This was published 5 years ago
That's all I have for now but it has been a rather huge day both in Victoria and around the country.
Before I head off here is a list of some of today's major developments:
Victoria confirms 66 new cases, suburbs outside lockdown zone record high number of infections
Pause button could be pressed ahead of Melbourne return: McLachlan
Harwin reinstated as Arts Minister after being cleared of $1000 lockdown fine
Twelve drive-in concerts due to be staged at Flemington Racecourse, starting on July 10 with headline act Client Liaison, have been cancelled due to Victoria’s spike in COVID-19 cases.
In a statement released today, organisers of The Drive-In said ‘‘it is with a heavy heart that we must announce the cancellation’’ of all shows which were expected to create 200 jobs for each event.
‘‘Unfortunately the current COVID-19 outbreaks in Victoria that have sent many hotspot areas (within close proximity to our venue) into lockdown have prevented the safe execution of this event,’’ organisers said.
‘‘The safety of our patrons, staff and artists is our top priority and after consulting with various experts and officials this tough, but necessary decision was made.
‘‘Further to immediate health concerns, the possibility of artists being able to travel interstate is becoming increasingly uncertain and in some cases is now impossible.
‘‘We want to particularly thank everyone who bought a ticket and supported our endeavour to keep the music industry alive during these testing times. We are keeping our heads held high, and will redirect our focus towards summer festivals with optimism.’’
All ticket purchasers will receive an email from Oztix on Monday, July 6, which will provide further details on the refund process.
London: Boris Johnson's father has been accused of ignoring coronavirus travel advice after it emerged that he flew to Greece to visit his holiday home.
Stanley Johnson said he made the trip for "essential business" reasons, to "COVID-proof" his coastal villa before the holiday season.
The former Conservative MEP revealed he had arrived in Athens on Wednesday evening, local time, having travelled to the country indirectly via Bulgaria, owing to Greece operating a ban on direct flights from Britain.
Mr Johnson, 79, shared a video on Instagram of his plane landing in the Greek capital and a photo of himself wearing a face mask, which appeared to have been taken in the airport.
The post has since been deleted.
The AFL hopes matches return to Melbourne next month but have flagged the pause button could be pressed if that helps the season resume in the league's heartland.
In an unprecedented season, the AFL revealed on Friday that all 10 Victorian teams would be relocating to either NSW or Queensland next week because of the recent outbreak of COVID-19 in Melbourne.
All nine matches next weekend will be held in the northern markets.
St Kilda, North Melbourne, Essendon, Western Bulldogs, Richmond and Carlton will then remain in Queensland for the next block of fixtures. Hawthorn and Melbourne will be based in NSW, while Collingwood and Geelong will play one match in Sydney before heading west to Perth.
Australia has joined Britain in offering Hong Kong residents refuge after the territory was engulfed by a fresh wave of protests and arrests over China’s new security laws.
In this episode of Please Explain, national editor Tory Maguire is joined by China correspondent Eryk Bagshaw to discuss the unrest in Hong Kong and how it may affect our diplomatic relations with China.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Michael Kidd said the Commonwealth gave their full support to the widespread testing taking place in Victoria at the moment.
Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos revealed on Friday that 10,000 Victorians had refused tests when offered one.
“If you are approached and asked to have a test, please comply,” he said.
“You may be infected with COVID-19 and have no symptoms but still be infectious and putting at risk your own loved ones, your family, and your friends, so again, please if you are asked to have a test, please have the test done.
“Put your own mind at risk, sorry, put your own mind at ease, and put the minds of your family members at ease as well.”
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Michael Kidd said that case totals gave a strong indication that Victoria’s approach to a recent surge in COVID-19 cases was working, but that it was too early to confirm whether the state’s figures had stabilised.
All 66 new cases of the virus reported over the past 24 hours were in Victoria – but Professor Kidd again stressed that the entire country needed to remain vigilant.
“The level of testing in Victoria continues at a high level and especially in the affected postcodes in the north-west of the city,” he said.
“We continue to be very concerned about the outbreak in Victoria and the continuing cases of community transmission.
“This is a warning for everybody in Australia. The importance of continuing to adhere to the measures that are in place to protect us all. We are all at risk of a resurgence of COVID-19.”
Australian Government Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Michael Kidd provided a COVID-19 update on Friday afternoon.
Australia's star-studded swimming team will be given a crash course in being primed for morning finals with the country's national championships to copy the Tokyo Games schedule next year.
Swimming Australia announced on Friday it will use next April's national titles to replicate the Olympic format, which will require medal events to be staged in the morning and qualifiers at night under commitments to United States television behemoth NBC.
Some of the Dolphins' biggest names have already been tailoring their training loads and mindset to be at their peak before lunchtime, a facet of their preparation they will have to work on for another 12 months after the Games were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The national championships, due to be held between April 14-18, was announced as part of a strong domestic calendar in 2021 which will include the Olympic qualifiers in Adelaide in June.
Seven fines were issued by Victoria Police on Thursday, including five infringements handed to a group from a locked-down postcode driving around with no valid reason.
Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said on Friday a "group of criminals" were driving around with drugs and weapons with no reason to be out, so they were all issued fines.
"In addition to criminal charges they got five infringements for not complying with the restrictions," he told radio station 3AW.
Another fine was given to a woman who was from one of the restricted postcodes who was in the city "just chilling with friends".