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Victoria’s lockdown to continue but ‘modest changes’ to restrictions on the way

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has confirmed the state has too many COVID-19 cases to come out of lockdown this week but “modest changes” to restrictions are on the way.

The announcement comes after Victoria recorded 76 new local cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours, including 31 mystery cases.

The total number of active local cases has risen to 836 after 50, 848 people were tested yesterday.

Mr Andrews said “modest changes” to restrictions would be announced tomorrow when a roadmap – including case number thresholds – to get Victoria out of lockdown is revealed.

The premier said the detailed plan was still being finalised but would be revealed tomorrow.

The plan will include some easing of restrictions once certain case number thresholds are met.

“Based on those thresholds and those case numbers, we will make further announcements about things that can be eased,” he said.

“I want to stress for all Victorians that no decision has been made about what will be on that list and not on that list.”

Stormy skies are seen over Melbourne from Albert Park Lake.

Lockdown will remain in Melbourne. (Paul Jeffers)

Mr Andrews said the plan would be based on low case numbers “that we can live with”, if not zero, warning the state could not cope with hundreds of cases a day.

“I do want to be very clear with the people of Victoria that this will not be ‘freedom day’, it will not be opening up,” he said.

“It will be modest changes that hopefully can be meaningful in people’s lives.”

Strategy still to go for zero

Mr Andrews said Victoria would continue to aim for either zero cases of COVID-19 or “very low numbers” until the state reaches the 70 per cent vaccination target.

“As a state and as a nation, we can cope with a pandemic of the unvaccinated if that group is quite small,” he said.

“Some people have been critical about our focus on zero. Well, you either aim for zero or very low numbers.

“We have to aim to keep these numbers incredibly low.

“If we can achieve zero, that’s a terrific outcome.

“If we can’t, we are all the better for having tried to drive the numbers down as low as possible.”

A person cycles along St Kilda Beach in Melbourne. ‘Modest’ changes to restrictions will be announced tomorrow, the premier says. (Getty)

Today’s new cases broken down

Victoria’s new linked cases of COVID-19 include:

17 cases linked to MyCentre Childcare
Nine cases linked to the Shepparton outbreak
Three cases linked to Millers Junction Shopping Centre in Altona North
One case linked to the Learning Sanctuary in Spotswood
One case linked to St Kilda East
One case linked to a legal office in Melbourne’s outer-east
One case linked to Al-Taqwa College
One case linked to the retail warehouses in Fishermen’s Bend
11 cases linked to existing cases, but they have an unknown acquisition source

The numbers come as the list of exposure sites has surged with more than 1000 locations identified by health authorities.

Overnight an additional 40 places were added, taking the total to 1030.

Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton said no COVID-19 transmission had occurred inside an Echuca aged care facility in regional Victoria, following a coronavirus exposure.

Residents and staff inside the facility have all returned negative test results.

Professor Sutton said a number of cases had also emerged in public residential towers across Melbourne.

“Those individuals by and large have moved to formal quarantine to finish their quarantine period,” he said.

Meanwhile, Victoria’s state-run vaccine clinics have exhausted appointments for the Pfizer jab after it was made available to those under 40.

But the government is urging residents not to be deterred, with more appointments to be released when stocks catch up.

Victorians are being told to consider the AstraZeneca vaccine with 20,000 doses available at mass hubs across the state.

Full/More Story at Source
Victoria’s lockdown to continue but ‘modest changes’ to restrictions on the way

October 23, 2021 / News, Views, Consciences, Etc.

Covid 19 coronavirus Delta outbreak: Car underwater after lockdown fishing trip

It’s an expensive mistake for the group who decided to park their car and go for a fish. Photo / Supplied

A fishing trip at alert level 4 ended badly for a couple of Aucklanders yesterday afternoon, after their car got stuck in the Manukau Harbour.

Photos and video show the vehicle almost completely submerged as the high tide hit the area where it had been left, at the end of Pollock Wharf Rd, in Awhitu Peninsula, Auckland.

Local man Harrison Mckee first spotted the car yesterday afternoon and confirmed it was still there this morning. According to the man: “three guys from Karaka (not local) drove down the boat ramp onto sand/mud closer to the water”.

He added that they went to set the net for fish and, once they went to leave, realised they were stuck.

“They tried frantically digging, but the mud just made it worse,” he said.

The car at 4.45pm on Saturday, before high tide. Photo / Supplied

Despite multiple attempts, they were unable to move the vehicle.

“It will need heavy haulage to get out as it has been two high tides since then so it will be deep in the mud,” the man said.

The car on Sunday morning. Photo / Supplied

“It’s an expensive mistake. There was nothing we could do help, it was too late.”

According to the local, the men would have driven about 45 minutes to get to that spot to go fishing – something that alert level 4 rules, currently in place in Auckland, do not allow.

“I think quite a few people from out of the area are driving to the beach to fish as it has been busy the last few days,” he said.

Full/More Story at Source
Covid 19 coronavirus Delta outbreak: Car underwater after lockdown fishing trip

October 23, 2021 / News, Views, Consciences, Etc.

COVID-19: ICRC global response to the coronavirus

In war-torn countries, COVID-19 represents a dramatic threat to life. Health systems have already been ravaged by violence, and the threat of further strain on health care from the coronavirus is an enormous risk for communities.

Plans to prevent and respond to the virus must urgently move forward before it gains a foothold in countries in conflict.

Soon we might be confronted with the virus hitting hard in the most difficult places, the most vulnerable segments of population. As governments rightly try to protect their citizens and society-at-large, they must tend also to people in places of detention and displacement camps. We need to step up our response, working hand in hand with our Red Cross Red Crescent partners, relevant authorities and the private sector.
-ICRC director general, Robert Mardini

COVID-19 does not have to be catastrophic for countries with weakened health care systems.

But it does require the international community to take immediate action to scale up resources – funding, medical supplies, equipment and staff – to avoid the worst and save lives.

ICRC with our Movement partners can make the difference in specific areas. Work is underway to scale up our operational response in areas including detention, displacement camps as well as supporting health services.
-ICRC President, Peter Maurer

The humanitarian aid we provide on the frontlines is essential to saving lives during this crisis.

The ICRC’s unique value in many countries is its access to areas of conflict that other organizations may not have. This allows us to assist in responding to an outbreak in hard to reach war-torn areas. We will work closely with Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies to support their activities and include them in our own.

The ICRC addresses health concerns in conflict zones in a multi-disciplinary manner: water and sanitation teams work to increase access to clean water in dozens of areas affected by crises, including prisons. Soap is included in the assistance packages given to families fleeing violence.

The ICRC will focus its efforts on continuing and increasing its support to public health services in contexts affected by armed conflict and violence. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, we have developed an emergency plan to ensure continuity in the most critical hospitals we support around the globe. This means increasing stocks of essential medical supplies and putting in place or reinforcing contingency plans and infection prevention and control measures in hospitals that are highly dependent on ICRC support.

Our support to hospitals in conflict zones includes donating supplies and equipment, financial support and staff training. We support infrastructure works to expand hospital capacity, ensure a stable water supply and proper waste management, and improve overall medical service delivery. We’ll provide advice, guidance and standards to authorities to prevent and control the outbreak.

We stand ready to extend this support to other medical facilities on an ad hoc basis in the case of an escalation of violence or an outbreak of disease. At the same time, we are grappling with how we will continue to deliver the services that people in conflict zones the world over already rely on in a way that is responsible – both for our staff’s well-being and to not further the spread of disease.

In many places of detention around the world, the ICRC works together with relevant authorities to strengthen standard practices such as the medical screening of new arrivals and the setting up of prevention measures – such as hand washing stations – for detainees, visitors, guards and delivery personnel. We also support disinfection measures, such as fumigation campaigns and distribute soap and other hygiene and cleaning materials to detainees.

We know from experience that these sanitation measures, like hand-washing stations, work as we have seen them prevent the spread and entry of Ebola and cholera into places of detention.

COVID-19 response scaling up in urgent contexts

In Afghanistan and Myanmar, the ICRC’s work in prisons and in support of health systems is focusing on COVID-19 preparedness, detection, and preventive procedures. We are also creating a rapid response plan with isolation measures, hygiene improvement and protective materials.

In Burkina Faso, we are running radio spots with information on COVID-19 and how it can be prevented. We continue to improve access to clean water and soap in areas affected by violence, and distribute soap and gel in places of detention.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, we are helping the hospitals we support to set up quarantine measures, training health care staff in suspected case isolation, and implementing infection prevention control measures in health facilities and places of detention visited by the ICRC.

In El Salvador, we are distributing soap to detainees to assist with hand washing to stop the spread of the disease.

In Gaza, the ICRC has donated 500 mattresses and 1,000 blankets upon a request from the authorities to help accommodate people in quarantine. It has also donated 43 infrared thermometers tohealth authorities to help screening suspected cases.

In Iraq, we have donated soap and disinfectant, protective equipment like gloves, goggles and gowns and thermometers to 13 places of detention housing 22,000 detainees. We’ll soon donate to another 11 institutions holding 20,000 detainees. We’re also providing materials for handwashing points and chlorine spray.

In Mexico, the ICRC and Mexican Red Cross are distributing water, hygiene kits and information on the virus to help prevent its spread.

In Lebanon, the ICRC runs an emergency ward at the Rafik Hariri University Hospital – where COVID-19 cases are being treated.

In Somalia, we provided tents for isolation to the Mogadishu hospital we support and are implementing a surveillance system to monitor suspected cases at clinics supported by the Somali Red Crescent. We are also providing hygiene items in places of detention and giving soap, chlorine tabs and hygiene information on COVID-19 to more than 120,000 households.

In Syria, in Al Hol camp, our field hospital remains operational and our team has started to take all necessary and preventive measures to protect the patients against COVID-19.

Full/More Story at Source
COVID-19: ICRC global response to the coronavirus

October 23, 2021 / News, Views, Consciences, Etc.

Anti-Asian violence creates a void for non-Asian parents of Asian adoptees

Following the Atlanta spa shootings in March, many Asian adoptees reported feeling unable to express their fear and sadness to their white families. Adoption agencies are trying to bridge the gap.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Some adoption agencies are helping families have a hard conversation about anti-Asian violence. Many Americans were adopted from China, Korea and elsewhere in Asia. Many were welcomed into white families. And earlier this year, Bethany Newman of Chicago told us how news of the violence affected her.

BETHANY NEWMAN: I feel heartbroken and scared. And I don’t know how to express it because I don’t know that most people around me – if they necessarily think of me as Asian.

INSKEEP: Which is part of the reason that some agencies want to help. Here’s Ashley Westerman.

ASHLEY WESTERMAN, BYLINE: Kristen Knepp says the violence against Asian Americans has been hard to stomach as a human and a parent.

KRISTEN KNEPP: And it’s something that I take to heart even more so, I think, because I have an Asian child.

WESTERMAN: She and her husband Michael, who are white, adopted their son William from South Korea just last year. Knepp says after a gunman killed six females of Asian descent outside of Atlanta in March, she became very worried about how to prepare to talk to her son, who’s now only 3, about anti-Asian violence.

KNEPP: What do you say? How do you talk about this with a child? And I can only imagine as he grows older, especially, and he becomes more self-aware, it’s going to be something that we will have ongoing conversations about.

WESTERMAN: So she started Googling. In the beginning, Knepp, who lives in Ohio, says she didn’t find a lot of resources or answers. But eventually she started seeing trainings and webinars pop up offering advice on how to talk to your child about anti-Asian racism.

KNEPP: I signed up for them immediately.

WESTERMAN: One webinar she attended was hosted in tandem by two of the largest adoption and foster care agencies in the U.S., Holt International and Bethany Christian Services.

CHERI WILLIAMS: We really were hearing from families…

WESTERMAN: OK, so yes (ph).

WILLIAMS: …That they simply did not feel fully equipped to have these conversations about race with their children.

WESTERMAN: Cheri Williams works for Bethany Christian Services. They’re just two of the many groups that answered the desperate questions from adoptees and parents.

WILLIAMS: How do I talk to my child about their race? How do I talk to my child about these events that are happening in our nation? Is it my role as the parent to bring that up, or do I play off the child’s cues?

WESTERMAN: And while these groups work to prepare families for conversations about race as part of the adoption process, Williams says with the police killing of George Floyd and the anti-Asian racism, this time was different. It seemed more urgent.

Tara Vanderwood is an adoptee from South Korea who works as an adoption educator and consultant. She helped moderate the Holt-Bethany webinar and says she was surprised that so many white parents seem unable to see their children as another race, making talking about race really difficult.

TARA VANDERWOOD: Because I think either they think it’s all better because these kids were adopted and, look, it could have been so much worse or they take it personally, like, I did not do enough; this is my fault.

WESTERMAN: Not talking about race can leave adoptees feeling stuck between their actual racial identity and their white parents. Vanderwood says she tells parents it’s important to initiate talking about race regularly at a young age.

VANDERWOOD: So that kids feel that permission to also speak up and so that kids say, hey, you know, my parents got my back; they see what I see.

WESTERMAN: She says while adoption groups may have responded to the harrowing events over the last year, it shouldn’t take a crisis for more resources to go into helping families have these conversations. Conversations, Vanderwood says, are necessary and should be ongoing.

For NPR News, I’m Ashley Westerman.

(SOUNDBITE OF VESKY AND LIAM THOMAS’ “AURA”)

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

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Anti-Asian violence creates a void for non-Asian parents of Asian adoptees

October 23, 2021 / News, Views, Consciences, Etc.

Asian Tour unveils 2021 resumption plans

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Sentosa, Singapore, October 5: The Asian Tour today announced exciting and ambitious plans to stage a series of season-ending tournaments to finish its 2020-21 schedule, ensuring that the Tour can complete its Order of Merit and crown a Merit list champion.

The Tour, which stopped play in March last year because of the pandemic, will make its eagerly-awaited return by staging back-to-back inaugural events at two of the most renowned golf courses on Phuket Island in Thailand with purses of US$1 million respectively.

The Blue Canyon Championship will first take place at Blue Canyon Country Club from November 25-28, followed by the Laguna Phuket Championship at the Laguna Phuket Resort from December 2-5.

In January, following the Christmas and New Year breaks, the Tour is planning to stage two more tournaments in Singapore over consecutive weeks. All four tournaments will be broadcast live on television with further details to be announced soon.

“After a difficult 18 months, the Asian Tour is thrilled to announce that it is able to restart in Q4 of 2021, and most importantly expedite the return of our membership to elite competition,” said Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer, Asian Tour.

“The Asian Tour have been working around the clock to resume competition and crown the Merit list champion – a challenge made more difficult by our reach across many countries and each of their Covid-related protocols. We are confident of being able to complete our season despite several remaining challenges created by the pandemic.”

Jazz Janewattananond, the 2019 Order of Merit champion, has confirmed he will compete in the Phuket events.

The sprint to the season’s finish line is expected to be more exciting than ever, as the top 30 players from the final Order of Merit will receive automatic entry into next year’s season-opening US$5 million Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers.

The four Asian Tour events played in early 2020 will be added to the blended 2020-21 schedule. Australian Wade Ormsby has led the Order of Merit throughout the hiatus since winning the Hong Kong Open last January.

Jazz Janewattananond, the 2019 Order of Merit champion, has confirmed he will compete in the Phuket events – backed by the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT).

The Thai star – currently in fifth place on the Merit list – is vying to become the first player in Tour history to clinch back-to-back Merit crowns.

“It is great news to hear that the Asian Tour will be resuming competition soon. I know everyone has been really looking forward to getting out and playing again after a long break,” said Jazz, a six-time winner on the Asian Tour.

“The atmosphere at the Phuket events will be special. I am looking forward to seeing everyone again, and of course playing competitive golf on home soil.”

The Asian Tour last visited Phuket in 2019 when it staged the Singha Laguna Phuket Open at the Laguna Phuket Resort – an event on its feeder circuit, the Asian Development Tour. Blue Canyon Country Club has also featured on the Asian Tour previously with several marquee events being played at the iconic venue which has seen an illustrious list of champions, including former world number ones Tiger Woods and Greg Norman.

All four tournaments will be played in tournament bubbles and will closely adhere to local government standard operating procedures. In addition, all players will need to be fully vaccinated in order to compete.

The plan to stage a series of season-ending tournaments follows on from last month’s ground-breaking news that the Saudi International will become the Tour’s flagship tournament. The event will be played at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club near Jeddah from February 3-6, and will offer the highest purse on the Asian Tour in 2022.

More updates on the plans for the 2022 season will be communicated in due course.