Daily News Roundup

MONDAY, JULY 20 

As Victoria’s Chief Health Officer, Brett Sutton, was describing the state’s fluctuating coronavirus cases as “a numbers rollercoaster”, resistance started emerging on social media against new mandatory face mask laws.

Professor Sutton warned there was “no absolutely clear sign that numbers are decreasing”.

The increasingly precarious situation means the state’s strategy is constantly evolving, the rules keep changing and life for many people just gets more and more difficult.

Professor Sutton’s warning came before Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed 275 new coronavirus infections in Victoria, continuing the state’s daily triple-digit surge. 

When Victorians go out from Thursday they must wear a mask.

 Anybody caught outside without a mask would face a $200 fine.

Residents in NSW are also being asked to wear masks if they are out in public and cannot socially distance as the number of coronavirus cases in the state increases.

However, just 24 hours after the mask rules were announced, resistance began appearing

One Melburnian told the Today show he wouldn’t be wearing a mask and would refuse to pay the fine if he got one.

“Absolutely not. They would have to take me to court and I still wouldn’t pay it,” he added.

He is not alone in his sentiment. Social media has been bombarded with angry messages from Aussies who say they will defy the rule and some who even say they believe it is part of a global conspiracy.

“This is one of those times that civil disobedience becomes mandatory,” wrote another.

Aside from a political stance against a perceived loss of freedom, it’s clear some Victorians think wearing masks won’t stop the spread of COVID-19.

“Like a good citizen, I’ve stayed home. I’m more than willing to wear a mask publicly indoors but I take my kids for a walk/bike to the park once a day for “FRESH AIR” to relieve some anxiety and stress at government shambles, now he takes the air we breathe?” wrote one Victorian on Twitter.

Conspiracy theorists also attacked the move as an alleged money-making scheme for Chinese mask manufacturers. 

Despite the resistance by some, the new Victorian rules have also found widespread support.

Australian Infectious Disease physician and researcher, Professor Sharon Lewin said the latest evidence on the spread of COVID-19 shows that masks do work

Victorians have been warned they will need to get used to wearing masks.

“We are going to be wearing masks in Victoria, and potentially in other parts of the country, for a very long time,” Premier Daniel Andrews said.

“It’s about changing habits, it’s about it becoming a simple part of your routine.”

There are a few exceptions to the rule.

You don’t have to wear a mask if it’s not practical, such as in some work settings, if you’re doing vigorous exercise, or if you have a medical reason.

Children under 12 are also exempt.

Any face covering, including a scarf, will suffice.

###

Northern Territory Police have arrested a 19-year-old man after a sleeping child was taken from her Tennant Creek home yesterday.

NT Police say the man took the 9-year-old girl from her Scheelite Crescent home just after 12:30am on Sunday, reports the ABC.

The child woke outside a nearby unit complex, and ran home after screaming at the man, police said.

The child’s family then called the police.

The man had been socialising at the residence before the incident.

The 9-year-old was not physically hurt and is safe with her family, and support services have been arranged.

The man remained in custody at the Tennant Creek watch house, police said.

Detectives from Tennant Creek Investigation Unit are calling for any witnesses to come forward.

###

American rapper, singer, songwriter Kanye West has broken down in tears during the first rally of his presidential campaign, according to news.com.

West spoke at the Exquis Event Centre in North Charleston, South Carolina today. 

He did not bring a microphone, and instead repeatedly told the crowd to “be quiet” while he was talking.

The rapper grew emotional during a monologue on the issue of abortion, revealing that he and his wife Kim Kardashian considered not having their first child, North West.

“In the Bible it says thou shalt not kill,” he said.

“She said she was pregnant, and for one month, and two months, and three months, we talked about her not having this child. She had the pills in her hand. When you take the pills, and if you take it, the baby’s gone.

“I was sitting up in Paris, and I had my leather pants on. I’m in the apartment where my wife was actually robbed, and I had my laptop up, and I got all my creative ideas – I got my shoes, I got my next album cover, I got all this – and the screen went black and white. And God said, ‘If you f*** with my vision, I’m going to f*** with yours.’

“And I called my wife and she said, ‘We’re gonna have this baby.’ I said, ‘We’re gonna have this child. I know people that are 50 years old that didn’t have children, that have never been able to experience the level of joy that I experienced having a child.”