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As it happened: Melbourne Black Lives Matter protest attendee contracts COVID-19 as NSW rolls back restrictions, Australian death toll stands at 102

Mary Ward, Megan Levy and Roy Ward
Updated ,first published

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Pinned post from 8.10pm on Jun 11, 2020
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'May be impossible' to trace contacts of Black Lives Matter protester with COVID-19

By Paul Sakkal and Michael Fowler

UPDATED: It may be impossible to trace all the close contacts of a protester who tested positive for coronavirus after attending Melbourne's Black Lives Matter protest, Victoria's top health official says.

The man, in his 30s, wore a mask to the protest last Saturday but developed symptoms in the 24 hours after the rally, Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said on Thursday.

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He is the first protester confirmed to have COVID-19 after the demonstration, which was attended by thousands of people.

Professor Sutton said it was unlikely the man contracted the virus at the protest but may have been infectious. It was not known if he had the COVIDSafe app downloaded or whether it was activated.

If he didn’t, and the man spent an extended time near strangers, Professor Sutton said the department may not be able track down all his close contacts.

"If there are people around you, but you can’t identify them, then they are impossible to identify," he said.

Click here to read the full story.

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That's all from me!

By Roy Ward

That is all we have for this evening but before I go here is a look back at some of the major developments today:

'May be impossible' to trace contacts of Black Lives Matter protester with COVID-19

Don't award 'tax dodging' companies major projects in wake of pandemic: Rex Patrick

Gambling spending up 50 per cent in the time of COVID

Queensland 'looking good' for July border opening

COVID-19 live blog will end Friday, coverage will continue

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Thanks for following our live coverage today and throughout the pandemic crisis. Today was our 100th coronavirus live blog and our 94th consecutive day of live coverage in a sequence that started in March.

Tomorrow is our last scheduled day of live coverage. We will continue our broad and up to date coverage of the crisis but no longer run a daily blog. If events escalate we will bring back a live news blog as appropriate.

We would love to hear what you've made of our live articles so please drop us a line through the form below:

Subscriptions power our newsrooms so consider signing up. Click on the links to subscribe to The Sydney Morning Herald and for The Age.

Sydney refugee rally prohibited by NSW Supreme Court

By Georgina Mitchell

The NSW Supreme Court has ruled a refugee rally planned for Sydney on Saturday afternoon is prohibited, which could open up attendees to prosecution.

The rally, organised by the Refugee Action Coalition, was taken to court by NSW Police over concerns relating to COVID-19 and public gatherings. Justice Michael Walton ruled on Thursday night that the rally at Town Hall in the CBD was a prohibited public assembly.

Approximately 200 people were expected to attend.

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller brought action in the NSW Supreme Court. Rhett Wyman

Justice Walton said public health issues and the right to free speech are "competing public interests" which are "of great importance" and ultimately the health risks outweigh speech "in the present context".

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COVID-19 survivor in US receives double lung transplant

By Lindsey Tanner

Surgeons in Chicago have given a new set of lungs to a young woman with severe lung damage from the coronavirus.

Only a few other COVID-19 survivors, in China and Europe, have received lung transplants.

The patient, who is her 20s, was on a ventilator and heart-lung machine for almost two months before her operation last Friday at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

The 10-hour procedure was challenging because the virus had left her lungs full of holes and almost fused to the chest wall, Dr. Ankit Bharat, who performed the operation, said Wednesday.

Doctors have kept her on both machines while her body heals but say her chances for a normal life are good.

Why lockdown lessons could be the making of Nathan Cleary

By Christian Nicolussi

Nathan Cleary's two-match ban for his infamous Anzac Day social-distancing antics has helped him mature and appreciate how important he is to Penrith and rugby league fans in western Sydney, according to a Dally M winner working in his corner.

Cleary's return is a massive boost for the Panthers ahead of the match of the round against bitter rivals Parramatta and their own superstar No.7 Mitchell Moses on Friday night.

Nathan Cleary returns from suspension for Penrith against Parramatta on Friday night.Penrith Panthers

While Moses has worked all summer with Immortal Andrew Johns, Cleary has relished one-on-one time tuition with Dally M winner, former representative playmaker and Panthers assistant Trent Barrett.

Barrett has watched first-hand how hard the the fallout from the TikTok video and COVID hit Cleary – but also how he has taken the positives from the scandal.

Russia rolls out first approved COVID-19 drug as infections pass 500,000

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MOSCOW: Russia on Thursday rolled out a drug approved to treat patients suffering from the novel coronavirus, its state financial backer said, as the number of infections there surpassed half a million.

The first deliveries of the new antiviral drug, registered under the name Avifavir, were made to some hospitals and clinics across the country, Russia's RDIF sovereign wealth fund said in a press release. RDIF has a 50 per cent share in a joint venture with the drug's manufacturer ChemRar that runs the trials.

The full moon sets in the clouds over the St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg last week. AP

The health ministry gave its approval for the drug's use under a special accelerated process while clinical trials, held over a shorter period and with fewer people than many other countries, were still underway.

There is currently no vaccine for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, and human trials of several existing antiviral drugs have yet to show efficacy.

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'Overwhelmed': Thredbo website struggles to handle demand for lift tickets

By Josh Dye

Thousands of snow lovers have been left frustrated after a record number of people flooded Thredbo's website to purchase lift tickets from the ski resort on Thursday.

At one stage Thredbo said 25,000 people were trying to purchase lift passes after ticket sales for the delayed 2020 ski season launched at midday.

Social distancing measures mean skiers and snowboarders may encounter longer than usual queues for ski lifts.Getty Images

Thredbo is the first Australian ski resort to sell lift passes with the resort limiting capacity to 50 per cent when it opens on June 22. All tickets must be booked in advance.

The resort engaged Danish company Queue-it to help manage demand on the website. The system creates a virtual waiting room which places users in a queue to avoid crashing the target's website.

But many people were left frustrated after waiting hours in the queue with little progress. Some who did beat the queue then encountered technical difficulties and were unable to purchase tickets.

Click here to read the full story.

Pinned post from 8.10pm on Jun 11, 2020

'May be impossible' to trace contacts of Black Lives Matter protester with COVID-19

By Paul Sakkal and Michael Fowler

UPDATED: It may be impossible to trace all the close contacts of a protester who tested positive for coronavirus after attending Melbourne's Black Lives Matter protest, Victoria's top health official says.

The man, in his 30s, wore a mask to the protest last Saturday but developed symptoms in the 24 hours after the rally, Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said on Thursday.

Loading

He is the first protester confirmed to have COVID-19 after the demonstration, which was attended by thousands of people.

Professor Sutton said it was unlikely the man contracted the virus at the protest but may have been infectious. It was not known if he had the COVIDSafe app downloaded or whether it was activated.

If he didn’t, and the man spent an extended time near strangers, Professor Sutton said the department may not be able track down all his close contacts.

"If there are people around you, but you can’t identify them, then they are impossible to identify," he said.

Click here to read the full story.

Driver's licence testing to resume in Victoria on Monday

By Marnie Banger

Thousands of Victorian learner driver tests postponed in March amid the spread of coronavirus will be allowed to go ahead within days.

Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton has given the green light to progressively resume the tests from Monday, with strict hygiene measures in place.

Since the tests were suspended on March 25, more than 100,000 licence appointments, including 55,000 driving tests, have been postponed.

VicRoads will focus on clearing that backlog before taking on fresh bookings, with 200 extra staff set to join its ranks to help it do so.

Tests will resume at all VicRoads testing locations and six temporary sites to be established in the coming months to help get more done.

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AFL secures revised broadcast deal

By Zoe Samios and Jake Niall

The AFL has secured a revised broadcast rights deal with partners Seven West Media and Foxtel in the moments before the return of this year's season.

Free-to-air broadcaster Seven and pay TV operator Foxtel were finalising the deal in the hours leading up to Thursday evening's Collingwood v Richmond kick-off and have agreed to a reduction on this year's payments based on a reduced 153-game season and finals.

AFL boss Gillon McLachlan has secured a new deal with broadcasters Seven West Media and Foxtel.AAP

The parties have been renegotiating the terms of the existing $2.5 billion six-year contract, which was secured by Foxtel, Seven and mobile rights partner Telstra and expires in 2022, after the coronavirus pandemic shut down the season and caused losses in advertising and subscription revenue for the broadcasters.

The Age reported that the AFL was on the verge of securing a two-year extension of its television rights deal with Seven last week in exchange for a cost reduction on its existing deal, but that Foxtel was holding out on an extension for a larger discount.

Click here to read the full story.

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