Coronavirus: What we know today, June 29
Follow this post for rolling updates on the impact of the coronavirus in South Australia, the nation and the world.
Photo: AAP/Kelly Barnes.
Refresh this page for updates – scroll down for links to official health information.
KEY POINTS
- First new SA cases since May 26
- SA to introduce online border access scheme
- SA lifts restrictions again on Monday
- Testing warning as Victorian cases surge
- Global deaths pass 500,000
- US shuts some bars as cases mount
Three test positive in SA quarantine
South Australia has recorded its first new COVID-19 cases since May, with three returning travellers in quarantine in the CBD – including a three-year-old girl – returning positive tests.
The state on the weekend welcomed more than 300 returning Australians from overseas, including around 260 travellers from Mumbai and around 70 defence force personnel, all of whom have been mandatorily quarantined at the Pullman Hotel on Hindmarsh Square.
“We do test everybody that comes in internationally and that’s exactly what’s happened… there are three positive cases,” Chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier revealed this afternoon.
None of the defence force returnees have yet tested positive, but the three cases on the flight from Mumbai, which arrived via Singapore, included a three-year -old girl, a woman in her 30s and a woman in her 40s.
Spurrier said none of the positive cases was related to each other, and the child’s parents would be monitored despite currently testing negative to coronavirus
She said one of the women has “very mild symptoms” of the disease, while the other adult and the child are asymptomatic.
SA to introduce online border access scheme
South Australia is moving to a pre-approval process for all people entering the state as part of ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.
From Wednesday anyone wanting to come to SA by road or air will need to apply through an online form, a process officials say will speed up access at the state’s borders.
Anyone arriving from Queensland, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory will not be required to quarantine, but 14 days of isolation will continue for anyone from NSW, Victoria and the ACT.
SA is due to lift quarantine requirements on those jurisdictions on July 20, but Police Commissioner Grant Stevens says the spike in cases in Victoria is being monitored and could impact on that schedule.
Victoria reported 75 new cases on Monday after revealing 90 new infections over the weekend.
“We’ll take advice from the experts in SA Health in relation to the efforts in Victoria to contain the virus and to properly establish the extent of the spread into the Victorian community,” Stevens said.
“The reality is, the numbers we’re seeing today relate to activities that occurred over the last two weeks, so we may see a much better performance from Victoria over the next few days.
“It’s important to everybody that Victoria gets this under control.”
SA reported no new coronavirus cases on Sunday, taking the state’s run of days without a new infection to more than a month.
SA further eases restrictions
South Australia is continuing to lift COVID-19 restrictions, with the state moving to its lowest level since measures were first imposed to contain the virus.
From Monday SA moves to stage three, which includes relaxing density requirements for pubs, bars and restaurants – with one person allowed for every two square metres.
Large venues such as Adelaide Oval will be free to cater for up to 50 per cent of their normal capacity, provided health officials have approved their safety plans.
The Adelaide Casino will also reopen.
Premier Steven Marshall says the changes will allow more businesses to open and employ more people.
“But it’s not a time to get complacent. It’s up to all of us to heed the health messages,” he said.
“If you’re sick, stay home. If you have cold and flu symptoms, get tested. And keep up good hygiene practices.”
Suburban lockdowns considered as Victorian cases grow
Victoria has recorded 75 fresh COVID-19 cases, bringing the state’s confirmed total to 2099.
One new case was linked to hotel quarantine, 14 were linked to known outbreaks, 37 were detected through routine testing and 23 were under investigation, Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said on Monday.
It came after 49 new COVID-19 cases were recorded on Sunday – Victoria’s highest daily total since April 2.
Premier Daniel Andrews yesterday said authorities were waiting on the full results of the three-day coronavirus testing blitz in 10 suburban hotspots to come through before deciding on any further measures to contain the virus.
He has not ruled out a lockdown for the worst-affected areas.
“That is not our preference but we’ll do it if we need to,” he said.
Deaths pass 500,000
Another milestone has been passed in the coronavirus pandemic: 500,000 deaths worldwide.
The reported tally on Sunday came from Johns Hopkins University researchers.
About one in four of those deaths – more than 125,000 – have been reported in the US. The country with the next highest death toll is Brazil, with more than 57,000, or about one in nine.
The true death toll from the virus, which first emerged in China late last year, is widely believed to be significantly higher.
Experts say that especially early on, many victims died of COVID-19 without being tested for it.
To date, more than 10 million confirmed cases have been reported globally.
Bars shut as US cases surge
California has ordered some bars to close as the state and a dozen others in the US face the worst surge in coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic.
Bars in seven counties, including Los Angeles, must close and those in eight more counties are strongly recommended to shut their doors.
The surge in COVID-19 cases has been most pronounced in a handful of southern and western states that reopened earlier and more aggressively, despite warnings by health officials.
For a third consecutive day on Saturday, the number of confirmed US cases rose by more than 40,000, one of the largest surges in the world.
In Arizona, cases have risen by 267 per cent so far in June and jumped by a record 3857 cases on Sunday, the eighth record-breaking increase this month.
Even in states where cases have been declining for weeks, outbreaks are happening.
One bar in East Lansing, Michigan, has been linked to more than 85 cases, according to the Ingham County Health Department.
Just a day after he said the country was in “a much better place”, Vice-President Mike Pence cancelled events to campaign for President Donald Trump’s re-election in Florida and Arizona due to the outbreak.
Pence told CBS he was confident there were enough healthcare supplies and capacity to deal with the spike in cases.
OFFICIAL SOURCES OF ADVICE AND INFORMATION
Local updates and resources
State Government central information
Mental health support line (8am to 8pm): 1800 632 753.
National advice and information
Australian Government Coronavirus information hotline: 1800 020 080
Government information via WhatsApp: click here
Travel
Australian Government travel advice: smartraveller.gov.au
Check your symptoms
Free, government-funded, health advice: healthdirect.gov.au
– Reporting by InDaily staff, AAP and Reuters
