Andrews says:
To do so many tests and have no new cases is a testament to the coronavirus detective work that is being done by our team and the partnership that we have with the Victorian community,.
He says there are “the better part of 2,000, 2,5000 people” who are currently in isolation as close contacts.
They are doing their iso to protect all of us… it’s no small thing to spend these holiday weeks locked up at home but it is incredibly important to observe that isolation period.
Victorian premier Daniel Andrews is back from leave and speaking now in Melbourne.
He starts by saying he is deeply grateful to the more than 32,000 Victorians who got a test yesterday. That’s the fourth day in a row over 30,000.
Waiting times are right down, they are around an hour, an hour and a half a most, that’s what we’re hearing, and you get your results back in 24 hours.
You can follow our global coverage of the coronavirus crisis here:
The safety messages at the SCG have been playing on repeat.
If you are interested in the third test, and safely staying away, you can follow the match live here:
Apologies, I said Daniel Andrews would speak at 10.15am — it’s 10.45am.
The rollout of Covid-19 vaccines will be on the agenda at the national cabinet meeting tomorrow. The government had set a target of administering the first vaccines in Australia in late March, but has now brought that forward by a month.
From AAP:
Australia will be among the first countries to conditionally approve the Pfizer vaccine for Covid-19. It’s one of four vaccinations the government has purchased.
Health minister Greg Hunt has set an October target for broad community vaccination.
Frontline workers including those involved in hotel quarantine and border control, health workers and aged care residents would be included in the first round of the rollout.
We are standing by to hear from Victorian premier Daniel Andrews, who was scheduled to speak at 10.15am.
He is a bit delayed. There is, as I’m sure you know, a bit on.
If you want to follow our live coverage of what’s happening in the US, it’s here:
People travelling to Tasmania will be allowed to take their car on the TT-Line for free under a $6m tourism package from the federal government.
The free car travel will kick in from 1 March and run to 30 June. Tasmania currently has some travel restrictions in place with Victoria, which is where the Sprit of Tasmania departs the mainland. It’s limited to people who have been at an exposure site, listed here. Hopefully there won’t be any travel restrictions in place by March.
Deputy prime minister, Michael McCormack, said on Thursday:
Covid-19 has significantly affected tourism in Tasmania and the number of passenger vehicles travelling across Bass Strait.
Australians can take their car or motorbike to the Apple Isle at zero cost and discover everything this beautiful state has to offer – a win-win for both Tasmanians and visitors looking to discover more of what the island has to offer.
Booking on the Spirit of Tasmania have dropped 85% since the pandemic began.
I am kind of surprised that fall is not greater – Tasmania has had border restrictions in place with Victoria for most of the last 10 months.
Victorian premier Daniel Andrews is back from annual leave and will hold a press conference with the health minister, Martin Foley, as well as the deputy chief health officer at 10.15am today.
Australian prime minister Scott Morrison has tweeted a statement about the insurrection of the US Capitol building.
He says:
We condemn these acts of violence and look forward to a peaceful transfer of Government to the newly elected administration in the great American democratic tradition.
The RSPCA in Tasmania says it is “deeply saddened” by the death of a horse at the Devonport Cup, which was held in north-west Tasmania yesterday.
The gelding, called Douglass, was euthanaised after he crashed into the barrier during race three, just 100m from the finish line.
RSPCA Tasmania chief executive Jan Davis said:
We are deeply saddened to hear of the death of yet another horse on a Tasmanian racecourse. During this difficult time, the RSPCA extends sincere sympathies to those who contributed to Douglas’s care.
The frequency of catastrophic injury in horse races is of grave concern to the RSPCA – and to all Tasmanians who care for animals.
On average, at least two horses die every week on Australian racecourses, so the sad fact is that this death was a tragic but hardly unforeseeable outcome.
Davis said the incident highlighted the need for the racing industry to work with the RSPCA and other stakeholders to improve animal welfare outcomes.
Whenever there is an adverse outcome for an animal, as there was in this race, our expectation is that there will be a comprehensive review to identify ways to avoid injury or trauma to racehorses in the future.
The Tasmanian community expects the racing industry to make every effort to minimise the risk to horses, so these processes must be public, transparent and timely.
Back in Australia now, an emergency warning remains in place for the Red Gully fire north of Perth in Western Australia.
Residents in Ocean Drive, Ocean Farms Estate, and Seaview Park have been told to immediately enact their bushfire safety plan, and been told it may be too late for them to leave safely.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services WA has issued this message:
Wind changes have the potential to rapidly escalate fire behaviour. Very hot and dry weather conditions are forecast for the next three days. These conditions will test containment lines and potentially put coastal communities at risk. Residents of Ocean Farms Estate and Seaview Park need to remain on high alert and enact their bushfire survival plan now. If you plan to leave, leave now if safe to do so via Indian Ocean Drive in a southerly direction. Your life may be in danger if you stay.
Please note a community meeting will be held at 11am today, Thursday 7 January at Guilderton Country Club, Wedge Street, Guilderton.
AAP has reported that firefighters have slowed the spread of the bushfire, which began on Saturday and has now burned through 9,500ha, with a perimeter of more than 100km.
AAP reported:
Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm said the efforts of ground crews and aerial support on Wednesday managed to halt the western flank of the fire about 3km from Ocean Farms Estate.
But he said there was still a considerable amount of work to be done in the face of more hot, dry and windy conditions in the days ahead.
“The next two or three days are going to be particularly challenging for fire services,” he said.
“These conditions are not something we’ve seen for the last two or three years.
“There hasn’t been that typical strong easterly weather that we’ve been experiencing the last four days with gusts of up to 80km/hour.
“It makes it incredibly difficult for firefighters. Not only is it not safe to put firefighters at the head of the fire in those types of circumstances but it’s also incredibly difficult once fire hops over, to be able to get around and put it out.”
There have been no reports of homes being lost, but pine plantations, olive groves and some sheds are believed to have been damaged.
About 200 firefighters are battling the blaze with strong aerial support, including two of the large air tankers flown in from Victoria.
This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk