Coronavirus Australia live updates: Virus protesters defy restrictions in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne
The protesters carried placards calling the coronavirus pandemic a “scam” and declaring their opposition to 5G mobile technology and vaccination.
Victoria has confirmed 11 new coronavirus cases overnight, with 30 Year 2 students sent into quarantine after a classmate tested positive for the virus, while NSW and Qld reported no new cases today.
MORE: Follow the latest coronavirus news
Australia has recorded a total 7184 cases of COVID-19, with 3092 in New South Wales, 1645 in Victoria, 1058 in Queensland, 440 in South Australia, 585 in Western Australia, 228 in Tasmania, 107 in the Australian Capital Territory and 29 in the Northern Territory. The death toll stands at 103.
Follow our live, rolling coverage below.
Updates
Tasmania records no new coronavirus cases
Phoebe Loomes
Tasmania has reported no new cases of coronavirus in the state.
It's the 15th consecutive day of no new cases for the state.
Tasmania has recorded a total of 228 cases of COVID-19 and 13 of those people have died.
Six of the state's recorded cases are still active, while 207 have recovered.
Year two class quarantined for two weeks
Phoebe Loomes
A class of primary school students in Victoria have been quarantined after a student tested positive for coronavirus.
The year two students from Holy Eucharist Primary School in St Albans South have been asked to quarantine for two weeks.
The case is linked to a cluster of 11 virus cases in Keilor Downs. A high school student from Keilor Downs Secondary College who also tested positive for the virus.
The students are being quarantined as a precaution, according to the Health Department.
This school is undergoing deep cleaning over the weekend and will be reopened on Monday.
Ruby Princess passengers warned about tuberculosis exposure
Phoebe Loomes
Passengers on the Ruby Princess Cruise ship have been dealt another cruel blow, as the NSW Department of Health says they may have been exposed to tuberculosis.
The Ruby Princess cruise ship docked in Sydney Harbour in March and became the largest source of coronavirus cases in the country.
A letter from the Department of Health said they were contacting passengers who'd been on the ship after a crew member was diagnosed with the infectious disease. The letter said passengers who'd been on the ship between March 8 and 19 were being contacted by the Department.
It added there was: "No reason to believe you are at increased risk of catching tuberculosis from being on this cruise ship".
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Tuberculosis is a disease caused by bacteria, that mainly affects the lungs but can damage other parts of the body. Many people with tuberculosis will not show any symptoms.
If left untreated the disease, which used to be called “consumption” can kill about 50 per cent of those it infects.
Anti-vax protesters defy restrictions
Natalie Brown
Hundreds of anti-vax, anti-5G conspiracy theorist protesters have blocked a highway in Brisbane, as other protests took place in Sydney and Melbourne today.
As we mentioned earlier, hundreds of anti-vaccination protesters have defied social-distancing measures at rallies in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
In Brisbane, protesters marched from Brisbane's City Hall through major roads in the CBD. Drivers in the city have been warned to expect delays as the protesters move through the city.
Demonstrators claiming the COVID-19 pandemic was a "scam" also gathered at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne today, carrying signs declaring they were against vaccines and 5G technology.
Their placards claimed "5G = communism", "COVID 1984" and "our ignorance is their strength".
They booed police – clad in gloves and face masks – who warned the crowd that they were breaching social-distancing rules designed to slow the spread of coronavirus.
In a statement, police said those found in breach of COVID-19 directions faced fines of $1652 each.
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
In Sydney, up to 500 protesters voiced conspiracy theories regarding not only vaccination, but also 5G telecommunication networks, fluoride and large pharmaceutical corporations.
The group convened at Hyde Park in the CBD before holding a singalong of anti-vaccination songs and walking to NSW Parliament House.
They chanted "freedom of choice" and "my body, my choice" on the march, with some attempting to raise the spectre of a "new world order".
The walk passed without incident or police intervention.
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
When asked about the protest, Victoria's chief health officer Brett Sutton said "there's no message that can get through to people who have no belief in science".
"There's probably no reaching them," he told reporters earlier.
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
– AAP
'Protecting our borders are protecting lives'
Natalie Brown
Queensland's Police Minister Mark Ryan has defended the Palaszczuk government's firm stance on keeping the state's borders closed to interstate travellers.
"At the end of the day, protecting our borders are protecting lives," he told reporters.
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
"The Deputy Commissioner's got some statistics around that, but the strong approach that the Queensland government has taken, based on expert medical and health advice, has saved lives and it'll continue to save lives."
It follows reports that the Queensland Police Union are concerned about regular police responsibilities being compromised in favour of manning the state's border check points.
Queensland Police Union President Ian Levers, a former child protection officer, said on Thursday some of the state's most experienced officers were stuck on border duty while "crime runs rampant" and questioned the justification for ongoing border closures as the number of coronavirus cases falls.
Australian opposition party 'deeply disappointed' by Trump's WHO call
Natalie Brown
In a joint statement, opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong and health spokesman Chris Bowen have said they are "deeply disappointed" by Donald Trump's decision to "terminate" the US' relationship with the World Health Organisation.
"Labor is deeply disappointed by the United States Government's decision to terminate its relationship with the World Health Organisation," they said.
"As we have previously acknowledged, there is considerable room for improvement at the WHO, but that improvement will not happen by walking away or asking it to do more with less.
"The Australian Government should urge the United States to reconsider its decision and work with other Member States to ensure adequate funding of the WHO to continue to perform its important role."
Now, more than ever, they said, "the world needs a strong, effective and well-resourced WHO…perceptions of national influence over international organisations diminish the standing and capacity of those organisation's – to everyone's detriment".
Three quarters of Australians support border closures
Natalie Brown
While the Queensland government has been under attack for keeping its border closed, a new survey by the Australia Institute has found more than three quarters of people support states closing their borders to interstate travel.
The survey of 1005 Australians found strong support for border closures among the four largest states – 88 per cent in Western Australia, 78 per cent in Queensland, 76 per cent in Victoria and 70 per cent in NSW.
"The strong support for state border closures shows that while there is much public relief with some public health restrictions lifting, there is also still much community concern regarding the spread of COVID-19," the institute's executive director Ben Oquist said today.
– With AAP
Officials alarmed as South Korea's cases surge
Natalie Brown
South Korea has reported 39 new cases of the coronavirus, most of them in the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, where officials have found more than a hundred infections linked to warehouse workers.
Figures from South Korea's Centres for Disease Control and Prevention today brought national totals to 11,441 cases and 269 deaths.
At least 12 of the new cases were linked to international arrivals.
KCDC director Jeong Eun-kyeong said during a virus briefing yesterday afternoon that at least 102 infections have been linked to workers at a massive warehouse operated by Coupang, a local e-commerce giant that has seen orders spike during the epidemic.
The company has been criticised for failing to implement proper preventive measures and enforce distance between employees, with virus discovered on the safety helmets, laptops, keyboards and other equipment they share.
Health workers have also found at least 266 infections linked to nightclubs and other entertainment venues in the Seoul metropolitan area, which saw huge crowds in early May as officials eased social distancing guidelines.
The resurgence in infections have alarmed officials as millions of children have been returning to schools nationwide.
While shutting nightspots and public spaces to slow the spread of the virus, government officials have so far maintained the phased reopening of schools, expressing hope that the recent transmissions could be contained quickly.
– AP
Anti-vax, 5G protesters gather in Hyde Park
Natalie Brown
A number of protesters against vaccines, 5G and other conspiracy theories have gathered in Sydney's Hyde Park.
Journalist Cameron Wilson has shared footage and pictures from the protest, saying there are several hundred people there.
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
YouTuber and creator of the event, Myk Simms, led a chant of "the science doesn't lie, the politicians do", wearing a t-shirt that reads "my son was injured by vaccines".
He said the crowd was "pretty mellow" – a far cry from protests in Melbourne earlier this month, where a number of people were arrested for breaching lockdown restrictions and assaulting a police officer.
WHO has 'full support of the scientific community'
Natalie Brown
Australian experts have joined those in the UK and around the world in voicing their support for the World Health Organisation (WHO), after Donald Trump announced the US would "terminate" its relationship with the UN Agency.
Nobel Laureate and patron of the Doherty Institute, Professor Peter Doherty, tweeted that the WHO has the "full support of the scientific community".
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
"The many roles of the WHO in co-ordination, evaluation and information dissemination are central to the global fight against COVID-19," Professor Doherty wrote.
In the UK, associate professor at the University of Leeds' School of Medicine, Dr Stephen Griffin, said President Trump's decision had "no logic".
"There is no logic to the move by President Trump to sever links with the WHO," Dr Griffin said.
"Pandemics are, by definition, a global crisis. To not face COVID-19 with a united front seems futile.
"Given the scale of the outbreak in the US, this action appears nothing short of an attempt to refocus attention away from how this has been handled."
- Share on Facebook Share on Facebook
- Share on Twitter Share on Twitter
- Share via Email Share via Email