Weekly COVID news at a glance

1  Tougher measures in NSW

The NSW government has imposed tougher lockdown restrictions after recording 119 more cases of COVID 19 and one death on Saturday.

Four deaths have been reported in this one outbreak alone, with total case numbers rising to over 1100.

The construction industry will be shut down and non-urgent maintenance work will be paused.

Residents in three southwest Sydney Local Government areas won’t be able to leave their government area unless they are essential workers.

Most retail premises will now be required to close and only shops for essential goods will remain open. However, click and collect, takeaway and home deliveries will still be available.

Employers have been asked to allow their staff to work from home if possible. Failure to do so can result in a fine of up to $10,000.

2  Federal Support to Victorians

The Victorian and Federal Governments will provide financial relief for those affected by the lockdown.

Up to 90,000 businesses that received support previously will automatically receive payments of three thousand or two thousand dollars.

Business that did not apply or were unsuccessful last time are eligible to apply.

Victorian employees who live or work in the Greater Melbourne area, Moorabool Shire, the City of Greater Geelong, the Borough of Queenscliffe and the Surf Coast Shire can apply for the Federal Government’s income support payments through the Services Australia website.

Employees who lost more than 20 hours of work will receive $600 and those losing between 8 to 20 hours of work will receive $375 per week of lockdown.

For more information about this go to the federal government website: servicesaustralia.gov.au and look for COVID disaster payment.

3  Midura first case in 15 months

On Sunday, Mildura recorded its first case of the virus in 15 months, sparking concerns for the local Indigenous community there.

This new case was a man in his thirties who had attended the July 10 AFL match at the MCG before testing positive for the virus in the early hours of Sunday.

Mildura Mayor Jason Modica said that this case had left the community deflated, with the large distance between the town and Melbourne, helping to avoid any community cases until now.

On Sunday, Premier Daniel Andrews also noted that the Mildura case had shown how quickly the virus could spread.

4  Digital Exclusion

Experts say that while closing schools for classroom learning during lockdowns can help reduce the spread of the virus in the community, the return to home learning could be costing students in their learning experience.

Paediatrician Kristine Macartney from the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance said that school closures can negatively impact on children’s socialisation and mental health and tend to disproportionately affect children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Dr Macartney also says there is a level of “digital exclusion”, with children who don’t have access to computers or internet, struggling to participate.

Experts say the way forward would be to keep schools open during lockdowns, with the implementation of health and safety measures, such as masks for teachers and students.

5  Women-only Mental Health Hospital

The founders of Australia’s first women-only mental health hospital say that women are avoiding treatment because they feel unsafe in mixed gender mental health wards.

The Cabrini Centre is a 30-bed women only mental health treatment hospital in Melbourne due to open in September.

The centre will offer treatment for post traumatic stress disorder, addiction, depression and anxiety among other issues.

Sharon Sherwood, Cabrini’s Chief of Mental Health and Outreach Services, said that there is a need for “gender specific mental health care” with women feeling at risk in mixed wards.

6  Advice to pregnant women

Doctors are calling for the federal government to provide clarity on whether pregnant women should receive priority access to COVID-19 vaccines.

In June, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation updated vaccine advice guidelines to state that pregnant women should be offered the Pfizer vaccine at any stage of pregnancy.

But in Australia, pregnant women are currently not included in the priority groups for the vaccine rollout.

Darlinghurst GP Brad McKay said his practice was following the ATAGI advice and recommending the vaccine to all pregnant women, but would like to see them added to priority groups as they are at a higher risk if they contract COVID-19.