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NationalCoronavirus pandemic

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As it happened: Epping school closes until next term after staff member tests positive; 19 new cases for Victoria

Roy Ward
Updated ,first published

Summary

Pinned post from 4.37pm on Jun 21, 2020
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Third Melbourne school records positive COVID-19 case

By Ashleigh McMillan

A staff member at St Monica's College in Epping has tested positive to COVID-19, with the school to close its campus until the end of term.

The school will be thoroughly cleaned following the positive case, with the Department of Health and Human Services commencing contact tracing and complete a risk assessment.

A student at St Mary's in Hampton tested positive to COVID-19. AAP

Principal Brian Hanley advised students to stay home while contact tracing occurs and "limit movements to home-based activities and not attend public places".

"I understand this news will be concerning for many of you. I want to assure you we are doing everything we can to contain and slow the spread of the virus, and ensure the health and safety of our whole school community," he said in a statement on Sunday.

Learning onsite will not occur until mid-July, when students return for Term 3. The college said "modified online learning" would take place over the next week until school holidays commenced.

It comes after the DHHS announced Keilor Downs College would close for a second time due to another student testing positive, while a pupil at St Mary’s Primary School in Hampton has also contracted COVID-19.

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That's all for tonight but we'll be back tomorrow

By Roy Ward

That's all we have for tonight everyone but thanks so much for the warm welcome back and all the comments. Click here for Monday's blog.

With all the rise in cases in Victoria and the ongoing issues around the world, we will again have a live blog running tomorrow morning so please check back in then.

Before we go here is a look at some of the major developments today:

Fears of second wave grow, with police set to crack down on coronavirus lawbreakers

Defence could be worst hit if Dons need to field depleted side

Opinion: Year of living anxiously: how pandemic changed what Australia worries about

By Matt Wade

First it was the planet’s future, then it was our health and now it's jobs. Never before have Australians’ biggest anxieties shifted so quickly or peaked at such highs as in 2020.

Back in January, as bushfires raged and smoke enveloped cities and towns, the environment surged up the worry list.

The Ipsos Issues Monitor, which asks a representative sample of Australians each month to select the three top issues facing the nation, showed it had leapfrogged traditional bugbears like the cost of living to become our No.1 concern.

The environment was our biggest worry at the start of the year as bushfires raged, but that changed quickly.Alex Ellinghausen

The combination of fire, drought and global clamour for climate action was cutting through. It was the first time in the decade-long history of the survey that the environment had been ranked the most important issue facing Australia. It was top again in February by a healthy margin.

In pictures: The Hanger gets a deep clean

By AAP

AAP photographer Michael Dodge captured these images of cleaners getting to work on their deep clean of AFL club Essendon's training centre and club base following a positive COVID-19 test from player Conor McKenna.

An entrance at Essendon Football Club.AAP
Cleaners at work at the Hangar on Sunday.AAP
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COVID outbreak hits Germany as China, Korea report new cases

By

Beijing: China and South Korea reported new coronavirus cases on Sunday in outbreaks that threatened to set back their recovery, while Germany is facing increased restrictions due to a jump in infections.

Chinese authorities reported 25 new confirmed cases - 22 in Beijing and three in neighbouring Hebei province. It said 2.3 million people have been tested in an effort to contain the outbreak in the capital that led to the closure of its biggest wholesale food market.

Germans attend a live concert in Cologne, Germany under social distancing restrictions. The hall has been equipped with plexiglas boxes, installed 2-3 meters apart from one another, and up to four people are allowed in each box.Getty Images

In South Korea, authorities reported 48 new cases. Half were in the capital, Seoul. Ten were in the central city of Daejong, suggesting the virus was spreading more widely as anti-disease measures are relaxed.

In Europe, Germany reported 687 new cases, its highest one-day toll in a month, after earlier managing the outbreak better than comparable large European nations.

AP/Reuters

Click here for the full story.

'Gas in it yet': Trading cards hot again as '90s kids return to the game

By Zach Hope

Sports trading cards are back in vogue and selling for big bucks thanks to a new wave of Michael Jordan hysteria and a generation of '90s kids armed with disposable incomes and time on their hands.

As people turned to home-based hobbies during coronavirus restrictions, card traders have reported sharp spikes in sales and record online traffic.

Dale Edmonds at Melbourne's Cherry store with some of its most precious cards.Simon Schluter

The darkest period of coronavirus shutdowns coincided with The Last Dance Netflix documentary series, which created a "frenzy" of interest around Michael Jordan, the Chicago Bulls and NBA more broadly, businesses said.

"We’ve seen some Jordan cards increase five times their value just because of the documentary," Dale Edmonds of Melbourne's Cherry card shop said.

Click here to read the full story.

Pinned post from 4.37pm on Jun 21, 2020

Third Melbourne school records positive COVID-19 case

By Ashleigh McMillan

A staff member at St Monica's College in Epping has tested positive to COVID-19, with the school to close its campus until the end of term.

The school will be thoroughly cleaned following the positive case, with the Department of Health and Human Services commencing contact tracing and complete a risk assessment.

A student at St Mary's in Hampton tested positive to COVID-19. AAP

Principal Brian Hanley advised students to stay home while contact tracing occurs and "limit movements to home-based activities and not attend public places".

"I understand this news will be concerning for many of you. I want to assure you we are doing everything we can to contain and slow the spread of the virus, and ensure the health and safety of our whole school community," he said in a statement on Sunday.

Learning onsite will not occur until mid-July, when students return for Term 3. The college said "modified online learning" would take place over the next week until school holidays commenced.

It comes after the DHHS announced Keilor Downs College would close for a second time due to another student testing positive, while a pupil at St Mary’s Primary School in Hampton has also contracted COVID-19.

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COVID testing a 'double-edged sword', Donald Trump tells rally

By

Washington: Donald Trump has told thousands of cheering supporters he had asked US officials to slow down testing for the novel coronavirus, calling it a "double-edged sword" that led to more cases being discovered.

The US President ignored health warnings to go through with his first rally in 110 days - one of the largest indoor gatherings in the world during the outbreak. It was meant to restart his re-election effort less than five months before the President faces voters again.

Trump told supporters at the event in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where many were not wearing face masks, that the US had tested 25 million people, far more than other countries.

President Donald Trump at the campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. AP

"When you do testing to that extent, you're gonna find more people you're gonna find more cases. So I said to my people slow the testing down, please," he said.

New Rebel Jeral Skelton carries a famous name into Super Rugby

By Roy Ward

New Melbourne Rebels flanker Jeral Skelton has a last name that catches the eye of every Australian rugby supporter.

The 21-year old is a distant cousin of Will Skelton, the 203-centimetre former Wallabies lock who has spent his recent years playing in Europe.

Melbourne Rebels forward Jeral Skelton is adapting to life in Super Rugby. Gerard McLenaghan/Melbourne Rebels

Jeral, a 190-centimetre back-rower, has made his own name playing sevens rugby for Australia but expects the question to come up as he moves into Super Rugby.

"We are related. I say this all the time," Skelton said with a laugh. "I actually haven't met him, but I've met his parents.

"I've got four brothers, if you see them, they look more related to Will Skelton than me, they are a lot bigger."

Click here to read the full story.

WA reports one new case of COVID-19

By Lauren Pilat

Western Australia has reported one new active case of COVID-19 overnight on Saturday, taking the state's tally to 605.

The WA Health Department said the woman in her 20s is a returned overseas traveller and is now in hotel quarantine.

The state now has three active cases, all of whom are in hotel quarantine.

On Saturday 346 people were tested for the virus, resulting in just over 165,000 total tests across WA.

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School in Melbourne's north-west closed for a second time after student's positive COVID-19 test

By Ashleigh McMillan

A senior student from Keilor Downs College has tested positive to COVID-19 and spent two days at the school while infectious, closing the school for the second time in less than a month.

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed on Sunday afternoon a case previously linked to the current family outbreak in Keilor Downs "attended Keilor Downs College two days while infectious".

Keilor Downs College has been closed for the second time in less than a month due to COVID-19.Google Maps

"The Keilor Downs outbreak has 11 associated cases, living in nine households," he said.

"The school will conduct a deep clean of affected classrooms and common areas. Contact tracing is under way and testing will be undertaken as appropriate."

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