Daily News Roundup

May 14, 2020

THURSDAY, MAY 14

That overseas holiday could be longer away than expected with an international travel boss speculating things won’t be back to normal until 2023.

Alexandre de Juniac, chief executive of the International Air Transport Association, delivered the sobering news on ABC News Breakfast this morning.

“We have published today a new forecast about the potential recovery of the air traffic, and what we see is that things should come back to normal in 2023, which is later than our previous forecast,” Mr de Juniac said.

“That shows, you know, the importance and the severity of this crisis on air transport….We should join progressively the historical trends by the beginning of 2023.

“What we have planned is to restart the industry, first by reopening domestic markets, then regional continental markets, such as Asia-Pacific, or Europe, or North America.

“At the end of 2020, the traffic should be between 50 to 55 per cent of the same level that was in place in 2019.

In other COVID-19 news:

  • Australia has recorded 6979 cases of COVID-19, with 3059 in New South Wales, 1514 in Victoria, 1052 in Queensland, 439 in South Australia, 553 in Western Australia, 225 in Tasmania, 107 in the Australian Capital Territory and 30 in the Northern Territory. Australia’s death toll is at 98.
  • NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says she opposes other states’ border closures and wants travel restrictions scrapped. Ms Berejiklian says she is “very open” about her stance against border shutdowns in Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia but conceded it was a “matter for them”. Ms Berejiklian said she hoped if NSW continued to demonstrate strong infection control other states would be comfortable easing border restrictions.
  • Rail unions in England have threatened to stop train services in order to protect workers and passengers after commuters crammed into public transport across London on the first day of eased coronavirus measures. On the day the UK’s coronavirus death toll topped 33,000 people, those unable to work from home were urged to return to work but avoid public transport where possible in an effort to boost the country’s stagnant economy. But videos and photos shared on social media sites from Wednesday morning’s rush hour in London showed people streaming out of buses and packed underground train carriages as many in the capital had no option but to catch public transport to commute. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are sticking with a “stay at home” message for now, leaving England to take the lead in sending some people back to work.
  • Authorities in the Chinese city where the coronavirus pandemic first broke out are planning to test all 11 million residents in the next 10 days, local media have reported. No official announcement has been made, but district officials in Wuhan confirmed receiving orders from the city’s coronavirus taskforce, the reports say. The order came after the discovery last weekend of a cluster of six infected people at a residential compound in the city, the first new cases in more than a month.

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