As the day unfolded: Victoria records 374 new COVID-19 cases as NSW clusters continue to grow; JobKeeper to be revised down as Australian death toll jumps to 126

There is now a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the Port Stephens area - with health experts announcing he is a man in his 60s, who is now in isolation. The source of infection was a visitor from Sydney.

Anyone who visited the Salamander Bay Shopping Centre on 15 July to watch for COVID-19 symptoms and get tested should any respiratory symptoms or fever occur - and anyone in the general Port Stephens area with symptoms of COVID-19 should seek testing.

The Sydney case also visited the Windsor Castle Hotel in East Maitland between 6-8 pm on 13 July.

“If you were at the Windsor Castle Hotel in East Maitland on the evening of 13 July or Salamander Bay Shopping Centre on 15 July you may be at risk of infection and you must be tested for COVID-19 even if you have the mildest of respiratory symptoms,” said Dr David Durrheim, Public Health Controller for Hunter New England Health’s COVID-19 response.

“Anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms such as fever, sore throat, cough or shortness of breath, is urged to get tested.

“Even those with mild symptoms such as fatigue, new muscle aches or pains, a change in taste or smell or a new runny nose are encouraged to arrange testing,” he said.

Additional staff have been deployed to the nearby Tomaree Community Hospital COVID-19 clinic to increase testing capability, and testing is also available at Maitland Hospital walk-in clinic.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Michael Kidd said that the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee fully supported the impending requirement for all Victorians in COVID-19 hotspots to wear masks as of tomorrow.

"The AHPPC fully supports the decision of the Victorian Government to require, from tomorrow evening, that all people living in metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell shire wear a mask or other face covering whenever they leave their homes," he said.

"I know that it may seem odd to have to wear a mask and that if it's the first time you wear one you may feel a little uncomfortable, but please be assured that you will very quickly become used to wearing a mask as millions and millions of people have right around the world."

Professor Kidd urged people to make sure their masks were properly fitted and covering their mouth and nose at all times.

"You should avoid the temptation to touch your mask while you are wearing it and please wash and sanitise your hands before you put on a mask and when you take a mask off," he said.

In regards to New South Wales, Professor Kidd encouraged people in areas such as south-west Sydney to consider wearing masks whenever they go outside.

"In the areas where we're seeing community transmission in New South Wales, it would be wise for people to be wearing a mask, particularly in situations where physical distancing is not going to be possible," he said.

"This may include, of course, being on public transport, going into the supermarket if it is crowded, going into elevators in high buildings."

Thanks for reading. This is Matt Bungard signing off. We'll be back tomorrow with more live, free coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. To read Wednesday's coverage, click here.

This is what you need to know from today:

• Thousands of NSW residents who may have been exposed to coronavirus have been told to isolate for 14 days even after receiving a negative COVID-19 test in a significant shift in health advice.

• Victoria’s Chief Health Officer, Brett Sutton, says there are signs the lockdown of Melbourne and Mitchell Shire is containing the spread of COVID-19.

• A system error has left truck drivers with just hours to register for new border permits to return to NSW from Victoria, after they were unable to apply as freight workers which would grant them an exemption from self-isolation rules.

• The global death toll passed 609,000, and cases have passed the 14.7 million mark.

• Doctors are fearful of a second spike in COVID-19 infections in NSW are urging the state to follow Victoria's lead and mandate the wearing of masks in hospitals and the community, but health authorities say there is no benefit to acting before case numbers rise.

• Australia had 387 new cases today, 374 of which were in Victoria.

• The federal health department has moved in to help run a Melbourne aged care facility that experienced a quadrupling of coronavirus cases on Tuesday.

• The Australian death toll rose to 126.

We'll continue our live coverage of the pandemic early on Wednesday.

A system error will force truck drivers to self-isolate upon returning to NSW from Victoria, despite a permit system supposedly granting them an exemption, the national transport union says.

From 12.01am on Wednesday, an amendment to a COVID-19 public health order will tighten entry for those returning from Victoria to NSW and new criteria for exemption permits will apply.

Previously granted permits will expire and travellers were required to reapply for the latest permits from 4pm on Tuesday.

Under the new rules, all critical service providers, including dental and veterinary personnel, who enter NSW from Victoria will be required to self-isolate for 14 days. Those within the freight industry are exempt.

But the Transport Workers’ Union said that the application process "was already chaos" just a couple of hours after it re-opened.

Read the full story here

Indonesia on Tuesday reported 1655 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of infections to 89,869, according to official data released by the government.

The number of fatalities due to COVID-19 rose by 81 on Tuesday to reach a total of 4320, the data showed, while 48,466 people have recovered from the virus.

Hong Kong reported 61 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, including 58 that were locally transmitted, adding to a slew of new cases which have hit the global financial hub over the past two weeks.

Hong Kong tightened social distancing measures in July after a rise in locally transmitted cases and as authorities warned about a third wave of infections.

Since late January, more than 2000 people have been infected in Hong Kong, 14 of whom have died.

Reuters