Monday, June 1, 2026

NSW approaches 500,000 COVID-19 tests

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NSW approaches 500,000 COVID-19 tests

As restaurants, pubs and cafes re-open across NSW, authorities say its vital anyone with a hint of respiratory illnesses gets tested for COVID-19.

Another three cases of the virus have been recorded in the state, while almost 9000 people were tested over 24 hours.

Across the state, young people in their 20s and 30s make up around 40 per cent of the state’s 3086 confirmed cases.

Of the total, 2653 patients have recovered. Almost half a million tests have been conducted.

“Just one little symptom of anything that looks like a cough, a cold a flu – go and get tested,” Health Minister Brad Hazzard said on Saturday morning.

“With these freedoms come big responsibilities.”

Chances are the test will be negative, he said.

But there remains concern people who are asymptomatic or have only mild symptoms could spread the virus.

Up to 50 people will be allowed in restaurants, pubs and cafes from June 1 as NSW eases more COVID-19 restrictions.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Friday announced the “big and critical” step, but said strict rules would be in place for venues.

Venues will still have to allow at least four square metres of space per person.

Additionally, bookings of more than 10 will be banned, and patrons won’t be allowed to stand.

Currently, dining venues can only have a maximum of 10 patrons if they maintain social distancing. That includes alcohol table service with meals at NSW pubs and clubs.

Deputy Premier John Barilaro says gyms, yoga studios, and beauticians could also be back in business in the coming month or so.

“(It’s) no different to yoga studios, a whole range of other areas, beauticians, you name it, we’re still working with all of those, but we’re not talking September,” he told 2GB Radio on Friday.

“We’re looking at all these restrictions coming off over the next month or so.”

ClubsNSW on Friday confirmed the state’s clubs will reopen on June 1.

The increase in patronage aligns with the easing of regional travel restrictions across the state and the opening of museums, galleries and libraries from June 1.

In a statement, Australian Hotels Association NSW chief executive John Whelan said 94 per cent of the hotels’ workforce had been stood down or sacked – but from June 1 the industry could start re-employing staff.

The Tourism and Transport Forum said Friday’s announcement sends a message that the state was once again open for business.

NSW on Friday reported its 50th COVID-19 death after an 80-year-old woman died in Concord Hospital. Her death brings the national toll to 101.

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World’s cartoonists on this week’s events

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World’s cartoonists on this week’s events

First published in Le Temps, Switzerland, May 17, 2020 | By Chappatte

 

First published in Der Standard, Austria, May 22, 2020 | By Oliver Schopf

 

First published in The Economist, U.K., May 23, 2020 | By Kal

 

First published on POLITICO.com, U.S., May 20, 2020 | By Matt Wuerker

 

First published on Caglecartoons.com, The Netherlands, May 15, 2020 | By Tom Janssen

 

First published in Latvijas Avize, Latvia, May 15, 2020 | By Gatis Sluka

 

First published on Politicalcartoons.com, U.S., May 18, 2020 | By Dave Granlund

 

First published in The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, U.S., May 17, 2020 | By Steve Sack

 

First published in Omaha World Herald, U.S., May 20, 2020 | By Jeff Koterba

 

First published on Politicalcartoons.com, Canada, May 18, 2020 | By Dave Whamond

 

First published in The Buffalo News, U.S., May 18, 2020 | By Adam Zyglis

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RA and QRU officially terminate contracts of disgruntled Reds trio

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RA and QRU officially terminate contracts of disgruntled Reds trio

“The decision comes after the three players elected to pursue termination of their contracts after being stood down by the QRU on Monday.

“Rodda, Hockings and Lucas were stood down after they declined to accept a reduction in pay and to nominate for the Australian government’s JobKeeper subsidy, notwithstanding the interim pay agreement between Rugby Australia and RUPA.

“The decision comes after the three players elected to pursue termination of their contracts after being stood down by the QRU on Monday.”

The three players, who are all managed by Anthony Picone – the agent who worked on deals for Will Genia, Liam Gill, Campbell Magnay and Samu Kerevi to leave the Reds and head overseas at the prime of their careers – are now free to take their talents elsewhere.

However, their ugly exit from Australian rugby has not been viewed favourably by administrators and a return in the future may not be a given.

RA interim chief executive Rob Clarke said: “As everyone is aware, the impacts of COVID-19 have been felt in every country, across every industry and rugby is no exception.

“As a result, the game collectively took the difficult but necessary action to stand down over 70 per cent of the entire rugby workforce, which equates to over 150 workers that are now receiving the JobKeeper subsidy.

“At the same time, 189 professional rugby players in Australia accepted reduced pay for an interim period to enable the game to navigate this unprecedented situation. The three Queensland players elected not to accept these terms.”

QRU chief executive David Hanham added: “A decision has been made today. Our focus and attention is on the players, staff and rugby community who have committed to our program and our team.”

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Trump’s Push To Open Churches Contradicts Jesus’ Teaching To Love Neighbors: Clergy

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Trump’s Push To Open Churches Contradicts Jesus’ Teaching To Love Neighbors: Clergy

Several faith leaders are speaking out against President Donald Trump’s demand that governors allow churches to reopen while the country still battles the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the activist Rev. William Barber, Trump’s push contradicts a fundamental tenet of the president’s Christian faith ― to love your neighbor as yourself.

“It’s a violation of loving your neighbor as yourself to do something that you know could put your neighbor in harm’s way,” Barber told HuffPost on Friday. “That’s a fundamental violation.” 

Barber pointed to scripture verses that lash out at people who cling to religious customs while mistreating the poor, immigrants and other marginalized people.

“Those who will worship and go through religious ceremony, but don’t care for justice and lifting up the poor and fighting for what is right, the Bible calls it hypocrisy, the very thing that God does not like,” Barber said.

Trump announced during a White House press conference on Friday that he is labeling houses of worship “essential” and calling on states to allow them to reopen over the holiday weekend. He threatened to “override” governors who defy him, although legal scholars say he lacks formal power to force governors to follow his orders.

“Some governors have deemed liquor stores and abortion clinics as essential, but have left out houses of worship. It’s not right,” Trump said. “So I’m correcting this injustice by calling houses of worship essential.”

Trump’s push aligns most closely with the priorities of white evangelicals and quickly drew praise from close evangelical allies, such as the evangelist Franklin Graham and Texas pastor Robert Jeffress. White evangelicals were more likely than other American religious groups to say they were worried that coronavirus restrictions won’t be lifted quickly enough, according to a Pew Research Center survey completed on May 5. 

Nevertheless, there is concern even among this constituency that state governments will return to normal too quickly. Around half of white evangelicals (51%) say they are more concerned that coronavirus restrictions will be lifted too quickly. 



Demonstrators holding signs demanding the reopening of churches during a rally on May 1, 2020, in San Diego.

Rev. Jim Wallis, president of the progressive Christian group Sojourners, called on people of faith to stay at home “until it is healthy and safe to gather again.” Like Barber, Wallis said that this was a way to live out Jesus’ teaching to love your neighbor.

“We all want to go back to our corporate church gatherings — but only when that is safe, being very careful not to infect each other or our neighbors with a virus,” Wallis told HuffPost. 

“Keeping houses of worship closed until safety is secured is a direct action to love and protect our neighbors,” he added.

More Christian clergy chimed in on Twitter to criticize Trump’s move:

Churches shouldn’t open until local authorities determine it is safe for them to do so, said Rev. James Martin, editor at large of the Catholic magazine America. Trump’s broad attempt to pressure every governor to allow houses of worship to reopen “will just lead to more infections and death, especially among the most vulnerable,” he told HuffPost.

The desire to worship in person must be tempered by concern for others’ safety, Martin said.

“It’s not just about ‘your desire,’ holy though it may be,” Martin told HuffPost. “Wearing a mask, keeping social distance and even not gathering in church is a way of protecting others ― and of loving others.”

“Essentially, it’s not just about you ― especially if you’re asymptomatic,” he said.

Rev. William J. Barber is the co-chair of the<i>&nbsp;</i>Poor People&rsquo;s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, wh



Rev. William J. Barber is the co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, which draws inspiration from Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1968 Poor People’s Campaign.

Barber, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, has led a campaign calling on people to “stay in place” and “stay alive” in areas where authorities are reopening against the advice of public health officials and other experts.

It has been weeks since Barber worshipped in person with his faith community, North Carolina’s Greenleaf Christian Church. But he insists that doesn’t mean his church stopped being a church. Church members have been having Bible studies and worshipping online, serving meals to the hungry, checking in on seniors, and organizing civic participation, he said.

Church buildings are important, but in the end, they’re just buildings, Barber said.

“Do they have importance? Yes, but even those buildings are not more important than people doing the will of the Lord, being the church, being the transforming agent in communities,” he said. 

“Ultimately for Christians, Jesus didn’t spend most of his time in a building, he spent his time with people ― the poor, the sick, the blind, the lame, the leper. That’s what Jesus did.”



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Coronavirus live updates:Government facing questions over JobKeeper bungle

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Coronavirus live updates:Government facing questions over JobKeeper bungle

By Olivana Smith-Lathouris

Experts are predicting a major impact on Australian farmers if Australia fails to resolve tensions with China over trade and the coronavirus inquiry.

Finance expert Peter Switzer has told Today it is likely to be a difficult year for Aussie farmers if Australia is forced to find another country to export domestic products.

“There will be a time lag when you lose a contract, you’ve got to find a contract and you’ll probably get a lower price because the demand won’t be as strong as the Chinese demand. Having billions of people there is a big demand for beer and brewing.

“For some farmers in particular it will be a really tough 12 months unless something can be done at a strategic and political level to get the Chinese to back off,” he said.

Other industries including iron ore and agriculture could also take a hit which could put Australia’s budget in an even worse position following huge government spending amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“One we are most scared about would be iron ore. We send $63 billion worth of iron ore to China. If that happened it’s a big employer, a great supplier of tax revenue to the Government, so when the iron ore price goes up the budget is in a much better position, so they are going to be in trouble,” Mr Switzer said.

While government subsidies and welfare payments have assisted Australia’s economy to stay afloat amid the crisis, exports are a major driver of the economy and without them, long term fiscal damage is likely.  

“It’s going to be really difficult. They are the biggest game in town for us and given the fact that the coronavirus has slowed the economy down we want to see a fast rebound of the economy,” Mr Switzer said.   

“China is really just timing this perfectly to put pressure on us.”

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San Francisco’s Oldest Gay Bar To Shutter Due To Coronavirus Pandemic

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San Francisco’s Oldest Gay Bar To Shutter Due To Coronavirus Pandemic

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — One of the nation’s most celebrated gay bars is being forced from its home amid the financial fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Stud is the longest continually running gay bar in San Francisco and known throughout the country as one of the bohemian, gender-bending, anything-goes institutions that made San Francisco into a gay mecca.

The 18-member collective that operates the club announced late Wednesday that they had decided to close the bar, though they will look for a new location.

“Because of a lack of revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the historic bar will be announcing that they are permanently closing their location and will be holding a drag funeral to honor the end of an era of LGBT nightlife,” said one of the owners, Honey Mahogany, in a news release.

It’s at least the second time the 54-year-old bar has faced the prospect of full closure. But previous situations were due to gentrification in San Francisco, now one of the nation’s tech hubs.

In 2016 The Stud’s current location was sold, and the bar’s then-owner received was notified that monthly rent for the 2,800-square-foot space would leap from $3,800 to $9,500.

A cooperative group of 18 owners then bought the bar to keep it running.

Wedged into a space in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood — the epicenter of the city’s tech world — The Stud opened in 1966 and quickly gained a reputation as a spot with a hippie vibe and eclectic customers. Its current space features gilt mirrors, a disco ball and a small performance stage.



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Poll: Many Americans See Room For Some Middle Ground On Reopening

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Poll: Many Americans See Room For Some Middle Ground On Reopening

Most Americans continue to support measures to control the coronavirus outbreak, a new HuffPost/YouGov survey finds, with only about one-fifth chafing at the level of restrictions they personally face. A significant number, however, see room for some reopening.

As the coronavirus outbreak first ballooned across the U.S., dozens of polls found consistent, overwhelming support for a vigorous government response. Now, with states across the country reopening in partial and piecemeal fashion, the way pollsters measure Americans’ preferences could prove increasingly important.

The HuffPost/YouGov survey included three different questions about restrictions, each with a different number of options respondents could choose from. They include:

  • A binary question, which we’ve been tracking since late March, on whether state stay-at-home orders are currently the right or wrong decision. In response, 67% say these orders are the right decision and 21% that they are the wrong decision.

  • A question on Americans’ preferences for restrictions in their own area (asked of half the respondents), with one middle option. In response, 31% say there should be restrictions shutting down all nonessential businesses and activities. The lion’s share, 43%, say that there should be restrictions on some nonessential businesses and activities. Another 13% say that there shouldn’t be any restrictions.

  • A question on Americans’ preferences for restrictions in their own area (asked of the other half), with two middle options. In response, 26% say there should be restrictions shutting down all nonessential businesses and activities. Another 26% say there should be restrictions on most nonessential businesses and activities; 28% say there should be restrictions on a few nonessential businesses and activities. Just 11% want to see no restrictions at all.



Chart showing the results of a new HuffPost/YouGov survey on the coronavirus outbreak.

No single question is demonstrably the “right” way to ask about the restrictions, especially given the wide range of situations that Americans are currently living through. But taken together, the results suggest there’s some nuance in public opinion on how and when to reopen the country.

A 44% plurality of the public, meanwhile, says the level of restrictions in place where they live is about right, with 27% saying there aren’t enough restrictions and 19% that there are too many.

Americans’ worries about coronavirus, which peaked in early April, have since largely stabilized, with 46% currently saying they’re very concerned about the national outbreak, and about one-third that they’re very concerned they or a family member will catch the disease. A 78% majority currently say they’re trying to stay home as much as possible, down from a peak of 89%. 

Chart showing the results of a new HuffPost/YouGov survey on the coronavirus outbreak.



Chart showing the results of a new HuffPost/YouGov survey on the coronavirus outbreak.

About 44% of Americans currently say they’d continue to stay home as much as possible even if all restrictions are lifted, with about 25% saying they’d leave the house more but continue to take major precautions, and 6% saying they’d go back to living normally. Another 14% say they’re not currently making an effort to stay home. 

The public is closely split in its ratings of Trump’s handling of coronavirus, with 45% approving and 47% disapproving. Forty-three percent approve of the handling of the issue by the government as a whole, with 47% disapproving.

A 64% majority believe the outbreak will have a lasting effect on the United States, with just 21% expecting things to soon get back to normal.

Use the widget below to further explore the results of the HuffPost/YouGov survey, using the menu at the top to select survey questions and the buttons at the bottom to filter the data by subgroups.


The HuffPost/YouGov poll consisted of 1,000 completed interviews conducted May 15-17 among U.S. adults, using a sample selected from YouGov’s opt-in online panel to match the demographics and other characteristics of the adult U.S. population.

HuffPost has teamed up with YouGov to conduct daily opinion polls. You can learn more about this project and take part in YouGov’s nationally representative opinion polling. More details on the polls’ methodology are available here.

Most surveys report a margin of error that represents some but not all potential survey errors. YouGov’s reports include a model-based margin of error, which rests on a specific set of statistical assumptions about the selected sample rather than the standard methodology for random probability sampling. If these assumptions are wrong, the model-based margin of error may also be inaccurate.

A HuffPost Guide To Coronavirus



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Coronavirus updates LIVE: Morrison government reveals JobKeeper ‘error’ as global COVID-19 cases surpass 5.1 million, Australian death toll stands at 101

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Coronavirus updates LIVE: Morrison government reveals JobKeeper ‘error’ as global COVID-19 cases surpass 5.1 million, Australian death toll stands at 101

So often it’s the rats and mice that change the face of history, writes Elizabeth Farrelly. The sword glint that triggers the battle that ends a dynasty. The undercooked bat stew in some far-flung futuropolis that changes the shape of every life and city on the planet for a year, maybe forever.

Our cities will change, post-pandemic. No doubt about it. But as to how they will change, we have a choice. We can use this portal to change Sydney for the better or, via bad collective life choices, for the worse. Now is the moment.

Now is the time to choose whether COVID-19 will change Sydney for better or worse.Credit:Kate Geraghty

Most of us live in cities, so their future is our future. But their future shape is hard to see, not least because the two biggest threats to human survival – COVID and climate change – seem to point in opposite directions. Climate demands we live more densely, sharing more and consuming less. COVID, at first glance, seems to demand our spread. But maybe it’s not so simple.

Read the full opinion piece here.

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One American was aboard the plane that crashed in Karachi, official says

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One American was aboard the plane that crashed in Karachi, official says

“We are monitoring the situation closely and are in touch with local authorities,” the official said. “Our staff in Pakistan and here in the United States are working tirelessly to provide all possible consular assistance.”

“We offer our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of all of those affected. Out of respect for privacy, we have nothing further to add at this time.”

A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight crashed Friday in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, according to Health Minister Azra Fazal. The airline’s CEO said at a news conference that the flight from Lahore was carrying 99 passengers and crew members in total. The plane did not hit any buildings and no one on the ground appears to have been killed, PIA CEO Air Vice Marshal Arshad Malik told reporters in Karachi Friday. The plane landed in a lane, he added.

At least 76 bodies have been recovered from the wreckage, according to a statement from the Sindh Health Department.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted Friday afternoon he was “shocked and saddened to hear of the plane crash today in Karachi.”

“My prayers go out to those killed and injured, and their families,” he wrote. “The U.S. stands with Pakistan during this difficult time.”

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Nurse Who Survived COVID-19 Shares Jaw-Dropping Photo Of What It Did To His Body

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Nurse Who Survived COVID-19 Shares Jaw-Dropping Photo Of What It Did To His Body

A nurse from San Francisco is shining a light on the severity of COVID-19 with a shocking photo of the effects it had on his body.

Last week, Mike Schultz shared side-by-side images of himself with his over 40,000 Instagram followers of the dramatic 50-pound weight loss he experienced during an eight-week hospital stay after suffering from the disease caused by the coronavirus.

The 43-year-old told Health that in the photo on the left, he’s about 190 pounds. He added that he exercised every day and had no underlying health conditions.

“I weighed myself the other day and I’m down to 140 pounds, and I probably weighed less than that when I first got into rehabilitation,” he told the magazine. “I’ve never been this skinny before in my life.”

Schultz explained to Buzzfeed News the reason he decided to post his now-viral photos. “I wanted to show it can happen to anyone. It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, have pre-existing conditions or not. It can affect you,” he said.

Schultz told CNN that he contracted the coronavirus in early March, “before any of the restrictions were out” and likely got it while attending Miami’s Winter Music Festival. His DJ boyfriend, Josh Hebblethwaite,was working at the event.

“We knew it was out there,” Schultz told Buzzfeed, noting that no “lockdowns” had been ordered at this point. “We just thought, ‘Well, we gotta wash our hands more and be wary of touching our face.’”

The Miami Herald reported that 38 people who attended the LGBTQ-friendly music festival later got sick, and three men died, 

On March 14, about a week after the festival, Schultz flew to Boston, where Hebblethwaite lives.

He told CNN that when he first arrived in Boston, he had a cough but “it wasn’t really a big deal.” But on March 17, he found himself with a fever of 103 degrees and was having difficulty breathing.

When Schultz arrived at the hospital, he was given a swab test and chest X-rays. He tested positive for the coronavirus and was also diagnosed with pneumonia and severe repertory distress syndrome, per CNN.

Soon after, he was intubated and placed on a ventilator to aid his breathing.

“That was the last time I saw my boyfriend,” Schultz told Health. “I texted him, ‘I’m scared.’ Soon after, I was sedated, and I don’t remember much after that.”

He was on the ventilator for four-and-a-half weeks, according to CNN. He told Buzzfeed that during this time it was like he was “in a coma.”

Schultz said that when he woke up from his ordeal, he believed only a week had passed. “I still had a tracheostomy [tube], I couldn’t talk, and my hands were so weak that my phone felt like it was 100 pounds,” he told Health.

He also noticed he had lost weight, but nothing could prepare him for what happened when he finally saw himself in the mirror. “I didn’t even recognize myself,” he told CNN. “I pretty much cried when I looked in the mirror, I was like ‘Oh my God.’”

Schultz is now slowly recovering.

“I’m doing breathing exercises to get my lung capacity up, and plenty of exercises to stabilize my legs so I can finally walk without doing a penguin shuffle,” he joked to Health.

A HuffPost Guide To Coronavirus



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