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That's a wrap for another big day on the coronavirus blog. Thanks for following, folks. We'll be back tomorrow morning. Until then, keep an eye on the federal budget blog. We've got reporters around the country filing feverishly to give you all you need to know from Canberra.
It's not just the Butcher Club-Chadstone coronavirus cluster that has Victorians on high alert and fearing the state may not reach its targets for easing lockdown restrictions on October 19. Health authorities are racing to contain at least 10 other clusters in the community:
Aged care outbreaks
If you're just catching up on the day's news and are wondering what happened to the world's most famous COVID-19 patient, here's an update:
US President Donald Trump left Walter Reed military hospital in Maryland, where he had been treated for coronavirus over the weekend, and returned to the White House, removing his mask as he entered the building.
In a tweet, Trump urged Americans not to be afraid of COVID or let it dominate their lives.
He added that he was feeling better than he did 20 years ago, even though doctors have administered three different types of medication in recent days for his coronavirus symptoms and given him supplemental oxygen.
If you're just joining us, here are some of the key developments of the day:
Melbourne's Butcher Club-Chadstone cluster
NSW Police have charged two people and issued eight infringement notices for breaches of the public health order over the long weekend.
Eastern beaches police were called to Malabar Headland in the early hours of Sunday morning following complaints of a party. Officers arrived and found more than 80 people at the event.
The crowd dispersed but police fined the organiser, a 31-year-old man, for failing to comply with health guidelines.
Two venues at Cockle Bay Wharf, Darling Park, were issued $5000 PINs on Sunday night for failing to produce COVID-19 safety plans. Another two licensed venues in northern NSW, one in Lismore and one in East Ballina, were issued $5000 PINS for violating coronavirus guidelines.
It's budget day in Canberra and our reporters are holed up inside the lockup poring over the official budget papers. We will have to wait until 7:30 to learn the size of the blow the COVID-19 pandemic has levelled on the nation's collective purse.
Earlier today, Labor used Question Time to kindly remind Prime Minister Scott Morrison of its ill-fated "back in black" declaration on budget day last year.
Back then, it projected a $7.1 billion surplus in 2019-20 as it headed into the May election - only for it to be eviscerated by the double whammy of the summer's bushfires and the pandemic.
Deputy Labor leader Richard Marles, brandishing one of the Back in Black mugs the Liberal Party had custom-made for the milestone, lobbed a question at the government benches: "What marking will be on the Prime Minister's mug this year?"
Mr Morrison was unimpressed.
Anyone who visited Chadstone Shopping Centre between September 23 and October are being asked to get tested for COVID-19, even if they have the mildest of symptoms.
The Health Department is stepping up efforts to contain the outbreak, which is responsible for 27 active cases and has now spread beyond Melbourne to Kilmore.
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton has asked anyone who visited Oddfellows Cafe in Kilmore between September 30 and October 3 to get tested – even if they don't have symptoms.
The same person who brought the virus to Kilmore by visiting the cafe also went on to visit Benalla in the state's north where a number of people are now being tested.
The future of travel, or at least its most immediate one, is here and on full display on a once routine, banal even, flight between two capital cities.
Get used to it. It's a taste of what we can expect to experience in the months, perhaps, heaven forbid, years, to come, even with the advent of a vaccine and the resumption of international travel.
This latest preview of travel's future begins with a flight yesterday between Sydney and Adelaide, not long since South Australia sensibly decided to open its borders to COVID-safer NSW.
The previous week witnessed yet another flutter of excitement over the inflation of the trans-Tasman bubble, only for any real elation to be largely dashed by the fine print (it's so far only available to Kiwis coming to Australia with a quarantine period awaiting them on their return).
Queensland Deputy Premier and Health Minister Steven Miles has refused to apologise for publicly criticising a Rockhampton nurse who worked at an aged care home while infectious with COVID-19.
An internal Queensland Health investigation found the nurse did not breach any aged care directives despite working at the North Rockhampton Nursing Centre while displaying COVID-19 symptoms.
The nurse was never publicly identified, but was strongly criticised for her actions by the premier and Mr Miles, who implied she should have known better.
Mr Miles today refused to back down on his comments, saying the messaging at the time was very clear.
“She was cleared of wrongdoing that would justify disciplinary action, but the point remains that she attended work while symptomatic - that is something we have spent a long time trying to discourage people from doing,” he said.
Victorians are dobbing on their neighbours in record numbers with hundreds of thousands of calls made to police to report COVID breaches since the start of the pandemic.
It's a touchy subject but we would like to know your thoughts. If you see someone breaking the rules, would you call the police? Fill out the feedback box below if you would be happy to talk to an Age reporter for an article they are working on: