VIRUS DISEASES – AUSTRALIA

Increased rollout after jab target miss

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Original article by Adeshola Ore
The Australian – Page: 5 : 1-Mar-21

The federal government’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout has fallen well behind schedule; just 30,000 people nationwide received the Pfizer vaccine in the first week of the rollout, compared with the government’s target of 60,000 by the end of February. However, Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the arrival of the first 300,000 overseas-made doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine will allow the inoculation of priority groups to be ramped up. Meanwhile, Victoria has recorded no new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, although residents in 10 suburbs in Melbourne’s east have been put on alert after virus fragments were detected in wastewater.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, PFIZER INCORPORATED, ASTRAZENECA PLC

Musicians’ plea as live music figures hit new low

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Original article by Martin Boulton
The Age – Page: Online : 17-Feb-21

Australia’s live music industry has been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, with data from APRA-AMCOS showing that the sector is operating at less than four per cent of pre-coronavirus levels. More than 350 artists and music industry workers have written an open letter urging the federal government to either extend the JobKeeper scheme or introduce an industry-specific wage subsidy. They note that the arts and entertainment sector employs almost 200,000 Australians and contributes about $15bn to GDP each year.

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AUSTRALASIAN PERFORMING RIGHT ASSOCIATION LIMITED, AUSTRALASIAN MECHANICAL COPYRIGHT OWNERS SOCIETY LIMITED

Vaccination certificates needed for travel, work and play

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Original article by Josh Butler
The New Daily – Page: Online : 8-Feb-21

The federal government has revealed plans to issue digital COVID-19 vaccination certificates via the MyGov website and the Medicare app, while a hardcopy certificate of vaccination will be available from Services Australia. Government Services Minister Stuart Robert has indicated that proof of vaccination is likely to be required to travel overseas, while international visitors will also need proof that they have been vaccinated in order to enter Australia. He adds that the states and territories may also require proof of vaccination in some circumstances, such as to access some workplaces.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, SERVICES AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Players give Open a serve: Stars angry as third flight locked down

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Original article by Alanah Frost, Sharon McGowan, Marc McGowan
Herald Sun – Page: 7 : 18-Jan-21

The number of COVID-19 cases linked to the upcoming Australian Open has increased to four, after a case was detected on a third in-bound charter flight. All passengers on the three flights have been placed in hard quarantine for two weeks; this includes 72 tennis players, who will not be permitted to leave their hotel rooms to undertake training until shortly before the Australian Open begins. Some players have criticised the lockdown rules and alleged that they were changed ‘overnight’, but Tennis Australia contends that the rules were made clear from the outset. Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley has rejected suggestions that the Australian Open will be cancelled.

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AUSTRALIAN OPEN TENNIS, TENNIS AUSTRALIA

Australians support masks and border closures and are willing to be vaccinated for COVID-19

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 18-Jan-21

A special Roy Morgan survey into Australian attitudes towards COVID-19 conducted on Thursday and Friday shows 72% of Australians say mask wearing should be compulsory, 68% don’t want State borders to be completely open and 77% would be willing to be vaccinated if a new Coronavirus vaccine became publicly available – unchanged from mid-November. Support for compulsory mask wearing is highest in NSW (80%) and Victoria (77%) but at only 53% in South Australia. A large majority of 85% of people in WA don’t want State borders to be completely open today – a higher rate than any other State and in line with the tough border policies of Premier Mark McGowan who faces an election in early March.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Nearly four in five Australians working from home suffered from burnout last year

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Original article by Matt Johnson
The New Daily – Page: Online : 15-Jan-21

An international study undertaken on behalf of work management app Asana has found that 77 per cent of Australians and New Zealanders experienced burnout while working from home in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. This compares with 71 per cent of respondents globally. The study also found that working from home resulted in more employees putting in longer hours, yet productivity was negatively affected. Jim Stanford from the Centre for Future Work contends that working from home is not sustainable.

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ASANA, THE AUSTRALIA INSTITUTE LIMITED. CENTRE FOR FUTURE WORK

No-go zones: a nation divided

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Original article by Patrick Commins, Richard Ferguson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 12-Jan-21

Business leaders have criticised Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan after he acknowledged that the state is pursuing an elimination strategy for COVID-19. This is at odds with the national cabinet, which adopted a suppression strategy in 2020. Australian Industry Group CEO Innes Willox says an elimination strategy will merely "kill investment and job creation", while Council of Small Business Organisations CEO Peter Strong has warned that an elimination strategy would destroy the economic recovery. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian contends that the total elimination of COVID-19 is impossible while Australians continue to return from overseas, adding that the goal should be zero community transmission.

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WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, COUNCIL OF SMALL BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

Coronavirus restrictions tipped to stay in Australia until mid-2022

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Original article by Josh Butler
The New Daily – Page: Online : 11-Jan-21

Infectious diseases expert Professor Peter Collignon has warned that Australians should expect to be subject to COVID-19 restrictions until at least the end of 2021. He adds that restrictions could potentially be in place for up to two years if governments adopt an elimination strategy. He also says that further restrictions may be necessary during the coming winter months, as the coronavirus spread more and survives for longer in colder weather. There is also uncertainty about the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines that the federal government has committed to buying.

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Berejiklian slams Andrews over hasty border shutdown

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Original article by Stephen Rice
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 11-Jan-21

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has urged other states to consult with her government before closing their borders in the future. Victoria’s border with NSW remains closed, and Premier Daniel Andrews has yet to set a firm date for lifting the restrictions. This is despite the fact that NSW recorded just three new locally-acquired COVID-19 cases on 10 January, while just 10 new cases among returned travellers in hotel quarantine were recorded nationwide. There are now 199 active cases in NSW, 45 in Victoria, 21 in the Northern Territory, 20 in Queensland, 15 in South Australia and 15 in Western Australia.

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NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

States push for masks on local flights

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman, Hannah Wootton
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 8-Jan-21

A proposal to make mask wearing mandatory on domestic flights and in airports will be discussed at an emergency national cabinet meeting on 8 January. The proposal is one of a number of measures aimed at preventing a mutant strain of the coronavirus that has originated from the UK from spreading throughout Australia. Other measures to be discussed include daily testing of hotel quarantine staff and compulsory pre-flight screening of passengers. A survey conducted by the Australian Airports Association in December found that around 88 per cent of people supported mandatory masks in international terminals, while 82 per cent supported pre-flight screening.

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AUSTRALIAN AIRPORTS ASSOCIATION LIMITED