Australia Covid news live update: vaccine effective against Omicron, CMO says; record high cases in NSW and SA; new mask rules for Qld
Paul Kelly speaks as Australia passes 90% vaccine milestone; NSW records 2,213 Covid cases and one death; Victoria reports 1,510 cases and seven deaths as premier Daniel Andrews returns negative test; new mask mandate for Queensland as 20 cases reported; 64 cases in SA as state to relax restrictions on 28 December; NT locks down Tennant Creek after four new cases; ACT records 20 cases. Follow all the day’s news live
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The deputy opposition leader, Richard Marles, who was on a panel with Dutton, says he was deeply affected by the photos of police officers weeping and comforting each other at the scene:
The first responders and their need to look after each other given what they witnessed and what they had to deal with speaks to how desperately sad this tragedy is.
I think for the likes of Peter and I, we spent this time of year going to primary schools, particularly at the end of their school year. We join in with their celebrations. It is a really emotional time, the end of the primary school year. Grade 6s graduating. It is a joyous moment that these kids were going to that yesterday with a sense of celebration.
The only comfort you can take at the moment … [is] that there is community support and people are rallying around each other, which is important.
Because it is obviously at the worst possible time of the year, just to compound the shocking tragedy in any case.
Read the original article at The Guardian