Prime Minister Scott Morrison held a press conference today to announce a royal commission into veteran suicide and to give updates on the COVID-19 situation in New South Wales.
The announced veteran suicide commission will be led by NSW’s former police commissioner, Nick Kaldas, and will look into veteran suicide to gather information and give recommendations based upon that insight. The report is to be finalised in 2023.
He also said today was a record day in Australia for vaccine dosage. As of July 7, 3,755,040 jabs have been given out across the country, with 261,593 in South Australia, according to the Australian Government’s Department of Health.
In terms of NSW, Morrison urged those in lockdown to follow the COVID-19 parameters. He also announced the state would be getting additional vaccines of both Pfizer and AstraZeneca, and that there’s no longer a liquid asset test.
This comes after Morrison held a press conference after the National Cabinet on July 2 updating Australians on the country’s plan to continue combatting COVID-19.
He outlined a four-phase process that the country plans to follow going forward.
The first phase, which we are currently in, is the vaccination phase, which Morrison says aims to continue suppressing the virus and giving eligible people the vaccine. He also announced that the National Cabinet discussed putting caps on incoming travellers and commercial imports to help reduce risk of exposure.
The second phase, which will be triggered by a scientific vaccination percentage threshold, will be a post-vaccination stage. During this stage, lockdowns will only occur in extreme situations to reduce hospitalisations or fatalities, and caps on travellers and visa holders (including student and humanitarian visas) will be eased.
The third phase is “consolidation,” at which point the Australian government will manage COVID consistent with how they handle other infectious diseases; This means that there won’t be lockdowns, and COVID will be handled similarly to the flu.
The final phase is uncapped arrivals and nearly life back to “normal,” says Morrison, with the exception of occasional travel quarantines or precautions with unvaccinated persons.
Throughout his plan, Morrison emphasised that vaccinations are key to triggering the next phase of Australia’s recovery. This means that the more people who get vaccinated and the faster the roll out, the faster Australia will be able to move on to the next stage on the pathway to full recovery.
People experiencing any of the following symptoms should be tested for COVID-19:
• Fever or chills (in the absence of an alternative illness that explains these symptoms)
• An acute respiratory infection e.g. symptoms of cough, sore throat, runny nose, or shortness of breath
• Loss of smell or alteration in the sense of taste
Call the SA COVID-19 Information Line on 1800 253 787, or go to www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/COVID2019; www.covid-19.SA.gov.au for more information.
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