Today’s Introduction
01
Today, there are nearly 400 cases in Australia and 375 in Victoria. The epidemic has begun to spread rapidly across Australia.

02
Australia JobKeeper 2.0 version announced on Thursday! The subsidy standard may be reduced to more than $1000 every two weeks, and the application standard is more stringent

03
Here comes the mask! Distribute 1.2 million masks for free, and renew 2.5 million masks! The supply of masks is absolutely sufficient

04
Women in Melbourne’s wealthy district complained that the blockade was too boring, the Governor of Victoria criticized: It is better than the intensive care unit
The epidemic spread rapidly

375 new cases across Australia, ICU patients rise

According to data released today, there are 375 new cases in Victoria.
Until the deadline for publication, there are no new additions in other states/territories.
With the promulgation of the “mandatory wearing of masks” measures, people are rushing to buy masks, and those who cannot buy masks are also snapping up cloth and sewing machines to make their own.

In order to cooperate with this measure, major stores have also issued new regulations.

Starting Thursday, residents of Melbourne and Mitchell County may be turned away by major retailers such as Bunnings, Officeworks, Kmart, Target, Myer, David Jones and Country Road Group if they do not wear masks.

And along with the increase in the number of diagnoses in Victoria, there are also the number of hospitalized and critically ill patients.

Victoria’s chief health officer Brett Sutton confirmed that as of yesterday, 16 of the 31 severely ill patients in Victoria were using ventilators for treatment.

In addition, the number of hospitalized patients has increased by 17 compared with the previous day, and the total number has reached 147.

A total of 13 schools in Victoria have been closed for deep cleaning due to the confirmed diagnosis:
l Charles La Trobe College
l Roxburgh College
l Overport Primary School
l Drysdale Primary School
l Toorak Primary School
l Princes Hill Secondary College
l Pascoe Vale Girls Secondary College
l Grovedale West Primary School
l Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School
l Trinity College Colac
l Parkville College-Malmsbury Campus
l Leibler Yavneh College
l Fitzroy High School
Many preschool education centers have also been closed as a result: a Melbourne preschool education center in Port Melbourne has been diagnosed with two employees and a school child, and it is currently closed.
A staff member of a childcare center in Sydney was diagnosed, but the staff member did not attend school during the infection.

More government benefits

Australia JobKeeper 2.0 version announced on Thursday

Australia’s JobKeeper wage subsidy will be extended to Christmas, but the subsidy standard is likely to be reduced from the current AUD 1,500 per fortnight to more than AUD 1,000 per fortnight, and subsidies for temporary workers and part-time jobs will be even less. At the same time, the new application standards will be more stringent.

News Corporation Australia confirmed on Monday, July 20 that the long-awaited version of JobKeeper 2.0 will be announced this week, and the subsidy amount will be reduced. The current JobKeeper subsidy plan will expire at the end of September, but the Australian Finance Minister Josh Frydenberg will announce a new plan for JobKeeper this Thursday.

In the second phase of JobKeeper, temporary workers will no longer receive equal subsidies. Instead, temporary workers and part-time workers will receive JobKeeper’s part-time subsidies “proportionally”, ending the practice of “overpaying” temporary workers. The federal government has decided not to completely end JobKeeper in September, but to gradually eliminate this subsidy in the next few months. Prior to this, Victoria decided to implement a second round of “lockdown”, requiring restaurants to close, and millions of Melburnians stay at home.

It is understood that the Morrison government has also considered tightening the eligibility of self-employed individuals, but this proposal was rejected after the second round of “blocking” in Victoria. When the current JobKeeper program ends on September 27, the government will introduce a business turnover test to ensure that companies that have gradually recovered from the epidemic are removed from the subsidy program and that subsidies are implemented to those companies that need assistance most.

However, companies that are now eligible for JobKeeper can guarantee to receive subsidy support before the end of the current plan in September, and will not be kicked out of the subsidy plan in advance. Although the Australian media has not confirmed the specific figures of the JobKeeper 2.0 version subsidy, it is understood that the subsidy amount will exceed 1,000 Australian dollars every two weeks. Frydenberg said that it is now very clear that the subsidy program needs to continue, especially in Victoria.
“As we have emphasized, the government will introduce another phase of income subsidies. The subsidy program in the new phase will follow the established favorable guidelines, will be targeted, will be tiered and proportional, and will be adjustable. , And will be based on existing plans.

JobKeeper is the economic lifeline of millions of Australians and hundreds of thousands of companies. Unless the virus spreads significantly outside of Victoria, we hope to see the economies of other states and territories continue to develop in the direction of recovery,” the Treasurer told News Corp Australia.

After the current JobKeeper ends on September 27, companies engaged in the tourism industry or restaurants and cafes in Melbourne need to prove that they are still affected by the epidemic if they want to qualify for subsidies. News Corp Australia revealed in June that the Ministry of Finance plans to review the monthly turnover of companies to determine whether they are eligible for subsidies.
The company currently applying needs to prove that its business turnover has dropped by at least 30%, but it only needs to prove it once before September. This means that a company that was hit hard in April but resumed normal turnover in June is still eligible to receive a fortnightly subsidy of A$1,500 for each employee. However, JobKeeper 2.0 version may require the applicant company to submit the latest turnover to the Australian Taxation Office every month to prove that the turnover has indeed declined. In this way, the government can easily “press the switch” to exclude companies that no longer need JobKeeper.

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann confirmed that implementing the new turnover test is a wise choice. “When the Federal Government’s JobKeeper plan was first announced, the applicant company had to prove that its turnover had dropped by at least 30% or 50% based on its past turnover level. Once eligible, it will be able to receive subsidies for the next 6 months. When the current subsidy program ends at the end of September, it will be very important to reassess which companies should still need such subsidies,” Cormann told Sky News on Sunday.

In addition to making changes to JobKeeper, Prime Minister Morrison is expected to announce the extension of the current Jobseeker subsidy to the end of the year. It is expected that the subsidy standard will be reduced from the current AU$550 per week.
Here comes the mask!

The government will ensure the supply of masks

Although there are still a few days before Thursday, Australians who heard the news stopped robbing toilet paper and started buying masks.
After all, $200 can buy a lot of toilet paper.
Some people even went to five stores to buy masks on the day the mask mandatory order was issued.
Nearly 100 people are queuing outside some stores

Not only masks, but even the cloth for making masks and even sewing machines have been robbed…

The Governor of Victoria, Daniel Andrews, warned retailers not to drive up the price of masks to make people buy them.

“Now it is not
When it’s hard to make money in the country”

At the same time, the Governor of Victoria also stated that

Over 2 million
Reusable mask
Will be available later this week

He also stated that it is also feasible to replace masks with “handkerchiefs, scarves, and homemade masks”.

In addition, to protect students and teachers, millions of masks will be distributed to schools in Melbourne and Mitchell County.

Victorian Department of Education Director James Merlino said that teachers do not need to wear masks in the classroom. In addition, they must wear masks outside the classroom, including offices and campuses.

James Merlino also revealed that the government has prepared 1.2 million disposable masks to be distributed to schools in Melbourne and Mitchell County in the next few days.

At the same time, James Merlino said that students can also choose to cover their face with a scarf or bandanna.

However, he also promised that “any student who needs a mask will get a mask.”
In addition, the government also ordered another
1.37 million
Reusable mask

The Victorian Department of Education is expected to distribute to public and private schools “early next week”
In order to alleviate Australians’ panic about the shortage of masks, Australian Prime Minister Morrison also said today that there is no problem with the supply of masks.

According to Australian media reports, Morrison said in an interview today,
After the Governor of Victoria announced that he must wear a mask when going out
The Australian government has formulated corresponding plans to ensure the supply of masks.

“Our retailers can meet Australians’ demand for masks”
“At the same time, we also have the ability to mass-produce masks”

But Morrison also warned that the supply of masks may be
Will appear early
Supply issues
“There will indeed be some shortages in the beginning, but people should be patient”
“We will establish a coordination mechanism to ensure the supply of masks”
Morrison also emphasized that the government has considered supply issues before issuing the mandatory mask order.
So he hopes that people will not panic because of this.

At the same time, the Governor of Victoria also refuted those who opposed the mandatory wearing of masks.

“Nurses and doctors are fighting on the front line. For them, I don’t think asking people to wear masks is too much.”

“If everyone does not wear masks, then doctors and nurses will not be able to end their work in the hospital.”

Daniel Andrews also emphasized,
Wearing a mask is a trivial matter
But it can bring safety to yourself and others.

For residents outside the lockdown zone, the governor stated that although they are not forced to wear masks, if people cannot maintain a safe distance of 1.5 meters,
“Then please wear a mask!”
Finally, the governor also said that the results of strengthening health and safety measures are expected to begin to appear next week.
Victorian governor criticized

Women in Melbourne’s wealthy district complain that the blockade is too boring
A woman named Karen in Brighton, Melbourne, was criticized by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews after complaining about the “closure of the city” recently. The latter said: “It’s better to be bored than in the intensive care unit.”
According to the “Daily Mail” report, this week, the woman was interviewed by Channel 9 News during a walk. She said: “Well, I’m tired of staying on the same street all the time. Enough of Brighton.”
Starting from June 8, residents of Melbourne city and Mitchell Shire can only go out when they exercise, eat, work or study, or see a doctor.

After the broadcast of the complaint of the Brighton woman, it caused an uproar on social media.

Someone commented: “Karen has encountered a problem in the first world. I hope she is lucky enough not to be infected with the new crown like everyone else.”

Someone joked: “I feel sorry for Karen because she lives in Brighton, a wealthy area, but doesn’t like it there.”

Others said: “As a frontline medical nurse, Karen’s statement makes me very angry. I don’t even have time to take long walks.” Someone said: “Hurry up and stay at home, Karen! I care about you.
People walking in Fitzroy Gardens in East Melbourne on Saturday (picture source: “Daily Mail”) Governor Andrews satirized the woman, saying that boredom is better than illness.

He said on Saturday: “I hope to convey this news to every Victorian very clearly: whether you live in Broadmeadows or Brighton, you say staying at home means staying at home.”