The three new cases are all believed to be linked to the apartment building where the removalists worked without face coverings. Guardian Australia spoke to more than 40 people about how they were feeling at the start of the third year of the pandemic. Regardless of your political stripes, or whether you felt all of the calls Victorian health authorities made were always the right ones, no one can doubt the commitment of the government and health authorities to get Victoria through the pandemic, and to communicate with Victorians. As of this date, the city was expected to be locked down until "late October". As the Covid years continue we are losing our magical thinking it will go away and not be a changing burden to our life, she says. Around her, in the suburbs of Melbourne, Covid cases are soaring. If the devastating impact of COVID on aged-care centres is not enough to catalyse meaningful reform in this sector in Australia, then nothing will. Here we are in early January 2022 and it's a wet day today (Sunday) in Melbourne, even though it's summer. It now feels as though it is going to define parts of my life trajectory where I was hoping it wouldnt, she says. Earlier, one locally acquired case was announced before a press conference at 11.30am where a further seven cases were announced. are permitted to leave the ship in Sydney without being tested for Covid-19. Sydneyis released from lockdown on 'freedom day'. The lockdown will be in place until 11.59pm on June 3, with the following restrictions also coming into effect: People must remain within a 5km radius of their home when shopping or. Many like Cooper have gone into self-isolation to protect themselves or a vulnerable loved one. 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But as a wave of Omicron infections wreaks havoc across workplaces and the healthcare system, data suggests Victorians are voting with their feet and staying close to home. These include the reasons listed in Victoria, in addition to things like attending weddings or funerals. Around one third of businesses in Melbournes Chapel Street precinct have had to shut or reduce hours in recent weeks due to Covid-induced staff shortages. Lockdown orders end for Sydney's northern beaches. A man who had flown from Guandong, China, to Melbourne on January 19, 2020, tests positive for Covid-19, becoming Australias first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus. But as the initial challenges with the vaccine rollout highlighted, theres still more work to do. In the past fortnight none of my patients have gone to ICU. Were very keen to make sure we get a very firm grip of this as soon as we possibly can, Mr Weimar said. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. The Australian government has since ordered $62m worth of rapid antigen tests. Thats no-ones fault, it is the nature of this virus and people are making their own choices, to not go out as much as they might have., To join the conversation, please It's what young people do and we don't begrudge them that," he said. Victoria on Thursday confirmed. Daniel Andrews must end this shadow lockdown and stop imposing 2020 style restrictions on family run cafes, retailers, restaurants and businesses and must immediately provide the support needed for their survival.. Gyms and fitness studios can reopen with up to ten people per class and 100 people in an indoor venue; Childrens sport and community sports competition can resume; and. "We need to see the numbers decrease. But most importantly it kept the community focused on what was needed to bring the virus under control. Far fewer know their real story. of the novel coronavirus. This is how the news unfolded on Wednesday. Authorities confirmed seven cases were linked to a returned family and a crew of removalists, who both came into the state from NSW. The state's health systems are under growing pressure, as the wave of infections sends staff into isolation at the same time COVID-19 patients are growing. 'Cautious' Duke 'was careful not to attack members of the Royal family' says Royal watcher amid fears he 'He's completely beige drained of all his feisty ginger life-blood': JULIE BURCHILL'S verdict on Prince 'I felt different to the rest of my family - and my mum felt the same': Prince Harry opens up on his 'broken 'Hallucinogens have helped me to clean the windscreen of my troubled mind': Prince Harry extols the use of A 14-year-old autistic boy's naive prank. We uncover the best of the city and put it all in an email for you. Sydney Aquarium staff bring their dogsto the closed aquarium to see the fish. Friday will finally see the entire state of Victoria exit lockdown after. By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. They are also furious that the virus was spread to Melbourne by removalists who failed to follow the rules of their workers' permit, did not wear masks and have not been cooperating with authorities. My husband is working overtime, heaps of chefs and [front-of-house staff are] unwell or close contacts, and there is no support. All times AEDT (GMT +11). The government is also looking at providing free rapid antigen tests to help curb the spread of the virus as well as relieving pressure off medical workers. Mr Weimar revealed on Wednesday that the removalists were in Melbourne on a workers' permit but that they did not wear masks inside the apartment building. NSW has recorded 97 new Covid-19 cases in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. His wife was the second. Victoria recorded eight new cases on Wednesday, seven of them linked to a returned family and a crew of removalists, who both came into the state from NSW. His deputy leader said the state government is not considering adding to the world-record 262 days Melbourne has spent in lockdown since the Covid pandemic began, 'The promise was if you go and get vaccinated, you can enjoy Christmasand New Year with your families and loved ones and that's exactly what will happen.'. The ship is later linked to up to 900 infections of Covid-19. This resulted in the state being able to emerge from the final lockdown five days ahead of schedule and the return of freedoms so desperately desired. Victoria on Thursday confirmed another 2,005 new infections and ten deaths - up from the 1,503 cases recorded on Wednesday. Despite the Government trumpeting no more lockdowns once vaccine targets were met, isolation requirements, coupled with density limits and further restrictions have left Victoria in a shadow lockdown, he said. The first person in Australia to die of Covid-19 dies in a Western Australia hospital. Crises expose weaknesses, and theres no doubt the pandemic revealed a number of issues in Victoria. Northcote woman Phoebe* is also feeling a sense of arrested development. A crew of infectious removalists from Sydney transited through Victoria last Thursday, visiting households in Craigieburn and Maribyrnong, and coming into contact with two families of four. Ms Berejiklian said authorities will know by the end of this two week extension whether the lockdown will need to be even longer. 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The 'winter shot': Everything you need to know about getting your next COVID-19 booster, If you catch COVID again, will your symptoms be worse? We currently have mask restrictions and in the Northern Territory there is an even more draconian lockdown than we had in Victoria. Sydney temporarily reintroduces mask-wearing and imposes limits on visitors to the home. Australia recorded more cases in the first two weeks of 2022 than in the previous two years combined. There are many venues who have given feedback that they are not at 100 per-cent capacity and havent been for quite some time, he said. The jump in cases in NSW - which is nearly 2,000 more than the 3,763 infections reported on Wednesday - comes after a major backflip on restrictions in the state with millions once again required to check into venues via QR codes. For me the risk is too high, she says. On Thursday the NSW premier will announce the policy reversal following Covid crisis talks with fellow state leaders and Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Sign up to unlock our digital magazines and also receive the latest news, events, offers and partner promotions. When it comes to responding to a pandemic, however, this presents its challenges. pic.twitter.com/YfNptxyua5. July 27, 2021 Victoria's fifth lockdown ends, but less than a week later, the state is plunged back into another long lockdown. Victoria adds 'outdoor recreation' to the reasons to leave home, allowing picnics for the first time since July. Consequently, there is an urgent need to reflect on the journey and to address issues that have been raised so we can be on the front foot and do even better next time. Callers will speak with Aboriginal staff who can . A legal stoush between Federal MP Monique Ryan and her former staffer has devolved into warfare with each side throwing allegations at the other, a court has heard. On the same day, three men in NSW also test positive for coronavirus. Victoria's health minister hasn't ruled out mask mandates or work-from-home rules after the state's pandemic powers were extended for another three months. Im double vaxxed and feeling like, what was the point? Victoria goes into lockdown for the sixth time. Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the number of people infectious in the community needed to drop before the lockdown could be lifted. Victorian Acting Chief Health Officer Ben Cowie said it would be likely that come January 10, Victoria's testing system would have diagnosed "more people than it did for all of 2021". Residents attending major events with more than 30,000 spectators will also have to wear a face mask. But Deputy Premier James Merlino said the state government was not considering adding to the world-record 262 days Melbourne has spent in lockdown since the pandemic began. On Friday 7th January 2022, 21,728 cases were recorded in Victoria, However at 9.18am on Saturday 8th January 2022, the Victoria Department of Health twitted out that the number of new cases was 51,356. But perhaps most frustrating was the news that the crew have not been cooperating with contact tracers who only today found out there were two trucks involved. Despite enduring one of the longest aggregate periods of strict lockdown in the world, the Victorian community by and large hung in there. 30 Aug, 2021, 08.26 AM IST 250 held in Australia anti-lockdown protests Other business owners say they are finding this summer more difficult than previous seasons because there was no financial aid available. He said while there were rules and density limits in place for businesses, it was likely the public had changed its behaviour during the current outbreak. The Victorian Premier has fired back after being accused of putting the state in shadow lockdown through new Covid restrictions. Australia's two largest states have kicked off 2022 with record COVID cases - while others have opted to change restrictions. It would have been so easy to lose hope and stop complying with the tough restrictions en masse, especially as Victorians navigated their way through lockdown six, arguably the toughest to endure. When will the Beast from the East be at YOUR door? Feeling tense. He added that the government was encouraging dance floors to be closed. The Herald Sun reports the state government is holding high-level meetings this afternoon to weigh up whether to reimpose restrictions across Melbourne, with an announcement expected as early as Thursday. The World Health Organisation declares the novel coronavirus to be a pandemic. for coronavirus. Sign notifying customers that rapid antigen test (RAT) kits are sold out. We just need the governments to come together and we need assistance at this time, otherwise all the money thats been given to them in the past 22 months would have been wasted, Chapel St Precinct general manager Chrissie Maud said. Lockdown measures ease in regional Victoria but remain in metropolitan Melbourne. Some wouldn't survive. The only thing different now and previous lockdowns is Daniel Andrews has left small businesses to fend for themselves by not provided the support needed at this crucial time, he said. The first Covid-19 vaccine doses are administered in Australia. The areas of concern are Fairfield local government area, Roselands, Rosebury, Canterbury, Belmore, Sutherland shire, the St George area, Windsor, St Ives, Penrith and Bayside local government area," she said. Milly*, a young woman from Melbourne, says that two years of going in and out of lockdown has caused a downshift in her lifestyle that feels akin to being retired. The public servant, 25, contracted Covid along with 16 others at a house party late last month. "We really are all in this together and the data proves it.". Of the new cases, 60 were isolation throughout their infectious period, seven cases were in isolation for part of their infectious period and 24 were infectious in the community. Sydneysiders who live alone are permitted to establish a 'single's bubble' with a friend. This is more than simply a language issue. Hannah*, a vision-impaired support worker in Melbourne, says the 2021 lockdowns left her feeling emptied out. A further two cases were family members of Ariele apartments residents and one case was believed to have been infected at Coles in Craigieburn where a family returning from a red zone were not isolating. We should absolutely acknowledge that [lockdown] was bad and a lot of people suffered, but a lot of people are also alive now because of it, she says. NSW on Thursdayrecorded 5,715 new Covid-19 cases - a daily record - and one death just two days before Christmas. "It is very difficult to compare apples and oranges given the Delta strain and along the lockdown period in Victoria. Pictured: Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton. Everyone is trying (and failing) to make sourdough. While he said part of it would be due to Omicron hitting essential workers and those on lower incomes harder, it also spoke to that community's hard-learnt appreciation of the "perils of this virus". Personally, I feel better with accepting that Covid is an ongoing issue. Which somehow seems fitting as things being out of order seems to be the way things are with Covid. Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! Victorians should work from home if they can. Are we set to have a third lockdown for 2021. All times AEDT (GMT +11). How a 21yo man with the code name 'Svyat' smuggled residents past Putin's private army, Anna called police to report an assault, but they took out a family violence order against her. But the Victoria government waited far longer than we did to go into the lockdown situation," Ms Berejiklian said. The strengthened settings will see a curfew imposed from 9pm to 5am every night. Pictured: Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews with his wife Catherine. Any one of these things could have led to the increase in numbers, together they are leading to big numbers. Thanks for subscribing! Four of the new cases were recorded on level three of Ariele apartments in Maribyrnong where the removalists stopped. The chamber is calling on federal and state governments to offer free RATs to small and medium-sized businesses, and suggestinga one-off payment equivalent to three weeks of support under the joint business packages released during previous lockdowns. "The number that would worry us in the last 24 hours is the 24 number. Victoria's Chief Health Officer has declared that from tonight the lockdown restrictions will be strengthened and extended in metropolitan Melbourne, until 11.59pm on Thursday, 2 September. We must invest in these community partnerships to ensure all communities are more resilient and protected. Most of the population is vaccinated and harsh restrictions have ended. I know that I was safer.. The new BA.5 variant is considered to be even more transmissible than previous Omicron variants. Victoria recorded seven new cases early on Wednesday. Australia has been the most locked-down country since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, but residents are growing frustrated with cases still rising. How did it come to this? Now that has ended too. Test yourself with this Cockney Rhyming Slang quiz. SBS reporter asked Ms Berejiklian if she was seeking advice from the Victorian government given they are the only other state that have dealt with an outbreak of this size, which they supressed with hard lockdown rules. Despite promising not to re-impose stay-at-home orders, Mr Andrews' second-in-command on Thursday ordered Victorians to wear face masks in all indoor public spaces as part of major changes to the state's social distancing measures. Its important to appreciate the experiences across the states and territories in the pandemic have been as different as Swan Lager is to Victoria Bitter. How can I best get on with living my best life?, NSW expects Covid hospitalisations to peak next week. NSW recorded 97 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. The NSW government cancels all major events of more than 500 people. Our newsletter hand-delivers the best bits to your inbox. Melbourne spent more time in lockdown than any other city on Earth. The isolation status of six cases remain under investigation. Residents attending major events with more than 30,000 spectators will also have to wear a face mask. The affected LGAs areWoollahra, Waverley, Randwick, and the City of Sydney, including the CBD.