Coronavirus live news: US nears 5m cases as Australian border closures ramp up | The Guardian

US approaches horrific milestone; border restrictions tightened in Australian state of New South Wales; Brazil passes 100,000 deathsEx-health minister attacks Bolsonaro as Brazil Covid-19 deaths tops 100,000Trump signs order for relief, with less help for jobless ‘Queensland first’: Palaszczuk closes the borders and amps up election rhetoric Boris Johnson ‘would close pubs before schools’ in local Covid-19 lockdown 12.44am BST When he called the home affairs department again, the official he spoke to was sympathetic, but read to him advice from a government website that people submit their requests at least a month before their planned travel date.“I asked her, ‘look, how will I know that my mother is going to have a stroke on Friday or Sunday?’”Thousands of Australians trying to leave the country to visit sick family members, reunite with partners, or emigrate to another country of citizenship, have struggled with an exemption system they describe as opaque, arbitrary and dysfunctional. Related: ‘I was helpless’: the Australians caught up in a dysfunctional Covid travel exemption system 12.34am BST Hello, and welcome to our continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. This is Helen Davidson in Sydney here, to take you through the next few hours. Thanks to my colleagues in London – you can catch up on all their coverage on the previous blog here.First up, a summary of where we’re at: Continue reading…

US approaches horrific milestone; border restrictions tightened in Australian state of New South Wales; Brazil passes 100,000 deaths

• Ex-health minister attacks Bolsonaro as Brazil Covid-19 deaths tops 100,000
• Trump signs order for relief, with less help for jobless
• ‘Queensland first’: Palaszczuk closes the borders and amps up election rhetoric
• Boris Johnson ‘would close pubs before schools’ in local Covid-19 lockdown

12.44am BST

When he called the home affairs department again, the official he spoke to was sympathetic, but read to him advice from a government website that people submit their requests at least a month before their planned travel date.

“I asked her, ‘look, how will I know that my mother is going to have a stroke on Friday or Sunday?’”

Thousands of Australians trying to leave the country to visit sick family members, reunite with partners, or emigrate to another country of citizenship, have struggled with an exemption system they describe as opaque, arbitrary and dysfunctional.

Related: ‘I was helpless’: the Australians caught up in a dysfunctional Covid travel exemption system

12.34am BST

Hello, and welcome to our continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. This is Helen Davidson in Sydney here, to take you through the next few hours. Thanks to my colleagues in London – you can catch up on all their coverage on the previous blog here.

First up, a summary of where we’re at:

Continue reading…