Australia COVID LIVE updates: Tougher lockdown laws in NSW as vaccine passport plans emerge
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‘Fortress Australia’: What are the border rules and when can we reopen?
Australia’s hard border has raised eyebrows internationally even as it has worked at keeping case numbers (and deaths) remarkably low compared to most of the world. In line with expert modelling, the federal government has tied Australia’s phased reopening plan to vaccination targets. That inoculation campaign, having lagged behind most of the developed world, is now speeding up but it’s not likely to meet the plan’s thresholds until the end of the year.
Some experts despair at what the “Fortress Australia” mentality is doing to the country in the meantime while others question the legality of travel bans for citizens. Meanwhile, with cases low in many Asian and Pacific nations, a number of epidemiologists say Australia could extend its travel bubble beyond New Zealand sooner than planned.
So, what is Australia’s border policy, how does it compare to the rest of the world, and what does the law say about shutting citizens out (and in)?
Read the full story here.
Australia’s planned new vaccine factories would produce 50 million doses in four months
Australia could make enough mRNA vaccines to protect the entire population at short notice under plans by biotech giant CSL to build two new facilities to fight future waves of coronavirus.
The facilities are being designed to produce at least 50 million doses within 16 weeks once construction is finished, in a pitch to the federal government to develop a sovereign capacity to respond to new variants of COVID-19 and other pathogens.
Melbourne would host both new centres in a two-stage proposal that starts with an mRNA research and production facility near the city centre and leads to an “industrial scale” manufacturing hub near Tullamarine.
Read the full story here.
Today’s front pages
Here are the front pages of today’s Herald and The Age.
The front page of Saturday’s The Sydney Morning HeraldCredit:SMH
Saturday’s front page of The AgeCredit:The Age
Good morning
Hello, and thanks for joining us today.
Here are the major headlines from yesterday and this morning:
- NSW recorded 390 new local COVID-19 cases on Friday, the state’s highest daily total since the start of the latest outbreak.
- Victoria recorded 15 new local cases on Friday and Queensland recorded eight new cases. Lockdowns continue in NSW, Melbourne, Brisbane and other parts of Queensland and the ACT.
- The fine for breaching health orders has increased from $1000 to $5000 in NSW as the state’s outbreak continues to worsen. The state has also announced a $320 stay-at-home payment for residents in Sydney’s hotspot areas who need to isolate while waiting for COVID-19 test results.
- Prime Minister Scott Morrison has backed Western Australia’s decision to require travellers from states with high-risk coronavirus outbreaks to be vaccinated. Under changes to start next week travellers to WA from NSW will require an exemption and will also have to show they’ve had at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine.
- Australia could make enough mRNA vaccines to protect the entire population at short notice under plans by biotech giant CSL to build two new facilities to fight future waves of coronavirus.
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