Australia news live: Covid cases rise in Victoria, NSW and Tasmania as SA clinic sends wrong test results and Qld tightens mask rules | Australia news

A boy has died within the Northern Territory after going lacking from a distant desert neighborhood south-west of Alice Springs.

NT police confirmed the loss of life however gave no particulars on the incident, nor which neighborhood the kid was from.

Police did say the boy was beneath 10.

The boy was reported lacking after his household had looked for him for a number of hours, police mentioned in a press release.

Performing Commander Kirsten Engels mentioned police had launched a search and rescue effort final night time to search out the boy.

Tragically, the kid was discovered locally early this morning and has subsequently handed away.

We request that the household’s privateness is revered presently and supply our honest condolences for his or her loss.

The Northern Territory has recorded 54 new circumstances, inlcuding six circumstances of neighborhood transmission.

Of the six domestically acquired circumstances, 5 have been from Darwin and one from Katherine.

There are presently 21 individuals hospitalised with Covid within the NT, and none in ICU.

Transferring onto the Cricket now, and Australia is hopeful they’ll solely be lacking out on Travis Head on the SCG Take a look at, after the remainder of the squad examined detrimental for Covid.

Head is presently in isolation in Melbourne, after testing optimistic yesterday, though there may be nonetheless hope he’ll have the ability to make the fifth and ultimate Take a look at.

There have been issues different workers and gamers could have contracted the virus, with each single member of the touring occasion examined on Friday.

Cricket Australia has confirmed that each one the exams returned detrimental, with the exception being one member of the family who continues to be ready on their consequence.

Vic Well being has introduced it’s shutting down one other sequence of Covid testing websites attributable to extreme warmth.

The websites are:

• IYU Recreation Reserve, Pakenham
• EACH – Ferntree Gully
• Casey Fields, Cranbourne East
• Wyuna Stroll, Mooroolbark
• St Kilda East
• DPV Well being, Mernda
• Northern Well being, Epping
• Monash College, Clayton

Temperatures in Melbourne are presently hovering, with the Bureau of Meteorology saying it has already hit 36C.

Vic Emergency has issued a warning to resdents in Langkoop, Poolaijelo, Powers Creek to go away now if potential, with a grass fireplace presently uncontrolled within the area.

Of their recommendation, Vic Emergency say the fireplace is travelling north-east, and that climate situations might see it intensify:

This grassfire is travelling in a north-easterly course and has crossed Fergusons Highway, close to Ryans Highway. It’s presently burning within the Meereek State Forest.

Climate situations forecast for at the moment could trigger the fireplace to develop into harmful and unpredictable and it could impression properties.

Firefighters have been working all through the night time and can proceed to work with plane and heavy gear at the moment.

There are additionally “keep knowledgeable” warnings for areas round Poolaijelo, the place the fireplace is burning.

AAP is reporting that Australia’s commerce minister, Dan Tehan, has welcomed the approaching into drive of a key regional partnership, saying it provides farmers and companies entry to the world’s largest free commerce settlement.

The regional complete financial partnership settlement (RCEP) comes into drive on Saturday for Australia, New Zealand, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Japan, Laos, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The Republic of Korea will comply with on 1 February.

Tehan mentioned in a press release:

With Australian-made services and products held in such excessive regard in these markets, RCEP is a unbelievable alternative for Australian companies.

By streamlining necessities round guidelines of origin, RCEP will benefit native sourcing of products and promote collaboration by regional worth chains, which our companies are primed to partake in.

Tehan mentioned RCEP improved on current commerce agreements in areas of the best development potential, akin to providers, digital commerce and two-way funding.

He mentioned Saturday additionally marked one other set of annual tariff cuts coming into drive for Australia’s free commerce agreements, together with the great and progressive settlement for trans-Pacific partnership (CPTPP) and the Korea-Australia free commerce settlement (KAFTA).

Australian bluefin tuna and Atlantic salmon exporters profit from Japanese tariffs falling to 1.9% beneath the CPTPP on Saturday, whereas tariffs on sheep and goat meat exports fell by half to 2.25% beneath KAFTA.

Tehan mentioned:

Worldwide commerce is integral to enterprise restoration from Covid-19. The entry into drive of RCEP and additional tariff cuts by our different free-trade agreements will assist create Australian jobs and foster financial development for our nation.

South Australia has recored 2,100 new circumstances in a single day, a slight enhance on yesterday.

The variety of individuals in hospital has remained secure at 71, with the variety of individuals in ICU at 4.

The Queensland authorities has tightened masks guidelines in mild of rising Covid circumstances, with masks now necessary indoors from 1am on Sunday.

The chief well being officer, Dr John Gerrard, introduced the brand new mandate, with the exception being solely when at residence or in workplaces the place it’s protected.

It means attendees at hospitality venues, together with pubs, golf equipment and cafes, might want to put on masks, besides when seated.

“Folks have been wanting this and anticipating this,” Gerrard mentioned.

A South Australian pathology clinic has admitted to an error which led to 11 individuals receiving the fallacious Covid take a look at consequence on New Yr’s Eve.

SA Pathology launched a press release saying an IT problem resulted within the fallacious outcomes being despatched out, and {that a} clarification message was despatched inside three hours.

The error was discovered throughout our traditional high quality management processes and, whereas that is the primary incidence in South Australia, we’ve applied additional measures to keep away from the same incident occurring once more.