Australian officials are investigating whether an illegal social gathering of health workers is behind a spike in COVID-19 cases in Tasmania, as the government forecast national unemployment to hit 10 percent by mid-year.
Tasmania Premier Pete Gutwein yesterday said that there has been a 50 percent spike in the state’s COVID-19 cases since Thursday last week, even as the rate of reported new infections continued to significantly slow across the rest of the country.
Local media reported that Australian Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy referred to an “illegal dinner party” of medical workers in Tasmania as responsible for the rise in cases to 150 during a briefing with New Zealand officials.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“I accept that this is a serious allegation,” Gutwein told reporters. “I’ve asked the Tasmania Police to investigate this matter, and that will be started today.”
The probe came as Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed that the government expects unemployment to double from 5.1 to 10 percent by the end of June, which would mark the first time it has hit double digits since 1994.
That is the equivalent to about 700,000 people without jobs, the Australian Department of the Treasury said.
However, Morrison rejected suggestions that the jobless rate could soar as high as 20 percent.
Unemployment would have peaked at about 15 percent without government support measures, such as an A$130 billion (US$83.4 billion) package to keep people in work, aid for universities and free childcare, he said.
“We came into this crisis — which is a dual one, a health crisis and an economic crisis — in pretty strong shape,” Morrison told Channel Nine’s Today show. “But it is still a big blow. I don’t want to lessen that in terms of how we speak of it. It’s a serious impact on our economy, it’s impacting people’s livelihoods and it’s heartbreaking.”
New Zealand yesterday forecast that its unemployment rate would reach 26 percent if tough lockdown measures are extended.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is to report last month’s jobless figures this week.
Australia has reported about 6,350 COVID-19 cases and 41 deaths at a rate that has continued to slow, but officials said that recent numbers might have been thinned out by lower testing over the four-day Easter holiday weekend.
Morrison said that it was still too early to consider lifting “social distancing” requirements or allowing businesses to reopen.
Most Australians must stay at home unless they have a medical appointment, are going grocery shopping or taking exercise, and cannot meet in groups of more than two.
“No country has found their way out of this yet and Australia is in a better position than most... We want to keep it that way,” Morrison told Channel Seven’s Sunrise, adding that officials were looking at ways to help restart the construction, manufacturing and agriculture industries.
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