Category Archives: headline

headline

Criminal Gangs Clash in Central Mexico, Killing 16 People

MEXICO CITY, Feb 5 (Reuters) – Sixteen people died in Mexico’s central state of Zacatecas following an apparent violent dispute between criminal gangs, authorities said on Saturday, as the state grapples with a spike in violence.

State prosecutor Francisco Murillo said 10 bodies were found wrapped in blankets in the streets of the Fresnillo municipality while another six were “suspended” inside a warehouse in the nearby community Panfilo Natera.

Two people who were transporting another corpse a day earlier have been arrested, he added, saying the person could be linked to the other deaths.

Last month, authorities found the bodies of 10 people abandoned inside a vehicle in the historic center of the state capital, also named Zacatecas, a few steps from the government offices.

Homicides rose last year, official figures showed: the state of Zacatecas registered 1,050 in 2021, about 200 more than the previous year.

Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz; Editing by Leslie Adler

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Peru’s PM Resigns After 4 Days in Office Over Family Abuse Allegations

LIMA, Feb 5 (Reuters) – Peruvian Prime Minister Hector Valer confirmed on Saturday that he is departing just four days after being named to the post, following allegations that he beat his daughter and late wife, creating a new leadership vacuum in the Andean nation.

President Pedro Castillo said on Friday he would reshuffle the Cabinet in light of the allegations, but did not address whether Valer would leave.

Castillo must now name his fourth cabinet in just six months, which he said will incorporate representatives of a range of political groups. It is unclear when an announcement will take place.

Castillo, a former schoolteacher and member of a Marxist-Leninist party, has moved increasingly to the right since taking office last July.

His first prime minister was a far-left party leader, who was replaced in October by a moderate-left politician, before Castillo appointed Valer this week.

Valer is a lawmaker and conservative Catholic who ran with a right-wing party before defecting to join a Congressional bloc that is friendly with Castillo.=

Peru’s prime minister is a powerful figure. The PM is the chief adviser to the president, and presides and helps appoint the rest of the Cabinet.

Reporting by Marco Aquino and Marcelo Rochabrun; Editing by Leslie Adler

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Mexican Authorities Clear Makeshift Migrant Camp Near U.S. Border

A machine loads belongings of migrants to a truck, after Mexican authorities cleared a makeshift camp, where hundreds of migrants heading towards the U.S. border where staying, at the El Chaparral border crossing in Tijuana, Mexico, February 6, 2022. REUTERS/Jorge Duenes

MEXICO CITY, Feb 6 (Reuters) – Mexican authorities on Sunday cleared a makeshift camp in the north of the country where hundreds of migrants heading towards the U.S. border had been holding out for more than a year in what rights organizations criticized as deplorable conditions.

Nearly 400 migrants have been transferred by bus to three different shelters near the border city of Tijuana, where they can remain “indefinitely,” said the city’s Mayor Montserrat Caballero.

Caballero promised help for those migrants regardless of whether they want to stay in Tijuana or return to their countries of origin.

“We’re going to pay for the transfers and, if they want to wait for their ‘American dream,’ we’re also going to support them while they wait,” said Caballero.

Dozens of security personnel, including soldiers from the national guard, were seen dissolving the makeshift camp, fenced by metal mesh, in videos shared on social media.

Families, including parents with small children, were seen packing up their belongings. There were no reports of violence.

Caballero said the troops were not armed and that migrants collected their belongings and boarded buses voluntarily because they had previously been notified they would be transferred.

But one Guatemalan mother, who had arrived in Tijuana a year ago, and requested anonymity, said she felt migrants had little choice but to follow orders.

On Saturday, Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) urged immigration authorities to speed up the processes that would help nearly 2,000 migrants at the southern border get documents to regularize their stay in Mexico or let them travel through the country without being detained. read more

Tens of thousands of migrants flee their home countries each year in an attempt to reach the United States, but many of them also seek refuge and protection in Mexico.

Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz Writing by Stefanie Eschenbacher Editing by Chris Reese

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Ecuador Sees Trade Deal with China at End of Year, Debt Talks to Begin

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QUITO, Feb 5 (Reuters) – Ecuador expects to pull together a trade deal with China at the end of this year and will begin formal debt re-negotiations with the Asian country, Ecuadorean President Guillermo Lasso said on Saturday, after a Beijing visit with his counterpart Xi Jinping.

China became Ecuador’s top lender over the last decade, with millions of dollars in long-term credit tied to the handover of crude oil, large investments in hydro-electric and mining projects and other loans.

“In China we had a productive meeting with President Xi Jinping,” Lasso posted on Twitter. “We achieved great results in commercial openings, cooperation in health and debt re-negotiation.”

At the meeting the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding meant to pave the way for a trade deal at the end of the year, which would benefit Ecuadorean exports of shrimp, bananas, cacao, other fruit and minerals.

China said on Sunday the two countries have agreed to open negotiations for a free-trade pact. The commerce ministry, in a statement on its website, offered no details on the planned talks.

At the meeting on the sidelines of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, Xi said China and Ecuador should use negotiations on the free trade agreement as an opportunity to deepen practical cooperation between the two countries, China’s Xinhua news agency said.

Xi was quoted as expressing hope that Ecuador would continue to provide a fair business environment for Chinese companies to invest and operate in Ecuador, while saying China would continue to help Ecuador fight COVID-19.

Lasso, who took office in May, has said more trade and foreign investment are key to stimulating the South American country’s COVID-battered and liquidity-poor economy.

“It would increase the market by nearly $1 billion more in export opportunities,” commerce minister Julio Jose Prado said during a virtual press conference. “And that will mean we could almost be doubling the exports we make to China in various products.”

The countries have agreed their finance ministries will conduct initial talks on debt re-negotiation, as Ecuador seeks to improve its payment periods and interest rates.

Ecuador is also seeking to disconnect the handover of crude from outstanding debts with Chinese banks worth some $2.08 billion, according to foreign minister Juan Carlos Holguin, which would free up some $400 million per year in potential spending.

China will donate 2.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for inoculation of 3- to 5-year-olds, the Ecuadorean government added.

Reporting by Alexandra Valencia; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Additional reporting by Norihiko Shirouzu and Ella Cao in Beijing; Editing by Andrea Ricci and William Mallard

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Canada: Ottawa Mayor Declares S.O.E. to Deal With Trucking Blockade

By and

OTTAWA, Feb 6 (Reuters) – Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson on Sunday declared a state of emergency to help deal with an unprecedented 10-day occupation by protesting truckers that has shut down much of the core of the Canadian capital.

“(This) reflects the serious danger and threat to the safety and security of residents posed by the ongoing demonstrations and highlights the need for support from other jurisdictions and levels of government,” he said in a statement.

Watson, who complained earlier in the day that the demonstrators outnumbered police and controlled the situation, did not give details of what measures he might impose.

The “Freedom Convoy” began as a movement against a Canadian vaccine requirement for cross-border truckers but has turned into a rallying point against public health measures and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government.

Amid residents’ fury at the lack of official response, Ottawa police relocated some protesters and put up fresh barricades on Sunday, saying they are “collecting financial, digital, vehicle registration … and other evidence that will be used in criminal prosecutions.”

They also announced they would clamp down on people attempting to bring in canisters to refuel the hundreds of large trucks blocking most roads in the city center.

Protesters have paralyzed downtown Ottawa for the past nine days, with some participants waving Confederate or Nazi flags and some saying they want to dissolve Canada’s government. Convoy organizers say they will not leave until the vaccine mandates are ended.

Canadian Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said on Sunday that the government would not back down on the issue.

“We put the question of vaccines and vaccine mandates on the ballot … in the (2021) election and we’re simply carrying out the promise that we made with the support of the vast majority of Canadians,” he said on CBC television.

Amid incessant horn blaring and occasional fireworks, a polished supply chain — including portable saunas, a community kitchen and bouncy castles for children — has sustained the protesters.

The well-organized blockade has relied partly on funding from sympathizers in the United States, police said. GoFundMe took down the Freedom Convoy’s donation page, angering some U.S. Republican lawmakers who pledged to investigate the move by the website.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump and Tesla (TSLA.O) CEO Elon Musk have praised the truckers.

Police said they had charged four people with hate crimes and were investigating threats against public figures jointly with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Trudeau, who is isolating after testing positive for COVID-19 last week, has ruled out using the military to disband the protest. Due to security concerns, Trudeau and his family left their downtown home last weekend and his location has not been disclosed.

The prime minister has said the convoy represented a “small fringe minority” and the government would not be intimidated. About 90% of Canada’s cross-border truckers and almost 79% of the population has had two COVID-19 vaccine shots.

Convoy organizers said they would refrain from using their horns on Sunday for four hours “as a gesture of goodwill”.

A senior member of the Liberal government said the ease with which the convoy shut down the area around the parliament and the seeming impotence of police was a “national humiliation”.

Senior opposition Conservatives who encouraged the protests, including taking selfies with truckers, did not reply to requests for comment. Last week, the party ditched its leader in part for not initially backing the blockade enthusiastically enough.

Additional reporting by Blair Gable; Writing by Amran Abocar; Editing by Lisa Shumaker, Diane Craft and Daniel Wallis

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US Officially Passes 900K Covid Deaths, Mask Mandates Ending?, Vaxxed American Adults Hospitalized, World Stats, More

 

US Passes 900K COVID-19 deaths, Actual Count May Be Higher

 

© Getty Images

The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 topped 900,000 people, fueled by the highly contagious omicron variant, less than two months after the nation passed 800,000. But the actual death toll may be higher.

Despite three widely available vaccines that effectively prevent severe illness and death, only 64 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The vaccination campaign has been beset by inequities, misinformation and political sabotage, and the unvaccinated are the ones suffering the most. More people have died in the 13 months since the vaccines have been available than before.

Data from the CDC show the total number of deaths involving COVID-19 in 2020 was 385,343.

The U.S. has one of the highest per capita rates of recorded COVID-19 cases in the world, with about 15,000 cases per 100,000 people, according to a New York Times tracker.

While increasing evidence shows omicron may be less likely to cause death or serious illness than the delta variant, the sheer infectiousness and the speed at which it spreads has overwhelmed hospitals, primarily with people who have not been vaccinated.

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Experts open the door to lifting last mask mandates

By Peter Sullivan
The Hill

As the spike in coronavirus cases caused by the omicron variant wanes, some experts say it is time to start lifting more restrictions, setting up a heated debate, particularly over mask mandates in schools.

People are exhausted with the pandemic after roughly two years, and health advocates warn that pandemic rules cannot last forever.

“We cannot remain in a perpetual state of emergency,” said Leana Wen, a public health professor at George Washington University. “People burn out.”

Many aspects of life have already returned to something like normal. Bars and restaurants are open and packed across the country, and countless travel restrictions have been lifted.

But some locations, including New York and Washington, D.C., still have mask mandates for the general public, and in schools, mask requirements are more common.

Vaccinations remain as the key source of protection. People who are vaccinated and boosted have strong protection against severe disease, even if there is still a chance they get mild illness.

Wen noted that school-age children 5 and up can now all be vaccinated.

And Pfizer last week began the application for its COVID-19 vaccine for children as young as six months.

Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, said that restrictions in general should be lifted as cases come down, but not just yet, given that cases are still high.

“I’ve been saying for weeks that as cases recede we can soon relax public health restrictions,” Jha tweeted. “I think of this like the weather. When it is bucketing rain umbrella, rain coat, boots, are all essential. When the storm turns into a drizzle, those become less critical.”

The possibility of a future variant that has greater ability to evade the vaccines’ protection, or that causes more severe disease, leads some experts to call for loosening restrictions during the coming lull to give people a respite in case they need to return later.

“If we don’t take the off-ramps, nobody will listen when we need to have an on-ramp,” tweeted Jeremy Faust, a professor at Harvard Medical School.

Cases in the U.S. have fallen significantly from the peak during the omicron wave in mid-January, from approximately 800,000 new cases per day to about 350,000 per day, which is still quite high. More experts are putting a focus on hospitalizations, which have now peaked nationally, though again are still at the high level of around 123,000 a day, according to a New York Times tracker.

Asked about people returning to more normal activities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky on Wednesday cautioned that hospitalizations “are still quite high and [we are] certainly having hospital capacity challenges in many parts of the country still.”

“We really do have to look to our hospitalization rates and our death rates to look to when it is time to lift some of these mitigation efforts,” she said. “We will continue to reevaluate, and we know people are anxious.”

The matter of lifting restrictions has received a new burst of political attention as Republicans push to scale back measures such as mask mandates.

Virginia’s new Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin, has drawn controversy and an American Civil Liberties Union-backed lawsuit from parents over an order making masks optional in schools in the state.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) more broadly said Wednesday that “it is time for the state of emergency to wind down.”

On the Democratic side, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock this week lifted the city’s mask mandate and proof of vaccination requirement for businesses.

“This virus is something we’re going to have to manage and learn to live with,” Hancock said.

A Monmouth University poll this week found that a large majority of Americans, 70 percent, agreed that “it’s time we accept that Covid is here to stay and we just need to get on with our lives.”

Republicans continue to fight hard against President Biden’s vaccine mandates, which many public health experts have praised as a crucial way to get more people vaccinated and help return to normal.

Advocates have also been pushing the Biden administration and Congress for more funding for global vaccination efforts, which can help prevent new variants from emerging.

Some experts are pushing back against the calls for returning to normal, pointing to more vulnerable people.

“The great, white middle — stretching right and left across the political spectrum and the op-ed pages of the Times — is ready to move on,” Gregg Gonsalves, a professor at the Yale School of Public Health, wrote in The Nation. “The thing is: Those left behind don’t have the choices or the resources that those with privilege do, whether they are poor, living with disabilities or chronic medical conditions — or just too old to matter.”

Wen, a former health commissioner for the city of Baltimore, said the CDC should at least set new benchmarks for under what circumstances masks would no longer be needed.

“It’s precisely because of the threat of future variants that we need to let up on restrictions now,” she said. “I’m not trying to sound the all-clear at all … I’m saying we need to take advantage of the lull that we have coming up.”

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More vaxxed US adults hospitalized with omicron

 

© Associated Press — Nam Y. Huh

A higher proportion of adults hospitalized with COVID-19 during the period of omicron dominance were fully vaccinated compared to the period of delta dominance, according to a new analysis. Still those people were also less likely to be severely ill or die.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) analysis of a single hospital in Los Angeles found there were more hospitalizations during omicron compared to delta, but that among omicron-period patients, vaccination — particularly vaccination plus a booster dose — was associated with lower likelihood of admission to an intensive care unit.

Among adults at least 65 years old hospitalized during omicron, vaccination was also associated with a lower likelihood of death while hospitalized.

“COVID-19 vaccination, particularly a booster dose, continues to be critical in mitigating the health care burden of the omicron variant,” the CDC concluded in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Omicron-period hospitalizations overall were associated with a lower likelihood of ICU admission, mechanical ventilation and death while hospitalized, compared with delta-period hospitalizations.

With COVID or because of it? According to the CDC, that distinction doesn’t really matter.  “Even patients with positive SARS-CoV-2 test results admitted for non-COVID-19 conditions require isolation rooms and use of personal protective equipment and might transmit infection to health care workers, exacerbating staff shortages.”

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Australia’s borders reopen

Double vaccinated tourists will be able to travel to Australia for the first time in almost two years. The announcement about reopening borders also allows other visa holders entry into the country, which had some of the strictest border controls throughout the pandemic. Borders reopen on 21 February and Prime Minister Scott Morrison said “we look forward to welcoming you back”.

Sydney Opera House, Australia, 31 December 2021Image source, Getty Images
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State of emergency in Ottawa

Vehicles and tents blocking roads have paralysed the centre of Ottawa as truckers protest against Covid restrictions. Demonstrators outnumber police in Canada’s capital and the city’s “completely out of control”, says mayor Jim Watson, who has declared a state of emergency. It gives the city additional powers, including access to equipment required by front-line workers and emergency services. Here’s the full story.

Police officers keep a watchful eye on protesters in Ottawa, 6 FebruaryImage source, Reuters
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WORLD STATS

Coronavirus Cases:

396,289,848

Deaths:

5,759,822

Recovered:

315,113,995
Highlighted in green
= all cases have recovered from the infection
Highlighted in grey
= all cases have had an outcome (there are no active cases)

[back to top ↑]

Latest News

February 7 (GMT)

Updates

  • 2,410 new cases and 8 new deaths in Oman [source]
  • 171,905 new cases and 609 new deaths in Russia [source]
  • 282 new cases and 5 new deaths in Laos [source]
  • 92,865 new cases and 67 new deaths in Japan [source]
  • 10,234 new cases and 129 new deaths in Mexico [source]
  • 21,155 new cases and 42 new de

The post US Officially Passes 900K Covid Deaths, Mask Mandates Ending?, Vaxxed American Adults Hospitalized, World Stats, More appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

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Major SA land search set for body of suspected murder victim

South Australian police are mounting a major land search for the body of Robert Atkins, who was one of three men believed to have been murdered by a gang of southern suburbs drug dealers.

Detectives will be searching a remote part of the state's mid-north where they are hoping to find the young man's remains.

Security footage from November 2020 shows Mr Atkins at the counter of the Harvey Norman in the Gepps Cross homemaker centre in Adelaide's north on the day before police believe he was murdered.

READ MORE: Australia's border reopening to reinvigorate struggling tourism industry

South Australia Police have revealed specific details about the murder of Robert Atkins.

Police said he was likely under the control of another man who was forcing him to use a stolen credit card.

Robert Atkins's mother, Trish Spencer, is now trying to retrace her son's final movements.

"I think he would be terrified. He would be absolutely scared to death," Ms Spencer said.

Police suspect Mr Atkins was kidnapped by a gang of criminals — who initially held and tortured the 32-year-old over a small drug debt — a week before he was spotted at Harvey Norman.

"We know he was assaulted with a torch as well as a baton within the address at Christie Downs," Detective Sergeant Jarrad Parker said.

Police also believe Mr Atkins was held at homes in Seaford and North Plympton before being taken to Gepps Cross where it was believed he was blackmailed into committing crimes.

"We think Rob would have had a really good idea of what these people were like and what they're capable of and that's why we believe that he was doing as he was told," Sergeant Parker said.

READ MORE: Lifeline launches 24/7 text service

Detectives are launching a major land search for the body of Robert Atkins, who was last seen on security footage from November 2020.

Police revealed Mr Atkins was loaded into a Nissan Pathfinder by a lone man late on November 15, 2020.

He was then driven to Port Adelaide where a stolen credit card was used to purchase alcohol.

From there, police said the car travelled north to Booborowie before turning west and arriving in Port Pirie just after midnight.

They say the suspected killer remained there with associates until after sunrise on November 16 when the car headed through Laura and eventually to Orroroo, where police believe Mr Atkins was murdered and his body dumped.

"We certainly are making progress in that and we're hoping that pretty soon we'll be able to go out and physically conduct a search of an area," Sergeant Parker said.

Ms Spencer is urging anyone with information to contact police.

"They need to be honest and go in and tell their story."

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Safety of RATs in doubt after cases rip through Melbourne aged care facility

The safety and accuracy of rapid tests have been thrown into doubt after more than 20 Melbourne aged care residents tested positive in the same facility.

Twin Parks Aged Care Centre in Reservoir is blaming rapid antigen tests (RATs) for the outbreak, as the Federal Government committed to deploying the ADF to help the crippled sector.

Leaked emails, obtained by 9New, have revealed the outbreak began with two infected residents, described as "extremely active" within the Twin Parks community.

READ MORE: Australia's border reopening to international visitors

The facility then gave close contacts multiple rapid tests, but many came up negative.

A decision was made to give all residents in the home's West Wing a PCR test, the results alarmingly revealing at least 20 residents had contracted COVID-19.

Deputy Director at the Burnet Institute, Associate Professor David Anderson said RATs were not completely accurate, particularly during the early stages of infection.

"They're not a complete solution because they do miss somewhere between 20 and 50 per cent of cases especially early in infection, including when people are very infectious and can transmit the virus," he told 9News.

The centre informed families of the positive results yesterday.

Twin Parks said residents had been tested with two different brands of RATs to confirm their diagnosis, but they provided conflicting results.

The facility has had issues previously, with one email in December highlighting the inaccuracy of the tests.

"These tests are not particularly reliable, given our positive staff member tested negative on multiple RATs in the last week," it read.

When questioned about the accuracy of RATs, Prime Minister Scott Morrison admitted they were not as reliable.

"Rapid antigen tests are of course not as accurate as PCR tests," he said today.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said PCR tests were preferred until the Omicron wave hit and infections rose to levels testing clinics could no longer handle.

Twin Parks has already experienced COVID-19 tragedy, with more than 20 residents dying during Melbourne's second wave.

"Facilities like this are doing their best in very trying circumstances," relative David Steart said.

READ MORE: Peter Dutton rejects leaked text claim from Bob Carr

"I have confidence in the facility, not necessarily in the Federal Government."

The ADF has been sent to help medical teams and workers at aged care facilities around the country.

Mr Morrison announced today about 1700 ADF personnel would assist at facilities.

"In each state and territory, it will begin with around 50 personnel going to support each state and up to 200," he said.

The aged care sector may right now be operating 140,000 shifts a week fewer than normal, according to some reports.

The large gap is leaving residents isolated, requiring the ADF to get involved.

"An important part of your quality of life is being able to have access to your family," Mr Morrison said.

Large numbers of staff taken out of the workforce has impacted the access residents have had with family members.

Fifteen military planners will work with the Department of Health to coordinate ADF support to the aged care facilities.

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Australia's border reopening to reinvigorate struggling tourism industry

The reopening of Australia's international borders has been heralded as an opportunity to re-invigorate the nation's struggling tourism and aviation sectors.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said borders will reopen to double-vaccinated visa holders from February 21 as COVID-19 cases and ICU admissions continue to decline.

"This is the exciting announcement the aviation sector has been waiting for," Australian Airports Association (AAA) Chief Executive James Goodwin said.

READ MORE: Lifeline launches 24/7 text service

"International travel is only at 15 per cent of pre-COVID levels so this is a positive step to help the recovery of the aviation and tourism sectors."

Mr Goodwin noted domestic routes would also get a vital boost from the return of international travellers.

"International tourists don't just visit one Australian city," he said.

"They fly from state to state to see all of what our nation has to offer so it is vital all domestic borders reopen and stay open."

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce also welcomed today's border announcement.

"Borders reopening to international tourists means Australia is finally back open for business," Mr Joyce said.

"We will be looking at our schedules to see if we can restart flights from more international destinations sooner or add capacity to those routes we are already flying.

"We have the flexibility to ramp up flights in response to demand."

Earlier today, Mr Morrison said the government had been working to progressively re-open Australia's borders since November of 2021.

READ MORE: Aussie property prices to fall by 10 per cent in 2023: NAB

"Those programs have proceeded very successfully – whether it was the programs we had in place with New Zealand or Singapore, and then with Japan and South Korea, opening up to international students and backpackers and economic migrants who are coming to Australia, that will now be extended to international visitors who will be able to return," Mr Morrison said.

Mr Morrison said international travellers would be welcomed back into the country, providing they were double-vaccinated against COVID-19.

"That's the rule," he said.

"Everyone is expected to abide by it and it's very important that people understand that requirement if they're seeking to come to Australia.

"If you're double-vaccinated, we look forward to welcoming you back to Australia and I know the tourism industry will be looking forward to that."

Mr Morrison said the high-profile deportation of unvaccinated tennis star Novak Djokovic "should have sent a very clear message to everyone around the world that is the requirement to enter into Australia".

Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said anyone not vaccinated who wants to come to Australia would have to apply for an exemption.

"They will have to provide proof that there is a medical reason that they cannot be vaccinated," she said.

READ MORE: Peter Dutton rejects leaked text claim from Bob Carr

https://twitter.com/Fi_Willan/status/1490529602959122434

Ms Andrews is tipping a tourism boom for the hammered sector, almost two years after Australia closed its international borders.

Since November, when border restrictions first began to loosen for travel from a small number of countries, 300,000 people have visited Australia.

But tourism operators have been crying out for international big-spenders.

In the year 2018-19, tourism generated more than $60 billion for the Australian economy.

State-based flight caps on international arrivals and quarantine arrangements are set to continue.

READ MORE: How COVID-19 will impact this year's historic federal election

Mr Morrison said it was "up to state governments to alter those, as they see fit".