Good evening and thank you for reading our live coverage of the day’s events. If you are just joining us now, here’s what you need to know:
- Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt says all children aged between 12 and 15 will be able to get vaccinated against COVID-19 this year, after the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation approved the Pfizer vaccine on Friday for all Australians aged 12 and up. Bookings are expected to be open from September 13. While no vaccine has been approved for children under 12, Mr Hunt has told parents that “the best way to protect your child is to be vaccinated yourself”.
- Western Australia is on high alert after two truck drivers from NSW who entered the state on Thursday have tested positive to COVID-19. WA Premier Mark McGowan said the drivers, who visited four locations on their journey to Perth, were tested in NSW on August 25 and were told of their positive tests on Friday morning. But he is optimistic the state can avoid a lockdown because the drivers wore the correct PPE and visited so few locations.
- Face-to-face learning will resume in NSW schools from October 25 under a staggered plan that will see kindergarten and year one students return to school first, along with year 12 students who are already spending a few hours at school. HSC exams will be delayed to November 9. Schools will use a restriction system developed in July, which will involve mandatory masks for all teachers and high school students, separating groups, and staggered play times. Masks for primary school students will be strongly recommended. But the plan also depends on high vaccination rates and low community transmission of COVID-19.
- NSW recorded 882 new cases of COVID-19 in the community, down on yesterday’s record of 1029 cases. Two people have died: a man in his 60s and a man in his 90s, both of whom had underlying health conditions. Both acquired their infections in NSW hospitals and had received one vaccine dose.