VIRUS NEWSWIRE

The latest headlines in your inbox twice a day Monday – Friday plus breaking news updates Current Covid-19 testing and contact tracing is inadequate to prevent a second wave of the virus after schools reopen, scientists have warned. The NHS Test and Trace programme needs to be scaled up in order to reopen schools safely, researchers have warned in a new study. The modelling study – which simulates various scenarios – examined the possible implications … Read more

If you think Melbourne’s lockdown is extreme now, you should see ‘Stage Five’: How next level measures include wearing masks at HOME, 1km travel limits, once-a-week shopping – and the end of takeaway Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has floated the grim prospect of ‘Stage Five’  Mr Andrews said it would be difficult to imagine what life would look like   He suggested further restrictions could restrict people going shopping  But he stressed there are no plans … Read more

The major changes coming to JobSeeker TODAY and the new conditions you must meet to keep getting the payment – as experts warn it will be a shock for those unemployed for the first time Australians will be forced to apply for four jobs per month to receive Centrelink Recipients must be willing to accept any job offer or risk finances being cut off Victorians on benefits are exempt from the changes as coronavirus spreads … Read more

9am at a Dan Murphy’s in Melbourne: Massive queues form outside bottle shops across the city as desperate residents stock up on booze during lockdown Melbourne’s stage 4 restrictions prompt early morning queues at Dan Murphy’s  Vic Premier Dan Andrews pleaded with people to only go out for essentials  Social media backlash over long lines and full car parks at local bottle shops Each household allowed 1 person out to shop once per day under … Read more

JB Hi-Fi to CLOSE 46 stores in Melbourne after the government announced Stage 4 lockdown restrictions Electronics giant JB Hi-Fi to close 46 stores across Melbourne during pandemic An additional 21 Good Guys stores will also be temporarily closed for six weeks Stores will reopen when Melburnians emerge from Victoria’s Stage 4 lockdown  Announcement comes as Premier Daniel Andrews announces on-the-spot fine  By Louise Starkey For Daily Mail Australia Published: 23:08 EDT, 3 August 2020 … Read more

1 / 6 Kashmir Demographic Fears FILE – In this Aug. 14, 2019, file photo, an Indian paramilitary soldier patrols during a security lockdown after the Indian government stripped the Himalayan state’s semi-autonomous powers in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir. A year after India ended disputed Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status and downgraded it to a federally governed territory, authorities have begun issuing residency and land ownership rights to outsiders for the first time in almost a century. … Read more

1 / 11 Ambassadors Behaving Badly A skateboarder rides down a street in Reykjavik, Iceland Saturday Aug. 1, 2020. In Iceland, a nation so safe that its president runs errands on a bicycle, U.S. Ambassador Jeffery Ross Gunter has left locals aghast with his request to hire armed bodyguards. He’s also enraged lawmakers by casually and groundlessly hitching Iceland to President Donald Trump’s controversial “China virus” label for the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Árni Torfason) REYKJAVIK, Iceland … Read more

1 / 4 Virus Outbreak Evictions Natasha Blunt poses for a portrait in New Orleans, Friday, July 31, 2020. Blunt owes thousands of dollars in back rent after she lost her banquet porter job. She has yet to receive her stimulus check and has not been approved for unemployment benefits. Her family is getting by with food stamps and the charity of neighbors. (AP Photo/Dorthy Ray) BALTIMORE (AP) — Kelyn Yanez used to clean homes … Read more

This brings the total number of minors who have died in relation to the virus in Florida to seven. The others were a 9-year-old girl from Putnam County, an 11-year-old boy in Miami-Dade County, an 11-year-old girl in Broward County, a 16-year-old girl in Lee County, and a 17-year-old boy in Pasco County. In a telephone interview with CNN’s Randi Kaye on Monday, Florida Education Association President Frederick Ingram says news that two additional teenagers … Read more

UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations chief says the coronavirus pandemic has led to the largest disruption of education in history, with schools closed in more than 160 countries in mid-July affecting more than 1 billion students. In addition, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday that at least 40 million children worldwide have missed out on education “in their critical pre-school year.” As a result, he warned that the world faces “a generational catastrophe that could … Read more

Meet the NURSE who believes the bizarre conspiracy that 5G spreads COVID-19 – and how her daughter’s brain tumour turned her into an ‘activist’ with help from TV chef Pete Evans Registered nurse Naomi Cook is a leader of Australians for Safer Technology The anti-5G mobile group now has more than 48,000 members on Facebook She said daughter Hana’s brain tumour turn her into an ‘unintentional activist’  The Department of Health debunked link between 5G … Read more

REVEALED: The towns plunged into lockdown despite NEVER having a single coronavirus case – and facing financial obliteration Four regional LGAs in Victoria have never identified a single case of coronavirus  They are now subject to Stage 3 lockdown restrictions in regional Victoria Some of the residents fear Melburnians could have already brought in COVID The lockdown will impact their finances as many rely on tourism to survive  By Brittany Chain For Daily Mail Australia … Read more

It took almost a week for the Federal Government to learn of Melbourne’s largest aged care outbreak, according to the new head of the Health Department, Brendan Murphy. Key points: The Aged Care Minister has admitted several issues in the handling of St Basil’s aged care home The Federal Government was not made aware of the outbreak for several days Liberal senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells has criticised her government’s handling of aged care The former chief … Read more

The shop that flopped: How highly-anticipated discount supermarket Kaufland blew $277MILLION without opening a single store in Australia Discount supermarket chain Kaufland failed to open a single store in Australia  The German retailer announced plans to enter the Australian market in 2017  Over twenty sites were purchased and building began on a distribution centre  The retailer announced its shock exit from the Australian market in January  Kaufland Australia was revealed to have made losses of … Read more

Coronavirus-infected Melbourne nursing home ‘didn’t report a staff member having COVID-19 for FIVE DAYS’ as 1,186 cases are recorded in embattled aged care St Basil’s Homes for the Aged in Fawkner came under fire during Senate inquiry Federal health officials said they weren’t aware of the infection until July 14 Reportedly five days after staff told management about contracting disease  Brendan Murphy said officials were likely overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases By Sahar Mourad For Daily Mail … Read more

Stationery and gifts giant kikki.K is saved by a US company at the last minute after going into administration – saving 250 retail jobs and 30 stores Stationery giant kikki.K was put into voluntary administration in March this year  The global Swedish design has now partnered with US-based EC Design  The announcement on Tuesday will preserve almost 250 retail jobs at 30 stores  By Zoe Zaczek For Daily Mail Australia Published: 00:08 EDT, 4 August 2020 … Read more

Line speeds for those with waivers from USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service don’t increase the speeds all that much, but the issue has reached celebrity status thanks to COVID-19 In the last month, however, line speeds for meat and poultry products are being blamed by the union representing 250,000 meatpacking and food plant workers as key to the pandemic deaths experienced by the industry. To be sure, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union … Read more

White House coronavirus response coordinator Deborah Birx participates in a roundtable on donating plasma in Washington, D.C. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo By MAX COHEN 08/03/2020 10:37 AM EDT Updated: 08/03/2020 07:01 PM EDT President Donald Trump on Monday slammed White House coronavirus task force coordinator Deborah Birx after the public health official said the pandemic was “extraordinarily widespread.” Trump’s attack comes shortly after top White House officials admonished House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for undermining trust … Read more

National Guardsmen in Massachusetts distribute food to people suffering from food insecurity caused by the coronavirus pandemic in May. | Maddie Meyer/Getty Images President Donald Trump has extended the federal deployment of nearly 25,000 National Guard members detailed to coronavirus relief efforts until the end of 2020, but ordered states to start picking up 25 percent of the tab — millions per month at a time states are struggling financially. Though many states are reporting … Read more

THE hotspots for coronavirus deaths in Oxfordshire have been revealed in a searchable map. Updated interactive data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) includes all deaths where Covid-19 was the underlying cause, or was mentioned on the death certificate as a contributory factor, between March 1 and June 30. In Oxford, Cowley South and Iffley has remained the ward with the most deaths of the city’s 18 areas, with 14 people dying with the … Read more

MENTAL health patients are being sent away for treatment for more than three months at a time when there are no beds for them in Oxfordshire, figures reveal. Charity Rethink Mental Illness said the continued practice across England was disappointing, after the government had previously committed to ending inappropriate out-of-area placements by the end of next year. These placements are defined as a patient admitted for treatment at a facility outside of their usual local … Read more

RESIDENTS claim they were not consulted on plans to build 84 homes next to the Kassam Stadium. Land behind Knights Road is earmarked for housing as part of Oxford City Council’s £100.6m redevelopment of Blackbird Leys, which includes a new community centre, shops and improved green space. The area has been allocated for new homes since 2013, but Jane Lacey, who lives in Knights Road, has submitted a Freedom of Information request to the city … Read more

Chris Sullivan is a first-time father. The actor and his wife Rachel welcomed a little boy late last month, the couple confirmed to People magazine. They also confirmed their newborn’s name: Bear Maxwell. SOPHIE TURNER AND JOE JONAS WELCOME FIRST CHILD TOGETHER To announce the birth of his son, Sullivan, 40, took to Instagram last week and shared a picture of the baby’s feet. “HE HAS ARRIVED! ⁣⁣8lbs of beautiful baby boy,” the “This Is … Read more

Vice President Mike Pence fired back at New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on “The Ingraham Angle” Monday after the Democrat claimed the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic needed a “reset” from the “top.” “Our hearts grieve for the fact that one in five of all the American lives that have been lost in the coronavirus pandemic were lost in the State of New York,” Pence told host Laura Ingraham, “and some of that was because of poor decisions by the state and by Governor … Read more

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Hurricane Isaias has made landfall near Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, according to the National Hurricane Center. The hurricane touched down just after 11 p.m. on Monday with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (136 km/h). Coastal shops and restaurants closed early, power began to flicker at oceanfront hotels and even the most adventurous of beachgoers abandoned the sand Monday night as newly restrengthened Hurricane Isaias sped toward the Carolinas. … Read more

Commuter trains, buses and other public vehicles stayed off the main roads of the Philippine capital Tuesday and police were again staffing checkpoints to restrict public travel as surging virus cases forced another lockdown By The Associated Press August 4, 2020, 3:43 AM 4 min read Share to FacebookShare to TwitterEmail this article MANILA, Philippines — Commuter trains, buses and other public vehicles stayed off the main roads of the Philippine capital Tuesday and police … Read more

BEIJING — Both mainland China and Hong Kong reported fewer new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday as strict measures to contain new infections appear to be taking effect. Mainland China announced 36 new cases across the country, down from 43 the previous day. Of those, 28 were in the northwestern region of Xinjiang and two in Liaoning province in the northeast. Another six cases were brought by Chinese arriving from overseas. No new deaths were … Read more

NRL star Latrell Mitchell pleads guilty to firearms charge after raucous lockdown camping trip on his farm Mitchell has pleaded guilty to a firearms charge in wake of the camping trip Rabbitohs star was charged with giving a firearm to an unauthorised person His lawyer entered a guilty plea for Mitchell at Taree Local Court on Tuesday  Fellow NRL player Josh Addo-Carr charged with use of unauthorised firearm  Mitchell and Addo-Carr fined after being caught … Read more

If you think Melbourne’s lockdown is extreme now, you should see ‘Stage Five’: How next level measures include wearing masks at HOME, 1km travel limits, once-a-week shopping – and the end of takeaway Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has floated the grim prospect of ‘Stage Five’  Mr Andrews said it would be difficult to imagine what life would look like   He suggested further restrictions could restrict people going shopping  But he stressed there are no plans … Read more

The latest headlines in your inbox twice a day Monday – Friday plus breaking news updates Joe Biden has accused Donald Trump of telling “bald-faced lies” about voting by mail to distract from his own failures, after the president suggested it could be cause to delay the election. Democratic presidential candidate, speaking during a virtual campaign fundraiser, said he believed the US leader would do everything in his power to “argue this election is fraudulent.” … Read more