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As the day unfolded: Victoria records 484 new COVID-19 cases as Thai Rock Wetherill Park cluster grows in NSW; Australian death toll stands at 128

Updated July 22, 2020 — 8:06pm,first published July 22, 2020 — 6:31am

Pinned post from 8.00pm on Jul 22, 2020

We are closing the blog for the evening

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 Thursday's coverage, click here.

This is what you need to know from today:

Australia had 502 new cases today, 484 of which were in Victoria - it was the largest number of cases in a single day since the pandemic began.
Victoria's clampdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus will cost the national economy $3.3 billion and hold back Australia's recovery from the pandemic recession.
The QLD state LNP is demanding the almost 200 people who disappeared from their COVID-19 self-quarantine after lying to Queensland border officers be slapped with the maximum $13,345 fine.
The global death toll passed 616,000, and cases have passed the 14.9 million mark.
Local authorities in Colac are struggling to find alternative accommodation for dozens of people forced to isolate amid attempts to contain the worst outbreak in regional Victoria.
Australia has expressed alarm over Chinese hackers compromising networks across the world for commercial and personal gain, after a US Justice Department indictment alleged a decade-long spree targeting an Australian defence contractor, the personal data of Hong Kong protesters and COVID-19 vaccine researchers.
A government decision to exempt joggers from wearing masks has been slammed as illogical by infectious disease experts.
The Australian death toll rose to 128.

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

Pinned post from 10.56am on Jul 22, 2020

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WATCH LIVE: NSW Premier provides COVID update

Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Minister for Health Brad Hazzard and NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant are providing a COVID-19.

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8.06pm on Jul 22, 2020

Victoria Police will use discretion during first week of masks rule

By Rachael Dexter

With the clock ticking down to midnight, at which point all residents in Metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire must wear face coverings outside of their homes, Victoria Police has acknowledged the first week of the rule will be a “significant adjustment” and that police would use discretion.

"As part of daily patrols, police will be able to issue on-the-spot fines of $200 to those not wearing a face covering without a legitimate reason," a police spokeswoman said.

"This is a critical measure designed to reduce the spread of coronavirus."

Police will exercise discretion over the next seven days, as we understand that for many people this is a significant adjustment.”But the message was qualified with a warning for those caught “blatantly” disregarding the mask rule.

“For example, if a person has a mask and refuses to wear it when requested then that person can expect to be issued with the fine,” the spokeswoman said.

“Similarly, if a person persists with entering a supermarket when requested not to do so due to the absence of a mask then that person can expect to be issued with a fine.”

Victoria Police have asked residents in the lockdown areas to only use the Police Assistance phone line to dob in breaches of mass gatherings, self-isolation and businesses operating in breach of the Chief Health Officer’s directives, rather than non-mask wearers.

Pinned post from 8.00pm on Jul 22, 2020

We are closing the blog for the evening

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 Thursday's coverage, click here.

This is what you need to know from today:

Australia had 502 new cases today, 484 of which were in Victoria - it was the largest number of cases in a single day since the pandemic began.
Victoria's clampdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus will cost the national economy $3.3 billion and hold back Australia's recovery from the pandemic recession.
The QLD state LNP is demanding the almost 200 people who disappeared from their COVID-19 self-quarantine after lying to Queensland border officers be slapped with the maximum $13,345 fine.
The global death toll passed 616,000, and cases have passed the 14.9 million mark.
Local authorities in Colac are struggling to find alternative accommodation for dozens of people forced to isolate amid attempts to contain the worst outbreak in regional Victoria.
Australia has expressed alarm over Chinese hackers compromising networks across the world for commercial and personal gain, after a US Justice Department indictment alleged a decade-long spree targeting an Australian defence contractor, the personal data of Hong Kong protesters and COVID-19 vaccine researchers.
A government decision to exempt joggers from wearing masks has been slammed as illogical by infectious disease experts.
The Australian death toll rose to 128.

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

7.42pm on Jul 22, 2020

Two DHHS staff in Victoria test positive to COVID-19

By Rachael Dexter

The Victorian government department overseeing the state's COVID-19 response has recorded two positive cases in its own ranks.

The Department of Health and Human Services confirmed this evening that the two staff members are isolating and contact tracing is underway.

Any offices the two staff may have been in are undergoing deep cleaning and the department says it is working to minimise disruption to clients.

7.26pm on Jul 22, 2020

Inner-west aged care facility closed after staff member attended Thai restaurant

Sydney Local Health District is testing staff and residents of Ashfield Baptist Homes after a staff member tested positive to COVID-19.

The staff member dined at the Thai Rock restaurant at Wetherill Park.

"The risk to other staff and residents is considered to be very low as the staff member wore masks, gloves and gowns when working with residents and did not work while symptomatic," a statement on Wednesday evening read.

Ashfield Baptist Homes is closed to all visitors pending test results.

"Sydney Local Health District is working closely with the home to provide information and support," they said.

7.14pm on Jul 22, 2020

Second positive COVID-19 case at Melbourne remand centre

By Rachael Dexter, Tammy Mills and Simone Fox Koob

An asymptomatic prisoner, who was in ‘protective quarantine’ at the Metropolitan Remand Centre at Ravenhall in Melbourne’s west, has tested positive to COVID-19 today, after a positive prison guard at a nearby prison sent six prisons into lockdown yesterday.

According to a statement issued by Corrections Victoria, the prisoner who tested positive on Wednesday was swabbed on 20 July 2020 upon their entry to the facility.

The case is the second recorded within the facility, after a previous case testing positive on July 17.

Corrections Victoria said there was no link between the two remand cases, or to yesterdays case in a prison officer at nearby Ravenhall Correctional Centre.

Tonight Ravenhall Correctional Centre, Hopkins Correctional Centre in Ararat, Langi Kal Kal near Ballarat, Barwon Prison near Geelong, Fulham near Sale in GIppsland and Loddon pirson near Castlemaine all remain in lockdown.

The Age has been told the lockdowns were triggered because the prison officer had contact with at least five prisoners who were transferred from Ravenhall Correctional Centre to the other facilities.

The new case in the remand centre comes just hours after news that three teachers who work at Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre in central Victoria tested positive for coronavirus.

The youth justice facility located north-west of Melbourne has been in lockdown since Saturday night after an education coordinator tested positive.

A spokesperson from the Department of Justice and Community Safety confirmed a total of four Department of Education employees working at the centre have now returned positive tests.

“All young people tested have returned a negative result for coronavirus (COVID-19)," he said.

“We will continue to support and monitor the health and wellbeing of all young people and staff at the facility.”

Movement of youths within the facility has been restricted in line with health advice. It is mandatory for visitors to wear PPE at all times while on-site.

6.46pm on Jul 22, 2020

Victoria lockdowns to cost national economy at least $3 billion

By Shane Wright

Victoria's clampdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus will cost the national economy $3.3 billion and hold back Australia's recovery from the pandemic recession.

Data to be released on Thursday as part of the federal government's economic update shows the lockdown of Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire, plus the effective shutting of the NSW-Victoria border, will strip 0.75 percentage points from economic growth in the September quarter.

The re-emergence of coronavirus in Victoria is expected to slice up to $3.3 billion from national GDP in the September quarter.Chris Hopkins

Economists and the federal government had been expecting a sharp bounce in activity through the quarter after a deep recession in the March and June quarters. Instead, growth will be lower and unemployment higher because of Victoria's struggles.

Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday give an early indication of the economic problems caused by the spread of coronavirus across Melbourne.

Read the full story here

6.29pm on Jul 22, 2020

Japan's travel ban has hit 85 per cent of European businesses there: trade lobby

Japan's travel ban to stop the spread of the coronavirus has hit a majority of European firms in the country and could prompt those businesses to rethink their future in the world's third-largest economy, a European business lobby said on Wednesday.

Commuters wearing face masks pass through Shinagawa train station in Tokyo.Getty Images

Many countries have imposed travel curbs amid the pandemic but Japan's are among the most strict, effectively banning entry of tourists and visa holders coming from 129 countries. Even permanent residents are restricted entry unless they are granted an exception under humanitarian grounds, while in the United States and Europe, non-citizen residents are allowed to return.

A recent survey by the European Business Council of 376 members in Japan showed that 85 per cent had been negatively impacted by the ban, with 44 per cent reporting financial losses. The EBC said the travel restrictions run counter to international treaties.

"This situation may also trigger some investment disputes against Japan," EBC president Michael Mroczek told reporters.

The way the ban was handled creates an air of unpredictability that may cause CEOs to "rethink their policy regarding Japan," he said.

Japan allows its citizens to return to the country if they take a coronavirus test at the port of entry and observe a period of self-quarantine.

Foreigners living in Japan face much higher hurdles for re-entry, such as demonstrating the need to visit dying relatives or be reunited with family in the country.

The EBC's remarks echoed those of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ), which has decried the country's "double standard" in reentry requirements.

Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on the EBC's claims. Immigration officials have said previously that they are considering ways to ease the ban but are prioritizing contagion controls.

Restrictions to contain the spread of the virus have already helped tip Japan's economy into its first recession in 4-1/2 years, as the country tries to stave off a second wave of infections which has brought total cases to more than 25,000 in the country.

Reuters

6.17pm on Jul 22, 2020

Need for masks for Melbourne’s homeless, refugees and asylum seekers

By Rachael Dexter

A number of Melbourne organisations working with vulnerable residents have done public call-outs for donations of reusable masks.

Anglicare and Cohealth in Melbourne are collecting donations for their clients as masks become mandatory for everyone in metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire from midnight tonight.

Paul McDonald, the CEO of Anglicare Victoria, said a number of young people in Anglicare’s system were “slapped” with fines during the first period of lockdown in Victoria, and hoped it wouldn’t be repeated this time.Rob Gunstone

CEO of Anglicare Victoria Paul McDonald has called on police to exercise discretion in enforcing the rule in vulnerable or at-risk groups, particularly young people.

“Care agencies like Anglicare Victoria will be working hard to get the word out to young people in our care from all cultural backgrounds as quickly as possible, and support them to change their behaviour and follow the new rules. But we do need some understanding from authorities while this happens,” he said.

Mr McDonald said a number of young people in Anglicare’s system were “slapped” with fines during the first period of lockdown in Victoria, and hoped it wouldn’t be repeated this time.

“Behaviour change takes time, and we know from our recent experience with self-isolation that it takes at least a few weeks for the new rules to sink in,” he said.

“Most people of all ages are trying to do the right thing, and we should give teenagers and young adults some room to adjust – just as we are asking them to provide space for those around them. Many have their own daily struggles with family violence or the youth justice system, and this makes it particularly hard to get the message through.”

The organisation is hoping to source 600 masks for children and young people in out-of-home care, on top the masks it already distributes to homeless clients in emergency relief parcels.

Cohealth, a community health service working in Melbourne’s multicultural communities, has also done a public call-out for mask donations for their clients including refugees and asylum seekers.

While the organisation was waiting for an arrival of some masks from the state government, CEO Nicole Bartholomeusz said the organisation is looking to find as many masks as they can if the mask rule stays in place for many months.

“We identified ourselves that many of the masks have sold out very quickly, and are quite expensive for a community that is already struggling as a result of COVID-19,” she said.

She said Cohealth was working to bridge language barriers so that vulnerable Melbourne residents understood the directive.

“Many of the refugee and asylum seeker community work in casual employment so the pandemic has been particularly devastating in terms of job loss and poverty,” she said.

“They are the people who can least afford a $200 fine”.

6.03pm on Jul 22, 2020

The state of play in Victoria today

By Rachael Dexter

Following on from our earlier post on outbreaks in Victoria, here's a snapshot of the state of play in Victoria right now.

Today:
484 new cases reported, (+110 since yesterday)

There are 3408 (+261) active cases in Victoria, 187 (+18) of them in healthcare workers.
There are 205 (+31) people hospitalised with COVID-19, including 40 (+4) in intensive care.
There have been 2 deaths in the past 24 hours, bring the total death toll to date to 44.

To date:
There have been 6739 cases of COVID-19 in Victoria - 3342 men and 3222 women.

1116 (+42 since yesterday) cases may be the result of community transmission.
3184 (+106) people have recovered from the virus.
6204 (+441) cases are from metropolitan Melbourne, while 384 (+2) are from regional Victoria.
469 (+23) healthcare workers have tested positive.
More than 1,385,900 tests have been processed.

5.50pm on Jul 22, 2020

Thailand to extend emergency decree until end of August

Thailand will extend a state of emergency until the end of August, a senior official said on Wednesday, maintaining the security measure put in place to contain its coronavirus outbreak.

The announcement comes after nearly two months without local transmission and with many people in Thailand questioning the need for an emergency decree.

Kids wearing face masks as a preventive measure at Don Muang International Airport during the Coronavirus in Bangkok.Getty Images

The decree, first introduced in late March, will be subject to cabinet approval next week.

"It is still necessary to have the decree because we are opening up the country for more business meetings and tourism to stimulate the economy," said Somsak Roongsita, secretary-general of the National Security Council, adding that doctors had requested it be maintained.

The extension comes after political protests took place last week against the government, in defiance of a ban on gatherings. Somsak, however, said the emergency decree would be used only to contain virus outbreaks and not rallies.

"Political gatherings will be subject to the law, but not the decree," he added.

Thailand will begin allowing the entry of business executives for trade shows, migrant labourers, filmmakers and medical tourists, spokesman for the government's Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration, Taweesin Wisanuyothin said.

Up to 110,000 migrant labourers from Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia will gradually be allowed entry and be tested for the coronavirus upon arrival.

Foreign filmmakers and business executives will need a virus-free certificate from within three days before travel and have medical insurance.

Medical tourists will have to stay in their hospitals for two weeks before taking additional trips in the country, Taweesin said.

All foreign entries will be subject to a 14-day quarantine.

Thailand has reported a total of 3,261 infections and 58 deaths.

As the day unfolded: Victoria records 484 new COVID-19 cases as Thai Rock Wetherill Park cluster grows in NSW; Australian death toll stands at 128

We are closing the blog for the evening

WATCH LIVE: NSW Premier provides COVID update

Latest Posts

Victoria Police will use discretion during first week of masks rule

We are closing the blog for the evening

Two DHHS staff in Victoria test positive to COVID-19

Inner-west aged care facility closed after staff member attended Thai restaurant

Second positive COVID-19 case at Melbourne remand centre

Victoria lockdowns to cost national economy at least $3 billion

Japan's travel ban has hit 85 per cent of European businesses there: trade lobby

Need for masks for Melbourne’s homeless, refugees and asylum seekers

The state of play in Victoria today

Thailand to extend emergency decree until end of August

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