Sydney radio hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O have come under fire from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) for compromising public health and "barely challenging" the conspiracy theories of TV chef Pete Evans today.
RACGP president Dr Harry Nespolon said, "It is extremely disappointing that two very popular and prominent commercial radio hosts have given Pete Evans 20 minutes of unfettered air time to air his anti-vaxxer stance."
Mr Evans has previously encouraged his Instagram followers to watch an interview with a British conspiracy theorist who linked infections to 5G antenna installations.
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has made it clear future coronavirus outbreaks will be contained locally rather than by returning to the sweeping statewide shutdowns which succeeded in squashing the deadly disease. Mr Hunt also announced an extra $20 million for mental health funding.
Three people have tested positive to COVID-19 in NSW overnight, after 4200 people were tested in 24-hours. Western Australia will reopen almost all intrastate borders this weekend, while four new coronavirus cases have been confirmed there. Very few cases occurred in other states.
The Morrison government has ruled out "wholesale changes" to the jobkeeper wage subsidy after the revelation it will cost $60bn less than expected, but left the door open to "further support" to the hardest hit industries, such as tourism.The government remains firm it won't be expanded to workers who missed out.
The financial crisis engulfing Australian universities is set to worsen if the ban on foreign travel continues into 2021. Universities are working on a plan for a "safe corridor", but the viability of the plan would depend heavily on the Covid-19 situation at home and in the countries from which the students would be arriving.
There are currently 5,407,701 confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide, according to the John Hopkins University. The death toll stands at 345,104.
US 97,722 deaths, United Kingdom 36,875, Italy 32,785 Spain 28,752 France 28,370, Brazil 22,666.
President Donald Trump has further limited travel to the US from the world's coronavirus hotspots by denying entry to foreigners coming from Brazil, which is second to the US in the number of confirmed cases.
Trump had already banned certain travellers from China, Europe, the United Kingdom and Ireland and, to a lesser extent, Iran. He has not moved to ban travel from Russia, which has the world's third-highest caseload.
Boris Johnson's chief advisor is facing a possible police investigation under health laws over a claim that he breached self-isolation rules in north-east England, after a weekend of mounting pressure on the prime minister to sack his chief adviser.
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The news you need to know
- Three new cases in NSW, as most school students return to class
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