Man, 83, dies from coronavirus after being infected in Crossroads Hotel cluster 1/8/2020 (See Translation in Arabic section) Sydney - M E Times Int'l: An 83-year-old man, whose COVID-19 infection was linked to the Crossroads Hotel cluster, has died. 
He is the first person to die from the virus since an 80-year-old woman died on May 21. He is the 52nd COVID-19 fatality in NSW. There have been 57 cases connected to the hotel in Casula in Sydney’s south-west. The man is the first death linked to the cluster. NSW Health said the man died early this morning and extended condolences to his family. 
Australia’s coronavirus death rate continues to accelerate Melbourne: More than 200 people have died of coronavirus in Australia as the death toll continues to accelerate. A man who was part of the Crossroads Hotel cluster in Sydney died overnight, while Victoria recorded three more deaths in the 24 hours to Saturday, taking the total to 201. The latest deceased in Victoria were a man and woman in their 80s, and a woman in her 90s. Premier Daniel Andrews said an increasing number of community transmission cases were causing concern. There are 5919 active cases of coronavirus in the state. There are 1075 cases among health workers, and the total active cases linked to the aged care sector are 1008. Mr Andrews says 379 patients were in hospital, 41 of whom were in intensive care. It has taken Australia just five months to reach the grim milestone following the first coronavirus death of Perth man James Kwan on March 1. That happened after the country's first confirmed cases of COVID-19 in January. 
Pilot fighting for life after crash Sydney: A man is fighting for life after his helicopter hit power lines and crashed into a sheep farm in the NSW Riverena area on Friday morning. The property is believed to be Steam Plains, one of the biggest sheep farms in the state, is about 35km north of Conargo, near Deniliquin. Emergency services are on scene and working to treat the man before he can be transported to hospital. 
“He‘s not in a great condition,” the man said. “He’s in and out of consciousness... things are going as well as can be expected.” The helicopter is an agricultural aircraft. 
Queensland border officially closed to Sydney Brisbane: Queensland is officially closed to Sydney as the southern city attempts to control growing community transmission of coronavirus. Travellers are now banned from crossing the border, and anyone returning home to the Sunshine State will need to spend two weeks in hotel quarantine at their own personal expense. The border ban was announced on Wednesday, giving Queenslanders a few days to return home before the conditions came into effect. 
$4bn cash injection needed for cops, nurses insurance fund care Sydney: NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet’s department was warned in May that an urgent $4 billion cash injection is required to rescue the workers' compensation insurance fund for police, nurses, prison guards and teachers managed by his embattled agency care. A Treasury briefing note on May 8 recommended $4 billion to restore the Treasury Managed Fund (TMF) to ‘full funding’ after an ‘adverse movement’ of $1.4 billion. The TMF covers more than 200 public sector agencies and 335,000 workers. It also protects around $230 billion of the state's assets including the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. Shadow Minister for Finance and Small Business Daniel Mookhey said: “The Treasurer should tell the heroes of the pandemic that he’s started a secret bailout of their workers compensation fund because of iCare’s mismanagement.” NSW Labor Leader Jodi McKay said the Treasurer was repeatedly asked about care in Parliament and covered up the dire situation. 
Canberra the 'only market' in Australia seeing month-on-month house price increases Canberra: Chief Economist Nerida Conisbee says Canberra is the "only market" in Australia to see a month-on-month increase in house prices while other markets become stagnant or decline as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. "It is very good news for the Canberra market - from the start of the pandemic we've seen very different conditions," Ms Conisbee said. Ms Conisbee said the Canberra and Western Australia markets "defied the COVID-19 property downturn" the rest of the country had experienced. |
