Three AFL matches will now be played in Victoria after Queensland entered a snap-lockdown.
NSW Police issued 250 penalty infringement notices, arrested eight people and locked Sydney residents out of the CBD amid protest fears.
Jandakot Airport was named as the preferred site for WA’s first purpose-built quarantine hub.
Victoria has declared parts of south-east Queesnland a ‘red-zone’ from 8pm.
One million Victorians are now fully vaccinated.

Please have a great evening and we look forward to bringing you another live blog tomorrow.

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7.18pm on Jul 31, 2021

More than 250 PINs, eight arrests as police lock Sydney residents out of CBD amid protest fears

By Jenny Noyes

NSW Police took extraordinary measures on Saturday to thwart any repeat of last weekend’s anti-lockdown protests, setting up an exclusion zone around the CBD and checkpoints around the city to stop cars and question drivers en route to the city centre. Authorities have warned Sydney residents to expect more of the same on Sunday.

Eight people were arrested and more than 250 penalty infringement notices were issued in the high visibility operation, which saw more than 1300 police deployed across the CBD and surrounding suburbs.

Mounted police at Hyde Park anticipated another protest in the city.Nick Moir

Most of the infringements were issued to people for travelling outside their local government area, contrary to the stay-at-home orders, police said.

Police said essential workers, or anyone who required medical treatment, would be able to make their way to their destination.

As large numbers of police, including mounted police, gathered in the city and surrounds, a large police operation closed lanes of major roads into the city to stop the flow of traffic – and more than 70,000 vehicles were checked.

By early afternoon, it became clear the hordes of protesters would not materialise, and police turned their attention to ensuring people were complying with the public health orders in surrounding areas, including the eastern beaches.

Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott said he was reassured that common sense had prevailed, and that police officers should be “assured that

their efforts today have made Greater Sydney a safer place tonight”.

Metropolitan Field Operations Commander, Deputy Commissioner Mal Lanyon, said the operations “demonstrate to the community that NSW Police will not tolerate actions that present a risk to public safety and our ability to stop the spread of COVID-19″.

He said another high visibility operation is planned for Sydney tomorrow.

Read more here

6.43pm on Jul 31, 2021

Bankstown Sports Club opens as vaccination clinic for residents in south-west Sydney

By Jenny Noyes

Bankstown residents can now show up to be vaccinated at their local sports club, after its ballroom was converted into a vaccination clinic that can provide up to 1000 jabs a day.

The clinic opened at noon yesterday, and has since given COVID-19 vaccinations to nearly 200 people. It will be open seven days a week, 8am-5pm.

Bankstown Sports Club vaccination centre on Saturday.Steven Siewert

Bankstown Sports Club CEO Mark Condi said while the club was closed due to the current health orders, “we have offered our facilities to South Western Sydney Local Health District in the hope it will play a small role in supporting the critical work they are doing and help boost the vaccination rates to keep our community safe and protected.

“The local community has always been the backbone of Bankstown Sports Club and we have a strong sense of responsibility to do everything we can to ensure their safety and wellbeing,” he said.

“We hope this move will help push the numbers in the right direction so we can all return life back to normal as soon as possible.”

Bankstown Sports Club has offered its 1200sqm Ballroom to be converted into a vaccination clinic servicing the local community.Steven Siewert

It comes amid plans for churches, mosques and other community centres to convert into pop-up vaccination clinics in Sydney’s COVID-19 hotspots.

A new mass vaccination hub will open at Qudos Bank Arena in Homebush on August 9, to be used to vaccinate Year 12 students over five days. It will then remain a vaccination hub for the general public, administering AstraZeneca.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the suite of mass vaccination hubs across the state would soon be able to administer up to 350,000 doses a week, up from an earlier capacity of 60,000 doses a week.

6.25pm on Jul 31, 2021

Victoria declares parts of south-east Queensland a red-zone from 8pm

By Abbir Dib

The Victorian CHO has declared 11 Queensland local government areas (LGA) a red zone following parts of south-east Queensland entering lockdown.

The following Queensland LGAs become a red zone at 8pm tonight:

City of Brisbane
Moreton Bay Regional Council
City of Gold Coast
City of Ipswich
Lockyer Valley Regional Council
Logan City
Noosa Shire Council
Redland City
Scenic Rim Regional Council
Somerset Regional Council
Sunshine Coast Regional Council

Anyone entering Victoria after 8pm tonight from these LGAs need a red zone permit requiring them to get tested and quarantine for 14 days.

Those entering Victoria before 8pm tonight must get tested within 72 hours and stay isolated until a negative result is received.

6.10pm on Jul 31, 2021

‘Really lucky’ to be part of the one million Victorians fully vaccinated

By Mathew Dunckley

Abiy Gebeyehu got his second shot in Melbourne on Saturday as Victoria marked the 1 million people fully vaccinated milestone.

“I’m really lucky to have my second jab,” he said.

“So now I feel like I’m fully protected from this virus, and I feel really confident enough to walk around with in the community.“

Abiy Gebeyehu got vaccinated in Carlton on Saturday, the day Victoria was confirmed to have passed one million fully vaccinated residents.Luis Enrique ascui

The 34-year-old said he was proud to be one of the million to have had both shots.

“It really makes me feel special being part of this big milestone, so yeah it’s really a big milestone having one million people,” he said.

“I really encourage everyone to get their jabs and to be protect from this virus, we all are in this together.”

5.51pm on Jul 31, 2021

Three AFL games moved from Queensland to Victoria

By Abbir Dib

Three AFL round 20 games, which were scheduled to play in Queensland, will now all take place in Victoria on Sunday.

Four AFL teams including Essendon, Gold Coast, GWS and Sydney Swans have already flown to Victoria from locked-down Queensland.

The new match details are:

The Gold Coast versus Melbourne match will take place at Marvel Stadium at 12:10pm.
The GWS versus Port Adelaide match will play at Marvel Stadium at 6:10pm.
The Essendon versus Sydney Swans match will play at the MCG at 3:10pm.

Essendon versus Sydney Swans match will move to the MCG.Phil Hillyard

AFL spokesperson Travis Auld says he’s thankful the matches could be rescheduled.

“We thank each of the six clubs, players, venues, broadcasters, umpires, officials and ticketing agents for their agility and collaboration this morning as we worked through rescheduling the three games and we thank respective State Governments for their ongoing support,” Mr Auld said.

4.51pm on Jul 31, 2021

Victoria hits million jab milestone

By Mathew Dunckley

Today’s figures also reveal that more than 1 million people in Victoria are now fully vaccinated.

The way the disclosures work mean the millionth recipient got their jab yesterday but the numbers don’t become official till the next day.

NSW went through the million mark a little while ago and there are now a bit over 1.23 million fully vaccinated people in that state.

The Royal Exhibition Building vaccination hub in Carlton on Saturday.Luis Ascui

As a proportion of the eligible population Victoria (18.94 per cent) is still a little in front of NSW (18.72 per cent). Tasmania’s effort in delivering about 106,000 second shots gives in a nation-leading fully vaccinated rate of 24.08 per cent of the eligible population.

4.11pm on Jul 31, 2021

Nation has long way to go on vaccination

By Mathew Dunckley

Australians have a new daily COVID-19 metric to watch - the percentage of the eligible population that has been vaccinated.

At yesterday’s national cabinet meeting a four stage plan was agreed that links freedom of movement and the leaving behind of lockdowns to vaccination rates.

Vaccinated Australians will get special rules to avoid some lockdown restrictions once 70 per cent of the eligible adult population have had two vaccine doses, and international border rules will be loosened to allow more people to come home.

Once the national vaccination total hits 80 per cent, broad lockdowns will not be used in major cities, caps on returning Australians will be abolished and all restrictions on vaccinated travellers leaving the country will be removed.

3.55pm on Jul 31, 2021

Jandakot Airport named as preferred site for WA’s first purpose-built quarantine hub

By Marta Pascual Juanola

A busy airport in Perth’s south-east could become the site of Western Australia’s first purpose-built quarantine facility and house at least 1000 travellers returning to Australia.

A feasibility study commissioned by the Department of Finance has identified Jandakot Airport as the most suitable location for the hub, which could cost about $200 million to build.

Jandakot Airport named as preferred site for WA’s first purpose-built quarantine hub. Mark Simpson.

Two sites at Perth Airport had been previously shortlisted for the facility but were eventually ruled out due to environmental and planning issues.

WA had also previously floated the idea of building a quarantine facility in Busselton or using RAAF air bases such as Pearce and Learmonth as hubs but both proposals were rejected by the federal government.

A state government spokeswoman said the facility was the result of 12-months of lobbying from the state and would be used as an evacuation centre when quarantine restrictions lifted.

“We look forward to continuing to work productively with the Commonwealth so this quarantine facility can be established as soon as possible,” she said.

“The safety of West Australians continues to be the state government’s number one priority.”

2.14pm on Jul 31, 2021

No sign of planned Sydney CBD protest

By Georgina Mitchell

Here are the scenes in Hyde Park today, as captured by Herald chief photographer Nick Moir.

There’s lots of police, but so far no sign of the planned protest. It’s likely the huge police operation, including excluding taxis and Ubers from the CBD and setting up checkpoints on every major road into the city, has convinced everyone to stay at home.

The police exclusion zone will remain in place until 3pm.