Holiday Breakfast

Four weeks after the northern beaches outbreak began, contact tracers in NSW are still scrambling to find out where 14 out the state's cases have come from.

There had been a total 12 cases of unknown origin found since December 16, including three detected before Christmas, but yesterday that increased again by two.
The two cases – from the Canterbury-Bankstown and Lane Cove council areas – have been fully investigated without any link found.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned community transmission is still ongoing in Sydney, meaning it was unlikely that restrictions would be eased this week. 
“We’re still seeing community transmission,” she said on Tuesday.
“Even though in most instances, (they are) household contacts or people already in isolation, but we have had a couple of examples where they’re still unlinked, and that’s always a concern.”

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The U.S. House pressed swiftly forward Tuesday toward impeachment or other steps to forcibly remove President Donald Trump from office, even as Trump blamed Democratic foes and not himself for last week's deadly attack on the Capitol.
He targeted the lawmakers who are pushing for his ouster, saying that it's “a really terrible thing that they’re doing.”
“To continue on this path, I think it’s causing tremendous danger to our country, and it’s causing tremendous anger," he said. He accepted no blame for the Capitol attack and said, “I want no violence.”
The defeated president, in his first remarks to reporters since last week’s violence, showed no remorse for firing up the crowd ahead of the the deadly invasion with comments that now are part of the impeachment charge of inciting insurrection.
The president spoke as he left for Texas to survey the border wall with Mexico, taking no questions, after the most serious and deadly domestic incursion at the Capitol in the nation’s history.
Impeachment ahead, the House on Tuesday will first try to convince the vice president and Cabinet to act even more quickly to remove Trump from office, warning he is a threat to democracy in the remaining days of his presidency.
House lawmakers are reconvening at the Capitol for the first time since the deadly pro-Trump riot to approve a resolution calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to declare the president unable to serve. Pence is not expected to take any such action. The House would next move swiftly to impeach Trump.
“We have to be very tough and very strong right now in defending the Constitution and democracy,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., an author of both pieces of legislation, in an interview.
Trump faces a single charge — “incitement of insurrection” — in the impeachment resolution that the House will begin debating Wednesday, a week before Democrat Joe Biden is set to be inaugurated, Jan. 20.
The unprecedented events, which could make Trump the first U.S. president to be twice impeached, are unfolding in a nation bracing for more unrest. The FBI has warned ominously of potential armed protests in Washington and many states by Trump loyalists ahead of Biden’s inauguration. In a dark foreshadowing, the Washington Monument was closed to the public and the inauguration ceremony on the west steps of the Capitol will be off limits to the public.
It all added up to stunning final moments for Trump’s presidency as Democrats and a growing number of Republicans declare he is unfit for office and could do more damage after inciting a mob that violently ransacked the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday.
A Capitol police officer died from injuries suffered in the riot, and police shot a woman during the violence. Three others died in what authorities said were medical emergencies.
Late Monday, the entire Congressional Hispanic Caucus, all 34 members, unanimously agreed to support impeachment, calling for Trump's immediate removal.
“It is clear that every moment Trump remains in office, America is at risk,” said a statement from the caucus, led by Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Ca. It said Trump "must be held accountable” for his actions.
Democrats aren't the only ones who say Trump needs to go.
Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., spoke to House GOP colleagues late Monday of the significance of the vote, and encouraged them to consider it a “vote of conscience,” according to a person granted anonymity to discuss the private call. She has spoken critically of Trump's actions but has not said publicly how she will vote.
Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania joined GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska over the weekend in calling for Trump to “go away as soon as possible.”
Pence and Trump met late Monday for the first time since the Capitol attack, and had a “good conversation” pledging to continue working for the remainder of their terms, said a senior...

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The Government says it's begun writing the cheques for a Covid-19 vaccine.
Some countries have already begun administering vaccinations, but New Zealand's vaccine timetable isn't expected to begin until the end of March.
Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson told Tim Dower rolling out a vaccine is a priority, but he says there are other countries in worse positions than us.
But he says they will have a vaccine in place as soon as possible.
Asked about NZ's economy, he says although the country is doing well, we are still in challenging times.
'As we see what's happening around the world, Covid will still be a major issue for New Zealand to deal with in 2021."
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A New Zealand epidemiologist has described the latest Covid-19 testing protocols announced by the Government as a "step in the right direction".
The Government has announced wider-ranging testing rules for passengers coming into the country.
They include travellers arriving on all flights from the UK and US needing to have returned a negative test result in the 72 hours before their departure.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today, "I am announcing that passengers from any destination excluding Australia, Antarctica and some Pacific Island nations will be required to undergo Day 0/1 testing upon arrival in New Zealand".
Dr Michael Baker told Francesca Rudkin the moves signal the recognition we have over the importance of managing the risk of the virus.
"I'd like to see us do more, one of the problems of course is this reliance on testing on its own," Dr Baker says.
"With these new variants which are not unexpected, that just means it's more likely to infect other people during the flight... and it's a higher risk of escaping in the MIQ facilities. Even though they're very well run... mistakes happen, that's just inevitable."
Dr Baker says what Australia is doing - which is restricting the flow of arrivals by 50 per cent until mid-February - would be a good method to adopt.
He says New Zealand has more people entering the country every month than all of Australia combined.

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A public relations consultant believes New Zealand-born Chris Liddell is inextricably tied to Donald Trump's US presidency.
Liddell has come under fire for his job as Trump's deputy chief of staff.
Matthew Hooton describes Liddell as one of Trump's enablers, and told Francesca Rudkin Liddell it would be difficult for him to continue his career here.
"He is the only non-family senior staff member who worked with President Trump, when all of this was inevitable for four years. Obviously there's a consequence to that, there's a price to pay to that."
"He is the President's longest serving staff member... he's been in the White House since the day of the inauguration, he lasted the full four years, he was promoted by President Trump."
Hooton says he and Liddell had a conversation, with the latter indicating he will back in New Zealand "at some point".

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A suggestion the United Kingdom's Covid-19 cases might be starting to tail off.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warns they are at a perilous moment in the pandemic, but UK correspondent Rod Liddle told Tim Dower he has noticed the number of infections is slightly down.
He says it was in the area of 54,000 a week ago, but now have they have about 46,000 to 48,000 cases.
But, the Prime Minister is concerned the success of their vaccination rollout could make people complacent.
Liddle says the UK is leading the way in Covid vaccinations -- but is also leading the way in new cases and deaths.
"Compared to Europe, we are way ahead of the pack, but still there are rumours that there are going to be more strict lockdowns coming into place."

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It has been a tough start to the year for cherry growers, with around 50 million dollars in exports potentially being lost  from Central Otago orchards.
Heavy rain at the start of the month caused flooding which brought major damage to fruit ready to be harvested.
Although the full extent has yet to be quantified, it is feared up to 50 per cent of the season’s bumper cherry crop has been lost due to splitting.
Summer Fruit New Zealand chairman Tim Jones told Tim Dower some orchards have been completely wiped out.
"A couple of blocks we've had to walk away from the crop completely, but most growers are finding that once things have dried out there is some fruit to go back to, and they're getting the staff back out into the fields to sort through the damaged fruit."
Jones says there is concern the impacts could stretch beyond the current season.
He says some trees were sitting in water up to a metre deep and in waterlogged soil, which could influence next year's crop.

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Westpac has heaped pressure on its competitors and dropped its one-year fixed mortgage rate to 2.29 per cent - the lowest amongst the four major banks in New Zealand.
There is, however, a catch in that the special rate is only available on a one-year fixed term for customers with 20 per cent equity in owner-occupied homes.
The Umbrella Company mortgage advisor Sara Hartigan told Tim Dower it is a bold move by Westpac.
"They also know there's a lot of people out there that have new years resolutions to get into the housing market, so I think its a bit of prompt to get people to start thinking about purchasing a house."
Hartigan says for people on rates of three or four percent, it is worth looking at what your break fee is, and what your net gain on a lower rate will be.
She says one client saved close to ten thousand dollars a year.
"The other banks probably will follow, they tend to always do... are we going under two per cent? I feel that there is a high likelihood that we could."

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There is an anxious wait for all involved on the bid to hold concerts at Eden Park.
A decision is expected today on a resource consent application to host six concerts a year at the central Auckland venue. In 120 years of the ground there has never been a concert.
It has been fiercely opposed by some locals, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark.
But Eden Park Residents' Association spokesperson Shona Tagg told Tim Dower there is overwhelming support for concerts to get the green light, and she would be surprised if the decision rules against it.
"We just want to have a vibrant community, we want to share the stadium with the world and everything it has to offer."
Tagg claims the vocal minority is not representative of the community, and more people have stood up in support after recognising that.
She says the surrounding area is dynamic, with some people even shifting in to be close to what Eden Park has to offer.

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Europe has slid further into crisis as multiple countries face overwhelming numbers Covid-19 cases and deaths.
Germany reported its highest daily death toll of the pandemic with 1,188 fatalities recorded in the past 24 hours. The previous record was 1,129 on December 30.
The country, which was praised for its handling of the first wave of the pandemic, is currently under a stringent national lockdown, which has been extended until January 31.
Correspondent Catherine Field told Tim Dower it wasn't that long ago Germany was almost untouched by the virus.
"Looking at deaths in Germany, the daily week average is 877. A week ago that was only 642.
"Everyone's worried about what they're calling the Christmas effect - they saw what happened in the United States with that Thanksgiving effect when people mixed with friends and families."
Field says France's numbers aren't much better.
"France, the daily average of deaths has now gone up to 387, daily number of new cases up to 18,000. The Prime Minister has said he cannot rule out another national lockdown."

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