Welcome to the 9News.com.au live blog for Thursday, August 26, 2021. Qantas has made a massive multi-billion-dollar loss amid the ongoing travel ban and grounding of international flights. it indicated it wants to restart international travel in December. NSW could see some restrictions eased today after passing 6m vaccinations. Victoria has announced a new high of 80 cases. Queensland has announced it’s building a quarantine facility in Toowoomba.
Qantas is planning to restart some international travel before Christmas after it posted a $1.7 billion after-tax loss for the financial year.
The Australian airline – badly hit by the COVID-19 restrictions on travel – today said its underlying loss before tax for the last financial year was $1.83 billion and the statutory loss was $2.35 billion
The airline estimated the revenue impact from the COVID-19 pandemic was $12 billion.
A quarantine facility will be built in regional Queensland, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced.
The 1000-bed capacity centre will be located in Toowoomba and construction is already underway.
“This is going to be a great boost for our defence against the Delta virus in this country,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“In fact, I believe that we need regional facilities like across the country. We are going to be dealing with Delta for some time.
“If we want to open Australia up, we want to open our states up, regional quarantine facilities are the second part of the answer.”
By the end of the year the regional centre will have 500 beds and 1000 by the first quarter of 2022.
Queensland has recorded no new cases of local coronavirus cases, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced.
Two infections were detected in hotel quarantine.
Yesterday, 21,251 vaccines were administered by Queensland Health, she said.
The Premier has also revealed a quarantine facility would soon be built in regional Queensland.
