Hi there. It's Thursday, January 20 and you're reading The Loop, a quick wrap-up of today's news.
One thing you should know
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has confirmed there will be no change to the seven-day isolation period for people who test positive for COVID-19.
Some countries have reduced the isolation period to five days and that option was discussed at national cabinet today, however, the Chief Medical Officer recommended keeping it at one week.
The PM also says there has been no national agreement on how schools should manage reopening, other than that the priority should be staying open instead of moving in and out of closures.
What else is going on
Note: There are details in the section below, and in the stories linked, that may be distressing for some readers.
- A 40-year-old woman has been released by police, pending further inquiries after a three-month-old baby boy's body was found inside a freezer at a home in Corowa, in southern NSW. Police attended the home late last night after concerns were raised for the welfare of a child
- An RFS volunteer who led the search for murdered schoolgirl Charlise Mutten has described the impact of her death as "a very personal and deeply distressing experience". The hundreds of volunteers who searched day and night in dense bushland have been offered counselling as they begin to process the news of her death
- The Federal Court has released its reasons for upholding Novak Djokovic's visa cancellation, noting the tennis player's "influence" on the public. In a unanimous decision, it found that it was not irrational for Immigration Minister Alex Hawke to be concerned that the support of anti-vaccination groups for Djokovic might encourage protests and further community transmission.
What Australia has been searching for online
- Novavax. The TGA has provisionally approved the biotech company's COVID-19 vaccine for use in Australia but it still has to get the green light from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation before it's made available
- Mac Miller. It would have been the late rapper's 30th birthday this week, and some of the music industry's biggest names have paid tribute to him with heartfelt notes in a birthday card published by Rolling Stone
"You were a true genius and to watch you in your element was one of the most impactful things I’ve witnessed in my career, outside of you being a genuine human being and a friend to many." - J.I.D
"I hope that on your birthday, the clarity, and places and spaces that you’ve always wanted to go to, see and feel — I hope that you feel that infinitely. I hope that you can see further than you’ve ever seen before. I hope that wherever you are, it’s funny. Gotta be funny. If it isn’t funny, it sucks." - Thundercat
One more thing
After two decades of greatness, Aussie tennis player Sam Stosur has played her last professional singles match in round two of the Australian Open.
The 37-year-old went down, 6-2, 6-2, to 10th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova this afternoon with the Kia Arena crowd warmly showing its appreciation for the 2011 US Open singles champion.
"I dreamed of winning a grand slam [singles title]," she said courtside.
Meanwhile there have been a few more big moments and upsets in today's play:
- Local wildcard Chris O'Connell has sent 13th seed Diego Schwartzman packing, to advance to the third round at a grand slam for the first time
- Western Australian Maddison Inglis has also advanced to the third round after coming out on top over the US's Hailey Baptiste
- Alex De Minaur finished strong in his second-round clash to beat Polish Kamil Majchrzak in straight sets
- Former Australian Open finalist Garbiñe Muguruza succumbed to a surprise second-round 6-3, 6-3 loss to France's Alize Cornet.
On top of that, Nick Kyrgios faces a massive second-round test against Daniil Medvedev tonight — no doubt that'll be an entertaining match-up.
You're up to date
See you tomorrow.
ABC/wires
