SYDNEY — More than eight million Australians have emerged from lockdown, but a growing coronavirus outbreak in Sydney fuels fears of a prolonged crisis. Harsh restrictions in South Australia and Victoria have eased, while three regional towns in the southeastern state, New South Wales, also exited lockdown on July 28. “From midnight tonight, if you live in Blacktown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Campbelltown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool, Parramatta. You are not allowed to leave your Local Government Area for work unless you are an authorized worker,” tweeted the health department of New South Wales. Additional restrictions across Greater Sydney, including the Central Coast, Blue Mountains,…
Author: zenger.news
MELBOURNE, Australia — A fifth lockdown has been lifted off the southeast Australian state of Victoria, with new restrictions coming in place to prevent another potentially lockdown-inducing Covid-19 outbreak. From July 28, Victorians will be able to travel any distance and leave their homes for any reason, but masks will remain compulsory indoors and outdoors. A ban on home gatherings remains. However, people are able to gather outside in groups of 10. Restaurants and cafes can reopen for seated service only, with a maximum cap of 100 per venue and density quotas of one person per four square meters or 43.05 square feet,…
CANBERRA, Australia — The latest annual inflation figures are expected to show a massive jump in prices, particularly for fuel, and growing well above the Reserve Bank of Australia’s two to three percent target band. But Reserve Bank of Australia governor Philip Lowe would not be reaching for his interest rate lever to stem the tide, being more concerned about what damage recent and ongoing virus lockdowns have done to Australia’s economic recovery. “The members of the board and I had been anticipating a spike in inflation and see this as only a temporary rise as a result of a reversal of some Covid-19-related price…
A recent business community push to reform the United States immigration system as a means to fuel economic growth leaves Republican congressional leaders in a tricky position. In a Chamber of Commerce meeting last week, business figures and chamber officials made the case for removing some barriers to immigration in order to bolster the American workforce amid post-pandemic labor shortages. The call harkens back to the Reagan-era GOP position of using immigration reform to boost the economy, but it stands in stark contrast to the nationalist sentiments espoused by former President Donald J. Trump’s supporters. Party leaders will therefore have…
HOBART, Australia — Developers behind a contentious plan to build a cable car to the peak of Hobart’s rugged mountain could take their fight to the next level. The Hobart City Council voted to reject the Mount Wellington Cableway Company’s proposal for a two-car cableway featuring three towers. The plan includes new indoor and outdoor viewing facilities at the pinnacle of Mount Wellington, also known by the Indigenous name kunanyi, plus a café and restaurant. An independent planning report advised the council to reject the plan on 21 grounds, including that it would diminish the landmark’s tourism, recreational and cultural values.…
SYDNEY — The owner of a Sydney organic food store—shut down for repeated breaches of Covid-19 restrictions—says he’s not a “vigilante” or trying to push buttons. Pete Melov’s shop cannot open until August 3 after state workplace health and safety regulator SafeWork NSW alleged serial breaches of the Covid-19 public health orders. New South Wales police have received numerous complaints in recent weeks about the Mascot store’s compliance with public health orders, leading to several warnings, fines for not wearing face masks, multiple charges, and Melov spending hours in police custody. But Melov says he isn’t “some kook,” and he has good reason to…
MELBOURNE, Australia — Young Australians are stressed about how the pandemic has impacted their education and mental health and are concerned about ongoing isolation, a new survey has found. Mission Australia released results from its 2020 Youth Survey in July, showing issues brought on by the pandemic have hit young Victorians the hardest. Additionally, 17-year-olds were the most likely to say Covid-19 has severely impacted their education. Many of those surveyed said disruptions to their everyday lives due to the pandemic have made them feel worried, stressed, and without access to their usual supports. “Our school is not doing enough in terms of accounting…
BRISBANE, Australia — Queensland has recorded a new local Covid-19 case that has been infectious in the community in Brisbane for six days, and 19 new infections have been reported on a ship offshore. The man completed hotel quarantine in Brisbane on July 17 and then stayed at a backpacker hotel in the Central Business District before becoming unwell and getting tested on July 26. “Queensland #COVID19 update 28/07/21 Today, we have recorded 20 new cases of Covid-19, 1 case was locally acquired, and 19 cases were overseas acquired aboard an offshore ship off the coast of Queensland,” tweeted the Queensland Health Department.…
PERTH, Australia — Yet another hospital breach has cast doubts over Western Australia’s Covid-19 protocols after two unvaccinated workers accessed a contaminated lift that had been used to transfer an infected man from a recently-docked ship at the center of the state’s twin maritime Covid-19 breaches. Three crew members of the Darya Krishna bulk carrier that sailed to Perth from Singapore and Indonesia have tested positive after being moved from the ship to Fiona Stanley Hospital. One man is in intensive care in a serious but stable condition. Health Minister Roger Cook on July 27 revealed two staff members at Fiona Stanley have been…
BRISBANE, Australia — Another locally acquired Covid-19 case has prompted the southeast Australian state’s, Queensland, chief health officer to renew calls for purpose-built quarantine facilities in the state. Queensland recorded one locally acquired case of Covid-19 on July 28 after a man completed hotel quarantine on July 17, before subsequently developing symptoms and testing positive late on July 27, ten days after leaving the hotel. He is believed to have been infectious in the community since July 22, and Chief Health Officer Jeanette Young said hotel quarantine is not working against the highly contagious Delta variant. “This is clearly insufficient protection, our current…