As it happened: Victoria records 1466 new local COVID-19 cases, eight deaths; NSW records 360 new cases, five deaths as state’s restrictions ease

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.

• NSW small businesses will be able to claim a $2000 rebate for a range of services and costs including licensing fees and council rates, Premier Dominic Perrottet announced today, as part of a plan to kickstart businesses’ COVID-19 recovery. But NSW Opposition leader Chris Minns said the new rebates and discounts, which are expected to cost the government about $150 million, are short-lived. The announcement comes a day after lockdown restrictions were eased in Greater Sydney, with fully-vaccinated Sydneysiders flocking to cafes, gyms, retailers and hairdressers on Monday.

• NSW recorded 360 new local cases of COVID-19, down from yesterday’s total of 496 cases, and five people died after contracting the virus. There are 766 coronavirus patients in NSW hospitals, of whom 155 are in intensive care. More than 90 per cent of people aged 16 and older have had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 74 per cent of people aged 16 and older are fully vaccinated.

• Of the five people who died in NSW, two were residents at the Hawkesbury Living Aged Care Facility in Richmond: a man and a woman in their 80s. Both were fully vaccinated but had underlying health conditions. There are now seven deaths linked to the facility, where 40 residents and 13 staff have tested positive. The other deaths were another man from the Nepean-Blue Mountains area, a man from western Sydney and a man from the city’s south-east, all of whom were not vaccinated. They were aged in their 40s, 50s and 80s.

• Sixty per cent of Victorians aged 16 and over are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Lockdown is set to ease when 70 per cent of the state’s population aged 16 and over receive their second jab. This was initially slated to occur on October 26, but Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said today that the timeline could be brought forward if the target was reached ahead of schedule.
• Victoria recorded 1466 new, locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and eight deaths. That’s down from yesterday’s total of 1612 cases, and Tuesday marks the third consecutive day that case numbers have dropped. Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton said he was “cautiously optimistic” but it was too early to know if case numbers had peaked. “If the peak in our confirmed cases is now passed, then we can expect that the peak in our hospitalised cases might be two or three weeks from now,” he said. “And hopefully, going into November, it’s easing off, but it won’t magically disappear.”
• The eight deaths in Victoria were as follows: a man in his 90s from Hume; a man in his 80s from the Moonee Valley; a man in 80s from Monash; a woman in her 70s from Maribyrnong; a woman in her 80s from Whittlesea; a man in his 70s and woman in her 50s from Moreland; and a man in his 40s from Bayside. Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said 675 people were in hospital with COVID-19 in Victoria. Of those, 144 were in intensive care and 100 were on a ventilator. Of the COVID-19 cases in hospital as of Monday, 7 per cent were fully vaccinated.

• The ACT will emerge from lockdown on Friday (11.59pm on Thursday), Chief Minister Andrew Barr has confirmed. The territory recorded 28 new locally acquired COVID cases today, at least 16 of whom spent some time infectious in the community. Nine people were in isolation for their entire infectious period. There are 19 people in hospital with the virus in ACT, eight of whom are in intensive care. Six people require ventilation.
• Seventy two per cent of Canberrans aged 12 and over (not 16 and over) are now fully vaccinated against coronavirus and, based on first doses, it is anticipated that 99 per cent of Canberrans in this age cohort will be fully vaccinated towards the end of November.
• Under the ACT’s cautious road map out of lockdown, hairdressers and personal care services can reopen with up to five clients at a time. Outdoor sporting teams can resume training with up to 25 people in each outdoor space. Non-essential retail will continue to operate principally under a click and collect or deliver model until October 29, but retailers can have up to two people from the same household in store for booked appointments only from Friday. Licensed venues are permitted 25 customers indoors (or 50 outdoors) or one person per four square metres, whichever is the lesser.

• Queensland has recorded its seventh day in a row with no local cases of coronavirus, as the state is set to roll out vaccine clinics at hardware stores. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said vaccine clinics would come to Bunnings from Saturday, with more than two dozen sites identified across the state. In Queensland, 70.21 per cent of people aged over 16 have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 52.7 per cent have received their second dose.
• The Western Australian government is considering making COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for WA teachers and school staff. If implemented, a significant portion of WA’s public sector would need be vaccinated to come to work because mandates already apply to WA Police and WA Health workers.
• Australia is 1.3 million doses away from having 70 per cent of its eligible population aged 16 and over fully vaccinated. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said that, to date, 82.8 per cent of that age group has had one dose and 63.4 per cent were fully vaccinated.

This is Michaela Whitbourn signing off on the blog for this evening. I’ll be with you again early tomorrow morning.

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.

• NSW small businesses will be able to claim a $2000 rebate for a range of services and costs including licensing fees and council rates, Premier Dominic Perrottet announced today, as part of a plan to kickstart businesses’ COVID-19 recovery. But NSW Opposition leader Chris Minns said the new rebates and discounts, which are expected to cost the government about $150 million, are short-lived. The announcement comes a day after lockdown restrictions were eased in Greater Sydney, with fully-vaccinated Sydneysiders flocking to cafes, gyms, retailers and hairdressers on Monday.

• NSW recorded 360 new local cases of COVID-19, down from yesterday’s total of 496 cases, and five people died after contracting the virus. There are 766 coronavirus patients in NSW hospitals, of whom 155 are in intensive care. More than 90 per cent of people aged 16 and older have had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 74 per cent of people aged 16 and older are fully vaccinated.

• Of the five people who died in NSW, two were residents at the Hawkesbury Living Aged Care Facility in Richmond: a man and a woman in their 80s. Both were fully vaccinated but had underlying health conditions. There are now seven deaths linked to the facility, where 40 residents and 13 staff have tested positive. The other deaths were another man from the Nepean-Blue Mountains area, a man from western Sydney and a man from the city’s south-east, all of whom were not vaccinated. They were aged in their 40s, 50s and 80s.

• Sixty per cent of Victorians aged 16 and over are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Lockdown is set to ease when 70 per cent of the state’s population aged 16 and over receive their second jab. This was initially slated to occur on October 26, but Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said today that the timeline could be brought forward if the target was reached ahead of schedule.
• Victoria recorded 1466 new, locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and eight deaths. That’s down from yesterday’s total of 1612 cases, and Tuesday marks the third consecutive day that case numbers have dropped. Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton said he was “cautiously optimistic” but it was too early to know if case numbers had peaked. “If the peak in our confirmed cases is now passed, then we can expect that the peak in our hospitalised cases might be two or three weeks from now,” he said. “And hopefully, going into November, it’s easing off, but it won’t magically disappear.”
• The eight deaths in Victoria were as follows: a man in his 90s from Hume; a man in his 80s from the Moonee Valley; a man in 80s from Monash; a woman in her 70s from Maribyrnong; a woman in her 80s from Whittlesea; a man in his 70s and woman in her 50s from Moreland; and a man in his 40s from Bayside. Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said 675 people were in hospital with COVID-19 in Victoria. Of those, 144 were in intensive care and 100 were on a ventilator. Of the COVID-19 cases in hospital as of Monday, 7 per cent were fully vaccinated.

• The ACT will emerge from lockdown on Friday (11.59pm on Thursday), Chief Minister Andrew Barr has confirmed. The territory recorded 28 new locally acquired COVID cases today, at least 16 of whom spent some time infectious in the community. Nine people were in isolation for their entire infectious period. There are 19 people in hospital with the virus in ACT, eight of whom are in intensive care. Six people require ventilation.
• Seventy two per cent of Canberrans aged 12 and over (not 16 and over) are now fully vaccinated against coronavirus and, based on first doses, it is anticipated that 99 per cent of Canberrans in this age cohort will be fully vaccinated towards the end of November.
• Under the ACT’s cautious road map out of lockdown, hairdressers and personal care services can reopen with up to five clients at a time. Outdoor sporting teams can resume training with up to 25 people in each outdoor space. Non-essential retail will continue to operate principally under a click and collect or deliver model until October 29, but retailers can have up to two people from the same household in store for booked appointments only from Friday. Licensed venues are permitted 25 customers indoors (or 50 outdoors) or one person per four square metres, whichever is the lesser.

• Queensland has recorded its seventh day in a row with no local cases of coronavirus, as the state is set to roll out vaccine clinics at hardware stores. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said vaccine clinics would come to Bunnings from Saturday, with more than two dozen sites identified across the state. In Queensland, 70.21 per cent of people aged over 16 have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 52.7 per cent have received their second dose.
• The Western Australian government is considering making COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for WA teachers and school staff. If implemented, a significant portion of WA’s public sector would need be vaccinated to come to work because mandates already apply to WA Police and WA Health workers.
• Australia is 1.3 million doses away from having 70 per cent of its eligible population aged 16 and over fully vaccinated. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said that, to date, 82.8 per cent of that age group has had one dose and 63.4 per cent were fully vaccinated.

This is Michaela Whitbourn signing off on the blog for this evening. I’ll be with you again early tomorrow morning.

In case you missed it yesterday, a rare case of COVID-19 was recorded in the Northern Territory on Monday after an 18-year-old woman from Geelong arrived in the Top End on a flight from Melbourne.

Health authorities believe the case is low-risk because the woman went straight from the airport to the Centre for National Resilience in Howard Springs, one of two quarantine facilities in the territory.

“There were eight other passengers on the flight who have been identified as close contacts,” the NT government said in an update.

“Seven of these people went directly into quarantine at the Centre for National Resilience upon arrival and will complete 14 days of quarantine.

“There is very low risk to the Northern Territory community as the remaining passenger did not travel from a declared hotspot and is not displaying symptoms.

“The passenger is being transported directly to the Centre for National Resilience where all eight contacts will undertake 14 days quarantine.”