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NationalCoronavirus pandemic

This was published 5 years ago

As the day unfolded: China signs on to COVID-19 inquiry at World Health Assembly as NSW announces resumption of regional travel, Australian death toll stands at 100

If you suspect you or a family member has coronavirus you should call (not visit) your GP or ring the national Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.

Mary Ward, Matt Bungard and Jenny Noyes
Updated ,first published

Summary

  • The global death toll from coronavirus has passed 322,000. There are more than 4.8 million known cases of infection but almost 1.7 million people have recovered, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally.
  • The total number of cases in Australia has passed 7000, with about 650 active cases. A 17th resident at Anglicare's Newmarch House died with coronavirus, becoming Australia's 100th death
  • The resolution for an inquiry into the handling of the coronavirus pandemic has passed the World Health Assembly with no objections
  • NSW will join other states and territories in allowing regional travel from June 1. Art galleries and libraries will also reopen next month
  • St Ignatius’ College Riverview has sent its boarders back to their dorms today and is sending day pupils home after a student had tested positive to COVID-19.

That's all from us tonight

By

Thanks for reading. This is Jenny Noyes signing off. We'll be back tomorrow with more live, free coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.

This is what you need to know from today:

We'll continue our live coverage of the pandemic overnight and into Thursday in a new blog, which you can read here. Thanks for joining us.

Travel is back... to an extent. But should we be travelling?

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We're back. Travel is back. Movement is back. There's light at the end of the home-cooked, self-isolated tunnel.

West Australians are already allowed; South Australians too. Territorians can move around. Queenslanders can take small trips. NSW will allow recreational travel from June 1. All we need is Victoria and Tasmania to come to the party – which they inevitably will – and we're back in a situation where all Australians can enjoy a holiday, even if the destinations are severely restricted.

That's cause for celebration for many of us. It's also, however, cause for apprehension. Yes, we can travel. But should we?

Bondi Beach pre-pandemic.Getty

The interesting thing is that anyone who's done much travel in the past will already be familiar with these feelings of apprehension. Every time you go somewhere new you're taking a risk. You're taking a chance on the unknown. You're trusting your instincts and taking a punt.

Read the full story here. 

Indonesia hits a new record in daily cases

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Indonesia has recorded its highest single-day rise in COVID-19 cases as the government is preparing a "new normal" by July.

Health ministry official Achmad Yurianto announced Wednesday that confirmed cases of COVID-19 infections spiked by 693, taking the total number of infections nationwide over 19,000, including more than 1,200 deaths and about 4,500 recoveries.

The previous highest daily increase in COVID-19 cases was recorded a week ago with 689 new cases.

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President Joko Widodo has said the country must be ready for a "new normal" by July. However, Indonesians are worrying over little commitment from the government and citizens to fight the virus as the numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to rise across many provinces outside the capital, Jakarta.

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Face masks, five clients only: what to expect when nail salons reopen

By Natalie Reilly

For those among us who have had to make do without the aid of a manicurist these past three months, there is good news: nail salons may open as early as June.

Skye McIntyre in her salon in Penrith, Sydney.Skye McIntyre

But they may not be exactly as we remember them before lockdown. Nail salons, like beauticians and tattoo parlours, will have a 20-person limit on their premises. Clients will also have to provide their contact details so they can easily be traced. And greater discretion will be left up to individual states.

We spoke to two Sydney-based nail stylists to find out what we can expect after walking inside and hearing those three little words: "pick a colour". Read what they had to say here. 

Spain makes masks compulsory in public spaces

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Spain has made it compulsory for all citizens, including children over six, to wear masks in public spaces as one of Europe's strictest lockdowns gradually unwinds.

The Health Ministry order said the masks - whose efficiency in curbing the coronavirus is hotly debated globally - would be needed from Thursday for indoor public spaces and outdoors when impossible to keep a two-metre distance.

Spain has suffered 27,778 deaths and had 232,037 cases of the COVID-19 disease, according to latest data, while the tourism-dependent economy is forecast to contract up to 12.4 per cent in 2020 due its virtual paralysis since mid-March.

But the pace of new fatalities has slowed to under 100 a day, and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's left-wing coalition is aiming to lift most of the lockdown by the end of June unless there is a second wave.

Archaic in-person meeting rule leaves P&Cs in limbo

By Natassia Chrysanthos

School parents and citizens associations are unable to spend new money or approve school projects during the coronavirus pandemic, owing to a decades-old constitution that fails to recognise online meetings.

The constitution requires the associations hold one meeting each term as well as an annual general meeting. But voting can only occur when members are physically present, according to the P&C Federation's interpretation of the document, which has left groups in limbo during the pandemic.

School parent and citizens associations have not been able to meet in-person during the coronavirus pandemic, leaving many decisions in limbo.Janie Barrett

The federation has asked the NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell to amend its constitution under the Parents and Citizens Associations Incorporation Act 1976.

"The constitution doesn’t have a specific enabler to allow online meetings," P&C Federation president Tim Spencer said. "There are some potential legal issues or risks associated with making decisions online, that we don’t want members to have to stick our neck out for. A lot are stuck at the moment."

Mr Spencer said many P&Cs were unable to make financial decisions, including spending government grants, authorising new building or school improvement projects, and paying JobKeeper wages to eligible canteen or uniform shop staff.

Read the full story here. 

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Cyclone Amphan hits India, Bangladesh as two million seek shelter

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There's never a good time for a powerful cyclone to hit heavily populated areas, but it's hard to think of a worse time than in the middle of a deadly pandemic. But it's May, 2020, and here we are.

Cyclone Amphan has begun dumping rain on coastal India and Bangladesh as more than two million people are being moved to shelters before the storm hits land.

Trees lie uprooted on a highway from heavy winds ahead of Cyclone Amphan landfall in Orissa, India.AP

The storm slowed slightly as it reached cooler waters near the coast earlier today. But with wind speeds ranging between 160 and 170km/h, the storm could cause extensive damage: winds and heavy rain battering flimsy houses, a storm surge that may push seawater 25km inland and the possibility of flooding in crowded cities like Kolkata.

Bangladesh is attempting to evacuate 2.2 million people to safety, officials said.

NSW art galleries get to work after surprise opening announcement

By Nick Galvin and Josh Dye

Art lovers in NSW should be prepared for timed tickets, no large group entries, closed cafes and social distancing markers as galleries scramble to reopen to the public for the first time in more than two months.

Directors have warned visitors to expect an altered gallery experience in the coronavirus era as they get ready to open their doors from June 1.

MCA director Liz Ann Macgregor with works by Huma Bhabha for the Biennale of Sydney. Steven Siewert

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian yesterday "cautiously" invited galleries, along with museums and libraries, to open but "with strict new protocols in place".

Art Gallery of NSW director Michael Brand called the announcement a "pleasant surprise" and said the institution was ready to open.

Social distancing rules watered down for office lifts

By Anna Patty

Workplace safety rules for travelling in lifts have been watered down to shorten waiting times of more than 90 minutes for workers entering high-rise office towers.

Safe Work Australia has now removed an earlier guideline for lift use during the pandemic which said workers should "maintain 1.5 metres distance when travelling in lifts where possible".

Wait times for using office lifts are still expected to be longer. Rhett Wyman

The guideline was updated overnight to say: "there is no requirement to provide 4 square metres of space per person in lifts, however you must still ensure, as far as you reasonably can, that people maintain physical distancing in lifts and lift waiting areas".

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Doctors warn of new symptoms in China's latest COVID-19 patients

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Chinese doctors are seeing the coronavirus manifest differently among patients in its new cluster of cases in the northeast region compared to the original outbreak in Wuhan, suggesting that the pathogen may be changing in unknown ways.

Patients found in the northern provinces of Jilin and Heilongjiang appear to carry the virus for a longer period of time and take longer to recover, as defined by a negative test, Qiu Haibo, one of China's top critical care doctors, has told state television.

Cases in the northeast also appear to be taking longer than the one to two weeks observed in Wuhan to develop symptoms after infection, and this delayed onset is making it harder for authorities to catch cases before they spread, said Qiu, who is now in the northern region treating patients.

Scientists still do not fully understand if the virus is changing in significant ways. The differences Chinese doctors are seeing could be due to the fact that they're able to observe patients more thoroughly and from an earlier stage than in Wuhan.

When the outbreak first exploded in the central Chinese city, the local healthcare system was so overwhelmed that only the most serious cases were being treated. The northeast cluster is also far smaller than Hubei's outbreak, which ultimately sickened 68,000 people.

Read the full story here. 

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