Get up to speed on all the coronavirus news from across Australia.
Catch up on all of Tuesday's updates in our blog.
Key events
- WA records 263 new local COVID cases
- SA records three COVID deaths, 1,378 new cases
- NT records one COVID death, 716 new cases
- Clive Palmer cancels National Press Club address after developing 'COVID like' symptoms
- ACT records 583 new COVID cases
- Queensland to scrap density limits
- Queensland to ease mask rules from March 4
- Queensland records 5 deaths, 380 in hospital
- Tasmania records 820 new COVID-19 cases, no new deaths
- Victoria records 14 COVID deaths, 345 people in hospital
- NSW records 14 COVID deaths, 1,293 people in hospital
- Victoria to ease mask rules this weekend
Live updates
By Jessica Riga
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.
VIC: 14 deaths, 6,786 new cases (5,042 RAT / 1,744 PCR), 345 people in hospital, 48 in ICU, eight on ventilators
NSW: 14 deaths, 8,752 new cases (6,036 RAT / 2,716 PCR), 1,293 people in hospital, 71 in ICU, 31 on ventilators
QLD: 5 deaths, 5,583 new cases (4,039 RAT / 1,544 PCR), 394 people in hospital, 34 in ICU
ACT: 583 new cases, 41 people in hospital, one in ICU
TAS: 820 new cases, 11 people in hospital, two in ICU
NT: One death, 716 new cases, 123 people in hospital, 10 on ventilators, three in ICU
SA: Three deaths, 1,378 new cases, 205 people in hospital, 12 in ICU, three on ventilators
WA: 263 new cases, three people in hospital
By Jessica Riga
We're going to close the blog here
Thanks for reading along with us today! You can continue to stay in the loop on all the latest updates here on the ABC News website.
We'll see you tomorrow. Until then, have a lovely afternoon.
By Jessica Riga
Relaxing isolation requirements for close contacts 'next step', Hunt says
By political reporter Stephanie Dalzell
Relaxing isolation requirements for household contacts of COVID-19 positive cases will be the next step in living with the virus, according to Health Minister Greg Hunt.
As first reported by Nine newspapers, the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) is considering recommending close contacts no longer be required to isolate for seven days.
It follows the national cabinet's recent expansion of which workers should be exempt from isolation rules, allowing thousands more people to return to work if they are a close contact.
The changes were aimed at easing the pressure on workforces and supply chains which have been under increased pressure as rising infections quarantined an increasing number of people.
By Jessica Riga
How many covid cases for NSW
-Frank
Hi Frank,
Today NSW reported 8,752 new COVID-19 cases. That figure comes from 6,036 RAT results and 2,716 PCR tests.
By Jessica Riga
By Jessica Riga
WA records 263 new local COVID cases
Western Australia has recorded 258 new local cases of COVID-19.
There are an additional five travel-related cases, meaning a total of 263 new infections.
There are 1,315 active cases, with three people in hospital – but none in intensive care.
There have been a further two cases linked to an outbreak in the remote Indigenous community of Jameson.
By Jessica Riga
SA records three COVID deaths, 1,378 new cases
South Australia’s reported another three deaths of people with COVID-19, amid another increase in daily case numbers.
The deaths were two men, aged in their 40s, 60s and 80s.
1,378 positive cases of the virus were recorded yesterday, an increase of 161 on the previous day.
There are now 205 COVID patients in hospital with COVID. 12 are in intensive care, three of them on ventilators.
There are 13,161 active cases of the virus in SA.
By Jessica Riga
Businesses react to Victoria's eased COVID restrictions
While businesses have welcomed Victoria's eased restrictions, some hospitality employers are frustrated masks will remain for staff.
Publican Mat McMahon runs the popular Seanchai Irish Pub in Warrnambool, in Victoria's south-west.
"It seems comical to be honest and very contradictory,” Mr McMahon said.
"It doesn't seem to make sense at all, but at the same time we're happy to do it and toe the line but if that's needed to return back to normal."
Mr McMahon said his business had taken a significant hit throughout the pandemic, and that he expected the government assisted rent relief he currently enjoyed to expire at the end of next month.
"We're back to as close to normal as possible, but for a little bit of mask use," he said.
"So that's great to see and obviously it's been a long couple of years for the hospitality industry. We've said this before but the end is in sight... we hope."
By Jessica Riga
NT records one COVID death, 716 new cases
A man in his 80s from Central Australia has died with COVID-19.
NT health authorities made the announcement today, along with 716 cases of the virus in the latest reporting period.
123 people are in hospital from the disease with 10 requiring oxygen and three in intensive care.
By Jessica Riga
Queensland CHO flags the mask mandate could return during 'expected' winter wave
"We are expecting there to be some sort of secondary wave in the coming months, probably in winter. We don’t know what the future will hold but we assume there will be some sort of wave in winter. How large it will be, we don’t know.
"There is a significant chance we will need to introduce mandatory masks wearing at some point, again for a limit period.
"When we say mask wearing is mandatory, that means that it’s really necessary. So now that we’re at the end of the wave, now is the time to relax those measures."
By Jessica Riga
More information about Queensland's five COVID deaths
Of the five people:
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2 aged in their 60s
-
2 aged in their 80s
-
1 aged in their 90s
"One person was not vaccinated, one had received one dose, three had received two doses and none had received a booster," Dr Gerrard said.
By Jessica Riga
'Please continue to carry a mask'
While the mask mandate will lift in Queensland, Ms D'Ath has urged people to still carry a mask with them when out and about to avoid being caught out in settings where you'll need one.
She also added the mask mandate can come back if the state sees a significant spike in cases, and that includes as we enter flu season.
By Jessica Riga
Queensland's Health Minister Yvette D'Ath is speaking now
Right now she's recapping the changes Annastacia Palaszczuk announced this morning, which you can catch up on here.
By Jessica Riga
Here's where to watch Queensland's (second) COVID update
By Jessica Riga
Mask mandate for primary school kids due to 'lagging vaccination rate', says Premier
Some of you are writing in asking why masks will no longer be mandatory in secondary school but remain for primary school workers and students in grade three and above
When asked about this during this morning's announcement, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews noted the lagging vaccination rate among children.
"Kids' vaccines have come later than adults, now we've just got to push through and get as many kids vaccinated as possible," he said.
Around 54 per cent of Victorians aged five to 11 have received one vaccine dose, compared to roughly 94 per cent of those aged 12 and above.
By Jessica Riga
Queensland's Chief Health Officer to provide a COVID update at 1pm
Earlier we heard from Queensland's Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk in parliament, but the state's CHO Dr John Gerrard and Health Minister Yvette D’Ath will be providing a COVID update and taking questions at 1pm.
By Jessica Riga
Masks mandatory in Victoria for retail workers
Great work on the blog. Do shoppers need to wear a mask in retail settings in Vic or just the workers?
-Kim Curious
Seems like it's just the workers, Kim.
I posted a breakdown on the rules a couple posts back, which you can read in full here, but this is the part you're looking for.
For those in the office, masks will no longer be mandatory, and will disappear from most settings.
But they'll remain mandatory in the following places:
Students in year three or above at primary school and workers at early childhood centres and primary schools
Public transport, taxis and rideshare vehicles, planes and indoors at the airport
People working in or visiting hospitals, indoor areas at care facilities
Workers in hospitality, retail, courts and prisons
People working indoors at an event with more than 30,000 people attending
In special circumstances, such as if you have COVID-19 or are a close contact and are leaving home
By Jessica Riga
Classes continue at ANU after more than 200 students contract COVID-19 by end of O-week
Face-to-face classes are continuing at the Australian National University (ANU) despite more than 200 of its residential students testing positive to COVID-19.
In a statement, the university said it was expecting COVID-19 cases in the student residences, which accommodate roughly 5,000 students, and had "processes and protocols in place to support any resident who is COVID-19 positive".
The ANU said students with COVID-19 had been moved to a dedicated self-isolation facility and were being provided meals and support, but a third-year student has told the ABC that she is still at her normal accommodation and is having to ask friends to bring her food.
By Jessica Riga
One pinned post coming up
previous days you have put the full stats pinned to the top. Can you please do this so we don't have to go through the whole blog to find them. Thanks
-Stats lover
Sure thing, Stats Lover! I'll pull that together now.
By the way, all the COVID figures from each state and territory (who have released them so far today) have been tagged as a Key Point in the blog so they get summarised at the top anyway. If you click on a Key Point it'll take you straight to that post to save you the time scrolling!
By Jessica Riga
