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.
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.
South Australia Premier Steven Marshall announces mandatory Coronavirus test from Victoria within 24 hours of their arrival and will be forced to wear a face mask when they do so.
All travelers would be required to self-isolate for 14 days, submit for a COVID-19 test within 24 hours, and again 12 days later.
The World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledged “evidence emerging” of the airborne spread of the novel coronavirus.
Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead on the coronavirus pandemic at the WHO, told a news briefing that “We have been talking about the possibility of airborne transmission and aerosol transmission as one of the modes of transmission of COVID-19,”.
The Federal Government is considering bringing forward planned income tax cuts forward as part of Coronavirus economic response..
Mr Frydenberg said further income support would be made available after the September deadline for JobKeeper and JobSeeker. Major banks had agreed to extend the period under which loans could be deferred by people facing financial hardship due to COVID-19.
Greater Melbourne and Mitchell Shire will go into lockdown for six weeks, to deal with a surge in coronavirus cases in the state.
With the recent spread of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, people are looking to face masks as a way of protecting themselves and others from the virus, which causes the disease COVID-19.
But does wearing a face mask prevents the spread of coronaviruses?
Yes, wearing a face mask can help reduce the spread of the coronavirus by people who have COVID-19 but don’t realize it.
On 5 June 2020, WHO published updated guidance on the use of face masks for control of COVID-19. This guidance is based on evolving evidence and provides updated advice on who should wear a mask when it should be worn and what it should be made of.
World Health Organization updates guidelines on Masks.
Notably in areas with widespread infection:
All people working in clinical areas should wear medical masks
People over 60 years of age or with underlying conditions should wear a medical mask
Governments should encourage the general public to wear masks where physical distancing is difficult, such as on public transport.
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Except from todays WHO announcement, here is what’s new:
In areas with the widespread transmission, WHO advises medical masks for all people working in clinical areas of a health facility, not only workers dealing with patients with COVID-19.
That means, for example, that when a doctor is doing a ward round on the cardiology or palliative care units where there are no confirmed COVID-19 patients, they should still wear a medical mask.
Second, in areas with community transmission, we advise that people aged 60 years or over, or those with underlying conditions, should wear a medical mask in situations where physical distancing is not possible.
Third, WHO has also updated its guidance on the use of masks by the general public in areas with community transmission.
In light of evolving evidence, WHO advises that governments should encourage the general public to wear masks where there is widespread transmission and physical distancing is difficult, such as on public transport, in shops or in other confined or crowded environments.
Our updated guidance contains new information on the composition of fabric masks, based on academic research requested by WHO. Based on this new research, WHO advises that fabric masks should consist of at least three layers of a different material. Details of which materials we recommend for each layer are in the guidelines.
In an open letter, 239 researchers from 32 countries will call on the WHO to change its recommendations regarding the form of protection against the new coronavirus.
Professor Morawska said, “Studies by the signatories and other scientists have demonstrated beyond any reasonable doubt that viruses are exhaled in microdroplets small enough to remain aloft in the air and pose a risk of exposure beyond 1m to 2m by an infected person”.
Australian officials are closing the border between Australia’s two most populous states for an indefinite period as they scramble to contain an outbreak of the coronavirus in the city of Melbourne.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Melbourne, Victoria’s capital, has surged in recent days. For the first time, the border between Victoria and New South Wales has been shut in 100 years. Officials last blocked movement between the two states in 1919 during the Spanish flu pandemic.
