COVID-19 update: Vic extends lockdown by another week, SA announces level five restrictions

This is your update on the Coronavirus in Australia for 20 July 2021.

Commuters wait for buses at Wynyard railway station in the central business district in Sydney, Tuesday, July 20, 2021. Source: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

Victoria's lockdown extended until Tuesday, 27 July.
New South Wales records its fifth death from the COVID-19 Delta outbreak.
Level 5 restrictions announced in South Australia from 6:00pm tonight.
More than 10.1 million Australians have received the first dose, while 2.8 million are fully vaccinated.

Victoria

Premier Daniel Andrews has announced the current lockdown will be extended until 11:59 pm on Tuesday, 27 July.

Victoria has recorded 13 new local COVID-19 cases, including one mystery case. Nine of the cases were in isolation during their infectious period. The total number of active cases in Victoria is 96.

Travel to Victoria using red zone permits will be temporarily paused. Announcements concerning further business support are expected tomorrow.

There are now 15,800 close contacts and more than 300 exposure sites, including sites on Phillip Island in the south of the state to Mildura in the northwest. Find here, the

locations of the cases

in a list or a map.

New South Wales

New South Wales has recorded 78 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases, with 21 of those infectious in the community. A woman in her 50s has died in southwestern Sydney. Her death is the 61st in NSW related to COVID-19 and the fifth of the current outbreak.

Service NSW has opened applications for the COVID lockdown grant for small to medium businesses. Applications close at 11:59pm on 13 September 2021. For more information, visit the

2021 COVID-19 business grant – Guidelines

Find here, the

locations of the cases

in a list or a map. The current lockdown will be extended until 11:59 pm on Friday, 30 July.

Last 24 hours around Australia

South Australia has recorded five new cases of COVID-19 in the community. Premier Steven Marshall has announced level 5 restrictions from 6:00pm tonight until at least Tuesday, 27 July. There are currently 16 exposure sites. Find here, the
locations of the cases
in a list.
Queensland records one new locally acquired coronavirus case.
All eight symptomatic crew members from a cargo ship docked at Fremantle in Western Australia have tested positive for COVID-19.

The

COVID-19 Disaster Payment

is a recurring weekly payment available for individuals living in Commonwealth-declared hotspots where restrictions lasting for more than seven days have caused them to experience reduced work hours or lost income. Information is available

in over 60 languages

while a multilingual phone service is available on 131 202.

The Eid al Adha (“Festival of the Sacrifice”) finishes on Friday, 23 July. It is important to protect yourself and others during Eid al-Fitr prayers by:

choosing to pray at home
cancelling large gatherings
wearing your mask
using your own prayer rug

COVID-19 MYTH:

The COVID-19 vaccine is unsafe because it was developed so quickly.

COVID-19 FACT:

Each COVID-19 vaccine must meet Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) strict requirements for safety, quality and effectiveness before it’s allowed to be administered. The TGA will continue to closely monitor the vaccines to rapidly detect and respond to any emerging safety issues both in Australia and overseas. The TGA also checks the quality of every batch of vaccine supplied in Australia before they are released.

In the United States,

analysis of public health data

has shown that nearly all COVID-19 deaths in the country - covering different variants - are in people who weren’t vaccinated.

In June, a

report released by the Public Health England

found that 103 of the 223 Delta variant cases admitted to hospital since February were unvaccinated or had only one vaccine dose.

Quarantine, travel, testing clinics and pandemic disaster payment

Quarantine and testing requirements are managed and enforced by state and territory governments:

NSW

and

VIC

and

ACT

and

and

QLD

and

and

TAS

and

and

If you want to travel overseas, you may be able to apply online for an exemption.

Click here

for more information about the conditions to leave Australia. There are temporary measures for international flights that are regularly reviewed by the government and updated on the

Smart Traveller

website.