for work, if required," says Andrews.

In addition, regional Victoria will enter into Stage 3 restrictions from 11:59pm on Wednesday in order to curb the spread of the virus outside of Melbourne.

The announcement came yesterday afternoon alongside news the state had recorded 671 new confirmed infections since Saturday, with 6,322 active infections in Victoria.

Seven more people died from COVID-19 in Victoria at the time of Andrews' announcement, taking the state's death toll to 123.

"We must do more. We must go harder. It's the only way we'll get to the other side of this," says Andrews.

"Our health experts tell us the measures we've introduced are working. But too slowly.

"The current rate of community transmission - mystery cases that cannot be traced back to work or home - is far too high.

"Based on the current numbers, cases might begin to drop off not in days or weeks - but in months. Months more of lockdown restrictions. Months more of 300, 400, 500 cases a day."

What are the new rules under Stage 4?

In addition to the curfew and the five km movement restrictions exercise will be limited to a maximum of one hour per day and no more than five km from the home. Only two people can exercise together.

Shopping will be limited to one person per household per day, with the five km rule to apply.

Restaurants and cafes will be allowed to remain open for takeaway and home delivery, while bottle shops will also be allowed to continue trading.

Andrews also says to expect public transport schedules to be reduced to a "fraction" of what they were.

Study at TAFE and university must be done remotely and from Wednesday at 11:59pm, weddings in Melbourne cannot occur.

Face coverings will continue to be compulsory and all schools will return to remote and flexible learning.

Restrictions on funerals will remain unchanged, allowing 10 mourners plus those conducting the ceremony.

Mitchell Shire on the same page as regional VIC

Based on current COVID-19 numbers outside of Melbourne Andrews has imposed Level 3 restrictions in regional Victoria.

Mitchell Shire will join the rest of regional Victoria and stay on the same Level 3 restrictions it has been experiencing for the last few weeks.

This means there will only be four reasons to be out of the house: shopping for food and essential items, care and caregiving, daily exercise, and work & study.

Businesses will be subject to these restrictions too, meaning restaurants and cafes can only offer delivery and takeaway.

Beauty and personal services will need to close, entertainment and cultural venues will need to shut and community sport will stopped too.

Face coverings will be made compulsory and regional schools will return to remote and flexible learning.

"I know that will cause a certain level of anxiety and uncertainty. But the truth is, this is complex - and we're going to take some extra time to make sure we get these calls right," says Andrews.

"The whole way through this, I promised to be upfront. So I'll say this now. This will be imperfect. And for a little while, there'll be more questions than answers.

"It's why I'm asking something else of Victorians - please be calm, please be kind, please be patient."

The declaration of a State of Disaster will give police greater power to enforce these new rules like the curfew and to prevent crowds from gathering at places like supermarkets.

Andrews said in a statement to expect more information sometime today about changes to workplaces and how Stage 4 restrictions will impact businesses.

Victoria invests in research to better understand COVID-19

Today, Victoria announced the beneficiaries of the state's $5.5 million COVID-19 research fund to back cutting-edge medical research projects to better understand, prevent and treat the coronavirus.

The Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) will use human-derived stem cells to better understand the virus's effects on different organ systems in the body, including the lung, heart, kidneys, brain, immune system and blood vessels, to support the development of targeted treatments.

The multi-agency study - which includes partners from the Doherty Institute, Monash University, and the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute - has benefitted from Australia-first custom-built stem cell processing equipment with sections sourced from Japan and Switzerland.

Among other grant recipients, the Burnet Institute and University of Melbourne will conduct separate studies focusing on improving the understanding of COVID-19 immunity, while Barwon Health will conduct a study in regional Victoria to determine the long-term biological, physiological and psychological impacts of coronavirus.

Alfred Health, Eastern Health and Bendigo Health will undertake projects examining the impacts of coronavirus on the workforce, with a focus on healthcare and other frontline workers.

Separately, the Victorian Medical Research Acceleration Fund will provide $3 million to fund 12 projects across a range of research fields, including a team at RMIT that is exploring a new way to manage viral infections, which could allow for the repurposing of existing drugs to fight coronavirus.

"It is becoming clear this virus can cause longer-term damage to the body's vital organs," says Theme Director of Cell Biology at MCRI Professor Melissa Little.

"Our new research program will generate a wide variety of stem cell derived human tissues to improve our understanding of disease pathology, change clinical care and hasten the rollout of targeted treatment options."

Updated at 9:17am AEST on 3 August 2020.

One in four COVID-19 cases not at home in Victoria, 627 new infections today

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews (pictured) has revealed one in four people infected with COVID-19 are not at home when health authorities come doorknocking.

This disturbing figure was announced alongside the news Victoria crossed the 10,000 cumulative cases mark today with 627 new infections of COVID-19.

Andrews says the Australian Defence Force (ADF) has been ramping up doorknocking efforts over the course of this week and completed more than 500 home visits to positive COVID-19 cases yesterday.

Of those 500 visits more than 130 people were not found at home when the ADF came knocking, meaning one in four are not at home when they should be.

More than 100 of these people have been referred to the Victorian police for breaching COVID-19 restrictions.

"It is simply unacceptable for you to have this virus and not be at home," says Andrews.

"There may be a handful that are out and getting some fresh air; that does not explain these numbers. These numbers go well and truly beyond anything like that and all that will do is spread the virus."

In addition to the 627 new infections of COVID-19 reported today there have been eight more deaths, four of which are from aged care settings.

There are currently 349 people in hospital and 39 in intensive care.

Andrews says because of the high numbers of new cases, including yesterday's record number of new infections, the state and Federal governments are assessing the data to figure out a path forward.

It comes as Victoria crossed the half-way mark of a six-week Stage 3 lockdown imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19 on Wednesday.

"It is clear to all of us that these numbers are still far too high," says Andrews.

"We will spend the next day or so looking through in fine detail, analysing the data, looking for trends, looking to have a really clear sense of exactly what is presenting and exactly what the nature of our challenge is.

"We could not open up with these numbers. Even with significantly less and less numbers. So it may well be the case, and the data may well bear this out and the best advice may well come to me that we need to take further steps; that the steps we've taken are not enough to pull this up."

Victorian Businesses access support grants

The Premier also provided an update on the state's grants to businesses, revealing 12,600 companies had accessed the $5,000 emergency support grant.

Further, 215 tourism businesses have accessed an industry-specific grant designed to soften the blow from the second round of Melbourne lockdowns.

Of the original $10,000 grant Andrews says 77,600 businesses have been paid to date, but applications for those funds are still open so the number is expected grow.

"We're making good progress on those - obviously we'll continue to process those applications," says Andrews.

"My team is working very hard to make sure that those payments are made on time."

As for the $300 emergency payment to individuals in financial distress due to COVID-19 testing restrictions Andrews says 5,200 people have applied.

Thus far 4,200 have been paid out, equating to around $1.26 million in payments to date.

Updated at 11:34am AEST on 31 July 2020.

One new case in QLD ahead of border closure to Sydneysiders

Queensland authorities have reported one new case of COVID-19 linked to the Korean restaurant Madtongsan IV in Sunnybank, which was among the venues attended by two 19-year-old women who ignored health directives after returning home from Melbourne. 

The new COVID-19 case is a 27-year-old man from Bellbird Park who is believed to be a relative of one of the cases who attended the Sunnybank restaurant on 23 July.

One of his relatives who may be the source of the infection works at Bolton Clarke Aged Care Facility in Pinjarra Hills.

"It's very important that if anyone else was at that Korean restaurant...if you have any concerns, if you are feeling the slightest bit unwell, you must go and get tested," Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told a press conference this morning.

"We still have 11 active cases, and I can confirm in the last 24 hours we have had 9,076 tests that have been conducted."

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said 1,500 contacts have now been traced to three recent cases, underlying how important it is for restaurants to keep records of their patrons.

"They allow us to contact people quickly who may have been exposed to the disease," he said.

"It also underlines how important it is that everybody checks that list of places where we think people who have been infected has been.

Premier Palaszczuk reiterated a previous announcement that from 1am tomorrow Greater Sydney will be considered a COVID-19 hotspot. This means people coming to Queensland who have been in that area within 14 days will be turned away, unless they are Queensland residents in which case they must enter hotel quarantine at their own expense.

"There will be delays at the border so think about your travel plans, and think about where you need to go and think about the timing of those journeys," she said.

"I'm not making any apologies for those delays because our police have a very important job to do."

A total of 34 local government areas (LGAs) in Sydney will be considered hotspots, adding 31 LGAs to the existing hotspots Liverpool City, Fairfield City and Campbelltown City, as well as the whole state of Victoria.

Anyone entering Queensland is required to complete a border declaration pass which is valid for seven days, and providing false information or entering Queensland unlawfully could result in a $4,003 fine.

"Today is the day that Queenslanders who are currently in Sydney and who would like to return without going into quarantine must return," added Deputy Premier Miles.

Photo: Google Maps

Updated at 10:39am AEST on 31 July 2020.

Sydney: Health alert for venues in Surry Hills, Cabramatta, Marrickville

Last night NSW Health put out health warnings for three locations attended by confirmed COVID-19 cases: Harpoon and Hotel Harry in Surry Hills, Tan Viet in Cabramatta and Matinee Coffee in Marrickville.

These venues are in addition to a warning for Fitness First St Leonards, advised earlier yesterday.

A confirmed case who had been at the Apollo Restaurant in Potts Point on 25 July also attended Harpoon and Hotel Harry in Surry Hills on 26 July from 2.15pm to 11pm in the indoor dining areas.

"People who attended Harpoon and Hotel Harry for two hours in the above time period must self-isolate and get tested and stay isolated for a full 14 days, even if the test is negative. If symptoms develop, get tested again," NSW Health said.

The same advice has been given to people who attended Tan Viet in Cabramatta on 23 July, where a case relating to the funeral gatherings cluster attended, as well as patrons of Matinee Coffee in Marrickville between 8-9am on 26 July and 7-7:45am on 27 July.

Earlier it was revealed another infected person linked to the Potts Point cluster had been to Fitness First St Leonards on Monday July 27 between 9-10:30am.

The venue has been contacted by NSW Health and closed for a deep clean. 

The case also attended Woolworths, Crow's Nest on Monday July 27 between 10.30-11am.

"Customers and staff at the store during this time are considered casual contacts. They should continue to monitor for symptoms and get tested if they become unwell," NSW Health said.

New infections update

NSW Health has today confirmed another 21 new cases, with almost a third of them linked to the Potts Point cluster.

The new cases are as follows:

• two are linked to the funeral gatherings cluster
• three are associated with the Our Lady of Lebanon cluster
• two are associated with the Thai Rock Wetherill Park cluster
• six are associated with The Apollo restaurant in Potts Point
• two cases are associated with the Mounties Club
• two are returned travellers in hotel quarantine
• one case was acquired in Victoria
• two are under investigation
• one case is linked to a known case that is under investigation.

NSW Health can advise the Everlearn Childcare Centre in Prestons will be reopening, after a suspected case has subsequently  tested as negative. The Centre will resume normal operations on Monday.

There are now 94 cases associated with Thai Rock Wetherill Park, 57 cases associated with the Crossroads Hotel cluster, eight cases associated with Batemans Bay Soldiers Club, and 23 associated with the funeral events and three associated with Mounties in Mount Pritchard. There are 19 cases associated with the Potts Point cluster.

Originally published at 9:23am on 31 July 2020, updated at Noon on 31 July 2020.

Dine in or walk away? How to tell if a venue is COVID safe in NSW

New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian has called for more businesses to register as COVID Safe, as the state recorded 19 new cases of coronavirus in the 24 hours to 8pm Tuesday night. Berejiklian said:

"If I walk into a venue and I'm not comfortable with how COVID safe that venue is, I'd leave. I expect patrons to do the same."

Good advice and timely, too. As NSW Health's Jeremy McAnulty said on Wednesday, NSW is "at a knife's edge, a critical point".

Here's what to look for when you walk into a bar, cafe or restaurant to know if it's COVID safe and how to know when to walk out the door.

What to look for

Familiarise yourself with the rules business must follow to register as a COVID Safe business in NSW. The rules are here.

Steps to become a COVID Safe business, according to NSW Health.NSW Health

Check to see the venue's COVID Safe certificate is clearly displayed and that they are taking every patron's contact details. If a patron is dining in, the venue must be recording their contact details or checking they are registered with the COVIDSafe app.

If they're not recording people's details in some way, leave. If a COVID-19 positive case visits that venue, contact tracers are unable to do their job unless all patrons' details are recorded.

Check if tables are appropriately spaced and that cutlery, napkins, glasses, plates, bowls or straws aren't left lying on tables even if they are disposable. Nothing should be on the table for people to pick up (or in a tub for patrons to collect themselves). Cutlery and other utensils should be brought out by staff when your order is ready. The idea is to reduce the risk of a COVID-19 positive person handling your utensils.

Your table should be 1.5m away from other tables but I'd even be trying to keep 1.5m from friends at my own table. Personally, I'd also want to see my friends wearing masks (it's different if you're dining with people with whom you live). Even if you or your friend had a COVID-19 test yesterday and it came back negative, that doesn't mean you're negative today. You could have been infected in the past 12 hours.

Watch what happens when a patron leaves. Are staff appropriately sanitising tables and chairs with spray and, ideally, disposable paper towel? They should be.

Look around to see if the venue provides hand sanitiser for patrons and keep an eye on the staff to make sure they are using it too.

Staff, ideally, should be wearing masks, in my view. I know that's not yet compulsory in many places, but masks provide a barrier if a staff member is unknowingly positive. It's hard to make patrons wear masks, because they have to eat, but I'd be looking for the staff to be wearing them (all staff, not just a couple).

Check if the venue is enforcing contactless transactions to reduce the handling of money, cards and pin pads. I know the evidence about the role of surfaces in spreading this coronavirus is still emerging but we should stick to universal precautions if something can be avoided, it should be.

Staff should be limiting the number of patrons at the venue, and the number of patrons allowed in the venue at any one time should be clearly displayed. If people are lining up outside, make sure they are being spaced out too.

In general, aim for an open-air setting if you can, such as a beer garden or an open-air cafe. The more fresh air flow you have around you, the more transmission risk is reduced. Any sort of indoor socialising, where air flow is limited, is inherently risky at the moment in NSW.

When to leave

Breaches of any of the above would be enough to make me want to leave. But here are some more triggers that would make me think, "I'm getting out of here."

If you see staff or patrons with symptoms they have a cough, or cold, or seem unwell leave.

If they are not wiping surfaces or tables, or allowing patrons to come in and seat themselves, leave. Patrons should be shown to tables that have been sanitised.

If the place is starting to fill up and you sense physical distancing is not being observed leave.

A critical point

NSW is at an especially critical point. I'd be very, very careful right now. If I was in a Sydney hotspot, I wouldn't be going out to dinner at all.

NSW is doing a good job of putting out spot fires but any one of those spot fires can flare up if people aren't taking precautions.

If you thinking of going out, and you are wondering if it is risky, then you are better off not doing it. If you feel you have to go, then mitigate your risk by moving the event outside or making sure everyone is distancing and wearing masks.

COVID-19 is a really serious disease that affects young and old. You can get sick or even die, even if you are young and healthy and the evidence on long term effects is worrying. And of course, healthy people can pass it on to someone who is in a high risk category. It's so important that everyone continues to observe the appropriate protocols today. This week. This weekend.

Until COVID-19 either burns out globally or we get a vaccine and neither of those are right on the horizon and may not happen at all then this may become the new normal, sadly.

Infection control measures remain our best chance of keeping the pandemic in check.

Lisa Bricknell, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Health, CQUniversity Australia

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Updated at 4:22pm AEST on 30 July 2020.

Ten NSW venues to be fined for "serious" breaches of COVID-19 restrictions

Venues have been urged to comply with COVID-19 restrictions in New South Wales or face a hefty fine as the state's health authorities prepare to crack down on breaches this weekend.

Ten more venues have been singled out by the Department of Customer Service today for breaches including not having a safety plan, non-compliant record keeping, and a lack of social distancing.

Liquor & Gaming NSW, SafeWork NSW and NSW Fair Trading have visited 410 licenced venues since the new restrictions were introduced, issuing $50,000 in penalty infringement notices for breaches of COVID safety.

Executive director of compliance, Peter Dunphy, has labelled non-compliant behaviour as reckless with the potential to put livelihoods, jobs, and community health at risk.

"It beggars belief that anyone would want to eat, drink and mingle, shoulder to shoulder with others during a pandemic," Mr Dunphy said.

"Pubs, clubs, bars, casinos, cafes and restaurants are high risk for COVID transmission. They are subject to public health order conditions specifically designed to keep them open and keep our communities safe.

"We all need to play it safer - businesses as well as customers."

These ten pubs, clubs, cafes and restaurants will be fined $5,000 each:

• Mapo Galbi Korean BBQ - Gosford
• Natapit Samintkaew - Central Coast
• Thai Thyme - Erina
• Hero Sushi - Erina
• Heart 2 Heart - Cumberland
• Master Hot Pot - Cumberland
• Tamworth Service Club - Tamworth
• Greyhound Social Club Ltd - Yagoona
• Hurlstone Park Hotel - Hurlstone Park
• Kingswood Hotel Kingswood

The NSW Government also announced yesterday that in addition to hospitality premises, gyms will be subject to new public health orders from Saturday 1 August at 12:01am.

"You never know who is filming or taking photos or when police and inspectors might visit your business," Mr Dunphy said.

The warning comes as clusters of COVID-19 infection continue to grow, tracing back to a number of venues in Sydney.

As of today, there are now 89 cases associated with Thai Rock Wetherill Park, 57 cases associated with the Crossroads Hotel cluster, and eight cases associated with Batemans Bay Soldiers Club.

A cluster from The Apollo restaurant in Potts Point has also continued to grow today with four new cases associated with the venue in NSW and two in Queensland.

NSW Health has advised anyone who attended Frank's Pizza Bar Restaurant in Camperdown on 27 July from 6pm to 8pm to monitor for symptoms after a case attended the establishment.

Updated at 4:01pm AEST on 30 July 2020.

Mask rules will cover all of Victoria as new COVID-19 cases climb to 723

After a new daily record of 723 COVID-19 cases in Victoria, Premier Daniel Andrews is rolling out two new measures to "jealously guard" the low number of infections in regional areas.

Masks will be made mandatory across the whole state as of midnight on Sunday, while as of midnight tonight residents in the Geelong corridor will not be allowed to have visitors to their homes. 

Of the 5,385 active cases in the state just 255 are in regional areas, but a high percentage of those happen to be in the Geelong region. 

In response, residents in Colac-Otway, Greater Geelong, Surf Coast, Moorabool, Golden Plains, and the Borough of Queenscliffe, will no longer be allowed to have visitors as of 11:59pm tonight.

"To date, new cases in regional communities have largely been contained to workplaces. Increasingly though in some locations we're seeing a different kind of spread," Andrews said.

"Understandably, there'll be plenty of questions about why this and not that. Why you can have dinner together at a restaurant but not at a mate's place?

"And the simple truth is the data - the data is telling us that outside work this is the single greatest cause of transmission in these communities. People are visiting friends and family and taking the virus home with them."

He said this made sense, as these were the occasions when people tended to let their guards down, relaxing and forgetting about social distancing rules to stay safe. 

There were 13 new deaths overnight, and the total number of confirmed infections since the pandemic began is now just below 10,000.

The Premier said the decision to make masks required state-wide was because it could be implemented without causing a significant economic cost but get a really significant public health benefit.

"I understand this will a big step for some. But by covering your face, you're protecting your community, and protecting those extra freedoms your community enjoys," Andrews said.

"From midnight Sunday, everyone in regional Victoria and therefore everyone across the whole state will have to wear a mask, and I stress, or a face covering, whenever they're out of their home."

Usual exemptions that are now well understood in Metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire, such as strenuous exercise, will also apply to regional Victoria. 

"But I don't think this is the biggest leap...many, many people in regional Victoria where they have that sense that they can't distance, can't maintain that 1.5 metres apart, are already wearing masks," he said. 

"Both these decisions are on the advice of the chief health officer...we have low numbers in regional Victoria, and we want to jealously guard that - we want to keep those numbers low.

"These are preventative steps. They're an abundance of caution approach."

Victorians going to work while sick with COVID-19

Shockingly, Andrews today revealed that there is a small number of people still going to work after testing positive for COVID-19.

He says, as part of Australian Defence Force's doorknocking program, they have come across a number of people who were not at home depsite being infected with the virus and were instead out at work.

"If you're a positive case then you need to be at home and you need to be isolating," says Andrews.

"These numbers today are a reflection of increased cases in aged care, that's one element...But the key point here is that too many people are still going to work when they have symptoms.

"So long as that continues then we will continue to see numbers go up. To put it another way, we will not get businesses reopened and we will not see many businesses survive...as long as people continue to go to work when they are unwell."

A $300 Test Isolation Payment is available to eligible Victorians, including parents and guardians of children, who are required to self-isolate while waiting for the results of a coronavirus test.

Further, a $1,500 payment is available to those who have been asked to self-isolate or quarantine at home either for those diagnosed with coronavirus or those who are a close contact of a confirmed case.

Update: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that there were 732 new cases of COVID-19 in Victoria today. The actual number is 723 new cases.

Updated at 11:35am AEST on 30 July 2020.