• WA braces for cases from cargo ship
• Woman dies of COVID in southwest Sydney
• Vic lockdown extended after 12 new cases
• NSW records 98 new COVID cases
• Far-right British commentator to be deported from Aus
• ‘Freedom Day’ in England as restrictions lift
• Vic records 12 new COVID cases
• SA tightens border rules
• NSW construction shut down amid tough new rules
• Hills MP to quit politics
• Eagles down Crows to snap losing streak
• Grange sale sets Australian wine record
• Pogacar wins Tour de France

WA braces for cases from cargo ship

Eight crew members aboard a cargo ship docked in Fremantle are expected to test positive to COVID-19, creating a fresh logistical challenge for West Australian authorities.

Premier Mark McGowan says the results will be known later on Monday after the group briefly disembarked for testing earlier in the day.

They are isolating in separate cabins aboard the BBC California while awaiting their results.

A further six crew members who were not symptomatic did not disembark but will be tested if any of the others come back positive.

“Every precaution is being taken to ensure the safety of port workers and the West Australian community,” Mr McGowan told reporters.

The BBC California left Egypt on June 8 and has since visited three ports in Indonesia. A number of crew members became unwell last week, prompting the ship’s captain to seek assistance.

The ship docked at Fremantle Port on Monday, allowing crew members to disembark in small groups so they could be tested inside a shed.

They were met by health workers and police, clad in personal protective equipment, and returned to the ship a short time later.

The premier said anyone who needed medical treatment would be hospitalised, but doing so would increase the risk of community infection.

Woman dies of COVID in southwest Sydney

A southwest Sydney woman in her 50s has died after contracting COVID-19, becoming the fifth person in NSW to die amid the current outbreak.

The Green Valley woman was reportedly linked to the two removalists who travelled to central-west NSW, including to Orange, while one was known to be COVID-positive.

Her body was found in her home on Monday morning, and NSW Police said a report would be prepared for the coroner.

The woman is the 61st person to die of COVID-19 in NSW since early 2020.

Vic lockdown extended after 12 new cases

Victoria’s lockdown has been extended after the state recorded 12 more COVID-19 cases with 250 exposure sites dotted across the state.

There were 13 new local infections in the 24 hours to Monday morning, one of which is a case in Mildura, previously announced by authorities.

Premier Daniel Andrews on Tuesday said there were too many chains of transmission for the lockdown to lift at the original time of midnight Tuesday.

“We are running alongside this virus, but we’re not yet in front of it,” he told reporters.

“We’ve gone hard and early and I think we have avoided, in fact I know we have avoided something altogether worse.”

He said testing figures, exposure sites and test results today will guide the extension and he hoped to tell Victorians just how long that will be on Tuesday morning.

All the new cases are linked to the current outbreaks of the Delta variant in the state, which originated in NSW.

Victoria also recorded one new infection acquired overseas, currently in hotel quarantine, bringing its total number of active cases to 81.

There are now 15,800 close contacts and more than 250 exposure sites, including sites on Phillip Island in the south of the state to the Mallee district in the northwest.

There were 54,839 test results returned during the 24 hours to Monday and 14,758 vaccines administered.

NSW records 98 new COVID cases

NSW has recorded 98 new local cases of COVID-19 and 37 people were circulating in the community during some or all of their infectious period.

The cases were diagnosed from 75,845 tests carried out in the 24 hours to 8pm on Sunday.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the number of circulating cases was the number she was “really keen to nudge” lower.

“We need to get ahead of that number in order to reduce the number of cases in the community to zero,” she said on Monday.

The premier has warned there could be a lag of between five or six days until the number of COVID-19 cases begins to drop, after the government introduced tough new restrictions.

Tradies across Greater Sydney have now downed tools, with construction sites shutting down for two weeks.

It’s the first time the construction industry has been shut anywhere in Australia since the pandemic began and state Labor is calling on the federal government to re-introduce JobKeeper to help businesses and workers survive the harsher measures announced on Saturday.

Labor says the move will cost the NSW economy at least $700 million per week and affect at least 250,000 workers.

People living in Greater Sydney and surrounding regions are in the fourth week of a lockdown after the government imposed a raft of new restrictions, including the ban on all construction work, the closure of non-essential retail outlets not including supermarkets, pharmacies, banks and liquor stores.

Public transport has been scaled back and is now operating on a Sunday timetable, while stay-at-home orders have been tightened in the Fairfield, Canterbury-Bankstown and Liverpool areas with locals not allowed to leave until July 30 – unless they are essential workers.

It’s estimated the tougher measures have left around 600,000 people without work.

Far-right British commentator to be deported from Aus

British far-right commentator Katie Hopkins will be deported from Australia after her visa was cancelled.

Ms Hopkins was brought to Australia by Network Seven to join its reality television program Big Brother.

But she was dropped from the show after deliberately disobeying safety protocols in hotel quarantine.

Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews described the behaviour as shameful and has since cancelled her visa.

“We will be getting her out of the country as soon as we can arrange that,” Andrews said on Monday.

“I am hoping that will happen imminently.”

Andrews said the commentator’s antics – flouting quarantine rules and potentially putting staff and police at risk – were a slap in the face to people going through lockdowns and Australians stranded overseas.

The minister appeared to blame the NSW government for Ms Hopkins coming to Australia, with her visa granted on the basis of economic benefit.

But the federal government is ultimately responsible for issuing visas.

Questions have been raised over how Ms Hopkins was allowed into the country.

She has described migrants as cockroaches, labelled Islam repugnant and called for a “final solution” in response to a terror attack.

During a round of television interviews, the home affairs minister was repeatedly pressed on how Ms Hopkins was deemed a person of good character.

“Well, she’s clearly not someone that we want to keep in this country for a second longer than we have to,” Andrews said.

‘Freedom Day’ in England as restrictions lift

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is ending more than a year of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in England, urging the public to remain cautious but putting his faith in vaccines to protect the country even as infections are surging.

On what local media have dubbed “Freedom Day”, Johnson’s decision to lift regulations on Monday in favour of restarting an economy damaged by a series of on-off lockdowns since March 2020 marks a new chapter in the global response to the coronavirus.

If the vaccines continue to prove effective in reducing severe illness and deaths even while infections reach record levels, Johnson’s decision could inform other highly vaccinated countries’ approach to returning to normal.

But the strategy comes with risks – most notably that a variant capable of resisting vaccines could emerge, or the caseload could grow so severe that the economy grinds to a halt. Given that, Johnson has urged the public to take a cautious approach to the reopening.

“If we don’t do it now we’ve got to ask ourselves, when will we ever do it?” he said in a video message filmed on Sunday. “This is the right moment but we’ve got to do it cautiously. We’ve got to remember that this virus is sadly still out there.”

Britain has the seventh-highest death toll in the world, 128,708, and is forecast to soon have more new infections each day than it did at the height of a second wave of the virus earlier this year. On Sunday there were 48,161 new cases.

But, outstripping European peers, 87 per cent of Britain’s adult population has had one vaccination dose, and more than 68 per cent have had the two doses which provide even more protection. Daily deaths, about 40 per day, are just a fraction of a peak of above 1800 seen in January.

Vic records 12 new COVID cases

Victoria has recorded 12 new locally acquired cases of coronavirus, as the premier warns the state’s five-day lockdown could be extended.

The health department confirmed it recorded 13 new local infections in the 24 hours to Monday morning, one of which is a case in Mildura, previously announced by authorities.

All the new cases are linked to the current outbreaks of the Delta variant in the state, which originated in NSW.

Victoria also recorded one new infection acquired overseas, currently in hotel quarantine, bringing its total number of active cases to 81.

SA tightens border rules

South Australia has tightened its eastern borders with Victoria and NSW overnight after a COVID-19 infection was recorded in Mildura over the weekend.

People who have travelled from Mildura Local Government Area since July 11, 2021, will be required to quarantine for 14 days since arrival in SA and will be required to receive a COVID-19 test on days one, five & 13.

The NSW Cross Border corridor is now limited to the local government area of Broken Hill and communities in SA including Manna Hill, Olary, Tiaklina and Cockburn.

People are encouraged to limit their travel in and out of the Riverland area and are advised to seek testing for even the mildest of symptoms if they have been in this area.

The Mildura infection reported yesterday was in a man who had presented at hospital with COVID-19 symptoms after attending the Carlton-Geelong AFL match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground the previous weekend.

Travellers outside of the corridor will no longer be permitted to enter South Australia unless an Essential Traveller or Permitted Arrival. Cross border corridor residents will still be permitted to enter SA however, only for a strict number of reasons.

SA residents outside of the corridor travelling to Broken Hill will only be able to do so for essential work or with a health exemption.

The Victorian cross border corridor will be reduced to 40km, down from 70km, and the reasons that people are permitted to travel will also be reduced.

The cross-border corridor reasons for travel include: employment or education; providing care and support to, or receiving care and support from, another person; obtaining food, petrol or other fuel or medical care or supplies; or, obtaining a COVID-19 vaccination.

All South Australians returning from Victoria must now self-quarantine for 14 days and get tested on day one, five and 13.

SA chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier urged people in the Riverland to limit their movements where possible.

She said a decision on easing rules for South Australians travelling to and from Queensland would likely not be made until the end of the week.

“It’s pretty fast-moving and things are evolving,” she told ABC Radio this morning.

“What we are seeing is people are getting infected and the incubation is quite short and they are able to infect other people quite easily.”

There were no COVID-19 cases reported in South Australia yesterday.

NSW construction shut down amid tough new rules

Tradies across Greater Sydney have downed tools as construction sites shut down for two weeks as tough new COVID-19 restrictions begin.

It’s the first time the construction industry has been shut down in NSW since the pandemic began.

State Labor says shutting down construction will cost the NSW economy at least $700 million per week and affect at least 250,000 workers.

Greater Sydney and surrounding regions have begun the fourth week of a lockdown after the government imposed a raft of new restrictions, including the ban on all construction work, the closure of non-essential retail outlets not including supermarkets, pharmacies, banks and liquor stores.

Public transport has been scaled back and is now operating on a Sunday timetable, while stay-at-home orders have been tightened in the Fairfield, Canterbury-Bankstown and Liverpool areas with locals not allowed to leave until July 30 – unless they are essential workers.

NSW recorded 105 new virus cases and the death of a woman in her 90s in Sydney’s southeast on Sunday. The woman is the fourth to die in the current outbreak.

Some 27 people had been infectious while in the community.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian says there could be a lag of between five or six days until the number of COVID-19 cases begins to drop as a result of the latest lockdown restrictions.

She said the decision to impose the harsher measures on the Harbour City had caused her anguish.

“I’m not embarrassed to say that in public life, yesterday was probably the most difficult day I’ve had personally,” she said on Sunday.

“We are throwing everything at this, we want to come out of this lockdown as soon as possible.”

NSW Police will be targetting Sydney beaches to ensure compliance, with “high-visibility” patrols at Manly Beach, Bondi Beach and other coastal areas to ensure social distancing while people exercise.

Sydney residents are now required to carry a face mask when out of their homes and to wear them when appropriate.

Hills MP to quit politics

Adelaide Hills Liberal MP Dan Cregan will quit politics at next year’s state election.

The Kavel MP, who previously worked as a lawyer, says he is considering offers to return to the legal profession after just one term in parliament.

The Adelaide Hills seat, which includes towns including Mt Barker and Hahndorf, is a safe Liberal electorate.

“I put an enormous amount into my community to assist us recovering from the Cudlee Creek bushfire,” Cregan told ABC Radio this morning.

“That means that I’ve burnt up all the fuel that might have been available for two terms in one term.

“It’s important for MPs to be managing their energy and making sure that they’re giving all of themselves to what is a challenging role at times.”

When asked about whether he was opposed to a conservative recruitment drive in the Liberal Party from Pentecostal churches, Cregan said: “It’s no secret that I’ve expressed my view that broad-based membership is absolutely essential to the health of any political party.”

“I raised some concerns about the importance of maintaining broad-based membership in a natural party of government which we are,” he said.

“It is absolutely vital that we continue to do that.”

Premier Steven Marshall said he was disappointed in Cregan’s decision but thanked him for his service.

“I wish Dan well with his future endeavours and thank him again for his contribution to the Government, the Liberal Party and, of course, to the people of Kavel,” the Premier said.

Eagles down Crows to snap losing streak

Veteran Eagle Jamie Cripps slotted five goals to snap West Coast out of a three-game losing streak with a 42-point win over the Crows at Adelaide Oval last night.

Cripps starred as the Eagles won 14.14 (98) to 8.8 (56) to climb into seventh place on the AFL ladder.

Adelaide forward Darcy Fogarty and the industrious Ben Keays (30 disposals) both kicked two goals for the Crows.

Ruckman Reilly O’Brien (27 hit-outs, six marks) just shaded the Eagles’ 200-gamer Nic Naitanui (30 hit-outs) while Adelaide’s Brodie Smith, also playing his 200th game, collected 27 possessions.

Both clubs entered with shaken confidence after three-straight losses – and it showed in a scrappy first quarter which featured just one goal.

Crow Taylor Walker’s strike ended 23 goal-less minutes and gave his side a 1.3 to 0.3 quarter-time lead over the Eagles, whose spearhead Josh Kennedy was a late withdrawal because of a calf injury.

The Crows’ advantage was short-lived: West Coast scored three goals in five minutes to open the second term and were never headed from there.

Grange sale sets Australian wine record

A rare bottle of 1951 Penfolds Grange, signed by its creator and the company’s chief winemaker at the time, Max Schubert, has sold for a record $122,001.

It’s believed to be the highest price ever paid at auction for a bottle of Australian wine, after a Melbourne buyer paid $103,000 for a single bottle of the Bin 1 Grange Hermitage last year.

Just two bids were placed at the online auction on Sunday with 76 people watching online and a reserve price of up to $160,000.

The bottle was re-corked in 1988 because the original cork had perished, and is listed as having minor label damage with a wax stamped seal now over the original white foil capsule.

“This bottle of 1951 is extremely rare, comes from an exceptional cellar and will be highly sought after by collectors,” the company said.

While it is hard to be certain, estimates suggest there are up to 35 bottles of the original vintage still in circulation including about 15 that are part of complete sets.

In 2018, a bottle of the 1951 vintage sold for $80,386 with two bottles fetching $81,000 each the following year.

At that same auction in 2019, a full set of Grange, from 1951 to 2015, was snapped up for $372,800.

That was followed by a Sydney wine lover paying $430,000 for a set in December last year.

Pogacar wins Tour de France

Tadej Pogacar has become the youngest rider to win back-to-back Tour de France titles after some vintage racing, which culminating him being crowned champion last night.

The 22-year-old Slovenian, who won the Tour on his debut last year, hammered his rivals in the Alps with a long-range attack on stage eight, reminiscent of the event in the 1980s, and stayed in control for the rest of the race.

He beat Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard by a massive five minutes, 20 seconds as Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz took third place, 7min:03sec off the pace.

Pogacar finished Sunday’s 21st and final stage safe in the bunch as Belgian Wout van Aert prevailed in the sprint to beat compatriot Jasper Philipsen and Briton Mark Cavendish who were second and third, respectively.

Pogacar won two mountain stages in the Pyrenees and an individual time trial – a testament to his all-round qualities – with his only sign of weakness coming in week two on Mont Ventoux.

He finishes the Tour with the white jersey for the best Under 25 rider in the race and with the polka-dot jersey for the mountains classification, just like last year.

The green jersey went to Mark Cavendish after the Briton took his tally of career stage wins to a record-equalling 34, with four victories in this year’s race although he was denied the 35th by Van Aert on Sunday.

 – with AAP and Reuters