Good morning all.

1. NSW recorded 98 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday. (You’ll note the TikTok guy got it wrong.) Twenty of those were infectious in the community. A fifth death was recorded. Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she was “not willing to give an end date” to the Greater Sydney lockdown.

2. Victoria’s state government is preparing to extend the lockdown by at least three days, and quite possibly into next week. Premier Daniel Andrews said yesterday the lockdown would be extended but he did not commit to a timeframe. He also said the government was not aiming for a run of zero cases before lifting restrictions, just that there should be no mystery cases and for contacts to be in isolation.

3. How long is the Sydney lockdown going to last? There’s some commentary out today from multiple sources which seem to converge on one depressing answer: not soon. Nancy Baxter, who is the head of Melbourne University’s School of Population and Global Health, told “Today” this morning said “we’re looking more like a month than a week“, while Melbourne University modelling points to six weeks.

4. US stocks fell sharply Monday as investors grew concerned about the global spike in COVID-19 cases and the rapid spread of the Delta variant. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 726 points, or about 2.1%, for its worst day since October, while the benchmark S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite also tumbled. The ASX is set to fall 1% as a result.

5. Voters seem to be marking the federal government down for the sluggish and confused vaccine rollout. A survey conducted on behalf of the Nine papers “reveals a sharp decline in voter satisfaction with Mr Morrison alongside the blow to his party,” while this week’s Newspoll shows a potentially brutal 2PP split for the Coalition.

6. Australian banks have restarted their loan deferral programs, enabling borrowers to put off their repayments during the most recent lockdown. Impacted mortgage holders can now pause and reduce repayments or restructure their loans are part of a new relief program, while businesses will be presented with additional options. The three local government areas (LGA) at the heart of Sydney’s latest outbreak were already the most behind on their mortgages prior to the latest restrictions.

7. Australian tenants are shelling out thousands of dollars more in rent after a record-breaking 12 months. Rents have risen as much as 21% in some capital cities, and 11.3% across regional Australia. But lockdowns and closed borders mean apartments and inner city areas in Sydney and Melbourne are proving the exception.

8. The founder of an Australian firm which produces at-home COVID-19 testing kits says the federal government appears “unwilling” to consider testing alternatives. Ellume founder Sean Parsons told “Sunrise” that the kits, which have been approved for use in the US, could be helpful during lockdowns to reduce long queues for traditional testing centres. Therapeutic goods legislation currently bars home COVID-19 tests from being sold or advertised in Australia, with the nation’s drug watchdog citing fears over faulty test results

9. The coronavirus pandemic accelerated massive changes in Australia’s media and advertising appetites, according to a new report. PwC Australia reports spending on streaming platforms will explode by 2025, after audiences latched onto on-demand viewing through lockdowns. Cinemas and the live music sector are not expected to recoup their losses for several years, the report states.

10. All coronavirus restrictions in England have been lifted in what government and media is dubbing “Freedom Day”. In the UK, 87% of adults have had one jab of the vaccine, and 68% have had two shots. Nonetheless, scientists are still concerned that the country is just not vaccinated enough, and that it could become a breeding ground for new variants.

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