Victoria locks down

Victorians face fresh shortages of red meat, chicken, fish and even KFC across the state with new workplace shutdowns and restrictions to be announced today to hit the state’s abattoirs, fish markets and call centres.

Call centres will be shut down unless operating for emergency services after a coronavirus outbreak in a Centrelink call centre last month.

Abattoirs will not be completely closed, but their operations will be affected under tough new workplace rules for essential workers.

As anxious shoppers cleared supermarket shelves of meat and chicken on Sunday despite pleas not to panic buy, Victorian government sources also confirmed the new restrictions are likely to impact on supply chains.

Supermarkets and pharmacies will remain open under the new restrictions but some other retail outlets are likely to face reduced operating hours to be detailed this afternoon.

Restaurants will remain open for takeaway food and some delivery services.

A draft document outlining proposed Victorian business shutdowns obtained by The Australian Financial Review today states that construction sites, manufacturing plants and car dealerships will be closed under the new rules.

The list has been thrashed out during a crisis meeting of Victorian cabinet today with some businesses moving into different columns as talks continued.

Federal government sources told news.com.au there were some last minute attempts to ensure that construction remains open in some form with stricter workplace safety rules.

Earlier, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg warned Victoria needed to be careful that it didn’t shutdown essential services.

“They need to bear in mind the balancing act,’’ he told Sunrise.

“They have to ensure that those essential services are going to continue to be provided, like our energy supply and manufacturing and construction and also to ensure that we can stem the tide of these cases by following these roles with these strict new restrictions in place.”

News.com.au understands that the Victoria’s Industry department is running projections on the impact of the changes to be announced today on supply chains for red meat, poultry and fish.

Ministers in the Victorian government remain in crisis meetings this morning over the details of the changes to be announced by the Premier Daniel Andrews this afternoon.

And Victoria’s crisis council of cabinet, which was established to combat coronavirus, is right now meeting to discuss the impact of new restrictions.

Health authorities are expected to announce 429 new infections in Victoria today. More than 11,500 cases have already been confirmed in the state.

https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/coronavirus-victoria-industry-shutdowns-to-be-announced-as-part-of-states-new-lockdown/news-story/bfed610b8b98779dc2f144a5aad60681

From Max Igan

MEDIA MANIPULATION IN PREPARATION FOR THE COMING PURGE

Millions Locked Down Under 

Draconian Covid Rules in 

Australia

Zero Hedge,

2 August, 2020

Submitted by Mish Shedlock of MishTalk

To combat a Covid outbreak, Melbourne initiated its most severe restrictions yet. Victoria, Australia Declares 'State of Disaster,' Locking Down Millions in Melbourne.

The premier of Victoria plunged the region into a "state of disaster" on Sunday, announcing even stricter lockdown measures, introducing a nightly curfew and banning virtually all trips outdoors after Australia's second largest state recorded 671 new infections in a single day.

Daniel Andrews told Victorians at a news conference that "we have to do more, and we have to do more right now," as the state battles to contain a devastating coronavirus outbreak that had already stripped residents of their freedoms, livelihoods and social interactions and made it an outlier from the rest of the country.

New Rules

• "Where you slept last night is where you'll need to stay for the next six weeks."
• Curfew between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m.
• Only one person per household will be allowed to leave their homes once a day -- outside of curfew hours -- to pick up essential goods, and they must stay within a 5 kilometer radius of their home unless nearest shop is over 5 KM away.
• Exercise can be taken for up to an hour a day, with one other person, but still within five kilometers of a person's home. 

What's Going On?

Australia Total Covid Cases

Daily New Cases

Total Coronavirus Deaths 

Questions of the Day

1. Do these measures fit the outbreak?
2. What if someone was in a hotel? Someone else's house? 

I expect there are some exceptions but we have not seen anything like this outside of China and a few cities in Italy. 

Meanwhile in the US

As noted earlier today, Fed’s Kashkari Urges Congress to Hand Out More Free Money

“If we were to lock down hard for a month or six weeks, we could get the case count down so that our testing and our contact tracing was actually enough to control it,” Kashkari said.

Fed Independence?

The Fed hollers every time Trump or Congress meddles in monetary policy, but the Fed repeatedly meddles in fiscal policy.

And here's a new one: The Fed is willing to interject its beliefs about medical policy as well.

Ardern halts Trans-Tasman travel plans over Victoria