Economists say stage-four restrictions will take a heavy toll, while business groups are urging changes to the permit system and the Andrews government is under pressure to answer questions about hotel quarantine failures. Follow live
- Full report: Victoria records Australia’s worst day of Covid-19 with 15 deaths and 725 new cases
- How did Victoria get here?
- NSW residents returning from Victoria must go to hotel quarantine
- Queensland to enforce hard border closure with NSW and ACT
- Full Story podcast: How Covid laid bare the cracks in aged care system
- Melbourne’s stage 4 restrictions; Victoria stage 3 restrictions
- Australian stats interactive; Vic cases map; NSW cases map
- Sign up for Guardian Australia’s coronavirus email
11.08pm BST
The concerns around food shortages centre around the changes to Victoria’s on-site work arrangements.
Food production, including meat, seafood, dairy, fruit and vegetable processing businesses can remain open under the restrictions which came into force at midnight – but they have to be at one-third capacity.
10.56pm BST
Meanwhile, there is some concern about how the national food supply will be impacted by the Victorian workplace restrictions.
Brad Hazzard was asked about that too:
Well, it certainly is a concern. I think a lot of our food supplies do emanate from Victoria, but, again, there’s a degree of each government having to be fleet-of-foot, if you like, and trying to respond to whatever problems come up.
This pandemic has certainly tested the systems across our country. I heard a particular journalist the other day being very critical of the Victorian Government and I said later, you know, the problem is we all have systems operational, they have their health system and we only know when it’s stressed beyond belief as to what the shortcomings might be.
Continue reading…Economists say stage-four restrictions will take a heavy toll, while business groups are urging changes to the permit system and the Andrews government is under pressure to answer questions about hotel quarantine failures. Follow live Full report: Victoria records Australia’s worst day of Covid-19 with 15 deaths and 725 new casesHow did Victoria get here?NSW residents returning from Victoria must go to hotel quarantineQueensland to enforce hard border closure with NSW and ACTFull Story podcast: How Covid laid bare the cracks in aged care systemMelbourne’s stage 4 restrictions; Victoria stage 3 restrictionsAustralian stats interactive; Vic cases map; NSW cases mapSign up for Guardian Australia’s coronavirus email 11.08pm BSTThe concerns around food shortages centre around the changes to Victoria’s on-site work arrangements.Food production, including meat, seafood, dairy, fruit and vegetable processing businesses can remain open under the restrictions which came into force at midnight – but they have to be at one-third capacity. 10.56pm BSTMeanwhile, there is some concern about how the national food supply will be impacted by the Victorian workplace restrictions.Brad Hazzard was asked about that too:Well, it certainly is a concern. I think a lot of our food supplies do emanate from Victoria, but, again, there’s a degree of each government having to be fleet-of-foot, if you like, and trying to respond to whatever problems come up. This pandemic has certainly tested the systems across our country. I heard a particular journalist the other day being very critical of the Victorian Government and I said later, you know, the problem is we all have systems operational, they have their health system and we only know when it’s stressed beyond belief as to what the shortcomings might be. Continue reading…