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James Bond star found dead in hotel

<p>Kenneth Tsang, a veteran Hong Kong actor who starred in ground-breaking martial arts movies, has died at age 87.</p> <p>Tsang, who was also known as Tsang Kong, was staying in a Hong Kong hotel when he was found dead in his hotel room. </p> <p>The hotel was being used as a venue for passenger quarantine after overseas travel according to Covid-19 restrictions, but no immediate cause of death has been given by Hong Kong authorities. </p> <p>Tsang had travelled home on Monday after a visit to Singapore, when his rapid Covid-19 test had tested negative for the disease.</p> <p>Tsang has over 220 film credits after a career spanning more than 65 years, playing mostly bad guys in movies, as well as a handful of TV shows. </p> <p>In the 1980s and 1990s, he appeared in several influential titles by John Woo including <em>A Better Tomorrow</em> and <em>A Better Tomorrow 2</em> followed by <em>The Killer</em> and <em>Once a Thief</em>.</p> <p>His first Hollywood movie was the Antoine Fuqua-directed <em>The Replacement Killers</em>, alongside Hong Kong superstar Chow Yun-fat. Tsang notably appeared opposite Pierce Brosnan's James Bond in <em>Die Another Day</em> in 2002.</p> <p>The actor was born in Shanghai in 1934, before he moved to the United States for his education. </p> <p>Tsang continued working as an actor until last year. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p>

Caring

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Jacinda Ardern announces plan to reopen New Zealand

<p>After months of being closed to locals stranded overseas, New Zealand is planning to reopen its borders. </p><p>Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern annouced the plan for New Zealand citizens to return home in a speech on Thursday, and detailed a new scheme to reconnect the country to the rest of the world. </p><p>New Zealanders who have been stranded in Australia will be able to return home form February 27th, while citizens suck in other parts of the world will have to wait until March 13th.</p><p>The country still boasts strict border policies, with residents located across the world have been forced to enter a lottery system to gain a place in New Zealand's hotel quarantine system. </p><p>However, Ms Ardern said the stringent policies would now change. </p><p>"The tools we used yesterday to help battle this health crisis, they won't stay the same," she said. </p><p>She said there was "no question" the managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) system "has been one of the hardest parts of the pandemic".</p><p>From the end of the month, returning New Zealanders will be allowed to isolate at home instead of facing an overcrowded hotel quarantine system. </p><p>While this new rule only applies to New Zealand citizens, it is expected Australian tourists and travellers from visa-waiver countries will be allowed in under similar conditions "no later than" July. </p><p>Visa holders, including international students and migrant workers, will be allowed in and to isolate at home from mid-April. </p><p>Non-visa holders can expect to enter New Zealand in October. </p><p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

International Travel

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Woman barred from visiting her dying mother

<p><em>Image: Sunrise </em></p> <p>Western Australian health officials have cancelled an approved visit for a woman to say goodbye to her dying mother.</p> <p>Andrea McCourt had been granted an exemption to enter WA after flying in from Texas and was in hotel quarantine when the farewell was scrapped with just 34 minutes notice.</p> <p>Ms McCourt’s trip to visit her mother’s retirement village was cancelled at the last-minute due to COVID-19 concerns after a hotel quarantine guard tested positive for the virus.</p> <p>“I sincerely regret to inform you that following thoughtful consideration, the WA Health Incident Controller has this morning withdrawn support for today’s visit due to increasing concerns regarding the public health risk associated with your visitation request,” an email from health officials read</p> <p>“Accordingly, you will not be permitted to temporarily depart hotel quarantine today.”</p> <p>The emails admits officials know the decision would be “extremely disheartening” but was not made “lightly or without comprehension.”</p> <p>“Moreover, I apologise for the untimely notice, however due to the unpredictable and everchanging nature of COVID-19 pandemic and broader quarantine system it is not possible to foresee such events,”</p> <p>Andrea told 7NEWS that she feels like she has been “treated like a criminal” over the ordeal.</p> <p>“I haven’t even had the heart to call mum this morning and say sorry we can’t come and visit you, because we don’t want her to go downhill,” she said on Wednesday.</p>

Travel Trouble

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How to quarantine in A-list style

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since the introduction of hotel quarantine in March 2020, people have encountered all kinds of trials and tribulations that come with being stuck in a hotel for 14 days.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, if you’re a celebrity arriving in Australia for quarantine, things have been the height of luxury. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Luxury home hotel service </span><a href="https://luxico.com.au/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Luxico</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> has been accommodating A-listers in private quarantine throughout the coronavirus pandemic, as well as offering exclusive services like a 24/7 concierge to carry out your every request. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As some Australian states are discussing the complete removal of hotel quarantine for fully vaccinated travellers after a series of trials, Luxico is expanding their clientele. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After perfecting its service for VIPs, the company is now opening their luxury homes and concierge service to the masses.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Starting at $400 a night, the service can include everything from a full grocery order that is unpacked and ready for your arrival, intensive Covid cleaning measures, and a concierge to run errands. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Not only is the concierge there to greet you in person when you arrive, they also offer to share all their knowledge about the local area.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Many celebrities who have been wanting to remain under the radar have been embracing the service for months. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It was revealed in March that Julia Roberts and Ed Sheeran teamed up to quarantine together in the luxurious </span><a href="https://luxico.com.au/rentals/allrentals/sweven-estate"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sweven Estate</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> with their families for two weeks at $4,700 per night.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The property is available for bookings until the end of the year, for those willing to hand over $33,000 for the week-long quarantine. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The property is not even the most expensive property offered by Luxico, as a </span><a href="https://luxico.com.au/rentals/allrentals/wisteria-place"><span style="font-weight: 400;">four bedroom mansion in South Yarra</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, Victoria, is going for an extraordinary $5,700 per night. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In Byron, property </span><a href="https://luxico.com.au/rentals/allrentals/twenty-six"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Twenty Six</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> features an infinity pool and ocean views, and can be booked for $6,500 per night. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Luxico also offered “ultravillas”, that come with a personal butler, daily maid service, fully-stocked kitchen on arrival and a Sommelier’s Honesty Bar with some of the world’s best alcohol.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credit: Luxico</span></em></p>

Travel Tips

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"That's disgusting": Karl slams Queensland quarantine rules

<p>Karl Stefanovic has slammed the Queensland government's Covid-19 quarantine rules after a six-year-old with cerebral palsy is stuck in Sydney. </p> <p>Lenny Silveira and his father Fabio are staying in a Sydney hotel after not being able to return to their home on the Sunshine Coast.</p> <p>The father and son travelled to the US for life-saving brain surgery for Lenny that is not currently available in Australia. </p> <p>After flying the US back to Sydney, the six-year-old was <span>denied an exemption by Queensland Health to be reunited with his mum and three siblings by quarantining at home, which goes against doctor's orders for Lenny's recovery.</span></p> <p>Lenny and Fabio were denied the exemption because their flight landed in Sydney, as there are currently no direct flights from the US to Brisbane. </p> <p>After Fabio shared his son's story on <em>Today</em>, Karl expressed his fury at the situation, describing the Queensland governments response to the sick child as "awful".</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">"I understand the seriousness of this situation but we are talking about a six-year-old boy."<br /><br />Queensland Health has denied a Sunshine Coast boy with cerebral palsy an exemption to quarantine at home after undergoing major brain surgery in the U.S. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/9Today?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#9Today</a> <a href="https://t.co/zQ7zHLR7EK">pic.twitter.com/zQ7zHLR7EK</a></p> — The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheTodayShow/status/1448025093360193540?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2021</a></blockquote> <p class="mol-para-with-font">"Just have a look at that child there with cerebral palsy, in a hotel quarantine," Stefanovic fumed. </p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">"That is disgusting. I mean, if we can't make allowances for that kind of thing in this country, I don't know what has happened to this country."</p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">"The Queensland Government needs to look at that and fix it straightaway," he said. </p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">Lenny's father Fabio, who left his wife and other children in the Sunshine Coast to travel with Lenny, said their journey has been very difficult. </p> <p class="mol-para-with-font"><span>"Our tickets were cancelled. So for three weeks we stay in a drama, not knowing if we will be able to make it back home for Christmas as thousands of Australians are stranded overseas."</span></p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">He said, "We made it back last Friday, but then we hit a wall with Queensland Health exemption denying us entry in Queensland because we arrived in Sydney."</p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">"So we got caught in the middle of the NSW-Queensland Health departments that have extremely difficult to talk to each other, leaving Lenny caught in the middle."</p> <p class="mol-para-with-font"><em>Image credits: Today - Channel Nine</em></p>

Caring

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Ballet-dancing Olympic boxer cops fine just hours after leaving quarantine

<p>Australian Olympic medallist Harry Garside has been fined more than $5000 for flouting Victoria's COVID-19 restrictions. </p> <p>The 24-year-old boxer attended a party in Melbourne on Saturday night, only hours after leaving hotel quarantine. </p> <p>Harry completed his hotel quarantine period in Brisbane following his return from the Tokyo Olympics, and flew to Melbourne to attend the party only hours later. </p> <p>The boxer is among five people who have been slapped with fines after pictures of the illegal gathering in Mooroolbark were posted on social media. </p> <p>The images show Harry drinking with friends, as they posed with Garside's bronze medal. </p> <p><span>“All attendees will be interviewed and issued with a $5454 infringement notice for breaching Chief Health Officer directions,” a Victoria Police spokesperson said.</span></p> <p><span>Harry Garside, who is a plumber by trade, became the first Aussie to win a medal for boxing in 33 years at the Tokyo Olympic Games last month. </span></p> <p><span>He won fans over across the country after revealing that he had taken up ballet dancing in the lead-up to the Olympics to help with his footwork.</span></p> <p><span>Victoria remains in a strict lockdown with no end in sight, as COVID-19 cases continue to rise due to the deadly Delta variant. </span></p> <p><span>The state recorded 92 new locally acquired cases on Sunday, including more than 30 not yet linked to existing outbreaks.</span></p> <p><em>Image credit: Getty Images</em></p>

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“G’day from Sydney!”: Kyle MacLachlan shows off his Aussie slang

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">US actor Kyle MacLachlan has been keeping fans updated about his time in hotel quarantine, with his latest clip containing a funny message for Aussie fans.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">MacLachlan, well-known for his roles in </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Twin Peaks</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sex and the City</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, has showed off the Australian slang he has been learning while quarantining in Sydney in a quirky video shared on social media.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“G’day from Sydney! It’s Kyle MacLachlan,” the actor began, while holding a coffee in hand and with Sydney’s Centrepoint Tower in the background. “I’m here in quarantine for the next few weeks, and I’m doing OK despite being isolated in my room.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Crikey, my day is choc-a-block,” he said, chuckling.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Once I put on my dacks, from brekky to arvo and even to din din I’m flat out. There’s heaps to do, and even though it’s not hard yakka, I’m no bludger. I reckon it’ll pay off.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“When I finish quarantine the first thing I’ll do is get into my budgie smugglers, slip on my thongs, grab my Esky and head to the beach for a sunbake.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Then after a couple of snags on the barbie with my cobbers, we’ll soak a slab or even a goon bag from the bottle-o, oh it’ll be a right good piss up. No wuckas.”</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CS7oSDCH4Pf/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CS7oSDCH4Pf/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Kyle MacLachlan (@kyle_maclachlan)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With the background showing Sydney’s rainy weather, he ended the video saying: “Well, it defo looks like we’ll need a brolly today, hmm?”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though the star has not revealed what has brought him to Australia, Twitter user Andrew Mc suspected it was likely to do with a new comedy series based on Joe Exotic, the big-cat breeder previously depicted in </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The new series, written by Kate McKinnon, is expected to film in Queensland, with MacLachlan starring as Howard Baskin - the husband of Carole Baskin, Exotic’s nemesis.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">MacLachlan’s Aussie slang comes as the second of his video updates from hotel quarantine, with the first seeing him share wildlife facts.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Starting the clip with the same greeting from Sydney, Australia, MacLachlan goes on to say: “I’m here starting my 14 day quarantine for work, so I thought I’d take this opportunity to share with you a little Australian trivia.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Did you know that the Sydney funnel web spider is one of the most dangerous spiders in the world?</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It can kill a human being in 15 minutes, and it’s fangs are so sharp, they can bite through a glove or even a fingernail… ugh!” he shuddered.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CS5Dq5JHVHD/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CS5Dq5JHVHD/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Kyle MacLachlan (@kyle_maclachlan)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Suddenly looking surprised and worried, MacLachlan gets up from his seat in fear that he’s spotted a spider.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Jesus! God almighty, that’s a spider!” he says as he walks out of view, with the camera soon falling over.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At the end of the clip, MacLachlan can be heard hitting his coffee cup against a surface, before saying: “That was close”.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Kyle MacLachlan / Instagram</span></em></p>

TV

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"Public health enemy No.1" continues to evade police

<p>A man who tested positive for COVID has continued to elude police days after a warrant was issued for his arrest.</p> <p>NSW Health told Anthony Karam, 27, he had coronavirus on August 18 and must undergo isolation.</p> <p>However, Mr Karam reportedly defied orders and continued to carry out a non-isolated lifestyle in the community.</p> <p>On Friday night, police called on the public for more information.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7843339/new-project.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/4b8bc147de1146ab99d7e45478c6498e" /></p> <p>“Anthony has failed to isolate as directed by the Public Health Order and despite numerous attempts by police to find him; he has not been located,” a spokesperson said.</p> <p>Police attempted to contact Karam through a third party to no avail.</p> <p>He was last seen on CCTV footage inside an apartment complex’s elevator before vanishing.</p> <p>Police say Karam sneezed multiple times during the footage obtained.</p> <p>An order signed by Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant says Karam is a “risk to the health or safety of the public”.</p> <p>“The community is warned to avoid contact with Mr Karam and not approach him”.</p>

News

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“Appalling” act sees British commentator booted from Australia

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Far-right British commentator Katie Hopkins will be deported from Australia, following thousands of people signing a petition calling for her departure.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After it was revealed Hopkins was flown to Australia last week to take part in </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Celebrity Big Brother Australia</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, a wave of online hatred and calls to remove her from the programme have been aimed at Channel 7.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, a video she uploaded to her social media profile over the weekend has intensified the calls and prompted an investigation into whether her visa was still valid.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the now-deleted video, Hopkins admitted to deliberately undermining hotel quarantine rules.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The police officer who checked me in told me when they knock on my door I have to wait 30 seconds ‘til I can open the door [to receive food],” she said in the Instagram Live video.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Then I can open the door but only if I wear a face mask.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“[To] frighten the s**t out of them and do it naked with no face mask. What I want is the sergeant in the foyer to come up and tell me off so that I can stand there naked while he tells me off.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In another video, Hopkins calls the lockdowns the “greatest hoax in human history”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The clip attracted widespread criticism from government and opposition politicians, as well as Aussies still suck overseas who questioned how she was able to score a spot in hotel quarantine in Sydney.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The controversy also resulted in Channel 7 dropping her from the show, which they confirmed in a statement.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Seven Network and Endemol Shine Australia confirm that Katie Hopkins is not part of Big Brother VIP. Seven and Endemol Shine strongly condemn her irresponsible and reckless comments in hotel quarantine,” the network said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.change.org/p/sendhopkinshome-don-t-let-katie-hopkins-stay-in-australia" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Change.org petition</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> calling for her departure from the country has also been started, and has received more than 31,000 signatures.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews ordered an urgent review of Hopkin’s visa to determine whether her stunt breached visa conditions.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ms Andrews has since revealed Hopkins’ visa had been cancelled.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We will be getting her out of the country as soon as we can arrange that,” she told </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">ABC News Breakfast</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite being granted a visa based on potential benefit to the economy, Ms Andrews described Hopkins’ act as “despicable”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I’m with you, it’s appalling this individual behaved the way she did,” she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“All visa holders must abide by the health directions issued by our health officials - we won’t tolerate those who don’t.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hopkins hasn’t been the only source of controversy for the Channel 7 show, after the news broke that Caityln Jenner was also flying into the country to partake in the show.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Katie Hopkins / Instagram</span></em></p>

News

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Phuket reopens to international visitors, with a catch

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For the first time since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Phuket, Thailand’s popular resort island, is allowing international travellers to enter without quarantining, as long as they’re vaccinated.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On July 1, the first of four flights arriving that day touched down at Phuket International Airport with 25 passengers from Abu Dhabi. In total, about 400 vaccinated tourists arrived from Doha, Tel Aviv, Singapore, and Abu Dhabi as part of Thailand’s new “Phuket Sandbox” program.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In an interview with CNN the day before, Thailand’s Minister of Tourism Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said the program was needed to restart the country’s economy, which has been severely impacted by the pandemic.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“In 2019, we had revenue from both domestic and international tourism at 3 trillion baht ($1.2 billion) but in 2020 it shrank to 800 billion baht,” he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Phuket generated more than 470 billion of that revenue, thanks to the arrival of 10 million tourists.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The opening on July 1 has been viewed as mostly symbolic as a windfall of tourism numbers isn’t expected to follow.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Instead, Phiphat estimates that about 100,000 international tourists will arrive on the island in the first three months following the reopening, which is expected to generate about 9 billion baht in revenue.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Beyond the island, Thailand has been battling its third wave of COVID-19, with the country reporting 57 deaths and 5,533 cases on the same day as the reopening, mostly in Bangkok.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But, Phiphat has said “Phuket is currently perfectly fit for travel” despite the current number of cases in Thailand.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“If you look at the nationwide infection number, we would say we are not ready. If you focus only on Phuket, where we have laid our groundwork for more than three months, I would say Phuket is 100 percent ready,” he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The decision to reopen Phuket was reliant on the vaccination of 70 percent of the island’s residents. According to Phuket’s public relations office, more than 80 percent of the population have received at least one dose, and about 65 percent have been fully vaccinated as of June 30.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Phiphat said if the program is successful, officials will use Phuket as a blueprint to open nine other popular tourist destinations from October 1: Bangkok, Chonburi, Chiang Mai, Petchaburi, Prachuap Kiri Khan, Phang Nga, Krabi, Surat Thai, and Buriram.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For those who do wish to visit Phuket, they must meet a list of conditions.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Travellers can only come from pre-approved countries or territories, must stay in an accredited hotel for 14 days before travelling anywhere else in the country, and must apply for a Certificate of Entry.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Additionally, visitors need to have proof of an insurance policy covering treatment of COVID-19 up to the cost of $100,000, as well as a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure and a certificate of vaccination against coronavirus with an approved vaccine administered at least two weeks before their travel date.</span></p>

International Travel

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“Extremely heartless”: Daughter’s desperate effort to see dying dad

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Anna Coffey, who hopes to see her father in palliative care in Victoria, is required to prove he is sick enough to allow her to be exempt to travel.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After receiving a call last week saying her father had suffered a serious stroke, the fully-vaccinated Melbournian was on the first plane to Sydney that cost her upwards of $10,000.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Now quarantining in a Sydney hotel during the state’s current lockdown, she must provide documents proving her father is “at end of life” to New South Wales Health in order to be allowed to see him.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If she is granted an exemption, she has been told by Victorian and NSW Health authorities that she can only travel to Melbourne via a chartered flight which she says will cost her between $8000 and $10,000.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“In the past week [my father’s] heart has stopped and they have no idea why, he’s had a stroke … he’s obviously high risk for another incident happening,” Ms Coffey told </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Age</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Being in the palliative care unit, they don’t resuscitate or they don’t do anything. It could be in an hour, it could be tomorrow, it could be next week, I just can’t stay.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ms Coffey fears her father’s condition could change at any moment.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“He’s doing OK but it’s very much a day-by-day type situation,” she told </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Today</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I really just have to get there as fast as I possibly can.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“There’s a lot to do, so many documents to collect, so much red tape, it’s a full-time job right now.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ms Coffey says she wants authorities to allow her to drive to Melbourne, but they have ruled this out as the trip would take between nine and 10 hours.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Prime Minister Scott Morrison is said to have written to Ms Coffey saying he is deeply sorry and that he hopes a solution can be found so she can see her father.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But, Ms Coffey anticipates she may not get to Melbourne until the weekend, where she will then need to finish 14 days of quarantine and only see her father under supervision and while wearing personal protective equipment.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The fact that it’s taking days and days and days and there’s no end in sight is fairly shocking to me, especially when I feel like I’ve already provided enough information to be able to be transferred,” she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ms Coffey also said she wants authorities to review the process for overseas arrivals entering the country for compassionate reasons.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“[I want] some sort of other alternative to forcing people to have to pay $8000 to $10,000 to be transferred, especially when they’re vaccinated. [It] just seems extremely heartless.”</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Today</span></em></p>

Caring

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Jamie Durie's sweet lockdown date with heavily pregnant wife

<p>Jamie Durie and his pregnant fiancee Ameka Jane are still finding ways to be together despite Durie being in mandatory COVID-19 isolation in Sydney.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CPpWY5nDScB/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CPpWY5nDScB/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by amekajane (@amekajane)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Durie returned from the United States this week after filming home and gardening content for US TV network HGTV.</p> <p>As he's back home, he shared a variety of sweet images to his Instagram stories, showing his partner outside of his quarantine hotel in Sydney.</p> <p>"Lunch date with my love," he wrote, adding: "37 weeks and counting."</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height:281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7841989/david-campbelll-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/bb8ccef578e24149978f7000bf03856e" /></p> <p>With his partner set to welcome the baby within weeks, Durie is eager to get out of quarantine as soon as possible.</p>

Relationships

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Hugh Jackman calls on fans for tech support

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hugh Jackman is currently in hotel quarantine and facing an unusual challenge.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Aussie star is counting down the four remaining days of his mandatory stay in Sydney, and trouble he has been having with the microwave in his hotel room is making the wait even more tough.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The struggle is real. Morning 11 in quarantine and I STILL can’t figure out how to make the microwave go longer than :30!!! #4moresleeps,” he wrote in the caption of a video shared on Instagram.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the video, the actor said the microwave only heated for food at 30-second intervals and there was no lever to increase the time.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“This is my microwave and I still don’t know how to … When I press start, I get 30 seconds and I just keep pressing it every time because I don’t know how to put on more [time],” he said in the clip. “Can someone please explain? Please?”</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQZd6sgDSGl/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQZd6sgDSGl/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Hugh Jackman (@thehughjackman)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Luckily, fans came to the rescue with most suggesting the same solution.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I believe you should keep pressing start and it will keep adding 30 seconds each time. That’s how mine works at least,” one commenter said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Just press start again and again and again. Press the start button More than once,” another agreed.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though the star could have pulled some strings to get his hands on a new microwave, a mummy blogger revealed Jackman had specifically asked for no special treatment from staff while in quarantine.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Little Hugh update: The nurse who called this morning said he is good and he has been great and insisted from the start he is treated the same as everyone else,” the blogger shared on Instagram.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: thehughjackman / Instagram</span></em></p>

Movies

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Betty White opens up about loneliness while in quarantine

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in element-type-p"> <p>Betty White's agent Jeff Witjas has said that White is ready for some face-to-face interaction after a safe year at home.</p> <p>White, 99, has been isolating at home due to the coronavirus pandemic and keeping busy by "reading, watching TV and doing crossword puzzles at home", according to <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.tmz.com/2021/05/11/betty-white-keeps-busy-quarantine-covid-update-summer/" target="_blank"><em>TMZ</em></a>.</p> <p>This doesn't mean White isn't counting down the days until she's able to safely interact with friends.</p> <p>Witjas confirmed that White's "ability to regularly interact with friends face to face," during the pandemic has "severely affected in her life," explaining that like many, she's "looking forward to summer when she can safely enjoy the outdoors and regain her freedom."</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CLSXVN2nVmF/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CLSXVN2nVmF/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Betty White (@bettymwhite)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Despite being an animal lover, White hasn't had any furry friends to keep her company but has said there are a few ducks that keep her company that "walk up to her door every day to say hello".</p> <p>Wijtas declined on commenting whether or not White had been vaccinated.</p> </div> </div> </div>

Movies

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Paul Hogan’s “homesick” plea falls on deaf ears

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aussie actor Paul Hogan appeared on </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sunrise</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> complaining that he’s “desperately homesick” in Los Angeles and eager to return to Australia - without much sympathy from </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sunrise</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> viewers.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Crocodile Dundee</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> star appeared emotional as he was being interviewed by hosts Natalie Barr and David Koch on Tuesday, May 11, speaking from his $4.5 million mansion in Venice Beach.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I’m desperately homesick. You’re living in a country right now, alongside New Zealand, that’s the light of the world,” he told the program hosts.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I’m living in LA county which has 10 million people, and about half of ‘em got COVID. So am I homesick? You bet your life.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kochie also noted that the 81-year-old, who regularly appears on </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sunrise</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, was the “most down” they’d ever seen him. Hogan said he was trying to stay positive despite taking steroids for a kidney issue that resulted in his face bloating. He also said he barely left his house in California, as the pandemic has seen the area spike in homelessness and crime and the wider Los Angeles area being hit hard by COVID-19.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kochie pointed out that many celebrities entering Australia had managed to skip hotel quarantine and isolate privately. But Hogan dismissed the idea, insisted he and his youngest son, Clance, would have to complete hotel quarantine together and would “strangle each other”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite his visibly low spirits, many </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sunrise</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> viewers were unsympathetic to the star’s situation, questioning how “desperate” he really was if he refused to undergo hotel quarantine for two weeks.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Quarantine like everyone else … or stay in America,” </span><a href="https://twitter.com/michelleweb67/status/1391892344908128258"><span style="font-weight: 400;">one viewer wrote</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Desperately homesick … won’t quarantine for two weeks to get back. Must be reeeeal bad,” </span><a href="https://twitter.com/sunriseon7/status/1391883558067728387/retweets/with_comments"><span style="font-weight: 400;">another tweeted</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some viewers did show their support for the actor on the show’s Facebook page, with one user writing: “Lot of mean people here. He is an elderly 81-year-old fella obviously homesick. A bit of compassion wouldn’t hurt.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This isn’t the first time Hogan has expressed his desire to come home either. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In an October 2020 interview with the </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Courier Mail</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, he said of his LA home, “I’m like a kangaroo in a Russian zoo - I don’t belong here.”</span></p> <p><strong>Image Credit: Channel 7</strong></p>

News

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New South African COVID cases have NSW scrambling

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">NSW Health authorities are scrambling to trace the possible transmission of the South African COVID-19 strain within the Mercure hotel after three returned travellers staying at the Sydney hotel tested positive.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Authorities are searching for any other travellers who stayed at the hotel between April 7-12.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The three infected travellers entered the country on April 3 on the same flight before staying in adjacent rooms on the 10th floor. Two are related to each other.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B88FxBcgnGp/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B88FxBcgnGp/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Mercure Sydney (@mercuresydney)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The news comes as the WA Health Department recorded two new cases of hotel-quarantine acquired COVID-19 on Wednesday.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Two sets of guests in quarantine at the Mercure Hotel Perth in opposite rooms shared the same virus sequence, the Department confirmed. This is despite the travellers arriving from different countries at different times.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B9Y0BmCjfIe/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B9Y0BmCjfIe/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Mercure Perth Hotel (@mercureperthhotel)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Genomic testing of the NSW cases found that all three had the same strain, the B1.351 variant of COVID-19, commonly known as the South African strain.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On day two of quarantine all three tested negative, but were later positive on day seven, ten, and 12 respectively.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"></span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Any guests who stayed on the 10th floor during that period that have since been released are being asked to get tested and self-isolate.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"></span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Staff who worked in the area are also isolating and getting tested.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"></span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> The three positive NSW cases have been transferred to the Special Health Accommodation and will stay there until they are no longer infectious.</span></p>

News

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BREAKING: Overseas travel date announced for Aussies

<p>New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has just made a huge announcement, telling Aussies they will be able to fly to their nation without having to quarantine in less than just two weeks.</p> <p>Appearing in front of media on Tuesday afternoon, the New Zealand leader announced that the trans-Tasman bubble would be going ahead after more than a year of closed international borders.</p> <p>She said that the new travel opportunity across the ditch will start at 11.59 pm April 18.</p> <p>Airlines including Qantas and Air New Zealand will be allowed to take bookings from April 19.</p> <p>“Managing COVID and keeping it out of New Zealand over the last year has been a massive team effort,” she said from the Beehive in Wellington.</p> <p>“One sacrifice that has been particularly hard for many to bear over the past year has not been able to see friends and family who live in Australia.</p> <p>“Cabinet was presented with advice today that conditions for opening up quarantine-free travel with Australia had been met.</p> <p>“The Director-General of Health considers the risk of transmission of COVID-19 from Australia to New Zealand to now be low, and that quarantine-free travel would be safe to commence.”</p> <p>Ms Ardern went on to sat that the bubble was a world first, and an “important step” in post-pandemic recovery.</p> <p>“This is an important step forward in our COVID response and represents an arrangement I do not believe we have seen in any other part of the world,” she explained.</p> <p>“That is, safely opening up international travel to another country while continuing to pursue a strategy of elimination and a commitment to keeping the virus out.”</p> <p>People who travel from New Zealand are able to fly to most parts of Australia without having to undergo mandatory quarantine.</p> <p>However, the trans-Tasman bubble allows people from both countries to be exempt from quarantine restrictions.</p> <p>Ms Ardern made clear that there would be scenarios where the bubble might burst, including if there were to be an outbreak in an Australian city.</p> <p>She also said it would depend on a number of circumstances, including the number of cases and contacts, or whether the source of the virus could be linked or not.</p>

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QLD Premier joyfully announces end to Brisbane lockdown

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <p>QLD Premier Annastacia Palasczcuk has announced that Brisbane will be emerging from lockdown at noon today, easing fears that there would be an extended lockdown over Easter.</p> <p>The news comes after 10 new cases were recorded in the state overnight, with just one being locally transmitted.</p> <p>The other cases were hotel quarantine COVID-19 cases.</p> <p>“Easter is good to go,” Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said this morning.</p> <p>The lockdown, easing at noon today until Thursday 15th of April, requires all Queenslanders to carry a mask when they leave their home.</p> <p>"We will also ask you to wear those masks in indoor spaces such as shopping centres and supermarkets, indoor workplaces, public transport," the Premier said.</p> <p>"Anyone attending food or beverage establishments, so if you're out there going to a restaurant or cafe or a pub, you must be seated.</p> <p>"We have to go back to the seating. This is really important that we are doing this for the next two weeks."</p> <p>Queensland's Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said that the new locally transmitted infection was "the perfect case".</p> <p>"We only had one community-acquired case overnight in Queensland and that was the perfect case, if I could describe it as that," she said today.</p> <p>"This was one of those participants in that party that happened at Byron Bay.</p> <p>"So when the person came back to Queensland, they went into quarantine and they were tested on Monday night and they were negative on Monday night.</p> <p>"Then they were tested again Wednesday morning when they were positive. So they have been in quarantine during their infectious period. So no risk at all. So definitely a linked case, but also that additional bonus that they're in quarantine."</p> <p>However, the Premier has warned that the threat facing Queensland isn't over yet.</p> <p>"I'm asking all Queenslanders, for the next two weeks if we all do the right thing, we can get through this together," she said.</p> <p>Gatherings at homes across Queensland are being restricted to 30 people, with businesses being able to reopen as long as they adhere to the 2 square metre rule.</p> </div> </div> </div>

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Gladys Berejiklian reveals key new case in Sydney COVID outbreak

<p><span>A traveller has tested positive for COVID-19 – and on the same floor as a security guard who contracted the virus a week before.</span><br /><br /><span>NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed the news to reporters Wednesday morning, saying this new case could be the “missing link” health authorities need.</span><br /><br /><span>“Health believes they (new case) acquired (COVID) when they went into the hotel and we’re being very upfront about that,” Ms Berejiklian said.</span><br /><br /><span>“They are an overseas traveller but they didn’t have the virus when they came into the hotel … health believes that because of the timing they contracted the virus.”</span><br /><br /><span>The Premier confessed that investigators and health officials may “never find the link…. similar to the Avalon cluster; we still don’t know.</span><br /><br /><span>“As always during a pandemic we ask all of our citizens to be on high alert and follow health advice,” she said.</span><br /><br /><span>“Fortunately the person is already in quarantine … health will be making further investigations, it could be very much the missing link between the overseas traveller and the guard.”</span><br /><br /><span>The security guard is believed to have contracted the virus while working on the 11th floor at the Sofitel in Wentworth.</span><br /><br /><span>Officials are still yet to determine how, however an extensive look at CCTV footage shows he did not breach any protocols.</span><br /><br /><span>A previous returned traveller at the hotel has also tested positive, but the link between them and the guard continues to be a mystery to investigators and health officials.</span><br /><br /><span>“It’s not surprising the case is on the same floor as the security guard and the traveller that had the original case,” the premier said.</span><br /><br /><span>“There is no cause for us to be alarmed in the community.”</span><br /><br /><span>Ms Berejiklian said the case would not impact an expected easing of restrictions later on Wednesday.</span><br /><br /><span>“At this stage there’s no cause for us to change any of that,” she said.</span><br /><br /><span>“But of course, as I say every day the pandemic is evolving, and if we have to adjust any of our settings we will.”</span><br /><br /><span>The guard was the state’s first coronavirus case in 55 days and had received one dose of the Pfizer vaccine earlier in March.</span><br /><br /><span>NSW Health revealed that the 47-year-old man caught the virus while he worked across two Sydney quarantine hotels, Sofitel Wentworth in Sydney’s CBD and the Mantra hotel at Haymarket.</span><br /><br /><span>Chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant told reporters that the man had a full-time office job and worked in the hotels over weekends.</span><br /><br /><span>“(He was) was infectious while doing a shift and we have contacted around 130 people who worked from 7 pm on Friday night to 7 am on Saturday, overlapping that March 12 to March 13 (window),” she said at the time.</span><br /><br /><span>“We are asking those individuals to immediately self-isolate and get a test. Basically, that allows us time to work through and ascertain the nature of interaction that this security guard had with those quarantine workers.”</span></p>

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Sydney on alert after hotel quarantine worker tests positive to COVID-19

<p>Sydney is on alert this morning after multiple exposure sites including two public transport routes were added to the list of places visited by an infectious case of COVID-19.</p> <p>After almost two months of remaining virus-free, Sydney is grappling with a possibility of yet another outbreak following a serious breach at one of the city's quarantine hotels.</p> <p>A security guard has tested positive for the virus, despite receiving his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.</p> <p>NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said authorities were notified of the locally acquired case late on Saturday night and urgent contact tracing and genome sequence was underway.</p> <p>The 47-year-old man works in security at two quarantine hotels, the Sofitel Hotel in Wentworth and the Mantra Hotel in Haymarket.</p> <p>Mr Hazzard said he had worked while infectious.</p> <p>The guard attended several venues during that time, with anyone who attended the Pancakes On The Rocks at Beverly Hills on March 13 between 10.45 am to 12 pm now considered a close contact.</p> <p>People who visited the venue at that time have been ordered to self-isolate for 14 days regardless of a negative test result.</p> <p><strong>Hotspot locations</strong></p> <p><strong>Anyone who was a customer at the following venues at the listed times should monitor for symptoms:</strong></p> <ul class="ul1"> <li class="li1">Bexley - Aquatic Centre on Saturday March 13 between 9 am to 9.30am</li> <li class="li1">Haymarket - Dae Jang Kum Korean restaurant on Saturday March 13 between 12.15 am to 12.25am;</li> <li class="li1">Haymarket - 7 Eleven on Saturday March 13 between 12.20 am to 12.25am;</li> <li class="li1">Hurstville - Hudson's Coffee shop, Hurstville Private Hospital on Monday March 8 between 8.30 am to 9am; Tuesday March 9 between 8.30 am to 9am; Wednesday March 10 between 8 pm and 9pm; Thursday March 11 between 8.30 am and 9 am and Friday March 12 between 8.30 am and 9am</li> <li class="li1">Hurstville Station - Coles on Wednesday March 10 between 8 pm to 9pm</li> </ul> <p><strong>Anyone who travelled on the following train services during the below times should also monitor for symptoms:</strong></p> <ul class="ul1"> <li class="li1">T4 line, Hurstville to Central - Friday March 12 departing 6 pm Hurstville and arriving Central 6.30pm.</li> <li class="li1">T4 line, Central to Hurstville - Saturday March 13 departing Central at 7 am and driving Hurstville at 7.30am.</li> </ul>

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