Australia suffers 'disturbing' COVID-19 surge, state curbs wedding parties

[snoop1130]

Australia suffers 'disturbing' COVID-19 surge, state curbs wedding parties

By Colin Packham

 

FILE PHOTO: People walk in the city centre on the first day of New South Wales' further eased coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions in Sydney, Australia, July 1, 2020. Picture taken through a glass window. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

 

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's Victoria state reported a record daily increase in COVID-19 cases on Friday while neighbouring New South Wales said it was banning dancing, singing and mingling at weddings as authorities struggle to contain a new wave of infections.

 

Victoria, which has forced nearly 5 million people in the country's second most populous state into a partial lockdown for more than a week, said it has found 428 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, most from community transmission.

 

The Victoria outbreak led to Australia posting its second biggest one-day rise in new COVID-19 infections, with 438 cases on Friday. It was largest 24-hour spike since late March, when most cases detected in Australia were people returning from overseas.

 

"These are large numbers today, that is disturbing," Australia's acting Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly told reporters in Canberra before striking a more upbeat note.

 

"Be patient... we are starting to get on top of the situation in Victoria."

 

The surge in new cases reinforced expectations that Victoria will implement tougher restrictions on residents.

 

"We are in the fight of our lives," Victoria state's Minister for Health Jenny Mikakos told reporters in Melbourne.

 

The state has already extended a ban on international arrivals by three weeks to at least Aug. 8, Melbourne Airport said.

 

Stricter restrictions would inevitably crimp economic activity in a country facing its first recession in nearly three decades. Data released on Thursday showed unemployment at a 22-year high.

 

WEDDING DAMPENER

 

Australia has recorded just over 11,000 cases of COVID-19.

 

The death toll rose to 116 after the death of three people in Victoria on Friday, still well below many other countries.

 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said his government will provide any assistance needed, as he urged against panic.

 

"We would not have expected to see the results of the lockdown measures put in place in Victoria as yet," Morrison told reporters.

 

Australia and New Zealand had hoped to open their borders to each other in September, but the start of any "travel bubble" appears to be delayed.Amid fears of a national second wave, Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews urged residents to wear masks when outside, having previously only asked those around Melbourne, the state capital, to cover their face.

 

Victoria's neighbours have closed inter-state borders and renewed social distancing restrictions.

 

New South Wales (NSW), Australia's most populous state, said it has found eight cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, mostly from community transmissions believed to have emanated from Victoria.

 

NSW state Premier Gladys Berejiklian said new restrictions will be imposed from next week.

 

Funerals and places of worship will be allowed no more than 100 people. Venues must also ensure they have 4 square metres of space per patron.

 

Weddings in the state will be capped at 150 people, Berejiklian said, and they must remain seated.

 

"No dancing, no singing, no mingling," Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney.

 

Less than a month ago, Australia was widely heralded as a global leader in combating COVID-19.

 

But security lapses in Victoria led to people returning from overseas spreading the virus, prompting an inquiry into how the state went from the brink of eradicating the virus to soaring infection numbers.

 

State Premier Andrews is under mounting pressure, with one of Australia's biggest selling tabloid newspapers running a front page with the headline: "Dan-made disaster."

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-07-17

 

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[Dumbastheycome]

Just  been  chatting  with a  friend in  OZ.

The  complete  screw ups  he has  described  over the  last   2 months  make it  remarkable this did not happen  sooner !.

 

[Chassa]

OK That's Vic and NSW. What about the bit that's left!

[samran]

12 minutes ago, Chassa said:

OK That's Vic and NSW. What about the bit that's left!

No one cares about South Australia..

[Chassa]

1 minute ago, samran said:

No one cares about South Australia..

Or the NT and WA - Ex bush boy!

[DoctorG]

Qld is still good atm but all the partying going on in the club district might turn that around at any moment.

[cantata]

7 minutes ago, DoctorG said:

Qld is still good atm but all the partying going on in the club district might turn that around at any moment.

So Qld is still allowing the kind of behavior that led to massive spikes in the USA? Might turn that around? If what you say is the case, then there's no reason at all to doubt that it will.

[samran]

26 minutes ago, DoctorG said:

Qld is still good atm but all the partying going on in the club district might turn that around at any moment.

Isn’t the border with NSW still open? Sydney headed towards a lockdown I feel and that’s just going to migrate north if they don’t close off the roads. 

[jaiyen]

2 hours ago, Chassa said:

Or the NT and WA - Ex bush boy!

Here in Perth there is no problem, at the moment. The premier has set some very strict rules and they have worked. The people support the border lockdown. The big test will be the fact that there was a big footy match last night with no social distancing and people cramming onto trains. Will wait and see what happens in a few weeks. Perth is one of the best places in the world right now.

[car720]

16 minutes ago, jaiyen said:

Here in Perth there is no problem, at the moment. The premier has set some very strict rules and they have worked. The people support the border lockdown. The big test will be the fact that there was a big footy match last night with no social distancing and people cramming onto trains. Will wait and see what happens in a few weeks. Perth is one of the best places in the world right now.

yep, almost on par with Queensland.

[Chassa]

6 hours ago, jaiyen said:

The big test will be the fact that there was a big footy match last night

saw it on the TV

 

5 hours ago, car720 said:

yep, almost on par with Queensland.

What about the NT?

[Sujo]

10 minutes ago, Chassa said:

saw it on the TV

 

What about the NT?

NT i think is ok. They banned victorians.

[Sujo]

8 hours ago, samran said:

Isn’t the border with NSW still open? Sydney headed towards a lockdown I feel and that’s just going to migrate north if they don’t close off the roads. 

I think they openned the border but shut it again.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 7/17/2020 at 10:38 PM, snoop1130 said:

"We are in the fight of our lives," Victoria state's Minister for Health Jenny Mikakos told reporters in Melbourne.

It's rhetoric like that that annoys me. Corona is not threatening everyone with death. Apparently most don't even know they have it till they get a positive test result.

[car720]

17 hours ago, Chassa said:

What about the NT?

The NT is great.  That is why it is part of Queensland.