Dozens of Victorians protest COVID-19 restrictions

Dozens of Victorians have gathered at Parliament House in Melbourne to protest the state’s COVID-19 restrictions.

According to 9News, the protesters were heard chanting “no lockdown” and “arrest Bill Gates”. (A popular conspiracy theory connects Gates to the pandemic.)

It’s reported that a number of the protesters have been arrested or issued fines for not adhering to social distancing measures.

Dozens are breaching social distancing rules by protesting on the steps of parliament.. two fines already issued after protestors handed details over. They’ve told me they won’t pay @9NewsMelb pic.twitter.com/CbMs4Dmmuu

— Lana Murphy (@LanaMurphy) May 10, 2020

Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said it is “incredibly disappointing that people would be protesting or seeking to suggest we don’t have a pandemic”.

“Those people know that this pandemic is not fake news. We’ve had 28 Victorians lose their lives as a result of COVID-19,” she said.

NSW will relax COVID-19 restrictions from next Friday.

On Sunday, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced stage one of relaxing of restriction will come into effect from Friday, a full week after Prime Minister Scott Morrison revealed a three-stage plan to ease lockdown measures across Australia.

Currently, two adults from the same household, along with their dependent children, can visit another home in NSW under the existing COVID-19 restrictions.

The new relaxing of restrictions will allow up to five people visit a home, including children.

Outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people will also be allowed, such as a physical training session or sitting down in a park, Ms Berejiklian said on Sunday.

“For the first time since our lockdown what this means is that you can leave the home for recreational purposes,” she told reporters in Sydney.

Restaurants and cafes will also be allowed to have up to 10 patrons at a time, while ensuring they maintain social distancing of 1.5 metres between people and four square metres space per person.

A total of 10 guests will be allowed at weddings, and up to 20 people at indoor funerals and up to 30 at outdoor funerals will be allowed.

Religious gatherings and places of worship can also welcome up to 10 worshippers.

Outdoor equipment including gyms and playgrounds can be used with caution, with people encouraged to wipe down the equipment, and outdoor pools are open with restrictions.

However, holidays in regional NSW are still banned.

"Please acknowledge the easing of these restrictions is a sign about how far we've come, but please also acknowledge that all of us need to maintain our vigilance - walk out the door assuming you have the virus or somebody else you're coming into contact (with) does," Ms Berejiklian said.

"The second any of us get too complacent means the virus will start winning again. At the moment the people of NSW are winning. We don't want to change that balance," she said.

The state recorded two new COVID-19 cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Saturday, taking the state's total to 3053.

Obama lashes out at Trump over COVID-19.

Former US President Barack Obama has criticised President Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic as an "absolute chaotic disaster" during a conversation with ex-members of his administration, according to a recording obtained by Yahoo News.

More than 77,000 people with COVID-19 have died in the United States and more than 1.27 million people have tested positive.

Obama's comments came during a Friday call with 3000 members of the Obama Alumni Association, people who served in his administration. Obama urged his supporters to back his former vice president, Joe Biden, who is trying to unseat Trump in the November 3 election.

"What we're fighting against is these long-term trends in which being selfish, being tribal, being divided, and seeing others as an enemy - that has become a stronger impulse in American life. And by the way, we're seeing that internationally as well. It's part of the reason why the response to this global crisis has been so anemic and spotty," Obama said, according to Yahoo News.

"It would have been bad even with the best of governments. It has been an absolute chaotic disaster when that mindset - of 'what's in it for me' and 'to heck with everybody else' - when that mindset is operationalised in our government," he said.

Trump has consistently defended and boasted of his response to the virus, saying that travel restrictions from China and Europe as well as social distancing guidelines have prevented far greater damage. "I think we saved millions of lives," he said earlier this week.

Three US children die of rare illness believed to be linked to COVID-19.

Two young children and a teenager have died in New York state from a possible complication from the coronavirus involving swollen blood vessels and heart problems, Governor Andrew Cuomo says.

At least 73 children in New York have been diagnosed with symptoms similar to Kawasaki disease - a rare inflammatory condition in children - and toxic shock syndrome. Most of them are toddlers and elementary-age children.

Cuomo announced two more deaths a day after discussing the death of a five-year-old boy on Thursday at a New York City hospital. A 7-year old in Westchester County and a teenager in Suffolk County also died. There is no proof that the virus causes the mysterious syndrome.

Cuomo said the children had tested positive for COVID-19 or the antibodies but did not show the common symptoms of the virus when they were hospitalised.

Children elsewhere in the US have also been hospitalised with the condition, which was also seen in parts of Europe.

Mother's Day a more distant affair in 2020.

People shouldn't kiss or hug their elderly mums this Mother's Day due to the coronavirus crisis, health authorities have warned.

Some states are easing COVID-19 restrictions, but NSW and Victorian leaders have warned residents to be careful what they wish for, as they take a more cautious approach.

Australia's deputy chief medical officer, Professor Paul Kelly, says if people are feeling well "and you really want to see your mum" it's OK to visit on Sunday.

"But for elderly mums just be a little bit cautious and probably keep that 1.5-metre distance for now," Prof Kelly said on Saturday.

"I know it is hard and we all want to cuddle our mums on Mother's Day."

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard also acknowledged it would be tough "not be able to hug or kiss your mum"

"But it would be the wisest course," he said in Sydney.

Listen: Why has COVID-19 isolation been so much worse for women? Post continues below audio. 

UK PM plans to ease Britain's lockdown with alert system.

Boris Johnson is expected to unveil a coronavirus warning system when he outlines his plans to gradually ease Britain's lockdown while dropping the "stay home" slogan.

The prime minister will instead tell the country to "stay alert, control the virus and save lives" when he outlines his "road map" to a new normality during an address to the nation on Sunday.

Johnson is planning to tell workers who cannot do their jobs from home to begin returning to their workplaces while following social-distancing rules.

It is understood that a warning system administered by a new "joint biosecurity centre" will detect local increases in infection rates, with the view to locally alter restrictions in England.

With the alerts ranging from green in level one to red in level five, Johnson is expected to say the nation is close to moving down from four to three.

The Times newspaper is also reporting that Johnson would announce on Sunday that passengers arriving at airports and ports, including Britons returning from abroad, would have to self-isolate for a fortnight.

Update on Australia's COVID-19 numbers.

As of Sunday morning, Australia has 794 active cases after recording a total of 6929 cases to date.

The national death toll is now, 97 - this includes 46 in NSW, 18 in Victoria, 13 in Tasmania, nine in WA, four in Queensland, four in SA, and three in the ACT.

In Australia, 795,400 people have been tested out of a population of 25.7 million. More than 5.4 million of an estimated 16 million people have registered for the federal government's coronavirus tracing app, COVIDSafe, since April 26.

The federal government has announced a three-phase easing of coronavirus restrictions over coming months with states and territories to determine the timing.

- With AAP. 

If you are sick and believe you have symptoms of COVID-19, call your GP ahead of time to book an appointment. Or call the national Coronavirus Health Information Line for advice on 1800 020 080. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 000.

Read more on COVID-19:

• What you can do and how far you can travel this Mother's Day, state by state.
• The two permanent lifestyle changes that could stick around long after COVID-19 is gone.
• 'We've... lied about what's closed': 17 parents share their lockdown confessions.

Feature image: Getty.

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