Get up to speed on all the coronavirus news from across Australia.
Catch up on all of Monday's updates in our blog.
Live updates
By Jon Healy
Cases, hospitalisations and deaths
For a detailed breakdown of cases across the country, check out Charting the Spread.
This post will be updated throughout the day as numbers are announced, so if your state or territory is not mentioned, check back later.
NSW: Seven deaths, 1,288 people in hospital, 74 of whom are in ICU and 4,916 new cases
VIC: Three deaths, 361 people in hospital, 49 of whom are in ICU and 5,611 new cases
QLD: Six deaths, 401 people in hospital, 34 of whom are in ICU and 4,114 new cases
TAS: No deaths, 10 people in hospital, two of whom are in ICU and 569 new cases
ACT: One death, 37 people in hospital, one of whom is in ICU, and 458 new cases
WA: No deaths and 224 new cases
SA: No deaths, 190 people in hospital, 13 of whom are in ICU and 1,217 new cases
NT: No deaths, 123 people in hospital, three of whom are in ICU and 627 new cases
By Michael Doyle
That is all for the blog today
We have been given out cue to close the blog.
It has been another busy day with news and updates.
Thank-you to everyone who joined us throughout the day.
Until next time, stay safe and be well.
By Michael Doyle
WORLD NEWS: Israel to allow in tourists regardless of vaccination status
Israel will allow entry to all tourists, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated against COVID-19, from March 1, the prime minister's office said yesterday.
Entry into Israel will still require two PCR tests, one before flying in and one upon landing in Israel, the office said.
"We are seeing a consistent decline in morbidity numbers, so this is the time to gradually open up what we were the first in the world to close," Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said.
"At the same time, we will keep a finger on the pulse, and in case of a new variant we will react quickly."
Reporting by Reuters
By Michael Doyle
WORLD NEWS: Italy recommends fourth vaccine dose for immunocompromised
Italy's health ministry has recommended that people with a severely compromised immune system receive a fourth mRNA vaccine shot against COVID-19.
The ministry made the announcement on Sunday.
The fourth dose will be available at least 120 days after a person received their booster shot, the ministry said.
The special commissioner appointed by the Italian government for COVID-19 will set the date for the recommendation to come into force.
Reporting by Reuters
By Michael Doyle
Tens of thousands of women forced into withdrawing super from COVID relief scheme
By Michael Doyle
WORLD NEWS: Germany records 73,867 new cases and 22 deaths
Reporting by Reuters.
By Michael Doyle
Jacinda Ardern signals mandates will ease after Omicron peaks
New Zealand will lift COVID-19 vaccine mandates and social distancing measures after the Omicron peak has passed, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday, as protesters occupying the parliament grounds again clashed with police.
Inspired by truckers' demonstrations in Canada, thousands of protesters have blocked streets near the parliament in the capital Wellington for two weeks with trucks, cars and motorcycles, piling pressure on the government to scrap vaccine mandates.
Ardern refused to set a hard date, but said there would be a narrowing of vaccine requirements after Omicron reaches a peak, which is expected in mid to late March.
"We all want to go back to the way life was. And we will, I suspect sooner than you think," Ardern said at a weekly news conference.
"But when that happens, it will be because easing restrictions won't compromise the lives of thousands of people – not because you demanded it," she said, addressing protestors.
The demonstrations began as a stand against the vaccine mandates but have since spread to become a wider movement against Ardern and her government.
On Monday, eight people were arrested for disorderly behaviour and obstruction, with human waste thrown over some police officers.
Reporting by Reuters.
By Michael Doyle
'We are opening up probably a little bit early': Dr Norman Swan on Australia reopening
By Michael Doyle
WORLD NEWS: India records 16,051 new cases and 206 deaths
Reporting by Reuters.
By Michael Doyle
Today's good news story
We have done #EmergencyCute posts in the past.
Today's we have a cute dog in a feel-good story.
Zoey went missing from her home in 2010 and last week was finally reunited with them.
Click here to read, Dog once declared deceased is reunited with owner in California after going missing 12 years ago.
By Michael Doyle
Fourth player from the Canberra Raiders tests positive
The Canberra Raiders NRL team have lost a fourth player to COVID-19
Fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad has been ruled out of Friday night's trial match against the Manly.
He joins Jordan Rapana, Sam Williams and Matt Frawley who are all in isolation after positive tests.
By Michael Doyle
How the Queen will likely serve out her isolation period
After testing positive for the coronavirus, Queen Elizabeth II is set to spend at least five days in isolation as mandated under the United Kingdom's soon-to-be-revised pandemic rules.
It's possible the 95-year-old may have contracted the virus amid a wider outbreak underway at Windsor Castle, with the BBC reporting a number of people have tested positive where the Queen resides.
The palace said the Queen, who is fully vaccinated and has had a booster shot, would continue with "light" duties at Windsor Castle over the coming week.
"She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all the appropriate guidelines," the palace said in a statement.
Both the Queen's eldest son Prince Charles, 73, and her 74-year-old daughter-in-law Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, contracted COVID-19 earlier this month. Prince Charles has since returned to work.
Click here to find out more about what isolation will be like for the Queen.
ABC/AP
By Michael Doyle
NT: 627 news cases recorded in the Northern Territory
There have been 627 new COVID-19 cases announced in the NT today, of which 583 came from positive rapid antigen tests.
The number of coronavirus patients in Northern Territory hospitals has dropped slightly, from 127 yesterday, down to 123.
However, the number of patients requiring oxygen has grown from 18 to 21, according to a statement from NT Health.
There are now three people in the intensive care unit.
By Michael Doyle
SA: A further 1,217 COVID infections were recorded in South Australia
There's been a slight increase in the number of daily COVID-19 cases in South Australia.
A total of 1,217 people tested positive for the virus yesterday, up from 1,118 the day before.
There were no COVID-19 related deaths recorded in the past 24 hours.
There are now 12,946 active cases in SA.
There are 190 people with COVID-19 in hospital, 13 of them in intensive care. Three people are on ventilators.
By Michael Doyle
Hello … again
Hello Australia for the second time today.
I will be guiding the blog home.
Let's go.
By Jon Healy
Concern for remote Aboriginal communities in WA as cases sneak in backroads
WA Premier Mark McGowan says authorities are concerned about the spread of COVID-19 in remote Aboriginal communities and expects more positive cases to be detected from an outbreak in the state's Goldfields.
Two people tested positive at the weekend in the remote community of Mantamaru.
Mr McGowan says the pair were fined after it was revealed they breached WA's hard border to enter the state via back roads from South Australia.
"Remote Aboriginal communities are obviously something we are concerned about," he said.
"We have various plans in place to manage the situation if there are outbreaks. Basically, we have rules about who can go in, and if there are outbreaks, we basically lock the communities down, require people to quarantine, and if anyone is very unwell, we get them out and get them to hospital."
By Jon Healy
Airport reunions galore
More reunited photos please :)
-SM
Thanks to Mridula Amin for these shots.
By Jon Healy
International flight arrives in Adelaide
The first international flight since Australia officially reopened its borders to all vaccinated travellers has touched down in Adelaide.
Taste the Barossa business owner Dallas Cool (yes, really) says it's an exciting step, but it might be some time until tourists start exploring SA.
"Realistically we're still quite a well away from seeing traditional tourists … to come to our state and visit the regions, a lot of those people coming off the plane today will be visiting friends and relatives."
By Jon Healy
'It's going down' in the NT
The Northern Territory is marking a year since the COVID vaccination rollout began in the Top End.
More than 95 per cent of the NT population aged five and above has had one dose of a vaccine, while more than 88 per cent are double-dosed.
Chief Health Officer Dr Hugh Heggie says although case numbers are decreasing, he'd like to see booster rates go up further.
"The case numbers are going down. Our active cases are going down. Wastewater genomics is going down. School absenteeism as a subset of the population is going down. PCR positivity, that is to confirm whether RATs are correct. It's going down."
