Australia investigates if "illegal" medical worker dinner party behind coronavirus bump

[webfact]

Australia investigates if "illegal" medical worker dinner party behind coronavirus bump

By Melanie Burton

 

FILE PHOTO: Police officers patrol near the Sydney Harbour Bridge following the implementation of stricter social-distancing and self-isolation rules to limit the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Sydney, Australia, April 6, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

 

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australian officials are investigating whether an illegal social gathering of health workers is behind a spike in coronavirus cases in the island state of Tasmania, as the government forecast national unemployment to hit 10% by mid-year.

 

Tasmania Premier Pete Gutwein said on Tuesday there has been a 50% spike in the state's COVID-19 cases since Thursday, even as the rate of reported new infections continued to significantly slow across the rest of the country.

 

Local media reported that Australia's Chief Medical Officer, Brendan Murphy, referred to an "illegal dinner party" of medical workers in Tasmania as responsible for the rise in cases to 150 during a briefing with New Zealand officials.

 

"I accept that this is a serious allegation," Gutwein told reporters. "I've asked the Tasmania Police to investigate this matter, and that will be started today."

 

The probe came as Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed the government expects unemployment to double from the current 5.1% to 10% by the end of June, which would mark the first time it has hit double digits since 1994. That equates to around 700,000 people without jobs, the Treasury said.

 

However, Morrison rejected suggestions the jobless rate could soar as high as 20%. Unemployment would have peaked at around 15% without government support measures such as an A$130 billion (66.18 billion pounds) package to keep people in work, aid for universities, and free child care, he said.

 

"We came into this crisis - which is a dual one, a health crisis and an economic crisis - in pretty strong shape," Morrison said on Channel Nine's Today show. "But it is still a big blow. I don't want to lessen that in terms of how we speak of it. It's a serious impact on our economy, it’s impacting people’s livelihoods and it's heartbreaking."

 

New Zealand on Tuesday forecast its own unemployment rate to reach 26% if tough lockdown measures are extended.

 

Australia's national statistics office is due to report March jobless figures this week.

 

Australia has reported around 6,350 COVID-19 cases and 41 deaths at a rate that has continued to slow, but officials cautioned that recent numbers may have been thinned out by lower testing over the four-day Easter holiday weekend.

 

Morrison said it was still too early to consider lifting social distancing requirements or allowing businesses to reopen. Most Australians must stay at home unless they have a medical appointment, are going grocery shopping or taking exercise, and cannot meet in groups of more than two.

 

"No country has found their way out of this yet and Australia is in a better position than most ... we want to keep it that way," Morrison told Channel Seven's Sunrise program, adding that officials were looking at ways to help restart the construction, manufacturing and agriculture industries.

 

(Reporting by Melanie Burton; editing by Jane Wardell)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-04-14

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[marko kok prong]

Well at least they are in the right place,if found guilty,must be some old chain and leg irons lying around somewhere,not to mention some cat 'o' nines.

[DoctorG]

Obviously could not find a photo of Tasmania. ????

 

[ballpoint]

3 minutes ago, DoctorG said:

Obviously could not find a photo of Tasmania. ????

 

I'd post a map of Tasmania, but that sort of thing isn't allowed here.

[samran]

30 minutes ago, DoctorG said:

Obviously could not find a photo of Tasmania. ????

 

Noticed that. A picture of Sydney, reporter in Melbourne talking about Tasmania.

 

Partly understandable give they’ve closed off their borders and you’d need to have a journo in NE Tassie. 

[Gillyflower]

3 hours ago, DoctorG said:

Obviously could not find a photo of Tasmania. ????

 

Well I was quite happy seeing the bridge.  My school was at the town beginning of it and I saw the old bridge every day of my school life

Edited April 14, 2020 by Gillyflower

[marquis22]

5 hours ago, marko kok prong said:

Well at least they are in the right place,if found guilty,must be some old chain and leg irons lying around somewhere,not to mention some cat 'o' nines.

Also cannot send the 2 bob poms home as no flights available....

[damian]

2 hours ago, Gillyflower said:

Well I was quite happy seeing the bridge.  My school was at the town beginning of it and I saw the old bridge every day of my school life

St. Alo's? Me too.

[owenm]

Most Australians must stay at home unless they have a medical appointment, are going grocery shopping or taking exercise, and cannot meet in groups of more than two.

 

But one can still have their haircut, go to Bunnings to purchase hardware, JB and Harvey's for anything electronic, photographic stores are open if they have sufficient customers to be viable to remain open. And these retail stores are still considered as essential businesses but the casualties have been the closure nationwide of Myer, H&M, international chains and many independent smaller businesses. The message is everyone must stay at home, but if you want to buy a TV, a can of paint or have your haircut, that's still legally ok..

 

But if you want to sit on a park bench to eat a takeaway burger, you risk a $1500 fine in Melbourne, but walking past and exercising is ok.. Go figure.. 

[ripstanley]

Here is the latest.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-14/dinner-party-linked-to-hospital-coronavirus-outbreak/12146132

[Tropposurfer]

How is Australia’s economy in good shape Mr Morrison? Oh that’s right as long as you lie and fudge the numbers and are obsessed with using deficit levels as a yardstick to measure whether you have a healthy economy Or not then your spot on! 
Health system in crisis before Covid came along. Wages stagnant for years, cost of living Ridiculously expensive and still going up, petrol

ridiculously expensive, water systems in meltdown, power grids unable to cope with demand, some of the most expensive real estate in the world, an ageing obsolete transport system, a cost of living that sees a huge swathe of Australian families living week to week, farmers struggling. Damage to the land by poor practices and no leadership nationally to care fir a dry country by continued bare ground farming and poor To nearly nil reforestation. Our land being sold out from underneath us to foreign buyers! Yeah that’s right TF readers Australian law allows foreign ownership of property with no limits! Million yes millions of acres of land being sold to foreigners. A banking system that has been fined mega fines fir corrupt illegal

practices spanning decades (common knowledge yet uninvestigated by successive federal govts until 2018). Banks sees huge profits every year and offers customers <deleted> returns on accounts and investments. 
oh! I forgot to wish you all

a good day????

 

[Odysseus123]

44 minutes ago, Tropposurfer said:

How is Australia’s economy in good shape Mr Morrison? Oh that’s right as

Wow..and all that is the good stuff....????