Health Minister Greg Hunt announced the government will suspend the “green zone” travel bubble with New Zealand for a minimum of 72 hours out of “an abundance of caution”.Anyone who has arrived in Australia on a flight from New Zealand on or since January 14 is being asked to isolate and arrange to be tested and to remain in isolation until they have a negative test.New Zealand health officials on Monday said it was highly likely the 56-year-old woman was infected in hotel quarantine at the Pullman hotel in Auckland.It is believed she contracted the virus from an infected person on the same floor of the hotel where they both quarantining.Dr Ashley Bloomfield said surface or airborne inefection was still a possiblity but person-to-person infection looked most likely.VICTORIA’S LATEST COVID CASESThree children aged under 10 were among Victoria’s latest coronavirus cases in hotel quarantine.Health authorities revealed another six cases in hotel quarantine, including a man in his 40s, a woman in her 40s, a woman in her 20s and two boys and one girl, all aged under 10.None of the latest cases were linked to the Australian Open.It took Victoria’s active case total to 31, with just one locally acquired case linked to the Black Rock cluster.HEALTH CHIEF’S WARNING FOR AUS DAY PARTIESVictorians planning Australia Day parties are being urged to keep their celebrations socially distant.The Australia Day parade, which usually draws thousands to Melbourne’s CBD, has been cancelled due to coronavirus concerns.More than 430 citizenship ceremonies will go ahead as planned across Australia, involving 12,000 people from 130 nations becoming Australian citizens.People will be able to have more guests at their homes after the cap on gatherings was increased from 15 to 30 last Saturday.“We are asking people to stay sensible and mark Australia Day in a COVID-safe way,” chief health officer Brett Sutton said.“We have invested too much in our fight against COVID-19 to let our guard down and become complacent.“Party-goers should continue to practise physical distancing, maintain good hygiene, wash their hands regularly and thoroughly or use hand sanitiser, don’t share drinks, and stay home and get tested even if they have the mildest of symptoms.”
After Monday’s heat, most of the state is due for more mild weather but fire crews will be on high alert in parts of the north and northeast.Digvijay Rathod, of Point Cook, wife Sweta and their two children usually attend the Australia Day parade and were disappointed it was not going ahead this year. They will now have a family get-together at home.The day was particularly momentous for the Indian community, falling on the same date as the Republic Day holiday in India.“For us it is about celebrating our traditions plus our Australian culture,” Mr Rathod said. “We usually cook food together and the children play cricket.”In St Kilda, Andrew McCue, wife Narelle and their three children will have people over for a barbecue.“We’ll throw on some lamb and some prawns,” Mr McCue said. “We’re just excited to have friends and family over, it’s good to have the kids being able to play with other people again.”
AWARDS TO HONOUR PANDEMIC HEROESAustralia’s coronavirus heroes will be honoured with a special series of awards later this year.Scott Morrison and Governor-General David Hurley have agreed to recognise the extraordinary service and achievement of Australians during the COVID-19 pandemic with an Australian National Honour.A nationwide search is now under way for the best nominees, with frontline healthcare workers, aged-care staff, contact-tracing teams, medical experts and charity workers all expected to feature.The Prime Minister urged Australians to nominate anyone they knew who had “made an outstanding contribution, on the frontline or behind the scenes”.“The pandemic has challenged our nation in a way we have not seen since World War II, yet we have seen the best of Australia as we have come together, helping one another to keep us safe,” he said.
“There has been heartbreaking loss and hardship but our overall success has been built on the incredible sacrifices of many. From health professionals providing critical care to COVID-19 patients or those in aged care, to mental health counsellors, and workers going above and beyond to keep critical services and the economy going.”The Governor-General said it was the right way to honour those who had “gone above and beyond” in a year which had “challenged us in ways we could not imagine”.“As a nation, we should give thanks to these people,” he said. “Most would never dream of asking for it — they’ve done their job and got on with it, and that is, I’ve found, the Australian way.”
For more information, go to covidhonours.pmc.gov.au
PFIZER DELIVERY SET TO START NEXT MONTHAustralia’s first COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for use, with the medical regulator declaring it is safe and effective at preventing serious illness.Almost 700,000 Australians — aged-care residents and staff, quarantine and border workers, and frontline healthcare staff — will begin receiving the Pfizer jab from late next month.Global supply challenges mean the initial rollout will be slower than anticipated but Scott Morrison said four million people would be vaccinated by early April, with population-wide protection to be provided by October.
The AstraZeneca vaccine is also expected to be approved in coming weeks, allowing those jabs to be delivered from early March before a million Melbourne-made jabs are given out every week.A year to the day since Australia’s first coronavirus case, the Prime Minister welcomed the Pfizer approval, although he cautioned the rollout would start “from very small beginnings” and the vaccine was not an immediate “silver bullet”.
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