Prime Minister Scott Morrison has spoken to Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to discuss necessary support during the state’s second wave of COVID-19.
Scott Morrison says the response to the second wave of Covid-19 infections cannot be shutting the country down to try to eliminate the virus, and he’s moved to reassure people his government will not be withdrawing income support “for those in need”.
Scott Morrison has announced that Australia will reduce the rate of international arrivals by more than half – with at least 4,000 fewer Australians returning home each week – and states will charge people for compulsory two-week hotel quarantine.
The national cabinet met to consider the worsening second-wave outbreak, which has seen the reimposition of stage-three lockdowns in Melbourne and isolated Victoria with border bans imposed by every state and territory.
Football Federation Australia (FFA) said, three A-League clubs who were unable to leave Melbourne before the city went into lockdown due to Coronavirus have been given exemptions to travel to a hub in New South Wales ahead of the competition’s restart.
The FFA said the teams would travel to NSW as soon as possible to an “agreed facility” where they would quarantine for 14 days. With the season resuming on July 16, the Melbourne teams’ matches will have to be postponed.
Lord Mayor Sally Capp said Melbourne is now at risk of losing a significant chunk of its iconic restaurant and cafe scene, a sector that contributes $2.5 billion each year to the state’s economy.
Many businesses are bracing for another “devastating” blow as more than 15 per cent say they will be forced to close for good during the city’s second coronavirus-induced lockdown.
