Australia Covid news live update: Scott Morrison to speak ahead of national cabinet meeting; Qld records 1,539 cases, SA 1,471

We are expecting to hear from the prime minister at 12.30pm AEDT today.

Marshall has added that people should take seriously the calls to work from home, saying it was his “strong message from today.”

He said the call would likely remain until the end of January.

He also said frontline health workers will need to get their booster within two weeks of becoming eligible.

He also specified that only category one and urgent category two surgeries will be available from today.

Ok, lots happening right now, but SA premier Steven Marshall has announced that the state will no longer carry out pre-departure PCR tests for people leaving the state.

Marshall also announced that booster shots will now be mandated for frontline health workers across the state.

Finally, he also announced a reduction in elective surgery, so as to be able to reallocate health resources to the pandemic.

Case numbers are coming in again, with South Australia reporting a record increase in daily cases, with 1,471 new infections.

The Victorian government has confirmed it has secured 34m rapid antigen tests, which will be handed out for free by the end of January.

In his announcement, health minister Martin Foley said the tests would help maintain the “gold standard” of testing in Victoria, and took a swipe at the federal government for not “stepping up” to “fill the gap.”

Rapid antigen tests should be free and we will be making them free.

Rapid antigen tests should be widely available and we will be making them widely available, and that will be part of a process that has fallen to the states.

We would much prefer to have a national approach to what is the national indeed and international supply issue.

But failing that, as per usual, the states have had to step up over the course of this pandemic and fill the gap that’s been left.

Sticking in Queensland for the moment, Gerrard has zeroed in on looking at ICU numbers, saying it is the best indication of the severity of the pandemic in the state.

He said he could think of two people not in intensive care but “are significantly unwell,” and reiterated that case numbers will rise, but said the focus should be on ICU numbers.

I mentioned before there are no cases of Covid-19 in intensive care or or ventilated and I think this is one of the most critical numbers to monitor when we’re getting some gauge of how severe this disease actually is.

Looking at that intensive care number is so particularly useful as a gauge of the severity of the disease. So we do have 93 people in hospital at the moment with Covid-19. But we know that the majority of them are not there because they’ve been treated for symptoms of Covid-19.

Queensland has reported a record 1,539 new cases today, with over 6,000 cases currently active.

Despite the increase, the state’s chief health officer Dr John Gerrard welcomed the fact that there are currently no cases in ICU.

Victorian authorities are up first, with health minister Martin Foley addressing the spike in infections, saying both Omicron and Delta variants are circulating “widely”.

Foley recommended people look to seated service at New Year’s Eve parties and gatherings, to hold them outside and for dance floors to be “minimised” or outdoors.

Finally, he encouraged people to get vaccinated and get their booster shots.

We are also expecting to hear from Queensland authorities shortly. Back to the press conference dump I see.

NSW deputy Liberal leader Stuart Ayres has confirmed on Channel 7’s Sunrise that the state government is indeed looking to reduce isolation times for Covid-positive patients.

Ayres said earlier this morning that it was important the government continues to “adapt” to the Omicron strain, and reiterated calls for people to limit PCR testing unless they have symptoms or are directed to take a test.

The rules are changing, and we have got to keep adapting with Omicron.

We know this variant is not as severe, we know we have got an incredibly well-resourced hospital system that can take care of our most sick patients.

So this is about adapting to make sure we can continue to strike the balance between health and economic challenges.

We want people to just get tested, isolate until they receive that negative test, only going to get tested if you are symptomatic or if you are a household contact of a Covid case.

That will reduce the queues, but it will also allow our health teams a little bit more time to assess what is required for those people that are infected and whether they need to stay in isolation as long as they have for past variants.

OK, we have some press conference times to bring you.

Victorian authorities are due up at 11am AEDT (in 10 minutes), while NSW authorities are due at 12.30pm AEDT.

We’re also expecting to hear from federal Labor leader, Anthony Albanese, at around 11am AEDT as well. Stay tuned.

Tasmania has recorded 55 new Covid-19 cases today, with 300 people currently infected in the state.

One person is in hospital, 63 are in community management clinics and 158 are being managed at home. A further 23 people are being assessed.

It comes after Tasmania opened to fully vaccinated travellers on 15 December, having been Covid-free beforehand.

Concern is growing at the impact of rising coronavirus cases on New Year’s Eve plans in NSW.

Australian Cruise Group executive director Sudhir Warrier, who is in charge of the cruises in Sydney Harbour during the NYE fireworks, said ticket sales are badly down this year.

He told Sky News earlier this morning that consumer confidence “is totally shattered”:

Business has completely dried up in the last 10 days or so, consumer confidence is totally shattered.

This is the second year in a row. The year before we had the northern beaches outbreak.

This is the second year where basically we’ve built up a huge amount of consumer confidence over the last seven or eight weeks, that is shattered in three days.

The guests who have made the bookings are very happy to cruise and enjoy themselves. For example on Christmas Day we had 400 guests between two boats. It’s just the fear to book – we’re basically dealing with confidence.

Broadway’s revival of The Music Man on Tuesday cancelled performances for five days after star Hugh Jackman tested positive for Covid.

In the latest New York City show to fall victim to the surging coronavirus, Jackman, 53, said on Twitter that he had only mild symptoms, including a scratchy throat and runny nose, and that as soon as he was cleared he would be back on stage.

Producers announced that all performances of the musical would be canceled through 1 January.

Jackman tested positive after his co-star Sutton Foster came down with the coronavirus last week and was replaced by an understudy. Foster will return on 2 January but Jackson is expected to be out until 6 January.

Dozens of Broadway shows, including Hamilton, The Lion King and Aladdin, have been forced to cancel performances over the past two weeks as the virus has raged through the city despite vaccine mandates for cast, crew and audiences.

Some, like the annual Christmas show by the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, shut down entirely, while musicals Jagged Little Pill and Ain’t Too Proud have closed weeks earlier than scheduled because of breakthrough cases and sluggish ticket sales during the normally busy holiday season.

The surge couldn’t have come at a worse time for Broadway, which reopened only in September after an 18-month closure because of the pandemic. January and February are traditionally the leanest months to bring in audiences, and large musicals need full houses to make money.

Music Man is currently running in preview ahead of an official opening scheduled for 10 February. Ticket demand has been strong despite an official top price of US$699 a seat, and are changing hands on secondary websites for more than $2,000 each.

– Reuters