Daily News Roundup

FRIDAY MAY 22

There will be no COVID-19 limits placed on the number of people allowed on south-east Queensland public buses, trains and ferries when all school students return to the classroom next week.

In New South Wales, the State Government announced maximum numbers of passengers on buses and trains, but that won’t be happening in Qld.

Queensland Transport Minister Mark Bailey said there was currently no need to introduce capacity limits and commuters needed to use “common sense”.

Mr Bailey said patronage on public transport had plummeted by 77 per cent during the pandemic, and even with school returning in full, social distancing was not a problem.

“There is no issue at the moment in terms of social distancing — there is a lot of space there for people,” Mr Bailey said.

“[Quotas] is not something that we believe is necessary at this point, and the risk in Queensland is considerably lower than New South Wales where community transmission is much more common.

“We’re cognisant of the fact that when schools go back fully next week there will be an increase in passengers, but again, people are not going to just go back to how they worked before.”

University of Queensland virologist Ian Mackay said Queensland appeared to be keeping the situation under control, and while children could be infected with COVID-19, they seemed to be affected less severely.

“The experiment goes on with us returning back to normal, as much as we can, while keeping that physical distance,” Associate Professor Mackay said.

In other COVID-19 news Victoria has recorded another 12 coronavirus infections, including five linked to an outbreak at the Cedar Meats abattoir. Four cases were detected in hotel quarantine and two from community screening programs.

The other case is still under investigation. There are 93 active coronavirus cases recorded in Victoria, with 10 people in hospital, including five in intensive care units.

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Up to 167 Target stores across Australia will disappear over the next year, Wesfarmers has announced.

Under the drastic plan, up to 75 Target stores will be closed down while 92 will be converted into Kmart. 

The shock announcement regarding the struggling discount department store chain was made on Friday morning.

It came as retail giant Myer revealed it was set to have all its stores reopened across the country next week after closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The bulk of the retailer’s 60 stores will all be open on Wednesday after almost two-months without customers inside the shops.

 

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Actress Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, have agreed to plead guilty to charges in the college admissions bribery case and serve prison time, according to court papers filed today.

Newsagency AP reports that the couple agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud in a plea agreement filed in Boston’s federal court.

The charge carries up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 but under the plea agreement, Loughlin has agreed to serve two months in prison and Giannulli has agreed to serve five months. The plea deal must be approved by the judge.

Prosecutors have agreed to dismiss charges of money laundering and federal programs bribery that were added after the case was filed.

Loughlin and Giannulli previously pleaded not guilty and firmly insisted on their innocence even as other parents reached deals with prosecutors. The couple are the 23rd and 24th parents to plead guilty in the case.

Loughlin and Giannulli are accused of paying $500,000 in bribes to get their daughters into the University of Southern California as rowing crew team recruits, even though neither of them played the sport.

She is known for her role as Rebecca Donaldson-Katsopolis on the ABC sitcom Full House and its Netflix sequel Fuller House. Her husband founded Mossimo, a mid-range American clothing company, in 1986.

ENDS